as always, two are better than one

Here are Zak and I checking out our new Royals caps on the digital camera screen. Because we figured, why have hats for just one miserable, disappointing team (ahem, Cubbies), when you can have hats for two miserable, disappointing teams?



Mom couldn't decide which of these pictures to show you. So I told her, why just include one adorable, engaging shot of me, when you can include two adorable, engaging shots of me?

water, water everywhere

Last Saturday and Sunday we accompanied our friend Pam to her family's house at Coldwater Lake. It was awesome! Here we are shortly after our arrival. While Wyn and I enjoyed a light snack, Daddy and Pam mapped out the weekend. The plan went something like this: hang out, ride in the boat, eat, hang out, build a campfire and make s'mores (my brother and I were not invited to this activity), go to bed, get up, eat, ride in the boat, take turns on the Sea-Doo, eat, hang out, go home.


As soon as I saw the lake, I dropped to the ground to practice my swimming technique. Seriously, I actually did this.


Before leaving the dock, my brother and I made sure the steering wheel was working properly.


And we're off! Wyn had a pretty good seat...


...But mine was even better. By the way, it took me about 4.5 seconds to find the throttle.


Here are Wyn and Daddy the next day. It was around this time that I discovered that my beloved Cubs hat, which was perfectly broken in, does not float. Hope the fishies aren't Sox fans.


Daddy became very excited when he saw this funky old "Float-Bote." Guess it's just like the one his family had when he was a boy. How cute!


And here's Dad on his very first Sea-Doo ride. If any of you are wondering what he wants for Christmas, well, wonder no more.


Here you see Wyn innocently reflecting on what a cool friend Pam is, while I ponder how to secure this entire chair for myself. Thank you, Pam, for sharing your lawn furniture, your house, your weekend and most of all yourself with us. You rock!

kings of the hill

Our new park is finally open for business! Right now our favorite feature is this grassy mound, which is perfect for running up and down. You can't even see over this hill, that's how tall it is. So you never know what might be lurking deep within the surrounding valleys. Could be a puppy...a bunny...


...or even your very own twin brother.

art + atlantans = artlantans?

On Friday, Zak, Mom and I met up with some friends and family from Atlanta: our second cousin Craig, his lovely wife Erin and her parents Vicky and Ron. We dined at the Art Institute's cafe, where Zak demonstrated his action painting technique with blueberry yogurt. The table already had a little Jackson Pollack thing going, so really he just enhanced it.


Isn't this a lovely family photo? Erin's dad is an excellent photographer.


After lunch we took a stroll through beautiful Millennium Park. Here we are admiring part of the Chicago skyline as seen through Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, a.k.a. "The Bean." Our visitors really liked this piece, but they understood my sentiment that it could be improved by adding wheels and a siren. Let's face it: there's nothing nicer in which to view your reflection than a big shiny fire truck. Sorry Mr. Kapoor, that's just the way it is. Anyway, it was wonderful to meet everyone. We really enjoyed our time together, and we hope to see them again soon!

north carolina: phase one

We had so much fun on our North Carolina vacation! Wyn and I decided to tell you about our trip in three parts. Phase one is our trip down to Grandma and Grandpa Lipsey's home and our stay before Mom and Dad went on their mini-vacation without us. Phase two is our very special time alone with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Katherine. Phase three is the return of Mom and Dad and our trip home.


Here is Wyn on the flight from Chicago to Charlotte, NC. We learned two very important things on our journey to Grandma and Grandpa Lipsey's house in Waynesville, NC. First: never, ever, ever, ever fly AirTran Airlines. Do not consider it for one second. Do not even take a fleeting glance at their logo. Second, if you're planning a three-hour drive through mountainous North Carolina in a rented Chrysler 300, perhaps it would not be best to stop first at Cracker Barrel for a heavy lunch. Especially if your name is Wynston. Enough said?



