Another Shameless Political Plug

Here it is. Another shameless political plug in the final hours of this very long presidential campaign.


I thought long and hard about who to support in this election, as my opinion carries some weight with the toddler set. Honestly, if questioned off the record, I would just vote for 'planes' because I like them a lot. But I hear this Barack Obama has a pretty sweet plane and effective politics is, after all, all about compromise.  Now shoo! Go cast your ballot, hang your chad, troll your poll, just vote dammit. Happy Election Day!

Firsts: Last Day of School

Today is my last day of school before our big move. Mom and Dad haven't actually told me as much yet, but I can tell. I'm kind of torn up about it, not sleeping as well as usual and feeling a little sensitive. And who wouldn't be feeling the same in my place. Just look at all the amazing friends I have who are willing to let me crash into them and push them off a slide until we become a jumbled mass of toddlers. 


Good times with good friends. It doesn't get much better than that. Hmm, now I'm starting to sound like a beer commercial. Hey! Doesn't the guy always get the girl in those ads? Well... 

Flash Flood Warning

It's been pretty rainy here in H-town. This is the third day in a row we've had flash flood warnings. Lucky for me I have a super sweet rain coat. With my lunch bag and my clean clothes bag, it takes a while to get kitted out for school in the morning. But the end result was so adorable that Mom had to stop us on our way out the door and take a picture. I think I just got a glimpse of what prom night will be like. I'm pretty sure there's a photo in my future with a tux and this exact same expression.

And here I am practicing hailing a taxi. I'm ready for my move to the big city! First DC, then the world!

More Kaboom

Hello friends! Boy, have I ever missed you! There's been a lot going on here at home lately. In case you haven't yet heard it through the grapevine, Mom and Dad and I are going to be picking up stakes and moving back to the DC area. I'm super excited, but it sure is a lot of work. Not only is the house a mess and in need of some cleaning up, but so is Mom's resume. I'm doing what I can with it, but I'm no miracle worker. Next time, try updating it more frequently than every five years, Mom. Then we'll have more time to do stuff like this:





Thanks Cathie for introducing this game to us, and thanks Dad for innovating it with a full body slam. It was an awesome Father's Day!

Now I Know My ABCs

...well, sort of.

B Squared

B Squared, you say? Why, that means Big Boy Bed! Last weekend I participated in one of my favorite activities: Doing Things with Dad. Specifically, we took the side off of my crib so that now it is a proper bed. 




What a difference! I've really enjoyed the world of possibilities this change has opened up for me, like exploring my toys and books after my parents think they have put me to sleep, or giving Mom and Dad an in-person wake up call in the morning. Good times! I hope all my friends and family in the U.S. have good times too this holiday weekend and get to do fun things with the people you love. 

Little Visitors

For a couple of months we've had some special little visitors in the house. May I introduce Scamper and Moxie, our first foster kittens. I was so excited when they first came to stay. I wanted to see them last thing before I left for school and would run straight to their box when I got home. That was more than a month ago. Now, they are healthy thanks to Mom and Dad and well socialized thanks to me. They've socialized me a little along the way too. I have a better understanding of what it means to be gentle (because Mom says that word about 20 times a day), and even though I still yell mine, mine, mine when the kittens play with my toys, I really don't mind sharing with them too much. Happily, Scamper and Moxie have found a new forever home, so we'll be saying goodbye tomorrow. Bye bye little visitors. Thanks for growing up with us for a little while.

Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day everyone! This is a really special day for me, because not only is it Mother's Day, it's also my mom's birthday. Double Whammie! Also, I get to spend the day with not only my mom, but with my Nanna and two of my Baltimore aunties. I thought today was supposed to be all about the moms, so how come I feel so overwhelmed with the love. I'm just a lucky guy, I guess. 


In celebration of my amazing Nanna, here's a snap from the archives.  

Counting Quesadillas

The King was in his counting house, counting...quesadillas?

Firsts: Picture Day

Dad took one look at my first school photo and said I looked like a playground lothario. Sometimes he uses big words that stump me. All I know is that when I take a look at this pic I have an urge to use the word hither. 


