Jude is at that amazing stage when so much more of his personality starts to unfold. Here are a few 'words' to describe him:
1. Messy: Everything just seems better with food on your face.
2. Loud!: Once a stranger in a store said, "Did
that sound come from
that little person?" Oh yes, we are here and not afraid to let the world know about it.
3. Athlete: He wants to toss the ball, dunk it, kick it, wrestle his brother with abandon, dive from the couch to the floor, and climb anything in sight. He has also tried diving from our arms while we hold him and from his high chair when he's done with dinner, he is perhaps trying out for extreme sports.
4. Talking: He can say 'mama', 'hat', 'cal-cal', 'na-na' (for nush the cat), 'da-da', 'car', and gesture to communicate a lot more.
5. Understanding: He knows what we are talking about! Books it for the kitchen at the mention of milk and heads for Cal's room when I tell him Cal is awake in the morning.
6. Funny: He loves to laugh and make us laugh, he and his brother can really ham it up.
7. High-Octane!: Might go without saying but this guy has the energy of a puppy with espresso in his water bowl.
8. Book-y: Jude loves to read and is LOUD about picking out books and then SHOVES them into our face and PLOPS himself down in our lap. Frankly, it leaves us without much choice in the matter.
9. Flirtatious: This kid can flirt, he has mastered the full smile grin followed by a quick look away and then coy look back. He likes it best when there are at least three or four admirers.
10. Growing Like a Weed: It's fast, it's furious. If he were a train he would be the express. We are just along for the ride.
Making (and studying very closely) music at our air-conditioned music class...
And, some dress up in our air-conditioned home..
It's hot. It's summer. And, we are transformed into cool-air, seeking robots, but lazy ones. We will be properly prepared when August rolls around.
Jude is at that amazing stage when so much more of his personality starts to unfold. Here are a few 'words' to describe him:
4. Talking: He can say 'mama', 'hat', 'cal-cal', 'na-na' (for nush the cat), 'da-da', 'car', and gesture to communicate a lot more.
6. Funny: He loves to laugh and make us laugh, he and his brother can really ham it up.
This past weekend, we took advantage of the long weekend to work in a few fun trips. The intense heat in these parts put a bit of a damper on things but not too much. We were determined to do a family bike ride. It was mama's first time with a kid on the back and Jude's first time ever. He loved it and Mama got over her nervousness. Callum always like the bike riding part but doesn't like the wobbly getting-going part. 
Callum has been begging for a train ride so he and Mama rode to Princeton (it's a nice short, quiet trip compared to heading north toward New York) and everbody else met us there. The train ride was the highlight for Callum and he held onto his train ticket (that he didn't even really need on the weekend) as if it was made of gold. 
Once we got there, we visited a coffee shop and a bookstore, ate some ice cream and drove home. 
Here's everyone in front of the famous 'Princeton gates'.
Nothing says freedom quite like too much sugar, too much time in the sun, music in the park, and a ice cream pop as big as your head! Happy 4th everyone!
