The latest and semi greatest

Yes, we play in the bathtub a lot--both with and without water. While D hates to be contained anywhere (go figure!) he will spend many, many content minutes playing in the tub. I am not so secretly wondering how long it is until he turns on the faucet and soaks himself.

Check out the size of this monster! I have mastered zucchini bread, omelets, fried zuch, etc. I actually love it and can't help but be really satisfied/smug that I haven't had to buy any produce for quite some time now. Although we did splurge on some DIVINE 1.00 pints of marionberries the other day. As for the boy in the pic, according to his latest 4 year old check up, he is in roughly the 60 percentile for height and weight. And is healthy and a genius. But you knew that already... He bravely opted to get four shots all at once and is done with vaccines until he is 11. Yay!

We rawk! Mizz, not surprisingly, seems to have a genuine knack for the game, much like his father. Meanwhile, I am improving, by sheer perseveration and hours of practice. In fact, my playing amounts to every couple of days until my wrists hurt. I am old but can be taught apparently.

Dave gets home today after two weeks of being on the road and to say that I am really excited, relieved, and highly impatient would all be major understatement. It hasn't helped that I have already consumed half a pot of coffee and haven't managed to entice the kids out of the yard thus far.

D's verbal skills

D continues to amaze me with his fast paced learning. Today he uttered his first no to one of his teachers in response to whether or not he wanted to take a nap. He also reportedly said stop and held out his hand, while mimicking a teacher who was instructing another baby to tell D stop. D is so fun right now! He hands people toys and tells them thank you. He is beginning to sing along with the ABC's and twinkle, twinkle little star. I can't believe it! It is just as exciting this time around!

Caked out

Every year it happens. How could it not? With seven birthdays of just my immediate family over the last three months, not to mention the majority of Mizz's class and some of my closest friends, by the middle of July the mere mention of cake makes my stomach a little wary if not outright distressed. And I love cake. I love the word cake. And all the images that go through my head when I think about the word cake. But for now, please no more. Because while I like to think that I have a reasonably healthy amount of willpower when it comes to monitoring what I consume, attending nine, yes nine birthday events in the last two months has put me over some sort of edge trimmed with a whole lotta frosting.

Mini UVA reunion

I didn't make it back to my ten year college reunion because D was just two weeks old. For now, these shirts and my fam will have to suffice until we can get back to the ville in October.