We celebrated our first full day at Grandma and Grandpa's private mountain retreat with (what else?) bubbles. However, there wasn't a whole lot of blowing of the bubbles on our part. It was more carelessly flinging the bubble juice all around, effecting collateral damage in every direction. Especially Aunt Katherine's direction.


Butterflies!


Chalk!


Blueberries!


No, really, BLUEBERRIES! Growing on a bush! Free for the taking!


So, Grandma, let's tally this up. Bubbles. Butterflies. Chalk. Blueberries. Can I move in?


Oh, and this is Annie. She's a dog. Now, we don't always appreciate the presence of dogs, especially at such close range. But she was pretty cool. Yes, we'd be just fine hanging out here for a few days, thank you very much!

north carolina: phase two

Zak and I were okay with Mom and Dad leaving us behind for four days, because A) We were not yet versed in the time/space continuum theory; B) We were distracted by all the neat new toys; and C) It was obvious that Grandma and Grandpa Lipsey and Aunt Katherine knew how to show a couple of 2-year-olds a good time. And just in case you were wondering, the large Annie on the right is "fuzzy." The small, ceramic Annie on the left is "no fuzzy."


At first we were unsure about this squirting water ring contraption. But after Grandma introduced her fancy plastic water catchers, we were all smiles.


Then Aunt Katherine taught us how to cover the holes with our fingers. Further aquatic mayhem ensued.


Here I am showing KT how to feed ducks and several other duck-like creatures at Lake Junaluska. I jumped right into this activity with no fear whatsoever. Zak...not so much.


Eventually I joined my brother in this elevated Safe Zone. Notice how the much larger geese hog the best seats, while the littler ducks make a nearly perfect semi-circle behind them. This is called "pecking order."



Feeding wild animals is exhausting. You know Zak's really beat when he does the thumb-sucking, arm-crossing, ear-stroking bit.


Now that we're all rested up, how 'bout a swim?


Okay, now, you may want to take a deep breath for this one. On Friday Grandma and Aunt Katherine took us to a John Deere Tractor Dealership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did they know! That we love tractors! They make us! So happy! Must! Take! One! Home!


Wyn: I still say, if you're going to use this baby for moldboard plowing, you'd be better off with the shift-free IVT option.
Zak: Now is that available on the 5003 series?
Wyn: Nah, you gotta go up to the 6015 for that.

(Shout out to our fellow Deere-lovin' buddy Joshua .)


As the saying goes, "A goose fed once with stale bagel is not satisfied. A goose fed again the next day with stale hamburger bun is somewhat more satisfied, but still not completely satisfied."


Congrats go to Grandma, Grandpa and Katherine for managing to keep us wonderfully entertained and totally wearing us out while Mom and Dad were on their mini-vacation. Very, very impressive.

north carolina: phase three

Wyn's Thought Bubble: "My mom and Dad went on vacation without me and all I got was this fake ice cream cone and this backpack. Alright...I'll concede that the backpack is way cool."


So here we are back at the Charlotte Airport (no mountain-road-related mishaps on the return trip, thank goodness). This is the part where we try to express just how wonderful, meaningful, fun and special our time was with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt KT. But of course words are not enough. All we can say is, thank you so much for everything and we love you beyond measure. Hug. Kiss. Squeeze. Repeat.

it's raining monsters

Aren't these umbrellas the best ever? You can get your very own at PuddleBeach.com. Or, if you just want to admire ours, check back here every day for the next week or so. This post will be our last until we come back from vacation on the 14th. We're visiting our wonderful North Carolina-dwelling relatives--including Grandma and Grandpa Lipsey and Aunt Katherine--so you can be sure we'll have lots of great photos and stories when we come back. Until then, hope all your days are sunny!

as seen on tv

It's been a couple of months since we shot our first national TV commercial for the Peter Potty. So we figured it was about time to show you the finished product, just in case you missed it on HGTV or any number of other digital cable stations. Hope you like it!

Bonus points to those sharp-eyed viewers who can tell who's who. There's also a 30-second version for those with the attention span of a two-year-old.