We want to freeze Ryan at this age! He is so much fun! Every day he wakes up with a smile, ready to play peek-a-boo, his new favorite game: Peek-A-Boo . 
He loves to play: throwing and chasing his ball, pushing cars around while giving the sound effect of "bmmm, bmmm", 
bringing us his favorite books and demanding "dat!" so that we'll read to him, 
and making messes in every corner of the house. 
We adore this playful boy!
What do you do when it pours rain for 4 days and floods your school? Your Mom logs on to Pinterest to scramble for yet another indoor craft project, and your Dad builds a fort!
Then, when your school closes for tornado warnings and your Dad is out of town for a business trip and your Mom is going crazy in the house, you drive through flooded neighborhoods until you find a clear path to the Aquarium.
The best part of the day was watching Ryan walk around and bark at the sting rays and grouper! He thinks everything is a dog.
He has become a really fun little brother. 
He loves crashing face-first into me in the tent and cracking up: Ryan and Kelsey Tent
What was my favorite part of "Disney World"? The hotel. The Animal Kingdom resort was AWESOME. Mom said we have to live in Florida forever now, so we can take advantage of the Florida resident discounts at these resorts. 
It's basically an African themed hotel surrounded by a zoo. How cool is it that we can walk out onto a balcony, say hi to the giraffes, then go swimming?
It was Ryan's first time in a hotel, and he decided the first thing he needed to do was toilet paper the room!
Tropical Storm Debby delayed our entry into the pool. So, as we waited for the lightning to pass, Ryan entertained us with his impression of a dog. He does this hilarious, full body, bend-at-the-waist bark. Mom says he is a natural performer: What Does A Doggy Say?
Our parents' goal was to exhaust us by the end of the day, to ensure a smooth bedtime. Tell that to our little man who has never spent the night in a pack-n-play...
He never really got the message that it was time to SLEEP...
This weekend we took a mini vacation to Disney World, or as I call it, Cinderella's Castle. Dad says Mickey and Minnie Mouse usually live in Minneapolis, so it was a nice surprise to see them here, too. 
Ryan was thrilled to have a new place to strut his toddler march. 
Luckily, we beat the worst of Tropical Storm Debby to the park, giving us a sunny day to play. And we're acclimated to the suffocating heat since we live with it from May to November, so we knew to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, 
apply 10 layers of sunscreen, and twirl in the breeze!
Dad was happy to take some time off work, 
and I think he had just as much fun as I did!
We rode my favorites: The Carousel, It's A Small World, and the new Dumbo. 
A huge portion of Magic Kingdom is closed for construction of New Fantasyland, which is going to be awesome, especially Ariel's Grotto. We have to come back with my cousins when that opens next year. 
Ryan snuck in a little power nap while we waited for Dumbo. Look at that precious face. 
I love him so much. I love the way he smiles and laughs at me. Sometimes I like to flex my big sister muscles and tease him or take away something he wants. 
He has learned to deliver swift, brutal revenge.
Note to my parents: consider getting us sunglasses for our next day at the beach. What a perfect morning- the water was warm, the waves were calm, and the sun was bright. 
We ran into my friend, Sam, and his parents setting up their umbrella at the same time as us. He let me float on his boogie board and I taught him how to use the noodle as a weapon. 
Ryan was focused on digging in the sand and eating Cheerios. He definitely liked the beach better this time since he could walk around. 
We had a great time, and took a minute to appreciate our luck for living close to our favorite beach. Plus, Mom was proud that we got through the day without a single spot of sunburn!
These peacocks are causing quite a sensation in our neighborhood. It looks like they are here to stay! One neighbor said they eat bugs, so we hope they make themselves useful and eat all of the mosquitoes. We love them- as long as they don't poop in our yard or pull up any of our shingles. 
We just had another amazing day of animal encounters, starting with our friend The Peacock, who was chilling on top of our neighbor's garage this afternoon. We've seen him and his partner strolling around the neighborhood and perching on roofs over the last month, usually followed by a pack of paparazzi like Mom.
The Peacock was no match for the zen experience Mom had on her walk this morning, when she was followed by this friendly, frisky dolphin! This is him showing off his rolling moves along the sea wall. Mom swears he was looking at her.
Then she stumbled on four manatees. FOUR manatees! She even got video on her phone of the playful dolphin and a single manatee snout. Okay, the video is underwhelming, but it was really cool in person:
Ryan was asleep the whole time... probably dreaming about dolphins, manatees, and peacocks!
Dad was resting after his run when Ryan toddled over and sat down. We love these guys. We love this Dad. Happy Father's Day!
This weekend one of my BFFs had a birthday party at The Aquarium. Mom says he is the only kid who could challenge Keeley for Most Awesome Birthday Parties. His parents set the bar every summer- while we mortals serve Publix cupcakes at the park, they arrange reptile encounters! (Note to Keeley- it was not as cool as Uncle Jake in a pink pig costume.) 
By the time they brought out the baby crocodile, I was exhausted from playing in the fountains.
But, I rallied in time to touch his scaly tail!
Lately our Little Man is starting to look and act like... a little man. 
He loves to play with Dad and me. He gamely tolerates most of my silly ideas.
But now we are seeing a new independence and temper with our sweet, mellow baby. 
He put us on notice: don't poke the lion with a short stick. Things are about to get real around here!
