Kids growing up

 Ian has become the climber - he figured out how to climb into the space for the TV. We found him on the piano keyboard (we moved the piano bench). He can climb up, and stand, on the couch and the coffee table. Even climbed up on the table once. Sigh. And when he climbs up on the couch he likes to climb up over the end to drop off the side - figuring someone will catch him. We're taking bets on how long it will be before we have to go to the emergency room for stitches. He even likes to try to climb up into his car seat (and he's very fond of fastening the seat belts together, he can even do the bottom half on occasion.)

 Ian has discovered stuffed animals (quack quack, tiger - who says roar, and bear). He will often try to carry around all three at the same time. It's been a bit hard to teach him about no stuffed animals at the table. He gives me tiger, I move breakfast within reach. He cries for tiger, so I take breakfast away, and give him tiger... and then he cries for breakfast, and so on.

He's very sweet and always gives Isabella her pink bear in the morning when we go to get her up. She grunts no and pushes it away, or says, in her best petulant voice, "No, I don't want a bear!". But he keeps giving it back. One of these kids is not a morning person...

One of Isabella's friends from day care had a birthday party at a gym. The kids hung around, ran around, and played with a parachute. Ian spent most of the time (once he woke up) trying to go out the front door. Even cake only delayed him a bit.

That day was quite full - we met up with Nate and his kids and went for a small hike (on the scooters), followed by running around the playground for quite a while. Then the b-day party, then Jay's good-bye party. Where the two kids spent most of the time sliding down the really big pillow. Ian, of course, was trying to take everything apart from the clarinet to the TV remote to the computer.

Ian has now started talking - tiger says "roar", he can name most of his favorite foods, "mine" is definitely up there. He loves to point at birds and say "tweet tweet" while making an open-close motion with his hand. He still likes to go through books and name everything in them - not so interested in stories.