I am Speed!

Ben decided this weekend that since Mommy always "gets to" (ie does frequently) buy Griffin toys, that it was his turn. So he took Griff for a "daddy toy" shopping spree. What did they come home with (and go a little over budget with)? A Lightening McQueen car...that Griff can actually DRIVE. Ever since we watched the movie Cars in the car when driving down to my parents recently, Griff gasps whenever he sees anything Lightening McQueen...so this find was perfect! After surviving the initial (extreme) meltdown after seeing his car out of the box...and not understanding that it needed time for the battery to charge before it could be driven...he took it for a tool around the yard. And no, we were not able to make the "recommended" initial 18-hour charge!!!

Realizing his new machine has some get-up...whoa!

Zooming To this point, all of Griff's cars have been self-propelled, so he is very used to pushing, pulling, or using his feet to move them. It's taking some time for him to understand that this car is different and moves with the push of a button. Thus, he often gets out to supplement the power by pushing.

Here's a short video of the learning curve:

What else did Griff bring home this weekend? Meet Gilbert ("Gill") Pucci, the newest addition to the family. Griff is very enamored with Gill and will gasp and point periodically (as if he had forgotten Gill was there) at the bowl.

Muffins with Mommy

Today was the best morning that I have had in quite some time. First, Griff slept in....until 10 a.m. That's right, my little man slept from 7:30 last night until 10 this morning...he is one growing boy (he is growing UP and his feet are growing OUT...in the past week he has grown out of all of his shoes and I've had to break out the new pairs...one size up to a 6). Then once he got up he and I headed out for some breakfast...Ben was playing early golf, and because it is a little chilly today (!) we weren't able to hit up the pool. So we headed to our traditional Mommy-n-Griff low-key breakfast out location: Starbucks for our faaaavorite rasberry muffins. As we were sitting there having muffins, milk, and tea (for Momma) I just couldn't believe how handsome and grown-up this little boy sitting across from me (in a normal chair, no high chair or booster necessary) was. I got teary-eyed and then dug for my camera to capture his adorable little mug. After muffins we hit the library for some playtime and then we met daddy for lunch at the Club. It may be too cold to swim on the last weekend the pool is open, but this day so far has been unbeatable.

Lovin the fishtank...he told the fish "bye bye" time and again, but kept coming back from other activities to make sure they were still there. Mommy's gonna cave, and after Griff wakes from his nap (that's right, slept 'til 10am and back down already for another nap, unbelievable) we may head out to get Griff a fish of his very own.

"All done", Griff proclaims after every book or puzzle...off to see if the fish have moved

G Diddy

Griff loves music. He has quite a range of favorites: if he hears songs from the Cats Soundtrack such as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" or "The Rum Tum Tugger" his ears perk up immediately (and watching the musical Cats is his absolute fav)...but what causes him to start busting major moves? "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer (Tyler has a toy Hummer that plays this if you push the right button) and "Hello Good Morning" by P. Diddy. Earlier this week our nanny mentioned that Griff had been telling her "hello, good morning" all day (afternoon included) and she thought that was funny. Well she hadn't been present for Ben, Griff, and my dance party to P. Diddy's new hit in Griff's new playroom (we have a dry-erase board with an ipod player/speakers which makes dance parties very easy). It might sound polite, but our little guy is really just busting some rhymes.

So, I guess I'm okay with Griff telling me "hello, good morning." Maybe I'll start to worry when he spouts something along the lines of, "Peep this, momma, this snack is whack."

Oh NO!

When I got home yesterday, our nanny gave me a run down of the day and informed me that Griff's "word of the day" was "Oh No!" A few minutes after she left I found out she was right. Here are some videos of Griff's "oh no's". His other phrases as of late? He will bring a book and either ask you to "read, please" or "book, please." He says "thank you" each and every time he gets something, either a toy or juice or a snack, and even says "thank you" at times to himself when he picks up something to eat. And you know when he wants something because his "beeees?" (please) is irresistable. When he sneezes, he blesses himself. And he tells us very clearly when he goes poop (love this) and even pulled down his shorts after telling me he'd pooped. When Tucker or Dobber try to get his snack he waves his finger at them, "No, No, No thank you." He is talking so much more each day, it's simply amazing.

Carrie Underwood

Ben and I took in the Carrie Underwood concert at Ravinia this past weekend with Kevin and Nicole (Kev got Nicole the tix for her birthday earlier this year). We had a great time picnicking, eating and drinking for a few hours before the concert (we got there when the park opened). I am entirely postive that we entertained all of those around us (or shall I say all of those right on top of us)... and at dusk we enjoyed hearing recently married Carrie's tunes. We had a great time, Lackes, thanks!

Our set-up, complete with Ravinia table and tablecloth (courtesy of the Atkinsons) :) We were amazed at the setups of some of the Ravinia-goers...elaborate centerpieces with pineapples and candleabras....very insane. We were quite happy with our bug lantern!

And what was Griff doing all the while? He was making some extra bucks as a dog walker! (Or, he was just taking a walk with Claire, as Atkinsons hung out with him for us, thanks guys)

We Heart Our Nanny

I've already said this: but we LOVE our nanny, she's beyond amazing. :) Below are some pictures that she's taken of the boys this week, and they are at the petting zoo as I type this.

Pine Cone paintings...to go along with the theme of the week which is nature, birgs & bugs!

They can't quite drive Luke's gator, but they can pretend (and Griff is trying pretty hard to get Ty goin')

Maybe we're out of gas?

Camera: Located (Whew)

I was able to (finally) find my camera - relief. Here are some more pictures from the State Fair that I had.