Sunny Days on Thursday, August 27

This week's story begins last Saturday morning when I fell down the stairs. Needless to say, it shook me and scared my parents, but in the end I was just fine. The nurse assured my mom that her son took many a tumbles, and now he is at Virginia Tech! My brain is just fine! And so, my week got much better after that. The highlight was a visit from Moppy and Pop, and we all went to the zoo. It was great fun having them over--just like old times! Then, this evening Mommy, Daddy, and I went to the pool, and just as summer is closing I fell in love with the pool! I was splashing and dunking my face. And, for the first time, I put up a fuss when we had to leave. I leave you with a recent video. Just this week, I was able to pull open the heavy spice cabinet (which combined with sliding open the pocket door above the stairs inspired my parents with Pop's help to do more child proofing, but the spice cabinet stays open for my enjoyment once all of the lids got good and secure). And, what treasures are inside that cabinet! I like to shake the different jars for their musical capacity, and I also like to stack and count all of the containers.

Playdating on Wednesday, August 19

I have had lots of fun playdates this week. It has been great fun catching up with friends, those local and those a little further away. On Monday, we traveled to St. Mary's County to visit Sarah, Jacob, and Rachel. I was in exploration mode and toy heaven at their house! And, Mom had a great time catching up with her best pal, Denise. On Tuesday, we had Lauren and Luke over to our house. They were barely in door when Luke spotted one of my favorite books, Moo Baa LaLaLa, so we just had to sit and read that in the middle of the kitchen floor. Luke is five weeks older than me, a little over an inch taller, and he runs! So it was interesting to see what he could reach and get into--a warning to my parents! And, today we had a lovely lunch and visit at Lis and Gabe's. It may look like Gabe and I are just playing with bowls and spoons, but we are actually making music and contemplating the name of our kitchen band.

Birthday Wishes on Sunday, August 16

We had some fun adventures this weekend, including a day trip down to Virginia's Northern Neck. Though we spent a lot of time in the car, we were able to meet Nanny and Grandpa and celebrate Nanny's birthday. That was the highlight! And, I liked running around the big, empty model home and playing in the closets of one of the houses we checked out (not moving...just a scouting mission for property). Check out my birthday video message along with a bonus feature. I am into the ABCs!

Poolside on Thursday, August 13

We just got back from the pool, and I could barely keep my eyes open or head up to eat lunch! I had a great time wading in the baby pool but mostly walking around, going from mom to kid and checking out of their pool stuff. I met some of my playgroup buddies at the pool, and in this photo you will find us taking a snack break. Look at us sitting like big boys! This past weekend also included another trip to the Reston Zoo, because we had to show Mommy all of the cool animals (first we had brunch at Clyde's where I discovered bacon--yum!--see photo of me trying to pet the ostrich at the zoo and then of Daddy and me in the fountain outside the restaurant). This week, we also had a fun playdate with Lis and Gabe, Sarah and Evan, a visit to my new preschool, and a trip to the library. My new favorite library book is Big Little by Leslie Patricelli; I just crack up at the chihuahua! And, from this book I have added lots of new words to my vocabulary, like chihuahua, pacifier, and coins (those are all little things).

Feeding Goats and Lots More on Saturday, August 8

It has been a busy week. Since last we talked, Grandma (who I now call Nanny) and Grandpa came to visit, Daddy and I went to the Reston Zoo and fed the farm animals, Mommy came back from Vegas, we went to a show at Wolf Trap (I loved the puppets and was less impressed with the singing trio), and we found more water features to play in. Also, I also got a sandbox in my backyard! Upon having beach withdrawal, my cousin Keelyn suggested a sandbox. And, fortuitously, our neighbor was giving one away. So, Daddy and Grandpa carried the sandbox down the street, and my mom lugged back to our yard about 250 lbs of sand only to need a quarter of that. But, that is okay, because my favorite activity in my sandbox is throwing the sand out of the box!

Morning Adventures on Saturday, August 1

Well, it is the third morning in a row where I have flat out refused my morning nap. No tiredness or rubbing of the eyes in sight! My mom is blaming my two new molars. But you know, I am almost 16 months old! Maybe it is time to give up that baby morning nap (sorry Mommy!). However, that gave us some morning time for adventures before it got too hot and before my mom left on her Vegas trip. So... we went to the car wash (lots of "WA-TER" to watch), the farmer's market (loved the juicy samples of peaches and melons BUT sadly a sell out of corn), and then to a new water feature in downtown Ballston (probably meant to be more decorative than playful!). A fun morning!