Pre-Pre-School

It's hard to believe that other moms in Traci's Moms' Group are already touring potential pre-schools. They've heard it's really tough to get your child into a pre-school slot if he or she doesn't start by the age of two!! Can you believe it? Unfortunately for Katie, she has two slacker parents who aren't going to worry about things until she is much older. We figure she's going to learn a heck of a lot by simply interacting with the world around her...walks in the woods, trips to museums and parks, many playdates with friends, etc. If she can't find a slot in some crazy-competitive private pre-school, we're sure that the Fairfax County pre-school system will gladly take her. Don't she and her friend Libby (18 months) look studious enough anyway?

Rambo

Meet our daughter, Katie Rambo. Here she is fashioning a shiv out of a popsicle stick...

OK, maybe not, but the hair, the headband, and the burning eye of the tiger are just about right.

Swimming with the Trucks

Kate and Traci met their buddies Max (2 years) and Asa for a swim in the 96 degree heat today. (Again, thank you to all of our friends with pools...you are helping us survive this summer!) Not only did the recent birthday boy share a couple of his trucks with Katie in the pool, but he also introduced her to her first ice cream sandwich. Needless to say, she was in heaven. Who can beat a swimming pool, ice cream, and trucks on a hot day?

Quiet as a Mouse

Kate definitely has her Dad's social skills. She seems to be on the quiet, shy side in recent days as evidenced by this video. At least it gives us a quiet household.

Happy Birthday

Today marks the actual 100th anniversary of the FBI. The Bureau has come a long way from the 34 detectives, accountants, and civil rights inspectors gathered to serve as full-time Department of Justice investigators in 1908. Now 30,000 strong, today we acknowledge the Bureau's many achievements and its extraordinary role in the American story.

What better way to celebrate than to post a picture of CuddyCam's favorite future felon?

Did Somebody Order...

a Katie Burrito? Just another fun part of the nightly routine... normally the little one would be giggling at herself burrito'd up in her towel. Of course, she never hams for the camera.

Burn Those Calories!

It's a good thing that Katie gets as much exercise as she does throughout the day because this kid can eat...and eat...and eat... For example, today she sampled all kinds of fruit and veggies at the Farmers' Market; polished off over half of her mom's cannoli at lunch; and ate more chicken, broccoli, and squash than her mom and dad combined at dinner. We even had to give her a couple of plums and some crackers for dessert! Believe me, we aren't complaining. We know the picky period is yet to come.

Girly-Girl Tomboy?

Sure, Kate adores her stuffed animals and baby doll. But she also currently looooves all things "truck." She pours over her truck books, squeals when she sees construction trucks during our drives, and loves to push around toy trucks. She sure knows the difference between a backhoe, skid steer, and excavator better than her mommy. Thus, we returned to the Building Zone at the National Building Museum to satisfy her obsession. Do you all think this will last?

Baaaaa-llllls!

Future fan of Chuck E. Cheese's, anyone? Kate and Traci stayed out of the heat today by visiting a nearby rec center with a soft toddler play-gym. (Think padded walls, floors, steps, blocks...sort of like a rainbow-colored insane asylum.) Once she spotted this bin of balls, Katie could not be torn away. Not even the kids 5-6 times her age diving in near her head could deter her. She just giggled with glee. All Mom could think: thank goodness it's not cold, flu, or lice season!

Brockway Adventures

As previously promised, we finally have our pictures from our Brockway adventures. As you will see in the photo album to the right, Katie, Traci, and Mike had a blast hanging out with immediate and extended family and good hometown friends. We especially had fun on the Fourth of July, when Traci's hometown turns into a 1-day circus, complete with live performing bands, carnival-like food, a patriotic program, a HUGE parade (that included the Budweiser Clydesdales this year!), and fireworks. Nothing like celebrating Independence Day in small-town America.

We wanted to post the above picture of Papa, cousin Julian, and Uncle Greg's triple birthday party to celebrate Julian's actual 5th birthday today. Happy Birthday, Planet Boy!

Sprayground!

You may notice that "beating the heat" is a common theme to many of our summer posts. This week is no different - the average day-time high has been in the mid-90s with extreme humidity. Katie and Traci ventured out to a new option yesterday...the sprayground! Neighboring Arlington has built a couple of these ingenious playgrounds where water (fountains/buckets/spray areas/baby pool) is the key component. This particular sprayground had a space theme, so it was lined with concrete spheres that represented the planets. (We thought of you, Julian!) At first, Katie was a little afraid of the jet streams coming out of the ground; but soon enough, she was in there with all the big kids. And, when she was tired of the water, she could always run to the normal playground right next door.

Mmmm....yummy park fountain water.... Perhaps she wasn't happy with the clean water that Mommy brought along. This girl must have a pretty good immune system.

Katie's Fun House

It's hard to convey how wacky our little home can get when crazy Katie is on the loose...especially if she has her best bud Connor (1 year) over. Traci and good friend Mo (Connor's mommy) tried to capture some of the action, paparazzi-style. This video is a little tame as compared to just a few minutes earlier when the kids were chasing each other. (Yeah, Bri - I have photographic evidence of your son running around with the pink stroller!)

Home Front

Does this look like a happy girl? Despite having a blast on our vacations of late, Katie seems to be happy falling right back into the swing of things at home. As for us, we'll be staying put for at least the next month. Cameras willing, we'll be posting on a regular basis so please stop by periodically...

And They're Off!

Coming down the stretch, it's Katie by the length of 1.5 strollers! These days Dad will even push around a pink and purple stroller to entertain the kiddo. Katie is getting pretty fast this week and loves to chase, run away, and pretty much get that 18 month adrenaline pumping. Her brother Geno would be proud. Perhaps we should give her a race name. Stat U S Katie?

One Wedding and a Funeral

Sorry for the lull in postings, but Kate, Traci, and Mike just returned from a fun-filled trip to good, ol' Brockway PA. We did just about everything you could think of during our 10-day stay: celebrate multiple birthdays (Papa T., Uncle Greg, cousin Julian) and the Fourth of July with Traci's immediate family; visit numerous extended family members whom Katie had never met before; attend a wedding (close family friend); and, unfortunately, attend a funeral viewing (a dear friend's father). We are working on compiling a photo album from numerous different cameras used throughout the trip. Hopefully, we'll have that up later this week. In the meantime, here is a picture of Katie running around in delight at Brockway's fishing contest on the Fourth.

As for the trip itself, Katie has never travelled better! She ate well, slept well, and charmed the pants off of anybody that came near her. She got to play with so many kids and was a regular at the town's playgrounds and pool. She has definitely adopted Brockway as a surrogate home town. Thanks go out to Grammy and Papa for babysitting and to Julian and Nicholas for making your cousin Katie feel so special and loved.

Bottoms Up

Kate's finding whole new ways of looking at things these days. This past week, she's been obsessed with turning herself upside down (or spinning in circles which is harder to capture on film). She loves it when we do the same and join in on the tumbling. She's not so fond, however, of her Dad lining up behind her with a hard count to draw the defense offsides.

Perhaps she's preparing for her trip to Brockway where everything is backwards!

Off-Roadin'

Hooray! The digital camera is back from Canon Repairs, so here we go again... I just wanted to test it out on Katie today at the mall. Little does she know that if cheap Mommy just put $.75 in the machine, this love bug would move all around. Oh well...what she doesn't know won't hurt her (or our pocketbook).