Preparations, and More Summer Fun

We are all getting excited for the new baby as the days tick down. Misha loves to look at all the baby gifts I bring home from my generous co-workers at school (he was dancing around the house with the lullaby music box and testing out the new baby spoons and baby playset) and you should see the way Josh's face lights up every time he sees a baby in the park.

Here's Misha giving the baby gym playset a test run:



We set up the crib a few days ago, which has captured Misha's full attention. He immediately piled his own toys and blankets and pillows inside and had to test it out. This is ironic, because when we first came back from Kyrgyzstan, my parents had this crib all set up and ready for him in our apartment, but Misha (age one) absolutely HATED it. He had never slept in a crib before, and he wasn't about to start. So he just slept on the floor like he had done since he was tiny, and the crib got stashed in the garage until now.



Misha never tires of going to parks - we often go to more than one a day. So here's a collection of park photos ...





Misha decided he wanted a helmet after seeing the neighbors with theirs, so who am I to deny him one? Voila, his very own helmet!





Here he is encouraging me to climb up with him: "Come on, Mommy! Climb up the Ps!" Yes, I did end up acquiescing, climbing the Ps, and manning the boat with him as we watched for evil pythons and "tree dinosaurs" that wanted to get us. Luckily Misha has great aim with pebbles and he managed to keep the predators at bay every time.







Some more soccer fun with the neighbors - and a video that is just too classic not to post:



Recently, we hit the kids museum at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. Three floors of entertainment!



Life-size Lincoln Logs!



Holding a real snake.



Looking even spiffier than Tom Hanks -- my handsome husband on the floor piano.



To infinity and beyond!



After the museum, we had to take an ice cream break. Misha insisted that he need NO HELP in eating his "love it" sized oreo delight, and he actually did amazingly well meeting his goal.



I love summer evenings with their perfect temperatures. We grilled steak and sat oustide our house until 10:30 while Misha played in his pop-up tent and carried his lantern around and drew pictures. He thought it was just like camping! He even wanted to sleep outside, but we said we'd save that for real camping (stay tuned - we're going on Thursday!).





It's bike buggy weather as well. Even I have been pedaling Misha around in the buggy! :) You want a picture of that? You'll just have to imagine it. :)

Kid Talk

I've been saving up cute expressions that have come from Misha. Here they are:

“When I was a baby I was very, VERY young! When my brother comes out, will he be the most youngest?”

“I spilled a big bath” (of milk)

“Mommy, you’re my BEST.”

“I like dolphins. They’re my BEST!”

“I like corn meal kasha EVER!”

“That window makes me sure cold!”

Eating pudding at the Hy Vee restaurant, Misha stopped and lay down on the bench. “Sometimes I just have to lay down to make some more room,” he said. Then he sat up and resumed eating!

Last week our little neighbor Kayden was playing in the mud and Misha ran over to inform him: “Kayden, mud is not clean! Only dirt is clean!”

After supper – “Daddy, I’m way sticky.”

Another favorite word of Misha’s is “mongus.” As in, “This seed is mongus big!” (referring to an avocado seed)

“I’m taking little sips because I don’t want to get a breeze-head.” (Drinking his fruit and ice cream smoothie and trying not to get a brain-freeze)

“Mommy, does goofy mean silly?”
“Yep”
“Why?”
“Because they’re synonyms.”
“Oh. Sometimes Daddy is synonym too.”