Update....

As you have all noticed, we have been WAAAAYYY too busy to update my blog... we have been very, very, very busy! Since Adventure Camp, we've been in Berlin visiting Hanna and Jean Michel, and then our friends Dawn and Andy came to visit for 10 days from the US! We traveled all over Germany with them, and had a really good time together. Now my Gramma is visiting us! At first I was shy around her, but I have decided to include her in my (currently short) list of very special people! Pictures of my Gramma and me will follow, here are a few pictures from the past weeks.

Ok, ok, ok, everyone calm down. I am not playing inside plastic bags. My Momma was making our guests' bed, and I found the duvet carrier... they took it away from me right after taking a picture!

No officer, sir, there is no under-age driving going on in this car... but I guess you CAN write me a ticket for not being buckled...

Well, I know my Momma said we had to pack lightly for the trip to Munich, but come on! Surely there is room for me INSIDE the car?!

That boat-ride completely tuckered me out... so I slept and slept like a baby! Oh wait.

When we went to Koeln (Collogne), my Momma carried me up all 509 steps to the top of the steeple of the cathedral!

Look! I am little Dad!

And on that note, I am gonna sign out and see what kind of mischief I can get into with my Gramma! I hope you all enjoyed the pictures, and will read my blog again soon, to see me playing with my Gramma!

Slides, crayons, and plants

I have been home from adventure camp for 4 days now, which was PLENTY of time to get into mischief!

Slides are for climbing! I can get pretty far up if my Momma puts on my OTHER shoes... which for some odd reason, she doesn't do when we go to the playground. Once I get as far up as I can, I slither back down on my belly, feet first.

As of today, I can also climb up the big-kids jungle gym! Step ladders used to be too hard for me, but I watched a little girl do it, and successfully followed! I was heading across the hanging bridge to the balance beam by the time my Momma was able to follow... if the opening had been any smaller, she couldn't have~!

Uhhhhh, oopsy! No really, the kitty did it! I was just playing innocently in the dirt, when all of a sudden, the kitty jumped on top of the trunk and tipped the whole thing over with his brute force!

I love drawing scribbles with my crayons. Unfortunately, I also like nibbling on them. Thankfully, they are non-toxic and washable. Hooray for crayola!

Imitating people around me is one of my favorite pass-times. I make people laugh often by parroting my version of what they just said or did! After my Momma finished watering her plants, I made sure she did the job right, and watered them too!

Crazy Teens!

This last weekend was GREAT! My Momma and Dad took me along to the church youth group Adventure camp in Garmisch... which meant that I had 32 teens at my immediate disposal for 4 whole days! They played with me, made me laugh, lugged me around, and when my Momma wasn't watching closely enough, they even gave me coolade and cookies...

Hey! I can't wait to be a teenager, too!

Those big bullies made me wear this crazy hat...

We had a picknick lunch at the beach of the Eibsee. My Dad biked around the lake the long way with the teenagers, while my Momma and two girls who didn't want to bike got to walk the short way... it was fun to lick the rocks on the beach, but my Dad wouldn't let me hop in the water with the kids. He said something about 'too cold'... whatever he meant, it was SILLY! We had lots of fun anyway.

And all that running around got me plum-tuckered out!

This was a full weekend! We had a ton of fun with the teenagers and the other youth leaders... I love hanging out with the big kids! I also had lots of fun playing with my little friend Caleb... I hope we can do this again!
Ok, so here I am sleeping on the way home.... everyone was really exhausted from playing with me, going mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and climbing around the high-ropes course!!

Chipped tooth and cleaning concentrate...

This has been a rather tumuluous week! It started with my Momma slipping on a wet floor on Thursday, while holding me. She managed to twist herself to break the fall, but I still bumped my head on the floor... not enough to leave a welt though.

Then on Sunday, I was playing on the slide, and my foot slipped while I was trying to climb up the slide, and I hit my mouth... I chipped the inside corner of my tooth. It is only a very small corner, and chances are it will grind down so you can't even see that it is missing.

Then on Monday, while I Momma was cleaning the bathroom, I got into the cabinet in the kitchen that has the dishwasher detergent in it. I drank some, and liked it! My Momma noticed that I was being very quiet, and checked on me... I greeted her with a happy wave of the detergent bottle, and a smile that smelled very soapy fresh! After calling poison control and determining that the detergent was neither toxic nor corrosive, we went to the drug store to get me an anti-foaming agent... it tasted horrible. But at least this way I didn't have to spit up bubbles...

