Will he think it's this fun in 12 years?

Myla got a play mower for her birthday (I say "play" in case you were confused and thought Baw Baw and Grandma gave her a real one). She's definitely had fun with it, but so has Luke! Here he is taking it for a spin with Grandma.

Water Table

Early in June we got out Myla's water table. Luke was big enough to play in it a bit and really enjoyed it. Myla saw it as a good chance to break out her most stylish outfit. I had offered her a different pair of sunglasses but she insisted on these, telling me, "No Mom, these shades are cool." Excuse me!

Weekend in Kalamazoo

Let me start the same way I start most of my posts - it's been way too long since I've posted! I want to thank my beautiful and very talented writer/wife who has been so great about keeping up with the blog. We both have very busy schedules and lives and while I use that as an excuse she still finds time to write entries on the blog. Maybe it's because I'm cleaning the kitchen or doing laundry while she is blogging. We have a clear division of labor but I'll probably pay for that comment at some point....

Anyway, I recognize that Kasey is doing all of the work on this blog that many years from now will be so much fun to look back at and read for the two of us as well as Myla, Luke, and future Baby Blazes (you never know). I really appreciate that and also couldn't miss an opportunity to capture in writing one of these stories from last weekend that we will laugh about for years.

So last weekend we piled the kids into the car and drove up to Kalamazoo with our friends Neal and Abbie and their two children. From what I recall, we had a great lunch at a pizza joint. The reason it's a little difficult to remember is because of the constant screeching from Luke as he continues to explore his own voice. The other people in the restaurant laugh for the first few minutes but then usually don't find it so funny anymore.

We then spent a few hours at the Air Zoo which is a place that has 20 or so airplanes from different eras on display as well as some small rides and interactive stuff. A fun place but the kids aren't quite old enough to really enjoy it just yet. We then headed into downtown Kalamazoo to burn off some energy at a park before dinner and that's when the real fun began.

We were all having a great time playing when we started to notice Myla holding herself as if she had to go to the bathroom. This has become a regular occurrence, but when we ask Myla if she has to go the bathroom she always says "no." Unfortunately, she has had a few accidents recently where she basically gets too busy playing at school or at home and just goes in her pants. The maddening thing is that not only does she not try to tell someone she has to go, but she doesn't even tell you after she has gone. She just keeps playing. (When she had another accident this past week we were asking her about it and she tells us in this sweet little voice, "I'm just a little girl." Grrrr.)

I didn't want to deal with an accident, so I grabbed her and said we were going to the bathroom. Unfortunately, we were in downtown Kalamazoo on a Sunday afternoon so not much was open and there were no public restrooms at the park. I've never been to Kalamazoo before so had no idea which direction to even walk in, so Kasey and Luke joined us as we started to walk in the hopes we would quickly find a restaurant we could duck into.

Not more than 200 feet into our walk I picked up Myla because she was walking too slow, and I instantly realized that she had already had an accident - and it wasn't just pee. No mention of it at all by Myla which is so frustrating because she has been doing so well with the potty training. I ask her why she didn't just tell us she had to go and she said "I don't know." This is one of many times each day where I have to remind myself that Myla is only three.

We still don't see anywhere to go, so I'm carrying Myla but trying to do so in way that doesn't make a bigger mess. We finally round a corner and see a McDonalds. I take her in and we go to the restroom to clean up. This is the part of the story that I could never do justice, because you had to be there, but the place was disgusting. I honestly was more grossed out by the state/smell of the bathroom than what I had to clean up with Myla. There were all sorts of unsavory characters hanging out at this place and it was just awful. I'm yelling at Myla the whole time in the bathroom, "don't touch anything!"

We finally came out of the restroom all cleaned up and walked back to the park. It added to my elevated blood pressure on the way back when Myla just didn't seem to understand why this was such a big deal. Clearly it wasn't, and is definitely something to laugh about, but all you parents out there know how frustrating these situations can be. We made it back to the park and then dinner and she continued on as if nothing had happened. As a side note, we had dinner at the Bell's Brewery where Luke finally was able to get to something on the table before we could pull it away from him. Again, all the parents out there are familiar with the game we play at any meal that includes clearing the reachable space of any objects we don't want them to grab. Well, he got to my almost-full beer before I could react and dumped the entire thing out on the table. Score one for Luke!