This is actually a photo that was taken before I had my first haircut and just as I was reaching toddlerhood. Ah, youth. I remember my mom and one of my teachers discussing the theory of how the rebellious toddlerhood is like a prequel to being a teenager. Though I'm loath to admit it, there may actually be photographic evidence here that my mom is right. I spy with with my little eye a teeny red stress zit on my upper lip! How embarrassing! Hey girl, why don't you come over here and sit with me on this swing and we can talk about it.

Getting Hosed

Easter 2012: Epilogue

Easter again? I know, I know, but it was kind of a big deal. We had a special guest at our community Easter egg hunt. Can anyone guess who that might have been? Why the Easter Bunny, of course! Wasn't that so nice of him to show up at our little event? And he gave us so many eggs that I thought it would be nice to give him some back.

This got a lot of laughs from the crowd. I guess I'm just supposed to hoard all the eggs for myself. Hmmm. Rookie mistake. Trust me, it won't happen again!

Easter 2012: The Real Deal

So, as I told you last time, our neighborhood put a little Easter egg hunt together of the local kids. After some practice at home, I felt prepared for the true egg-collecting mission. Well, let me just preface this next bit by saying: I love my parents. They are well-intentioned (being that their intention is to help me in any way possible). But sometimes, they get it wrong. For example, this Easter egg hunt. Calling it it a "hunt" is really a misnomer. I had trained for seeking out brightly colored plastic eggs thoughtfully placed within a natural setting. What I encountered was multiple piles of plastic eggs dumped in the playground, each pile designated for a certain age group. And the pile for the up to three-year-olds? It was on a concrete slab. Not exactly the bucolic experience I had been expecting. It was also super loud. Frankly, I was a little stymied by the whole affair. At least Mom and Dad got the plastic egg bit right, and eventually I got it too.




Sidenote: Do you see that girl in the pink dress running behind us? Well, she is definitely older than three, and my mom had some choice words for her. Apparently the older kids in her area got all the eggs and left her with none, so she decided to come take the eggs from the smallest kids. Appalling! That's what I heard my mom say...along with Where are her parents? and something about That's how despots are made. Oh, Mom, sometimes you are a little spicy.

Easter 2012: Practice Run

I hope everyone had a good Easter/Passover/Weekend. For me, it was the first time I really got to enjoy the trappings of the holiday. I was going to say that it was really awesome, but if I'm honest it was really more along the lines of generally good and occasionally confusing. Our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt in the local park for all the kids, and to prepare me for what Mom and Dad were sure would be total madness (screaming, trampling, hair pulling), they decided to give me a practice egg hunt in the front yard. It took a while for the whole scenario to click, but eventually I got the hang of it.

Did this practice help me to cope with the neighborhood egg hunt? Did I walk away with any eggs, or did I walk away with scratches and bruises...or both? Fear not, faithful readers, all shall be revealed. Stay tuned.

My Little Pony

Another pivotal moment from the rodeo: my first time on a horse. I can't wait until I'm old enough to sit on the ponies that actually move!

Now every time I see this photo on display in the living room I say pony, pony, pony and practice my yee-haws!

Mutton Bustin'

The Rodeo is once again in full swing, and now that I'm a little bit older I can appreciate it more. Me and Mom and Dad had a great day together petting the show bunnies, posing on ponies, and watching all the little eggs hatch in the incubators into little chicks. Yes, the bbq brisket was good, but by far I prefer the live animals to the dead ones. And the best of the best had to be the mutton bustin'!


In case you are unfamiliar with the (ahem) sport, here is a little sample:

And here is how much I'm lovin' it: 

(In case you missed what I was saying, here is the transcription: Oooh, Ready, Ready, Go!)

Leap Day

Some people say that every day is a gift. I guess that's true most of the time, but never more so than on Leap Day. What did you do with your extra day yesterday? I mostly did the exact same thing as any day, but with a little something special added in. Dad took Mom out for some yummy sushi, at which point I decided to amaze them both with a demonstration of my own developmental leap. Mastering chopsticks? Check! What's next?

Welcome to the Toddler Dome

This week is my first official week in the toddler class at school. We've been transitioning for the last couple weeks, and I've really taken to it. Being with the older kids (up to 3) really challenges me to grow and discover what I'm capable of--like sitting at a table an focusing on a piece of "work" (e.g., puzzles and sorting beans into cups). It's pretty cool.

