Unpredictability is increasing at a blistering pace. Walk away from him in the tubby, and Nick pees in a cup. Go downstairs in the morning, and he's left a trail of chairs at the counter (for climbing), un-flushed thrones, open cookie packages on the table, and sometimes a half-naked kid in front of the computer (who used the potty and forgot to re-assemble afterward.) My favorite was him at the top of the stairs covering his knee with an entire pack of band-aids. His first words were, "We're out of band-aids."We enjoyed fireworks for the 4th near home. Shortly before 10 PM, we drove to Lake Sherwood across from our neighborhood, pulled up across the street, dropped a blanket in some rich dude's front yard, and had a front row seat - the firworks went off on our side of the lake. Perfect.
Lots of time in Grandpa's pool this month, as we're looking at the hotest July on record in Michigan. Nick can finally touch the bottom of the shallow end with his toes and still keep his head above the surface. Overall it was a good month to be in the water. We also went to East Fork Lake in Cincinnati with the family, for a cookout and a day in the sun. Other than my sunburnt ankles, and Nick's nose (he kept wiping his eyes and removing his sunscreen) we had a great day. He used fresh cherries on his chin to cool some sunburn. He also took his first canoe ride with Brandi, Miranda and Noah.
Nick has been obsessed this month with inflatable things. Every trip to the Dollar Store he has returned with a raft, a boat, some safety flotation device, balloons... He's continually inflating and deflating these things all day long, some with a pump, some with his lungs.
I pushed his buttons once this month, and swear it's the first time I've seen him make a face that he was genuinely mad at me. The battle for dominance has begun.
- Jason
