one hunter and two walkers

Today was a very exciting day, because our friend Hunter came to see us! He's just a wee lad, only nine months old, but we all got along brilliantly (except for the part where Hunter reached for Zak's animal cracker). We compared mobility techniques, toy throwing abilities and voice modulation ratios before embarking across the alley for a trip to the park.


Once we arrived at the park, Zak set off on a solo walkabout that took him waaaaayyy out there. That kid has no fear. He and I are both walking about 90% of the time now, by the way. Anyhow, it sure was good to see Hunter as well as his mom and dad. Come see us again soon guys!

swingin' on the porch

Well, g'mornin' there. Would you care to join my brother and me out here on m' porch? Thought we'd sit for a spell and watch the world go by. Make sure none o' those young whippersnappers step on the lawn and whatnot. Later we'll play some checkers, or perhaps just chew on some checkers. Did I mention I got a molar that's been botherin' me somethin' fierce? Whoooo-wee.

seventeen

If we look a little older, it's because we turned 17 months old yesterday. Can you believe it? Next thing you know we'll be asking for the car keys.

P.S. If you need more evidence that time is indeed marching on, click here to see us one year ago today. (I'm on the right in both pictures.)

too darn hot

good times with grandma betty

Grandma Betty came up last weekend to see Wyn and me, our new house, and oh I guess Mom and Dad too. As soon as she got here, we dragged her downstairs to demonstrate the features of our new playroom. She was, needless to say, extremely impressed.


Later we took Grandma for a stroll in our backyard. Here we are relaxing on the cover of our new sandbox, which Mom and Dad were very excited about but turned out to be full of spiders. It's good for sitting on anyway, if you don't mind getting tree sap all over your backside (sorry about your pants, Grandma).


On Monday, we had lunch at Petersen's Restaurant, Ice Cream Parlour and Sweet Shoppe before doing a little shopping in downtown Oak Park. Grandma bought us some cool new outfits that we'll be showing off later. As always, we were sorry to see Grandma go, and we look forward to seeing her again soon. We love you Grandma Betty!

walk this way, or perhaps this way

My brother and I both walk a lot now, but we have taken very different approaches to mastering the skill. Zak (shown above) thinks walking is a blast. He started out full throttle, propelling himself forward as fast as he could, ready to crash land into whatever was in front of him. A parent. A brother. A wall. Whatever. Balance would enter the equation eventually, he reasoned. And finally it has. He's also really into the praise portion of walking.


Then there's me. I'm doing this for myself, no one else. Occasionally I'll offer a little smile as a reward for praise, but not often. I've got to stay focused. Also, I perfected my sense of balance before I started walking. I'm very serious and deliberate with each step. And unlike my brother, I almost never fall.


Of course, I can't spend every waking moment on my feet. Here I am gently squeezing a leaf between my fingers. Ah, that's nice. Oops. Gotta go. Must. Keep. Up. With. Brother.

this one's for grandpa

We've spent a lot of time thinking about Grandpa Lipsey lately. He's been feeling under the weather, and we sure hope he's back to 100% soon. We also hope he likes how we're sitting up straight in our chairs, although to be honest, this little setup didn't last for long. My brother would rather use the chairs to climb up on the table (thrilling!) than for sitting (booooring!!). So, as quickly as our new table and chairs appeared, they vanished. Huh.

We love you, Grandpa Lipsey!

oh my goodness! we moved.

Sorry we've been gone so long. But Wyn and I have been extremely busy getting ourselves moved from Rogers Park in Chicago to Oak Park. It's been quite a wild ride, and believe me, we're not really settled yet. Nevertheless, we wanted to take a break from unpacking to give you an update.


In addition to many fantastic features that we didn't have before, including a yard, a front porch and a covered patio, our new house came with exact replicas of the furniture in our old place. Weird!


Our house also came with a few bonus items, one of which you see in the picture above. That's right...kitties! Daddy named this one Infestation 3 (yes, there's a 1 and a 2). The kitties don't seem to realize they've moved. It may not help that the people who used to live here relocated only two blocks away. We really enjoy watching the furry little creatures, even if Daddy won't let us feed them. Yesterday Wyn saw Infestation 1 hanging around on the deck and promptly quipped, "Meow."


One of the best things about our new house is this park. It's right across the alley from us, so Mom and Dad have no excuse but to take us there at least once a day.

Unfortunately, in our absence we missed Grandma Betty's birthday (she's 35, apparently). So Happy Birthday Grandma! We also didn't get to tell everyone about our time with Grandma Lipsey, who watched us while Mom and Dad finished packing and went to the closing. Suffice it to say that we had a great time, and we can't wait to see her again.

That's the scoop for now. We'll return to our regularly scheduled blogging in the next couple of days. Love you all!