Cow-wee Dog

Ryan sure does love his dog "Cow-wee," and she is so darn patient, cooperative and tolerant with him it's unbelievable and incredibly endearing. His little mind is growing by leaps and bounds and he surprises us all the time with new things he's learned that we didn't even know he understood. He knows most of the farm animals and says them fairly understandably. His daddy taught him how to count to four and while he hasn't mastered it, he's real interested in counting objects and saying "the next" number. We've tried hide and seek too and while he can't hide (which is a good thing for other reasons), he's so good at the waiting and counting while not looking part which is really cute to watch. The little guy can also spot a Jayhawk like you wouldn't believe and is quick to point them out and say "awk." We're not sure if the syllable represents "rock," "chalk" or "hawk" but we know what he's talking about so it doesn't really matter.

He has a trike from his cousin Jack that he loves practicing riding around inside our garage and in the kitchen. He can kind of reach of the peddles and sometimes tries to figure them out and other times has fun just putting his feet up and letting us push him. Ryan continues to be a really good eater and a great sleeper. After we read books with him, he voluntarily hops down, walks over to his crib and says, "up." He gets more fun everyday and we're really enjoying this stage.

Best Weekend of the Year

We just had what we determined to be the best weekend of the year. Although Ryan spent Friday night with Mimi and Papa while Todd and I went to the American Royal, we were able to go to the park and play with him before saying goodbye for the night. We had a fantastic night at the Royal with our friends and Ryan must have had a ball too because he slept in until 9:15 the next morning.

Saturday we loaded up with the Koons and headed to Weston for the Applefest. It's such a quaint town and the festival is a great family activity. Ryan and Henry had fun playing in the park with all the other kids and Henry even painted a pumpkin and rode a pony. The dads got to enjoy some good Irish music at O'Malley's, and we ran into our friends the Whites who announced they're expecting! We finished up the day hanging out at the Koons, laying low and enjoying Todd's famous chili.

Sunday we slept in, ate our weight in pancakes and bacon, did some yard work, took a nap, went to the park, cooked a great dinner, then watched a movie. It was the perfect weekend; lots of family time, fun with friends, beautiful weather and good relaxation.

Ryan and Henry in Weston at the Applefest

We had to do some tree climbing at Loose Park on Sunday afternoon.

Papa introduced him to trees and it's no shock that our little monkey

took right to it. He still needs lots of help but I love watching him try

and seeing the thrill on his face when he gets up there.

Plaza Art Fair

Our favorite weekend of the year... the Plaza Art Fair! We just spent a great weekend strolling the streets of the Plaza, checking out really interesting, but totally out-of-our-price-range art, grazing on good food and drink, seeing lots of friends and having a wonderful time. As much as we love it, I think Callie likes it more because she gets so much attention and can't walk a few feet without getting petted by friendly strangers. Ryan was old enough to enjoy the Art Fair this year and had lots of fun playing with his red balloon, stomping in puddles, petting other dogs and dancing to the music. When I say dancing, what I really mean is running around like a mad man while a good band is playing but stopping to clap when they finish a song.

This weekend we also picked up a great passed-down toy from his other cousin Jon, a battery-operated Jeep. He's tall enough to reach the pedal but doesn't understand how it works so instead of driving it, he's content just sitting behind the wheel pretending to drive it, and getting in and out of it repeatedly.

He's a sweet, spirited little guy these days. He's a typical, physical little boy who loves to climb and has no fear which is a challenging combination from a parental standpoint. This weekend he was demonstrating his newest talent, jumping. At least he only jumps in place and hasn't yet endeavored to jump off things down to the ground

he loved his red balloon at the Art Fair

trying out his new ride

look at the picture on the wall behind him;

someone looks like his daddy

Fun with Friends & Family

I've been a little behind on posting, but it's not for lack of content. We went to the lake last weekend and stopped in Cole Camp with the Koons on our way through for their local fair. They close off their main street for the carnival rides and food booths and have a great little beer garden with a stage an authentic German music. We had a great afternoon and Ryan loved following Henry's lead. Henry was especially helpful and a good sharer; he let Ryan join him on a couple rides, won him a prize and let him eat his ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy. The weather was beautiful and we made the most of our lake trip since it's our last one for a few weeks.

Our friend Therese was in town from San Fran so she and several friends came over Friday to hang out. While we enjoyed a great night on the porch having drinks and getting caught up. There were some older kids here that night and Ryan was very interested in them and wouldn't leave their sides.

Saturday he got to see his cousins and lots of other kids at my sister's 40th birthday party. He had a ball playing with balloons, eating ice out of the drink buckets and getting into everything humanly possible. He got to spend the night with Popo and Grandma Marcia while I joined Todd in Lawrence for a big event he had earlier in the evening. Since we were in Lawrence, we went to Grant and Kristen's for brunch and the kids did lots of playing. Ryan loved all the different toys at their house and because they're so generous, we left with a car full of them to add to our collection. Jack is the best sharer of any kid I've ever known and picked out a book, clothes and other special things to pass onto Ryan. He especially took to their basketball goal and insisted on being picked up so that he could shoot a basket. He would have done it all day long if we had had the energy to continue. He also became quite attached to a small dog that wiggles and makes noise, didn't want to give it up and hasn't put it down since we got home.

Riding with his buddy Henry

Getting a ride from Aunt Kelli