Strategy

Mom had the camera ready today to catch us being adorable.  She also got a glimpse into Ryan's strategy for getting what he wants.  In this case, he wanted the chair all to himself.  

First, he crawled over like he was just invited to the tickle party...

Then, the kill shot- the hair pull...

Followed by rage when I tried to kick him off... 

Then he stubbornly waited... knowing that I would be a nice big sister and let him have the chair.

Smug little devil.   

Rainbows

Any artist would be lucky to have a companion as loyal and loving as my buddy, Mox.  

I love to color, and my parents love to observe the developmental milestones secretly encoded in my drawings.  For example, lately I am noticing distinct differences between boys and girls:

I am also going through a rainbow phase because they represent happiness and love, which is why my mind was totally blown when we saw a real rainbow in our front yard this week!

Squirrel Rescue

Our trip to the playground took an unexpected turn today when this baby squirrel found us.  He kept following me around and looked very scared, so we sat down to talk to him.     

He liked Mom's shoe, and decided that it could make a good nest.  He curled up on her foot and went to sleep!  Then, when Mom tried to walk away, he just clung to her sock like she was his new Mommy. 

That was enough to convince us to find him a new home since we couldn't find his Mommy.  We found a vet that does wildlife rescue, and told Mag and Mox that NO, he was NOT their new toy.     

Dad said that baby squirrel was destined to be owl or possum food in the park tonight... but we knew that a Mama Cat was waiting to adopt him with her little kittens.  

Maybe one day when he grows up he'll come live in our attic and chew more holes in the AC duct work.  He was soooo cute!  I'm proud of helping the little guy.  

Summer Pictures 2012

 
Mom said she falls in love with us a little more every time she looks at these pictures. 

 

Red Bull

We're entering the period of toddlerhood that Mom calls the Red Bull Phase. It's when you find yourself asking "Who gave my kid a Red Bull?" multiple times a day.
Our resident monkey has learned to climb on the coffee table, and now he's obsessed: Table Dance.
We think that he probably won't be content to sit quietly and color any time soon...

YOU TALKING TO ME?

Dancing Mickey Mouse gets a beat down: Ryan The Butcher

Tubes

Little Man finally had one too many ear infections, earning him a set of ear tubes. He wasn't excited about the pre-op waiting area, especially since he had to skip breakfast before anesthesia. He kept going to the stroller and telling Mom "Go?". The procedure took exactly 5 minutes, and he devoured an entire Ziploc bag of Cheerios about 5 minutes after that. By 8am he was ready to party!

Jogurt

Ryan is picking up new words every day- he says yogurt like his sweet Spanish teacher: Jogurt. And now he answers questions with a "yeah" and big nod: Yeah
Even I (think I can) speak Spanish: Anchorwoman

Boys

If girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, then boys are made of monkey legs for climbing,
saddle bottoms for riding toys like a horse,the curiosity of a cat to inspect anything that is just out of reach,
and the cleverness of a fox for hiding from Moms.

Mystery Alarm

Last night Dad had to jump up in the middle of the night to turn off my blaring alarm clock. He couldn't figure out how to turn it off in the dark, and couldn't unplug it because the outlet is more secure than a bank vault. We have no idea how the alarm was set in the first place...

Daddy Daycare

Mom had to work last weekend, so she left Ryan and me in charge of Dad. She left detailed instructions: wake him up at 5:30, start the coffee, take him on a walk around the neighborhood before it gets too hot, let him play on his iPad for 30 minutes, then lunch and naptime. He stayed on green all day (as opposed to yellow for warning, red for bad). At bedtime he fell right to sleep after I read him a story. Mom says we can put a nickel in his piggy bank to save up and take to the Disney store.

Sit

Ryan is very proud to tell us his new word: "sit". He says it like a question, "Sit?", then smiles with pride as he sits down. He thinks my doll seat is his personal recliner: Car Seat Express. We have a great time together at home... especially when neither one of us is sick, tired, or hungry, and when Ryan is not trying to grab my toys, hit me, or pull my hair. We love his big boy chair, which we call "home base". Ryan LOVES to play hide and seek or tickle chase. He gets more fun every day, especially when he does new tricks like wearing my sparkly shoes in the shower: Bye Bye, and dancing: Wiggles.