Practical Joker

The Prankster

His Tools

That little stinker totally made a fool of me with this. When the red plunger is pushed, music start playing and the toy throws the colored balls into the air, then are caught in the basin and funneled through again. The problem is not all the balls land in the catch basin, and I end up chasing the balls all over the living room. So usually I hold my hand 6 inches over the basin and direct the balls to where they need to go.

Tuesday night we had had a fun evening. We had introduced little boy to spaghetti, which had been twirled around like a helicopter blade on one point. (He is a quick learner, I only had to show him TWICE.) I am on the other side of the room, collecting my things, getting ready to leave. Skeeter looks me straight in the eye, walks over to the toy, pushes the button, and WALKS AWAY while still LOOKING STRAIGHT AT ME. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that the colored balls are about to start shooting out. "NO ONE'S MANNING THE BALLS!" I shouted as I rushed over to the toy, but I had already missed 2 projectiles that went who knows where.

As I turn around with my hand over the tube, I see Skeeter. He is sitting in the middle of the floor, HUGGING himself, swinging his body from side to side, laughing so hard that no sound is coming out! It was totally pre-meditated! That little booger! Lord help me when he is old enough to make crank phone calls....

Happy Family

Congratulations to my brother and his wife on their remarriage last Thursday. Dear S, I am so happy to have you as my sister-in-law again! And I know G is so very happy.

These are pictures freshly sent by A, from a family trip to Nantou immediately after the wedding. According to various sites on the net, Nantou county is in the central region of Taiwan and is famous for its mountain scenery and is the only county in Taiwan without a coastline. hmmmm. Interesting. And it seems they have roller coasters and and merry-go-rounds too.

Yep, those look like mountains behind my beautiful niece. I also love the purple poncho.

I don't really know why pointing out the way to the ladies room is so important...I included this photo to illustrate my brother's appalling fashion sense. My sister and I once caught him walking down the street in a bright red shirt, bright blue jeans, sunny yellow socks and brown sandals. And he couldn't blame his mommy for dressing him funny because he was a sophomore at U of M! He so obviously got his fashion taste from our father, who thought three or four different plaids could be worn together because they we coordinating colors.

I love you all!

The Master Plan

Well, well....lets see where we are on the Skeeter Plan.....

• Make sure he giggles with glee at the sight of bubbles. Check.
• Make sure he loves to play with balloons. Check.
• Teach him to dance and sing silly songs. In Progress.
• Teach him to use a squirt gun. In Progress.
• Teach him to like being squirted with a squirt gun by Yay-Yay. Check.
• Teach him to love to play "art" like his cousin G. Pending.
• Teach him to love riding in my convertible with the top down. Check! Check!

My corruption of the child is progressing nicely. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Beautiful Girl

G, darling, I LOVE your new haircut!! Grandma tells me you don't like it, but I think it is very chic and lovely. Looks like a very good way to wear your hair in the hot summer time. I especially like the way it curls around your ears. Grandma thinks you look like Tinkerbell. A good haircut for a swimmer to have! If I thought my big chubby face would look good with this haircut, I would get it in a minute! Actually, I think I had a haircut a lot like this when I lived in London. I'll see if I can find a picture to show to you.

I can't believe it has been almost a whole year since you came to visit us in Michigan. I miss you so much! Especially playing art. I still have all the wonderful pictures you made for me and the play-d0h bunny.

Baby Skeeter is sooooooo much fun, I wish you were here to play with us. I have introduced him to squirt guns and bubbles, AND he REALLY REALLY like to play with balloons. I'm sure you could teach him more fun games than I can. We will just have to wait and see when we can all play together again. By the way, he doesn't seem to like the 3 bears song and Itsy-Bitsy Spider as much as you did. :(

I love you, I LOVE YOU, I love you

Gugu K

Bubble Costumes - Punk Rocker

Sadly, the simpler games I play with Skeeter, like piggy-toe kisses and whose-pulling-the-socks-off are no longer the laugh riot they use to be. Happily we are discovering new games, and they include making Bubble Costumes during bath time. We started off as Bubble Elvis, and have broadened out to include Bubble Football Player, Bubble Garden Gnome, Bubble Zeus, Bubble Mousek@teer, and of course, the Bubble Punk Rocker (Oy!) I was between cameras so I didn't catch most in pictures, but we will work to re-create some of these sudsy looks in baths to come.

Did I mention he is as cute as a bee's knees? Still true!

Celebrating the 9th of July

AKA Happy Birthday Skeeter!

Okay, it wasn't exactly the 9th, but this Saturday Skeeter-Man had his first Birthday party! It was a lovely day at his Grandma and Grandpa's cottage (E's parents.) It wasn't too hot, although we did chase the shade across the yard. Earlier this week Skeeter was given his first balloon, and it was such a big hit, I bought a dozen for the occasion. His daddy out did me, and bought a tank of helium and lots more balloons. It was a balloon rich afternoon.

Here he is walking with Grandma C's help. It won't be long before he doesn't need any help at all.
Apparently he is destined to be a bacon lover, he REALLY liked chewing on the piggy toy. For a "no gift" occasion, the boy made out like a bandit. I broke the rule like everybody else, I gave him a tee shirt with our rules, then his Mommy's rule (Ignore Aunt K's rules) printed on it.
Such a cutie...

and we learned that cake is for squishing, not for eating. He didn't want to eat it unassisted, and when his mommy gave him some, he cried. Too sweet, I guess.

It is hard to believe it has been a whole year already, and yet it feels like he has been here so much longer. Happy Birthday little man, the fun is just starting... just you wait until I crack open the Pl@y-Doh!

Happy Father's Day

I of course am totally out of practice on the whole Father's Day thing as my own father died when I was eleven, but I helped out Skeeter ('cos that's what Yea-yea's do....) His Mommy found a digital frame/key chain and we loaded it up with pictures of his boy. I thought it would be a good idea to have a special Daddy's Day picture as the first image. Of course it takes a minimum of 20 shots to get a good picture of an active baby. These are the best of the lot. Enjoy!