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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.

Luke's Studio Pics

Last week we had Luke's 9-month photos made at JCPenney's. They got some pretty cute ones (and some really goofy ones--please ignore any pictures in which Luke is wearing rain boots).

Click here for the link.

Chompers

Luke got his first two teeth at around 8 months. Love this picture of them, and of him looking pensive.

Luke: 8 Months

Here are Luke's 8-month photos (yes I know he was 9 months old on Sunday):


Here are some funny ones of Luke & Myla together. Luke was looking pretty rough on picture day (I really think he has seasonal allergies), and had just spit up, so Myla's trying to make him feel better. In the next one, I don't know if it's the perspective or what, but he looks so much bigger than her!

I often feel the same way . . .

Last night as I was squeezing Myla into too-small pajamas before bedtime, I told her that she was getting big very quickly. This led to me talking to her about what she might like to be when she is a "grown-up." I asked, "Do you think you want to be a teacher? A doctor? A chef? An artist?" Etc.

Each time she shook her head no, so I asked, "What do you want to be?" She very seriously said, "I just wanna be a kid."

Really, really good answer.

Most Valuable Buddy

Last night I tucked Myla into bed and went to turn out the light, and she asked me to leave the light on. This is unusual for her; she has never been afraid of the dark or too reluctant to go to bed. I told her that I needed to turn the light out, but that she had her purple night light and everything would be okay. She said "but when you turn the light out, I can't see Joey Votto!"

She was referring to the Joey Votto bobble-head that she got when we went to the Reds game a few weeks ago with Baw Baw and Uncle Andrew. She has been a huge Joey Votto fan ever since, and the bobble-head has a prominent spot on her nightstand.

Pop--if you want to put a stop to this, you'll just have to take her to the Cardinal's game on Matt Holliday bobble-head night (Aug. 28). Or better yet, Build-A-Bear Workshop Stan Musial Bear Night (Aug. 14).

Luke's Baptism

We're a bit behind on postings, with lots to catch up on from the spring. First up is Luke's baptism, which took place in Northern Kentucky on April 3. We started the day with a brunch and then moved on to St. Joseph's Church in Crescent Springs. Here are a few pictures, and then more in the slide show.

I recommend going to the full slide show if you're a Luke fan, because these are some of the cutest pictures we have of him!

Luke with his godparents, Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jennifer. Then with his parents, for the 30 seconds that he wore the hat.


The baptism. Luke was smiling and hamming it up through the whole thing. He thought Father Kettler was hilarious.


Check out his face in this one!


After the baptism, in more comfortable clothes.


Click here for the slide show!

Close . . .

This morning Myla was putting her shoes on and kept saying she had to do the "scarecrows." I was puzzled for a minute but then said "Do you mean velcros?" Yes. That's what she meant.

Morning Menace

Luke got up this morning at 6:45, and Holly arrived to care for him at 8:30. In the time in between, he managed to trap himself under his sheet protector in his crib (which of course I promptly removed), get the rubber tip from a doorstopper into his mouth before being caught, knock over a trash can, get stuck under Myla's bed, and nearly escape from his bouncy seat (can't use that any more either). He also spit up three times.

My hairdresser also has a little boy and she was telling me that boys have more testosterone in their system before age 1 than they do at any other time in their lives, relative to their size. If testosterone = trouble, then I believe it.