We bought the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook. A dangerous move, to be sure, and more dangerous still since I've decided to work my way through the book, baking one cookie a week. The pledge is to give away most of what I bake (as I did yesterday to our neighbors with a new baby). 

Graham helps me by licking the beaters and, sometimes also, the spoon. He's taken to standing on a stool near the mixer, and, while there, asking that I turn it on and off. After everything is done we like to sit down and sample our goods together. 

This week's recipe turned out so well that I'm posting a link to it.  It's like banana bread and chocolate chip cookies got together and made the most delicious baby. 

Graham and his own guitar, purchased in desperation because he wouldn't leave mine alone. Now we can play together.

Boy and Uncle

Graham has a lot of Uncles. He's a lucky guy that way. Ryan, my youngest brother, came up to Boston for a week at the beginning of July. I've held since the beginning that these two have some similarities. Whatever the truth is in that, they had a lot of fun together. These two shots are from the Children's Museum, where I could have left the two of them in the woodshop room forever. I thought about it, actually. 

Ryan, we miss you!

I wanted to catch you all up on a few things.

1. I love our summer schedule: breakfast, park (where we are part of a pack of early-bird toddler boys), nap, lunch, Jen home, adventure*, dinner, sleep
2. Graham is talking much, much more these days. Or should I say, demanding the guitar much, much more these days.
3. Also: he loves to climb furniture. We're looking forward to our next ER trip.
4. We bought a big new (crap Ikea) bookshelf to house our growing, uncontrolled picture book collection. Graham loves to browse it, sit, read, repeat. I do not love reshelving it all 53 times a day.

*adventure could mean a trip to the pool, or for ice cream, or to the pond, or to the pet store. So, adventure here is defined broadly.

A bigger, more texty post is on the way about Ryan's visit. Here I share some pics Marlon took last night while he and Amber were here for dinner. 

This pics provide evidence of Graham's growing fascination with all things musical, and especially guitars. It's hard not to be excited by this little trend, though it might mean nothing. It's enough, though, to encourage me to buy a guitar for myself, and to sign up for a class, mostly so I can play tunes for G. Likely, he'll surpass me soon enough (in all things- isn't that what parenthood is about?). 

And aren't these shots gorgeous? 

I can't even begin to communicate what a great time we had in Vermont this weekend. Graham had cousins to play with, a creek to throw stones in, and cake to eat. We, well, had the same. Best of all, my brother Ryan was here to see it all with us. 

The picture in which he is apparently no longer a baby, but a boy. 

Awesome birthday. Awesome cake. 

We spent a lot of time at the creek.
And, in a stereotype of country wholesome fun, Jen drove all the kids around behind a tractor. 

We're headed to Vermont tomorrow for the holiday and Jen's birthday. Graham has new boots for playing in the creek, and he refuses to take them off. I expect to spend a LOT of time outside.

Happy holiday to everyone- expect pictures when we return.