Honestly, my Momma and Dad are good parents! I am just so incredibly mischievous that they can't always keep up with me!

Alright, time for pictures...

Hey! Look at me! I am wearing shoes! I love shoes. I call them "doo" or "zoo" and am getting pretty good at walking in the big ones...

Yup, yup. I am very pleased. I got into these by myself when we were visiting some friends in Frankfurt.

Hey! This thing is great! I haven't figured out how to jump yet, but flailing wildly all over the place sure is fun...

...and I am making lots and lots of noise while I flail!

Mosquito bait...

My Dad and Momma took me hiking on Saturday! We drove into the hills behind Heidelberg, and hiked a path my Dad previously hiked alone. I got to ride on my Dad's back in my cool backpack-carrier. It was fun! We had lunch in a clearing that had a bunch of big mossy stones in it for me to climb. Walking on the leafy ground wasn't very fun for me 'cuz it kept tripping me. It was tricky! But I had plenty of fun scrambling on the rocks. And my Dad is very proud of me for jumping off of the biggest one! It was about as tall as our couch. I stood up on it, and just jumped right off. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I tipped forward, resulting in my face getting a bunch of leaves stuck to it... but I didn't cry. My Momma was slightly incredulous that I did that, and my Dad was very very proud.
Anyway, here are some pictures of me!


Before letting me run free, my Momma made sure that I had some food in my belly...

Hmmmmmm! Eating German pretzels out in the green green forest is yummy!

This is cool! I can throw this stuff in the air! Hmmm. Tastes kind of too dry and crispety though.

Huh. Look at this big green thing. I wonder if it is just as fun to climb on as a rock?

Woopsy, I was so focused on eating my lunch and scrambling on rocks that I didn't even notice that my pants burst open...
...oh well, a guy can't complain about a little bit of ventilation...

On TOP of the World!

So I realize that it has been a while...we have been very busy! My Momma has been working on finishing her online class (done in 5 days... she is working on the final exam now). To keep me from getting too mischievous around the house, my Momma takes me to the playground every day. I have met a few new friends there, including a pair of identical twins my age! They do their job (keeping their Mom on her toes) even better than I do. I also have started putting a few words together: If I want to call Dad on the phone, I bring the phone to my Momma, and say "Dad! Hi!" Or if I want to eat a banana, I say "Na! Hmmm!" I also tell other people "No!" when they are touching the things that are no-no for me, like the stereo. I can show you me nose, and if I want to go outside, I will bring you my shoes, and then pull you to the door. If someone is visiting whom I don't want in our house, I push them to the door, and then start waving at them. I have long conversations with myself while I play, and I can read you my books, too. The boring pages (goats, sheep, pigs) get skipped, and the favorite pages (dog, cow, owls) get used multiple times throughout the story. Hmm. What else is new? Oh! I have found out that peeling lables off of everything, especially water bottles, is great fun. Don't leave anything within my reach that has a lable you want to keep...

Now that I have thoroughly conquered the horizontal, I am working on conquering the vertical realms! This means, climbing, climbing, climbing. Stairs and the couch are no longer challenging enough. Give me chairs! Tables! Jungle gyms! Anything that CAN be climbed WILL be climbed! Don't put anything breakable on the table, cuz I can get up there now!

This is the current new favorite picture. I love stealing my Dad's hat(s) and know that they go on my head. I insist on coming into the bathroom with my Momma and Dad, and to keep me from throwing my toys INTO the toilet, or playing in the toilet water, my Momma started putting me on top of it. I decided I like sitting there, so now I climb up on my own!

I honestly don't understand why my Momma doesn't want me playing in the water inside this thing. I mean, come on. It has the perfect height for me! And toys go "plop" wonderfully when I drop them in here! It also echoes when I yell in here!

Up! Up! Up! *grunt* But don't think I will sit still once I am up. It is all about perfecting the process. I get back down, then right back up, sit for a bit climb back down again.

Don't turn your back on me, cuz I will get into EVERYTHING! Or, should I say, ON to everything?

Uh, yeah. About that. You forgot to give me my vitamine drops today, so I thought I would just help myself. What do you mean, get down? I worked hard to get here!

Well, time for my Momma to play with me! She and my Dad are going on their 4th anniversary date this evening, and their friends Brandy and Jason get to spend the evening with me!

