Mae: A Two Trick Pony

So there are not a lot of things Mae can do that I can't, right? And to be honest I kind of like it that way.

However, there are two things she can do and let me explain them to you. The first is whistling. We've both been trying to learn to whistle for a long time, but me much longer than her. There's just been a lot of blowing in and blowing out. Well, she started to get close about 2-3 weeks ago and lo and behold, the kid can now whistle Dixie for goodness sake.

The second thing she can do that I can't is ride a bike with one hand. It's long been documented that Mae's bike riding skills are second to none. I remember even last summer people would stop mom and dad and they just couldn't believe the kid was off training wheels and just zipping up and down the block. It's kind of like potty training when I just learned to go on the potty and then she followed up a couple months later even though she is two years younger than me.

Well, the other night we were out front riding bikes up and down the block and she comes rolling through yelling, "GUYS, WATCH THIS!" She proceeds to take one hand off her bike and starts whistling at the same time.

At first I felt like she might be rubbing it in my face, but knowing Mae like I do I realized that was not the case and we all got a good kick out of it.

She might not be the smartest knife in the drawer and she's definitely still afraid of her shadow, but she's got me on the bike-riding-one-handed-while-whistling talent front.

Pax's Recent Goings-On

PEEK A BOO!!

Yep, it's been quite a while since I've posted something. Wanted to give you a little taste of what the Pax Man has been up to lately.

First of all, he's walking all over the place but only when he has something in front of him. So we often find him walking around pushing a chair, maybe a box of diapers, his lion (with wheels). The other morning he walked in pushing the piano bench from the living room.

He also seemingly has a favorite musician which by the look of these glasses we are assuming is Elton John.

And one of his favorite weekend morning past times of late is taking a bath in the sink after breakfast.

So on to his first bike ride. He and mom headed out the other day for his first bike ride.

Here we are seeing them off running them down the alley.

He might not look like it but trust me - he absolutely loved it.

And here I am photobombing him.

Ahoy!

Well, I just got back from vacationing in Hilton Head, South Carolina, with lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, Nana and Papa, etc. (oh, and Mae and mom and Dad, too).

So there are plenty of pics and stories to come from that. But I thought I'd start off with something I worked on today at my house.

First, though, check this out. We went for a radical bike ride this morning along the Lakefront and headed out to the bike path on Northerly Island, and then stopped at the Dome Park by the Aquarium to climb some hills.

Got home and decided to head out on MY bike for a little ride. I know, sweet get-up, I dressed myself today.

Okay, so back to my art project. First, I cut up some paper, then I colored some things and got some jazz going in the tape department.

And this is the completed project.

Um, Finley, you're going to have to come a little closer to the camera, all I see is your beautiful smiling face. And wait, you have different pajamas on in the final photo...


Okay, Mr. Narrator, good point. Here it is. It's a boat out on the sea with a sea captain driving the boat and a storm just ended off in the distance and a rainbow came out. And one photo was pre-bath and the last one was post-bath.

Memory-Filled Memorial Day Weekend

So Memorial Day Weekend was a huge success. First, a few days before the weekend I got in the mail a new castle to play in. The house that Santa had brought us finally became a tear-down, so we replaced it with a castle.

And this castle is awesome for many reasons, among them - it has a drawbridge for a door. But also because you can paint it, so I got my paints out and got after it, and now it is a colorful castle.

It was also a memory-filled weekend because it was the first time that Mabel got drunk. Kidding, but Dad and I walked into the kitchen to find this scene. Something tells me this actually happening is closer than any of us would like to even think about.

We got a couple hours of swimming in as our pool opened. No photos though, no cameras by the pool.

And lastly, we got a new bike seat so the four of us can now go on a bike ride together, and Mae got her first bike ride in. Too bad her head looks like it's the size of an apple in the helmet.

We rode and rode, and then we stopped by Buckingham Fountain for some ice cream.

Bet you can't guess what flavor I had?

And then we rode and rode some more until finally, well, the weekend caught up with me.