Testing

Some of you will remember this little beauty from a little more than a year ago at Jane's first birthday:
Seeing that Elliot's first birthday is fast approaching, I thought it might be prudent to test out our Little Man and see if we'd be getting similar cake results.

We offered him a small chocolate chip cookie last night, his first official sugar, although, unofficially, my mother gave him chocolate at Christmas.

I don't think my Little Man will disappoint:

Speaking of testing, this little darling

is really testing my patience, as well as the durability of our furniture.

This morning, before 10 a.m. (she wakes up at 8 a.m. to give you some reference), she had scaled her brother's highchair, where I found her sitting in the seat; climbed into Elliot's Jumperoo where I found her tipped over and dangling with one leg caught in a foot hole; and used the arm of the couch like a slide where I found her dangling from my curtains.

I know. It sounds like I don't watch my children. I promise you, I do.

Then we ventured to the park. I thought, "let's get some energy out of the little girl."

Today was her first day experimenting with the ladders on the older kids' play gym, which reach higher than I can reach.

She was fine until she slipped the second time up and I panicked as she dangled from the top rung. She sat there laughing as I struggled with a mass of arms and children as I rescued her with Elliot on my left hip.

Shockingly enough, her brother seems to be picking up on her cues because he tried to pull himself to a stand using the garbage can this afternoon.