Happy Birthday

Today is Zara's 25 month birthday, and she's officially become a "terrible two". We thought it was the dog, but no, we sent him away for a few days, and she's totally hit a developmental milestone -- and driven off the road! Lucky for us, Jo re-skimmed through the very helpful Happiest Toddler on the Block, only to notice that we'd stopped doing all of the clever tricks that had made 1-2 years such a pleasant experience. So, we've started doing them again, and things are much better, even with Coda around. Yay us.

Treva's Last Day in C'ville

Today was Hope, Neil, and Treva's last day in C'ville. While Hope & Neil were finishing packing, Treva came down to play with Zara for a bit. Later that morning, they drove away to their new home-for-a-year in Columbus, OH. Lucky for us, Columbus is almost exactly half-way between C'ville and Ann Arbor. And, Hope & Neil will still have some business in C'ville. In the meantime, we'll miss them!

Daddy's cell phone

"Dude, this dog has come to visit! You won't believe how cool he is!"

Coda

Don't know how long we'll be keeping this guy, but here he is for now. Currently, he's a ward of the court. We're fostering him for the SPCA. Once he's cleared customs, he'll be adopted by Service Dogs of Virginia, and (in theory) we'll be fostering him for them. He's doing really well. Zara's quite fond, but perhaps she was meant to be an only child. We're getting like no sleep.

I want to ride my tricycle!

Marmee & Buelo got Zara a tricycle for her 2nd birthday.

Thai Basil Noodles

One of Zara's favorite dinners. I'm also fond of it. Pretty fine summer beverage, as well.