making peace

Yesterday Wyn and I got in a big fight over a yellow Caterpillar dump truck. Mommy wasn't able to help us settle our differences, so she gave up, turned on a video and left to start dinner (we were both still rolling around on the floor crying). When she came back a few minutes later, we had reached a truce.

What can we all learn from this exercise?

1) Daddy needs to buy another yellow Caterpillar dump truck.
2) Mommy can't always make things better, and that's okay.
3) Sometimes vegging on the couch ain't such a bad thing.

tigger innards

tunnel innards

a grand time

Last weekend was a weekend to end all weekends. What made it so? Why, a visit from our Grandma and Grandpa Kelmel! They drove up all the way from Kansas City just to play with us. Hurrah! On Sunday we took them to the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Here's Zak escorting Grandpa and Mommy on a guided tour: "And on your left, the rare and magnificent Aceras anthropophorum..."


Of course, I also held forth on all manner of important botanical-type things. Here I am explaining the wonder of chlorophyll to Grandma.


All that walking and talking eventually wore me out, so I got a lift from Grandpa. He didn't seem to mind too much.


Our trip to the Conservatory proved to be great fun, as did the rest of our weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. In fact, this morning when we woke up we wandered around the house looking for them. Zak, Mom, Dad and I were all sorry to see them go and look forward to seeing them again at Christmas.

We love you Grandma and Grandpa. And thanks for everything!

punk'd

Since Wyn and I are on the verge of turning 19 months old, we thought we'd revisit what we were doing a year ago at 7 months. My livin'-on-the-edge punk persona hasn't changed all that much, but check out my brother. That dude is waaaay more menacing.

wild

Another fun zoo trip on Saturday. Another picture that doesn't show you any of the animals we saw. Sorry. The good news is, this shot turned into an ode to the beloved "You been farmin' long?" poster that hung in the diner off I-70 in Sweet Springs, Missouri. Mommy told us about it...her side of the family surely remembers it! Click here to see the only pic we could find on the internet.

practical sandbox use no. 2

Wyn and I have finally come up with another use for our spider-filled sandbox besides just sitting on it. We're now conducting a series of Topography Transfer experiments, whereby we pick up the pebbles, dirt and pine needles from the ground and throw it all on top of the sandbox. As you can see, the project is proceeding quite well, and we anticipate completion sometime later this month.

found you!

Our favorite game around the house now is Hide and Seek. We play it at least twice a day, rain or shine. Here I am finding Mom hiding in the entryway.

a special message, part ii

Dad and I couldn't let Mom and Wyn have all the fun on this big day. However, the old man is none too gifted for crafting a verse, so I decided to help him out by suggesting a quote by acclaimed Irish author Sam McBratney, who ends one of his classic novellas with a line spoken by Big Nutbrown Hare:

I love you right up to the moon ... and back.

Can't say it much better than that.

a special message

The year was 1998. The day, September 12th. Zak and I were only a twinkle in our daddy's eyes then. And now, here we all are seven years later (2005-1998=7 Subtraction is fun!). So in recognition of this momentous day, we interrupt this blog to send out a special message that Mom asked us to give to Dad:

Do you remember when we met?
That's the day I knew you were my pet.
I want to tell you how much I love you.

Happy Anniversary! (See, I didn't get you a card.)

three's company

Guess who came over to play this morning? Here's a hint: he's the big guy in the middle. That's right...Sam! We started out in our downstairs playroom, then we adjourned outside for a little ball kicking (Sam) and rock throwing (us). Zak was so happy to see our cousin that he even let me play with one of "his" trucks. Amazing. For this reason and many others, we hope you come back soon Sam, and Uncle Stephan too!

hey wyn, show us your belly!

might as well face it, zak's addicted to gucks

Trucks, or "gucks" as he prefers to call them, have been Zak's obsession for a couple of weeks now. Fortunately for him, gucks aren't limited to what you or I might call trucks. Sure, there are fire engine gucks and garbage gucks. But did you know that cars are gucks too? So are scooters. Apparently, anything with wheels is a guck, including our barbeque grill and the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Zak's favorite guck is pictured above. I'm not allowed to touch it at all. Little does he know, I'm thinking about touching it right now.

On a side note, our Labor Day weekend was a bit dull. Mom and Dad took the holiday name a little too literally and labored all weekend painting their bedroom. It's nice, but not as cool as ours.