First Fish

My first catch- a puffer fish! Dad was surprised at how calmly I reeled in this treasure. I always thought the best fun was reeling in your empty hook and seeing that the fish ate your bait, I didn't know that the goal was to actually catch a fish!
Dad and I go fishing on Saturday mornings, he got me a real fishing rod after we broke 3 Disney rods in rapid succession. It's awesome. He even lets me hold the shrimp to bait the hook and I'm not grossed out at all.
I love hanging out with my Dad at the pier, we see dolphins and manatees. One day we'll bring Mom and Ryan out here.
But for now, Little Man needs his morning naps.

Ryan at 11 Months

We are entering Mom's favorite baby-toddler stage with our Little Man. He is a playful, hilarious clown! He claps his hands, bounces up and down to music, puts his fingers together for "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", blows kisses, and plays peek-a-boo:
We can't decide if he's actually said his official first word yet, but he definitely has his own language: "guh" means Maggie or Moxie, "dadada" means Dad, "mamama" means Mom, "da-day" means Kelsey, "bah" means ball, and "DAT" refers to everything else... He imitates the sound of an engine when pushing around toy cars "bmmmh... bmmmh".
He LOVES his soft blanket. He rubs his face on it, then sits up to pick another perfect spot before face-planting again and rolling around to get the best cuddle. We've crowded his crib with a lion lovey, teddy bear, and this blanket (an effort to help him attach to something other than Mom and sleep past 2am). We find him at night curled up with his blanket like spoons.
You may notice that most of these pictures are blurry. He's a mover- no time to pose! We also have fewer pictures in general of this guy- when we grow up and he notices that Mom took a gazillion pictures of me, but only a million of him, he will know that we were just having too much fun to stop for the camera!
He likes to grab 2 toys at a time to carry around the house (one in each hand). There are some favorites: the monkey head rattle, the blue cup, his toothbrush, markers, and paint brushes. Mom said his problem solving skills are advanced for his age- one day he was holding 2 squishy toy balls. When she offered him a third ball, she expected him to drop one in order to take the third. Instead, he took a moment to think, then placed one ball in his mouth and grabbed the third with that free hand. Brilliant! And we're not biased at all.

Walking and Talking

One day Ryan decided that he was ready to walk more than crawl. He's all over the house now!

Walking and Talking

Webby Dance

I started dance class on Fridays. My BFFs and I love singing the songs and learning the moves.Mom says I have natural flair and a perfect twirl. This is the dance we are working on right now, and I'm very focused on getting the song right. We are also working on big dance moves and big smiles:
Mickey Mouse's Bday Party

Animal Kingdom

Our back yard has been a virtual zoo (not counting the monkey flexing his arm in this picture). One night we found a baby cardinal that must have left his nest for the first time. His Mom and Dad kept chirping and flying down to check on him. After a few tries, he was able to fly up to a branch, then disappeared into the ferns.
While we were out there cheering him on, an adorable owl swooped down onto our tree. She probably likes to eat some of the mice that live in our attic.The next morning the cutest baby possum was sniffing around our patio. Yes, they are disgusting animals, but this tiny critter was actually cute. Until Maggie and Moxie went outside and he played dead. Who knows what will show up in our yard next!

Milkshake Days

This week everybody got sick. It was awful. 8 sleepless nights, 5 cans of chicken noodle soup, 4 infected ears, and 60 hours of Disney movies and Sesame Street. Even Mom and Dad each spent 48 hours in misery. Thank goodness for Motrin. And good doctors.But mostly, thank you Moms and Dads who understand that some days are made for milkshakes. They just make you feel better. Ryan was a huge fan of the chocolate milkshake, and made a big show trying to get my attention so I would give him my glass. Everybody was looking at him and laughing:
Gimme That Milkshake

Happy Mother's Day!

Dad and I surprised Mom with what I called "Food In Bed" for breakfast (She loved it!). She said Mother's Day is a perfect time for her to look back at all of the ordinary moments that make her love being a Mom. Like our afternoons in the neighborhood riding my bike. The hours before school trying to keep Ryan entertained and out of the kitchen. The day she finally gave up and made him a food tray where he can eat his waffle and still be able to stay under her feet while she gets our bags for school ready.
The random moments when she realizes that I am watching and learning from their every move. Like when I performed Dad's Perfect Pushup routine.The drive to and from school when I beam with pride because I get to sit in a big girl booster seat.

The weekends when we get to decide what fun things we can do As A Family.The days when Ryan and I make her laugh just by being ourselves. I think Mom likes us and loves us very much.