Magnificent Adventures of Michelle, Maverick & Radley: 2009

Ok, so this is how our Disneyland trip for my birthday felt....and a pretty accurate representation of how my world looks most of the time these days with you two. Go, go, go...

Hi Mom! Bye Mom!

I gotta go!!! The boy never. stops. moving...

Here is what happens when you try to get him to sit still.

Radley saw his first Disney parade.

And Mack finally settled in once things got moving.

And I got lots of Radley sugar...

As it should be, Radley's first ride was Dumbo...but I did not get a good picture...

Maverick loved it...

Radley flirted with the ladies in line for Peter Pan...

Maverick and I rode teacups...

We checked to see if White Rabbit was home....he never is.

Radley slept through most of it...

Mack rode Alice...

And then we rode the train...

The Disney exhausted glazed look in the eye started just about......now...

I got grossed out at how many hands and faces touch that phone on any given day. I just knew he would come down with something. He was obsessed...fortunately he did not...but still....ew, ick...

He explored...

and played...

and explored...

and played...

and practiced...

for a spin in the "real" cars...which he loved.

Then we chilled.

It was perfection...and a perfect way to spend my day with my best two guys...

DISCLAIMER ABOUT MY POOR NEGLECTED BLOG: Ok, so this was written almost 2 weeks ago, but I just now am finding time to put the images with the text...so due to the holiday crazies...this is quite late. So after an unintentional blog hiatus, I offer you Mr Radley's Five Month letter. And I am hoping to step it up on further entries...we have a lot to catch up on...

Dear Radley,

Today, my precious boy, you are 5 months old. Your five month birthday finds us on the road in Texas where you are developing quite the fan club following amongst your cousins who repeatedly call who gets to get you up from your naps, who gets to put you down for one, who gets to feed you, hold you, make you smile...etc. Currently you have no less than 5-6 people that cater to your every grunt, squeal and especially those smiles.

Oh the smiles! You smile all. the. time. And not just simple smiles. You smile with your whole body and so completely and your legs scrunch up and your arms curl up and you smile as if you have not seen the person in forever.... it is about the cutest thing ever.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B...

and Exhibit C...and I have about 4,000 more where these came from. You literally smile almost all the time.

Another byproduct of these smiles is that you get us lots of attention as we move our little family circus about our the world on a day to day basis. With you I have been much better prepared for this "stranger interaction" phenomenon that I first experienced with you brother. It still amazes me how much more time I spend talking to strangers now that I have children. But your smiling habit takes this to a new level where we have to stop and answer multiple questions about how I must have my "hands full". And although it may be somewhat inconvenient at times, it is very easy to talk about the best things that ever happened to me. I could never tire of talking about you and your accomplishments which up until now have consisted of sleeping, eating and pooping. But change is coming...

Month Five has turned out to be a really fun month for you as we start hitting the fun developmental milestones. This month, you have finally perfected your rolling abilities both back to front and front to back at will.

You also seem to have a strong desire to start crawling, though you do end up incredibly frustrated at times when you look like you just kick and kick and kick your little legs and can't seem to get anywhere. But you do somehow manage to scooch yourself across the floor a good ways at any given moment.

You are also working really hard on sitting up. Currently anytime I manage to get you propped up, you simply slump over, but I see you trying oh so hard and I figure any day now you will master this important skill and oh what fun opportunities it will bring to your world!

You also seem to be working on breaking through your first tooth. I keep checking every few days and nothing is there yet. However, if the amount of drool you are generating is any indication, you will bust through the first one any day now. Because you have definitely stepped it up on your drool proficiency this month. Sometimes I have to change you because you have just soaked through your current outfit to the point of not really being fit to be seen in it in public.

You also are developing quite an iron grasp. Here is a picture of what happened to Bella when she failed to listen to me when I said "You might not want to let him so near your head. He can really pull hard! You are going to have to pry his fingers off!"

And when she did not listen!

We officially spent your Month Five birthday in the great state of Texas. I expect by the time we leave you will be quite adjusted to being held, adored, played with and virtually spoiled rotten for a full week and a half and we will be in for rough adjustment period upon our return home. It is a good thing we will be back in a couple of weeks and you can get another fix for our Christmas vacation. Ultimately little man, I just want you to know how fascinated I am by watching you grown and nearly daily I am astounded at oh how much I love you.

You are just reaching the age when you start to really be able to interact with the world and the people around you. And I love seeing you take it all in, but perhaps my favorite moments in your life right now are when you light up when your brother gives you the slightest bit of attention. He is starting to realize that you are more than 3rd base in the middle of the living room. This has resulted in much investigation and analysis by both of you...

And in the rare moments you find yourself face to face...you both have started to smile...

Maverick has started watching over you, talking to you when you are upset, patting your head when he babbles his toddler babble and at the best moments he runs up and gives you a quick kiss on the top of the head and then scurries off to finish his very important toddler tasks of the day leaving you to register what just happened and look around for where it came from...