Buddy the babysitter.

We like having Buddy around, now that he's retired!  Sometimes I still forget that he's not at work.  (Grandma has always been a big help, but it's nice to have Buddy now too!)

Today Buddy watched Max for a little while while Gabe and I read the Magic School Bus book about the solar system.

He found a new way to give Max a ride.

He set Max in a little tub and pushed him all around the barn and porch, over and over, with a large broom!

Buddy also got his brand new i-pad computer today!

I am still working on getting ready for our Egypt party in June!  Hoping to get time to work on it this weekend.  We have big plans for the weekend, though, with soccer, team photos, and a birthday party.

Getting bonked on the head.

Getting bonked on the head is no fun.  Ask Max, our resident expert.

I seem to remember that when Gabe was a baby, he went through a phase where he was always bumping his head ... when he was getting more mobile, trying to climb and get into things.  I believe that's where Max is now.

I'm not talking about big, neglectful-parent knocks.  As you can see in this picture, I'm always there.  I can't prevent every little blunder though ...

He's starting to climb and test out his legs for walking.  He usually falls comfortably on his butt, but occasionally this has resulted in a small head bump and some tears.

Or he'll pick up something and hit himself in the head with it (remote control).  Or put his hands up and drop something on his own head (like the Madagascar penguin toy seen here on the floor next to the shelf between Gabe and Max).  Don't do that, baby!

Or he'll fall over when he's horsing around with Gabe ...

He loves to play though!  He wants to do all the things Gabe does!

Gabe's at soccer practice tonight.  Maybe someday Max will play too ... he just needs a few years to get a little more coordinated!

Playdate day. Oops, no pictures!

Max had a better night last night.  He woke up fussy this morning, but got over it and played happily with weapons.

Gabe's homeschool buddy Uriah and his four brothers and sisters came for a playdate today!  This was our event for the day, although I didn't take photographs!  The kids played with toys, ran through the trails outside, fed the turtles in the pond, drove the little kiddie cars around, played on the swings, observed the chickens and the bees, and had a great time!

Dan had a work-from-home day today, and he went in to see Dr. Casagrande again about his cholesterol.  We are working on improving our diet ...

... and starting an exercise program!  

Tomorrow is the aforementioned Bike Day at Gabe's school.  Gabe will be bringing this pedal cart.

Buddy put Max in the pedal cart.  Max likes to toot the horn.

Wow!  What a cool sound!

Then Buddy drove to the Medical Center in Houston to spend the night at the hospital with Aunt Susie.  She's recovering from surgery, and maybe reading this?  Love you, Aunt Susie!  Feel better soon!

Max's no good, very bad night.

Last night was a no good, very bad night for Max.  He woke at 2 a.m. screaming and crying and would not nurse back to sleep!

He didn't want to dance back to sleep either.  There was no making him happy.  By 2:30 a.m., everyone in the house was awake (including poor Gabe, who had to go to school today).

Was his nose a little stuffy (or did it just seem so, from the crying)?  Was it all the large pieces of raisins he's been eating stopping him up?  (No more large pieces of raisins, just in case!)  Was it a horrendous nightmare?  A terrible illness?  The bump on his chin from the picnic table today?  Or the knock on the noggin from his little bathtub?  Within 40 minutes, I was crying too!

Well, we never figured out what it was.  He went back down at 3 a.m. then tried a repeat performance at 4:30 but was too tired to pull it off to the same degree as the first time.

It seems his nap schedule is changing ... two naps is now too much and one is not enough.

But is it more than that?  Today he's been fussier than usual, and also reluctant to nap.  What's going on?

In other news, it was Police Visit Day at Gabe's school.  He came home wearing this sheriff badge sticker.

He and Daddy played with the tiny frisbee he got from the police department.

Here's Daddy, showing him how to use it.

Well, I hear Max fussing now so I better wrap up.  Does he need to go to bed?  Or just a nap?  Is something else wrong?

I guess that's how it goes ... as soon as you settle into a comfortable schedule, it changes.  I can't wait till the little guy can talk.  Just be happy, sweet baby!  Okay?  Love, Your Mom

Ben 10 Ultimate Alien.

Gabe's new thing is Ben 10 Ultimate Alien.  He must have spent two hours on this website today looking at the new characters.  Even at this moment I can hear the sounds playing endlessly on the living room computer:  "Ultimate Big Chill!  Ultimate Humungousaur!"  He took this picture of his new favorite character, Waterhazard, to show Buddy.  I know what toys we'll be buying soon!

He had everyone pick their favorites of the new characters.  Then he and Joe pulled out the old ones and played with them for awhile.

I have a new incentive for getting Gabe to do his homeschool.  As soon as he's finished with each page he has to do, I scream!!  He loves it.  (Why didn't I think of this before?)

Okay, revisiting a previous post ... does anyone remember the derogatory comments I made about Oriental Trading Company on Friday?  I didn't think anyone really read my blog, but apparently I am being watched, because guess who called me today?!  Oriental Trading Company!!  What the ...?!  Yikes.  Apparently they're serious about guaranteeing customer satisfaction ... I thanked the customer advocate for her concern, and for a case of the heebie-jeebies.  If you're reading this, Andrea ... uh ... hey.

Then I removed my blog from being crawled by internet search engines!  That way, maybe I won't be hearing from the good folks at Cartoon Network tomorrow ...

Three cheers for the new walking path!

Today Buddy used the tractor and cut a winding walking path through the back two acres.

Max is doing a cute new thing where he throws his hands up in the air.  "Yaaaay!"

This afternoon Buddy fried some fish Uncle Ricky caught.  (Behind him Fidget is trying to scheme up a way to get to the fish.)

Gabe will eat Buddy's fried fish.  (Max doesn't like it though.)

"Yipeee!"

Max got plenty of attention today when Great Aunt Marguerite came over ...

... and more from Grandma and Gabe ...

"Hip hip hooray!"

Gabe had a fun day playing outside with his cousins.

"Don't shoot!"

We stayed outside playing till it started to get dark ...