Monkey Face

Isabelle's Year One video is finally complete! After "finishing" it for her first birthday, we found a few more tapes - Sonoma, the Triple Dip and the one with Daddy and Isabelle at the Grand Canyon!!! Incredible. It's the first time we've made an AppleTV file. Isabelle can't get enough. "I want to watch Baby Isabelle. Baby Isabelle. Watch Baby Isabelle. I want to see Baby Isabelle. Baby Isabelle..." Then she jumps up and down on the couch, dances wildly when the Italian music hits, and waves her arms around like a "maniac" (something she's been calling herself recently - and, no, we do not call her this!). She screams and claps when she sees herself being fed the bottle... when Daddy dives off the swim platform... and when she and I are swinging.

I just counted how many tapes I have for her second year video, and I can't believe it: 22! Wow. And this week Principle Pictures moves into an office at 18 Middle Street. 18!

We had so much fun at RJ's 7th birthday party this weekend! He's into Star Wars - especially R2D2 - just like me at that age. Next he'll be feathering his hair! The 80s are back, baby! Auntie Briana made RJ the most amazing R2D2 cake, and there were big plans for a water gun showdown. Instead we fled indoors when a flash flood threatened and hail balls came hurtling down from the sky. The food was delicious! Bonnie's famous baked beans and poke-someone's-eye-out sword skewers were big hits! As were Mom's legendary taco dip and new great potato salad with summer squash and vinegar. While Anika had fun driving the tractor and eating under the umbrella, she most enjoyed playing hide-and-seek with Brita's car keys.

Driving to the party we saw what will become Isabelle's playhouse! I think we're going to have them paint it purple! It is precious - and wired.

Isabelle is up to some new tricks:

--She makes a monkey face by pulling her ears forward and blowing up her cheeks. (Daddy does the same face.)
--She pulled her bathing suit bottom off on New Silver Beach in order to walk into the water up to her knees and tinkle. (Jane tells the story of Dennis doing exactly the same thing on the same beach as a boy.)
--She is good at the matching game.
--She loves her pillow (Thank you, Sean and Sara).
--She likes sharing watermelon with her class every Friday during the summer.