ABBOTT THE ELF (Santa's decision maker)

Who's getting presents for Christmas this year?

No one, according to Abbott.

Well, the dogs might get a little something, but nobody else.

IT'S (definitely) GENETIC

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Where have I been? No, where have YOU been?

Ok, I hate to respond with the lame answer of "We've been busy" but, yeah, that's really what's been going around our house. 

Busy birthdays, busy business, busy babies...  Busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest. Busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony. Busier than a one-toothed man in a corn-on-the-cob eating contest. Busier than.... okay, okay.

You get the picture. Just downright busy, busy, busy.
 
I promise to torture you at a later date with lots of pictures from Evie's third birthday party (at the PDK airport playground! and we invited her whole class! holy moly!), Abbott's first birthday (which we will actually celebrate this coming weekend!), and other odds and ends of the last month....

But first - and more importantly-  we officially have a MAN CUB:

Papa Bear and Momma Bear were so proud.
This was taken just seconds after little Mowgli the Man Cub took his first two steps. All by himself.

"Yep, I'm going places!"

REGULARLY REPEATED RECYCLING ROUTINES

"Reduce / Reuse / Recycle!"

(Are you tired of all the alliteration yet?)

Recycling. In my mind, it's not just an environmentally friendly lifestyle, it is also a way to keep a busy toddler occupied!
 
Evie's "chore" of pushing the recycling bins from the curb has stood the test of time... or it has at least held up to a year of weekly repetition without her growing bored with it.   I'm not sure if any of her toys or dolls could match that statistic!

Evie in 2011:
 


Evie in 2012: 

PERCENTILES

My friend Amanda finally had her sweet baby boy last week.  Baby Alex is the cutest little fellow and he has a head full of dark hair just like his momma. I got to see him just a few hours after he came into this world and hearing his little bitty newborn cry made me instantly replay both of my babies' births in my mind.

And, sadly, every time one of my friends has a successful delivery, I feel a twinge of regret/jealousy/sorrow/guilt and throw-a-mini-pity-party when I think about having to have both of my kiddos by c-section. I wish I could have avoided the surgeries -  and although I recovered pretty well from both deliveries, I am quick to be an advocate for natural birth.

But then I go home and I see this guy peeking at me...

And I see his 10 month old head popping out of a 3T coonskin cap.
If you're bad at math and kid size charts, let me explain:
This hat is meant for kids three times his age.
And his big ol' noggin doesn't come close to fitting in it.

"Hey, don't make fun of my big melon.
It means I have lots of brains in there!"

Yup, I'm glad I took my doctor's advice.

(He's a cutie, isn't he?) 

AUGUST PHOTO DUMP

In no particular order, here's just a bit of photo documentation for our August 2012:

PIRATE FACE!
ARRrrrrgh!!

I caught you checking out my cute buns.
It's okay. Everybody does it.
These chunky ham hocks are irresistible!