Happy October!

So, Liam can credibly identify a dog, a duck, a cow, a cat, and a monkey complete with appropriate sound. He actually said the word "dog" appropriately, too. Jim is also convinced that he used the word "done" accurately twice today. Clearly, a video would be good at this point. :) We'll work on delivering.

In the meantime, Liam's new past times include shopping for snacks in the kitchen. He had a Target bag he was fishing in for awhile, which has now been replaced with a bin. Said bin is also hidden now, save for approved snack times. What treasures lie within the bin, you might ask? Multiple forms of dried fruit, at the emperor's  request, yogurt melts, apple sauce in the pouch, other pouch smoothie food, graham crackers, etc.... Dried fruit is his favorite...the more expensive, the better!

This Weekend

The weather and other obligations kept us in this weekend. Between the tantrums (mostly Jim!) and the laughs (all-around), Liam managed to get some work done.

Here, you can see Liam expressing the angst of the tortured artist confronting the blank page.

And, to work off that angst, Liam decided to engage in some hard work around the house. 

The New Technological Babysitter

As Liam is the lucky son to two "thirty-something" parents (turns out, youth has its advantages in parenting), sometimes it becomes necessary to rely upon technology to give everyone a much-needed break. The result, a new fan of the fun pop group, OK GO (whom we had the good fortune of seeing live at a This American Life taping in 2003). Liam's favorite video is here...as highly educated parents, it's important for us to be able to justify the time spent watching this video over and over and over and...well, you get the point. As it features a Rube Goldberg machine, it's educational, right? He's learning so much about cause and effect, appropriate for a toddler of his stature.

Here is the video:

And, here's video of our little "vid-iot" enjoying the music...

And, some stills...

Labor Day Field Trip

What better way to celebrate the work of the unions than by visiting the Zoo! Um...well, that's what we thought today. The weather was perfect. The animals were out and about, performing for the crowd. And, Liam and his parents all had a great time.

 Ready to go, 'rents!

 Hippos, sighted!

 Butterfly!!!

Flutter By!!!

End of August

Liam celebrated the end of August by "path-ing" around the house pushing any variety of object, including an empty plastic bin that used to house his toys, his favorite firetruck (made out of recycled materials...a birthday gift from his dear friend, Jasper), and quacking duck (a birthday gift from his dear aunt Meg). More photos for September will hopefully follow!

Festival of Nations

So, Liam enjoyed some international experiences through food, music, dance, and shopping at the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park this past weekend. He was lucky enough to be accompanied by both Mia and Emily, dear friends of his and ours. We had a great time, even if it was miserably hot, and Liam rewarded all of us with many hugs and laughs.

Super Liam

So, Liam has always known exactly what he's wanted and isn't shy about making it known. In this instance, we were at Old Navy looking at toddler clothing, and this PJ set caught his eye. No question about it, he had to have these. And, if he's upset around bedtime, once he puts these PJ's on, he's fine. Ah, the power of a symbol, bright colors, and a hero...

And, here's Liam's best impression of Sonic Hedgehog...