Yes, this is probably way too much information for all the readers and something not all that interesting. But I thought it was the perfect little story, especially a couple days before Father's Day, to put down in writing so that years from now we can laugh and remember some of the rough moments with our children when you couldn't decide whether you wanted to be mad or laugh at the fact that my life includes moments of carrying my poopy three year old daughter through a town I've never been in only to end up changing her in a disgusting McDonald's/homeless shelter. Being a dad is great and I love everything about it - even these moments!

Mousse Moustache

I recently made some chocolate mousse to take to some friends who just had a baby, and Myla wanted to help. And then lick everything that came in contact with the chocolate.

Easter? Seriously?

I just realized that I wrote an Easter post long ago but never posted it to the blog! Please enjoy these adorable but much-delayed pictures of the kiddies in their Easter best. And check out the slide show for lots of egg-related fun.

Luke 9 Months

Great photos of Luke at 9 months! And no, we are not doing that to his hair. That is its natural state.

Silver Hawks and Slide Show

Myla's big third birthday celebration was held at the South Bend Silver Hawks' game on Saturday night. Myla absolutely loves going to games (and especially loves the mascot, Swoop), so this seemed like a perfect fit. And it was fantastic--I highly recommend this experience to any of our local friends!

First, Myla got to throw out the first pitch. Though we practiced at home, I wasn't at all sure she would do it, but she did! In the picture, the ball has just hit the ground (she through a wicked sinker). After that, she got her picture made with Swoop. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates.

Then it was on to cake--which the Silver Hawks provided. Myla had asked for a cake with Swoop on it, and I was definitely glad to have someone else give that a try! Everyone loved it, and Swoop came out and joined us for a while as we ate it. And here's the whole party crew--thanks so much to Myla's grandparents for making the trip!

Finally, Myla went on the field in the 5th inning, and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to her while her name was on the scoreboard (again, with Swoop). And then he brought her doughnuts as the game was ending! What an awesome night.

Here's a slideshow with more pictures of the game, and the rest of the birthday weekend. This will be a tough one to top!

Cupcake Party

For Myla's birthday, I took balloons and cupcakes to her school for her to share with her classmates. I didn't tell her about it, and she was surprised and so excited when I showed up with the goodies (along with Nana and Pop--an extra bonus!). She could barely contain herself:



The whole class sang Happy Birthday to her, and then they sat there patiently while we handed out the cupcakes and juice boxes. I have to say, I was very impressed with how well-behaved her whole class is. Those teachers are doing something right!




Myla enjoys her cupcake.

Big Sister

Now that Luke is sitting up and crawling around, Myla is showing much more interest in him. She looks out for him and is usually pretty good about him getting into all her stuff (except when she's not). Here are a few recent shots of the two of them together:

Luke can now ride in the wagon, and LOVES it. Myla likes having a riding buddy. In the last picture, you can see that Myla likes to fire her water squirter at very close range.

Look like anyone else you know?

Happy 3rd birthday, Myla James!

Today, Myla turned 3! Several people have commented that they can't believe she's already three, but in some ways I can't believe she's only three. For one thing, it's hard to remember life before Myla. And for another, she's such a little person--especially in the way she talks!

At three, Myla is so, so sweet. She'll tell you she loves you fifteen times a day (not that I get tired of hearing it). She still has pretty great manners and will thank you for things you do for her, not just things you give her. And knock on wood, but she's very good most of the time. If she's starting to misbehave we just ask her if she wants to be in trouble, and that's usually enough to change her tune.

She loves to tease and be silly and make up words. She has an incredible memory and even helps me remember all the things we need before leaving the house! She seems to survive on one good meal every three days. Her best buddy is still Chi Chi the monkey. She loves girly things like skirts and dresses and toenail polish but on occasion has refused to go to bed until Joey Votto bats. Her teachers at school love having her in class and she has three best friends (Hailey, Emily, and Brianna). Several other parents have said to me that they hear all about Myla at home!

And when I come home at the end of the day, or pick her up at school, she screams and runs to greet me with a huge hug and a big smile that makes my day, no matter what kind of day it's been. It's a kind of uncomplicated love that probably peaks at around age three, so we're trying to enjoy every minute of it. We love you, too, Myla James!

P.S. This week will be Myla Week--come back every day for new pictures of her and the details of the birthday weekend.