As toddlers, our class gets to play in the outdoor playground, and apparently the fresh air brings out the wild side in all of us! Do any of you out there remember that movie with Mel Gibson and Tina Turner? You know, the one in which they live in a post apocalyptic world and Mel is forced to fight a bunch of wild characters for his very survival in a place called the Thunder Dome? Yeah, well in my world that place is called the playground. See for yourself. When Mom and Dad picked me up from school yesterday, this is the face they found.


Can anyone out there identify this mark? Anyone? Yeah, it is a bite mark. One of my friends bit my face on the playground. I think he might have been trying to blind me in one eye. Shew. It's rough out here in the real world.

Before and After: Shave and a Haircut

Well, really just a haircut. Here I am on Sunday morning poking at things with a stick, as one does.

And here I am this morning eating my cereal. Actually, it's Dad's cereal, but what's his is mine...mine, mine, mine!

I read somewhere that first haircuts can be a traumatic experience, and this first haircut was no different. No, not for me, silly. I was eating sweet potatoes, so all was right with the world. It was Mom who was tearing up, poor old thing. Sometimes she is a delicate flower. Maybe she needs some sweet potatoes too.

Potty Mouth

Natty Boh

Dad's special hobby of late has been experimenting with film cameras. Sadly, there's only one place left in town to get film developed, so we save up our film and develop it in mass quantities. Well, we just got a huge batch processed and here's one of my faves.

Those in the Baltimore area will certainly recognize the logo for National Bohemian on my onesie. Personally, I think of myself as more of a natural bohemian. (Special thanks to my aunties Liz and Katherine for the outfit and for always encouraging me to be advanced for my age.)

Sharing is Caring

Oh snap! Has it really been more than two weeks since I last communicated with my adoring public? How embarrassing. You know when there is a lull in my public sphere it is because my private sphere has become, shall we say, crowded. I've once again said goodbye to my Nanna and Pop Pop after a fun (but sadly too short) visit, and I am now on the cusp of a reasonably mellow week. To right-size my absence in the blog-o-sphere I will now attempt to make it rain...blog posts, that is.


Let us begin here, with a video I like to call Sharing Is Caring. And stay tuned for more shenanigans throughout the week.

A Tale of Two Archies

My Nanna walked me to school every day during her last visit. Of course my mom came along with her camera and took these two photos. I can't help but be struck by the difference.

A happy-go-lucky kid, or a thug in a hoodie...TBD. 

Or, as the great Charles Dickens wrote: Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. Happy Birthday Chuck. You don't look a day over 199.

Wicked Guitar Solo!

No, not me: My Dad! He's super talented at what I like to call abstract flamenco rock. He sure does inspire me to get my groove on.





What can you say to that, but more, more, more...except maybe thanks to my Auntie Jess for my handmade DC flag onesie. End taxation without representation now for all my precious aunties!

Archie Calling

Beware! I'm coming to a phone near you...And I may not be wearing any pants!

Portrait of the Young Man as an Artist

I had my first foray into finger-painting this weekend. You may notice some traces of purple around my mouth. The paints were so pretty that I just knew they would taste delicious too. After sampling a couple of colors and some redirection from Mom and Dad, I stated to get the hang of keeping the paint on the paper. It was sort of fun. But I'm pretty much sold on any activity that means I get to run around the house half naked. Am I right, fellas?

Over the River and Through the Woods...

I just got back from my first trip of 2012. Me and Mom and Dad hopped on a plane to Arizona to visit my grandparents. We only stayed for a long weekend, but I could have bunked there for a lot longer. I had such a fun time going to the zoo with Grandpa and playing with Grandma and getting to know all their dogs. 


At first the dogs weren't too sure about me and stood at the sliding glass door barking at me. I backed up a bit at first because it kind of caught me off guard, but then stood my ground too, planted my feet, and barked right back at them. I think we came to an understanding. By the end of my visit, I was sleeping in the dog bed just like one of the pack. If only Mom had remembered to snap of photo of that! Oh well, I guess I'll just share this pic of me and my Dad that Mom took on our recent visit to Galveston. We gave this picture to my grandparents as a Christmas gift, and it was up on the wall before we were out the door! I guess they love it as much as my Mom does.

Toddler Taming

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a fun and safe time ringing in the new year. As you can see here, I really started getting into my New Year's antics about midday. After all, I do go to bed before 8:00 p.m.