Words, flags, forks, climbing and baths.

Words are fun! I added a few more this week. My sippy-cup is named "baboh" and water bottles are called "bo'le" (pronounce it like an Irishman would say "bottle"). Also, if something falls down (or if I drop food off my high chair) I say "dow!" And I politely ask people for things by opening and closing my hand, and saying "dee?" (my version of please?)... well, if I don't get what I want, the "dee?" gets progressively more demanding, and finally turns into an annoyed shreek. Universal baby language for "I WANT!" ..."dee" also is my word for "keys" which I love to steal out of my Momma's backpack, and then stick them into any holes around the house I can find that are approximately the right size.

I have learned to climb onto the dining room table. First I climb onto a chair, and from there, it is an easy climb. Don't turn your back on me! I can get all the way up the stairs in our house, with an adult walking behind me, just in case I lose my balance.

Ok, here are the pictures I know you are all eager to see...

This is me on July 4th! My Dad let me play with the flag that we got when he came back from Iraq. There is a cute picture of me trying to eat it, by Dad didn't want my Momma to post it, because it isn't respectful to our flag.

Wave-wave-wave! I am proud to be an American!

Hmmmm. And this stick tastes yummy, too. I have determined that all aspects of this flag are yummy.

Remember the boat tour my Momma and Dad took with me? Well, here is a picture my Momma took of us.

We just boated by some cows, and I am saying "Mmmmmhhhh!" to them very fervently!

These last few days the weather was really hot and humid, so my Momma ran some cool water into the tub for me to play in. I love it!

These giant lego-blocks keep me busy for an hour at a time! I have figured out how to stack them, and I love putting them into their bag and taking them back out.

My Momma tried to get me to look up, but I was concentrating way too hard to be distracted!

Ah yes. Eating with a fork is also one of my new skills. Here is how it works: you spear your food with the fork. Then you wave the fork back and forth to ensure that it is properly speared. Then you pull the food off of the fork with your other hand, and pop it into your mouth.

Feeding myself is fun!

Random pictures from Dad's camera

Hi guys! My Momma raided these pictures from my Dad's online photo album.

My Dad took this picture of my Momma and me on our boat ride along the Neckar river. It was fun! I didn't like the goofy hat my Momma made me wear, though.

We spent the 4th of July BBQ-ing with some friends. It got pretty late, and cuddling with Dad was sooooo comfy...

Then a bit later, I was so fast asleep that not even loud kids and a bunch of teen-agers, and a movie woke me!

Look! I have blue feet! My Momma made a table cloth for my gramma with my foot prints. My toe nails were still blue for more than a week...

Here, my Dad is still a Lieutenant, but about 30 minutes later, he was a captain! My Momma still needs to get the pictures of the promotion ceremony.

Before the ceremony began, I got to play for a bit. I enjoyed running around, and picked up lots of rocks in the gravel lot. I must have gotten that gene from my Momma!

Well, that's all for now, my Momma will post the pics of me waving a flag, and of me in the bath tub (modest ones) very soon.

It's been a while!

...happy belated 4th of July!
My Momma and Dad have been busy with class work, going on trips, and having days off together. We went on a boat trip down the Neckar, had 2 BBQs, and visited with friends. I also had my 1-year check-up, and was pronounced healthy and thriving. I am 31.5 inches (80cm) tall, and weigh 24.8lbs (11kg 220g). I also added a few more "words" this week. If something is used up or is gone, I say "Aw!" (as in "all gone") and open both palms in front of me, shrugging. I also say "Shhhhhh!", putting my finger in front of my mouth. I also do a great impression of my Momma, telling myself "Ah-ah-ah!" (as in "No, no! Don't even think about it!") and shake my finger menassingly! My third new word is "bvvvooo" (spoon). And finally, I say "na! na!" (banana) while my Momma makes breakfast, which consists of banana, oats, yoghurt, and sometimes peaches, or I say it when I see a banana. My favorite words right now are "baw" (ball) and "daw" (dog). I say them over and over again whenever I see either of them, or even when I am just thinking about them.


Well, here is a picture of me playing in a big box my Momma cut window holes into. The kitty likes to be in here, too.

It isn't that easy to get pictures of me lately, 'cuz I move and wiggle so much!
Ok, I'll smile for the camera... but only a goofy goofy smile!

My Dad has a bunch of pictures on his camera that my Momma will post here as soon as she downloads them. So check again this evening!