Alpha Male

Ryan loves his position as Doggie Commander In Chief.  He holds court from the high chair, rewarding them with leftover bits of dinner.

The crazy thing is that Mag and Mox fear and obey this little king.  He is very generous with the treats, so they don't mind when he gets a little bossy:  Alpha Male and Alpha Male2.

 

His natural leadership qualities are best suited for demanding that we do something "RIGHT NOW".  

For example:

• He wants to watch Nemo? "Mano? Watch Mano? Mano RIGHT NOW."
• He wants to get up in the morning: "Hi Mama.Turn light on RIGHT NOW."
• He wants the squirrel to get out of the bird feeder: "GET OUT NOW." 

No Wolfs

I am growing into a strong, confident girl with big muscles who doesn't take any crap from scary things that try to give me nightmares at night.

For example: wolves, bears, snakes, and mean dogs shouldn't even try to come into my room. I made this sign (including monster faces) specifically for wolves.  To be extra safe, Dad sprays "pixie dust" (Lysol) in my room at bedtime as an extra layer of protection. 

Mom and Dad really like that I'm writing now, especially when I surprise them with a sweet note.

Ryan at 21 Months

 An Earnest Vampire.  That's how to describe our boy at this stage.  He attacks every activity with zeal and enthusiasm.  Why walk when he can run?  Why talk normally when he can shout? Why ask a question once when he can ask it 3 times in rapid succession?   

 

The vampire part comes from his recent biting problem at school. Dad says he inherited the Rage Gene, and we should call him "Carl" after his great grandfather's "Carl Fits".  His teachers say that at nap time he appreciates some personal space boundaries from his friends. If they bother him while he's having a snack or sitting on his cot ready to nap, then he "goes all vampire" on them.  Ryan gets grumpy like Mom when they're tired and need a nap (Dad and I are like hamsters on a wheel, never wanting to sleep).

 We don't mind the occasional Rage, because his affectionate side outshines any trouble. Tonight he was quiet in his crib for an hour when Dad tucked me in and whispered "Good night, I love you" from my door.  Out of the blue we heard Ryan shout "Lub you Kelsey! Lub you!".

P.S. If you ever see a toddler in his birthday suit playing with trains suddenly squat and get quiet, it's time to get a diaper on him ASAP!

Happy Easter!

Mom gave us doughnut munchkins to keep us in the swing for the Easter morning money shot.  We gave her a good show with our new angry bird faces,

then a nice view of those yummy munchkins.

Our parents are grateful that we have so much fun together, 

and that we seem to like each other.

 

We started the day at church.  This year I understand that Easter is not just about the bunny bringing me candy.

 We talked about the true meaning of Easter, and I am starting to understand why it's a big deal.

 Ryan wasn't too worried about the true meaning of Easter or candy-toting bunnies.  He just wanted to sneak a hug to one of his sweet friends from school. It was a "booty out" strictly friend zone kind of hug.

We finished the day with a super fun egg hunt with my new next door neighbor and BFF, a 4 year old girl who loves the Disney store as much as I do. We took turns running in and out of each others' houses to compare doll inventory in our bedrooms.  She has a little brother who is Ryan's age, so I bet there will be many fun block parties and play dates in our future!

Face Parts

Little Man will show you all of the parts of his face... if you can get him to sit still long enough:  Parts of The Face

Day With Thomas

Thomas the Tank Engine came to town!  We spent the afternoon at the Railroad Museum enjoying fun train things, and even got to ride on Thomas himself.

Dad and I practiced our funny faces for Mom behind the camera

because she cracks up at what a clone I am.

Ryan was a tougher audience.

We also got to play on a "Woo Woo",

and a Tractor,

but the highlights of the day were the temporary tattoos

and all of the rocks we could smuggle from the train track with our tiny hands.

Swim Lessons

Dad took Ryan to his first swim lesson because Mom was terrified of the part where the teacher rips them screaming from the parent's arms at the door and takes them to the pool, where they cry and freak out for 30 minutes.

At least, that's what most kids do on their first day.

Unless your name is Ryan, and you OWN that swim lesson.