In which we play and go for lots of bike rides

Edited at midnight to add:

Liam can stand on his own for an extended stretch of time!!!

Don't forget to check out the Great Robin Artwork Auction if you haven't already. Time to take a keepsake from Robin's youth into your own home!

Socially, I've been much happier these last few months (for all of us) because we've found a stable playgroup.  We meet at the same time every week, so even if one or two families can't show up, there's usually someone to play/talk with.  Robin's really been budding, socially, since we started going to this--especially with the girls.

I pulled out the camera on this day to snap a few pictures of the children playing and being cute

The next thing you know, many of them wanted to pose

And then they all wanted turns taking pictures of their own

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Robin and Liam are really starting to interact more.  Robin loves to make Liam laugh, which Liam will do hysterically.  Robin talks to Liam now, and often tells me what Liam's babbles mean--sometimes he makes good guesses, other times he's pretty far out in left field.  Robin has started carrying Liam around like this a lot.  I haven't managed to get it on camera very often (it usually only lasts a few seconds.)  And usually, Liam isn't crying like he is here, but I just can't capture it properly.  I love watching them get to know each other, and watching their friendship grow.

This one's a little better.  You can't entirely tell that Liam's feet are off the ground, but at least he's smiling!

I bribed Robin with the chance to take more pictures (this one) in order to get a video of Robin carrying Liam.

We've been going for bike rides nearly every evening after dinner since Robin got his bike.  These photos, however, are from one of our few daytime rides (it's just too dang hot right now on most days.)

Liam's content to ride as a passenger for now.  (In fact, he reaches for his stroller when he sees it, hoping for a ride.)

Filling it up with gas

Robin stood here for at least a minute going "Woof!  (pause)  Woof!"  The dog didn't bark back at him though.

Big Father's Day BBQ!

The other table

Dean's gift from the boys (although we forgot to personalize it beforehand)

Robin took more pictures on Father's Day

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Robin with the givers of the bike

And yet another bike ride (though we embarked too late on Father's Day to take the others along for very far)

Summer Fun

Don't forget to check out the Great Robin Artwork Auction if you haven't already.  Time to take a keepsake from Robin's youth into your own home!

All three boys hiding behind the rocking chair.  I like how Robin's trying to make Liam look up at the camera.

Robin managed to convince both Grammy and Grandpa to join him in the new cupboard under the stairs!

Robin really loves taking pictures lately. 

He does capture some interesting images, but he's using up a lot of memory before I delete most of them.

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Liam likes to make music

Liam getting to lick his first beater (it contained frosting in preparation for his party)

Another cake face, this one the day after the party.  He got it everywhere this time.

More photos that Robin took.  This one of the bath I was drawing to wash the cake off Liam.

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Robin also learned how to take movies.  Most of them are two-second throwaways, but this one was interesting in that he held still and made up a language for the camera.

We asked for an early birthday gift for Robin this summer, because we wanted him to get a bike and have a chance to use it before the weather got bad.  Grammy and Grandpa came forward, and so we got him this balance bike.  He was very excited to help me put it together.

The bike

Robin at a splash park

He doesn't like to get his clothes wet this year.  If we bring his swim trunks he'll happily get soaked , but this was the wettest he's gotten when wearing normal clothing.  Then when we went home, he complained of being wet and rode home naked with a blanket on top.  Good thing I didn't get pulled over!

Then the next day, after we got a helmet courtesy of Ama and Poppa, Robin got to take his bike for his first ride!

He didn't really start out very slow at all

We kept up with him by walking on this trip, but he's already gotten fast enough to need to jog along with him at times (though he still stops for frequent rests.)  I'm looking into getting a bike trailer so I/we can ride along with Robin and take Liam along safely.

Our destination was a park, which we enjoyed.  Dean took Liam across the zip line

Liam loves to swing

Peekaboo!

Liam's really getting to like playgrounds.  Just wait until he starts walking!

Look what Robin can do!

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Liam really likes to bounce

The Great Robin Artwork Auction

Okay people, here's the scoop.  I'm purging Robin's old artwork and crafts--we have photos of everything, so we don't need to hang onto the hard copies any longer.  However, I thought family or possibly friends might like to have a piece or two of Robin's budding artistic talent.  If you'd like something (or several somethings) to hang on your refrigerator or the back of the door to your garage, I'm offering the opportunity to choose your pieces before I reclaim googly eyes and recycle.  Hence, this auction.

What follows are snapshots of the best of Robin's masterpieces, and they're numbered.  Either leave a comment or email me what number(s) you want.  This isn't an auction in the paid sense.  We're not accepting money and you aren't trying to outbid each other--however if two or more people want the same piece of artwork I'll randomly select the recipient.  I'll accept comments and emails for the next two weeks.  That means Friday, July 6 (our anniversary!) is the last day to claim a piece of art.  After that I'll divvy everything up and get rid of the rest.  And yes, I'll mail stuff so long as I can get it into a flat envelope or roll it into a tube.  (If you want to send me money for postage, that's welcome but probably not necessary.)

And while you're here, you might as well look around.  I've been updating this blog on a regular basis again, but I don't think I'm getting many views.  I love to see your comments, but those have almost disappeared.  If you'd like to watch the Rhoadarmer babies grow up, this is the place to do it.

The Art

#1. A ladybug with pom pom spots

#2. One of these cute little piggies

#3. A lion with a crinkly mane

#4. A walrus to which Robin added whiskers

#5. Look!  A Dinosaur!

#6. Eek!  An alligator!

#7. Penguin!

#8. Big Doggie

#9. The magic mirror from Snow White

#10. The Queen from Snow White

#11. A cut-and-paste collage of vehicles and their wheels

#12. Foot flowers

#13. A football field in honor of the Superbowl of 2011

#14. A train!

#15. A cat with fun whiskers

#16. A freestyle painting
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Holiday Art
Perfect to add to your decorations!

#17. A hippo made from hearts

#18. A rainbow with gold and shamrocks beneath. This one can hang from a hook

#19. A wee leprechaun with fringed hair and beard

#20. Handprint sheep with cotton balls for Easter from 2011

#21. Handprint sheep with popcorn wool from 2012 (this one probably won't mail very well, maybe just for locals)

#22. Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate

#23. One of Robin's very first crafts, a turkey he made before Thanksgiving in 2010

#24. Robin's Thankful Turkey from 2011 (many of you are on here!)

#25 A very colorful and interestingly plumaged turkey from 2011

#26. Robin's first Christmas Tree (the first one he made, at any rate, for 2010)

#27. A tree from the following year, 2011

#28. A pair of handprint reindeer