Auntie Lindsay Visits

Graham was elated recently when his Auntie Lindsay came to visit. As it is August in our town we do things indoor mostly, like the Children's Museum. Graham was loving the extra attention and, of course, another person to read to him!

Our Garden Plot

Graham and I have taken to pastoral pursuits. Ok- not exactly. We got a community garden plot. And while it's a month until we can plant (until night time temps fall below 90 degrees), we are already having dreams of what great things we are going to do with this small plot of land. The first step will be to plow under the prior inhabitant's garden-as shown here.

Bye Bye Bottles

It's official- Graham has given up the bottle. Not by choice, mind you, but we figured that it was about time for him to move on. He does great with sippies and straws now and was kind of using them as a comfort item rather than a necessary way to get drink and food. He seems to have adjusted well. We had only one bad day where he requested them and has been fine ever since. It is a great treat for us as well, as it is one step closer to Graham's and our independence from baby paraphernelia.

Graham and His Buddies

Graham has made a couple of friends already while here in Scottsdale. This is Graham playing with his friend Ethan. their favorite activities are scaring each other by jumping out from behind furniture and reading books together.

The Budding Artiste

When he can resist skipping straight to eating the crayons, Graham is creating some crayon art of his own these days. The greatest other challenge (than preventing Graham from bellying up to the Crayola buffet) is to isolate the art to paper. Graham is eager to redecorate our home.

Rockin' Out at the Library

Until the August recess, Graham and I had been going to Shake, Rattle, and Roll at the library each week. We also had some fun at the library beforehand. Check out the little man- here listening to an audiobook. His latest favorite books are: "The River" by Nick Pollard and "Diggers", which is an Usborne lift and learn book. Andy and I are going to get his some new ones today though, because, we have agreed, that if we have to read either of these books today for the 100th time, we are going to lose our minds.

Graham Learns How to Use a Straw!

G-man can be a bit stubborn, so we were wondering if he would ever take it upon himself to learn how to use straws when he likes sippy cups so much! Well, we finally found his Achilles heel- milkshakes. Nothing convinces a toddler to be flexible like a concoction of ice cream and candy...Now he's using a straw like an old pro.