Dragons

Chase and some other lil' critters cheer on the racers at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival at Sloan's Lake right here in Denver.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Take note, Washington, Chase has found a soapbox of his own.

Hugs

Chase learned quickly today that unrestrained public demonstrations of affection are not always appreciated. However, his heart was in the right place.

Eeeeeeeeeeee!

Bath time = learning time when Mommy's in charge. Tonight's lesson: the letter E. Not only did Chase catch on quickly, he found saying "Eeeeee!" absolutely hilarious.

The Little Engineer

Chase continues to be fascinated with all buttons, latches, levers, and handles. Here, he examines the latch of the baby gate for possible defects.

Name that kid

Chase still sports his name tag an hour after returning from the gym, where Mommy worked out and the Critter played in "Kids Watch!"

Family Dinner

We have begun to sit down as a family for dinners on certain nights. Even Bird circled the table to get in on the fun, although she is no good at cleaning up the scraps that inevitably shower down from Chase's chair.

Little Cobbler

Chase doesn't hide his disappointment upon discovering that the shoe store is out of Keens in his size.

Van "Go!"

The family enjoyed a crowd-free and fee-free morning at the Children's Museum of Denver, courtesy of Teach For America, which coordinated the event, and Grandpas Fred & Laurent, who gave us our membership.

Chase created his first painting -- surely making Nanna happy -- which we have dubbed, "A Study in Vertical Brushstrokes." It shall be on display in the rumpus room through the rest of the summer.

Pool Ball

Ace met up with his friend, Anthony, at the pool this afternoon.

They had a ball.

In the Man Cave

Chase is perfectly happy riding his Spider-Man truck backwards, he just wishes it had a decent cup holder.

I am the Lorax

I speak for the trees...

(...or at least the flowers.)

Goodbye Grandpas

Chase bid farewell to his Grandpas today. Pictured here pre-Udi's french toast, Chase gets a last minute cuddle from Fred and Laurent. After a great visit, the critter is ready to visit DC and explore our nation's capital!

One-student schoolhouse

Chase merrily self-educates while visiting the Children's Museum of Denver with Mommy and Grandpas Fred and Laurent.

In addition to working on the three R's, the kid weighed produce, studied veterinary medicine, drove a firetruck, pretended he was an ant, and attempted to thoroughly soap himself up in the bubble room.

Certainly a full day.

Sign of Love

After a day of hiking through Eldorado Canyon State Park and the wilds of Boulder's Pearl Street, Chase and Grandpa Laurent kick back in the rumpus room, enjoying some well-earned air conditioning.

Oh, and of course it was Mommy's birthday today, so the Critter tried to be a little extra clingy to show his affection and appreciation.

Pool Pout

Ace only looks tough here. Actually he was having a ball (thank goodness for the huge daisies in our yard), as Mommy brought out his new mini-pool.

He pretty much ignored all the toys, but took great delight in pouring cups of water down his own chest.

Puddle Jumpers

The swimming pool, water table, and doting grandfathers (Fred manning the dry areas, Laurent in the pool) provided some great morning playtime for the Critter.

Crackers

Ace got a double dose of Grandpas today (Fred & Laurent) and a lesson in American Sign Language ("cracker"), as we enjoyed dinner out.

Note the visual aide Mommy is providing to speed language development.

This is clearly an educational team for the ages.

Pony Express

Chase rides a horse -- check out how tightly he's grasping the reigns -- during music class with Grandpa Fred, who is here in Denver for the week.

American Gladiator

Chase runs the gauntlet at Lil' Monkey Bizness this morning. His adventure also included climbing and sliding, almost independently.

Watch out for this warrior!

Full Plate

Chase reaches another milestone, using his fancy new plate and serving himself.

Later, a Dustbuster was used to clean up both the kid and his immediate surroundings.

A River Runs Through It

Chase enjoyed the wading stream in the Children's Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens this afternoon, as temps approached ninety.

Island of Misfit Toys

Chase discovers the crate of toys that his unloving parents have squirreled away in the guest bedroom. Oh, such treasures!

Sand & Surf

The true beach may be far away, but Mommy shall be denied neither her sand nor her water. Ace spent some quality time at a friend's house today, frolicking in their play table, channeling his inner Downeaster.

Oh, and check out that cool Superman shirt.

iParent

One great advantage of being born into the 21st century is that you never have to deal with those annoying things called books, which neither talk nor move on their own.

In fact, we're working on a theory that the iPad may be able to take over most aspects of not only Chase's education, but his regular feeding and basic care, as well.

Going Postal

On our afternoon walk of the neighborhood, Ace plays a game of "Where's Chasah?" by ducking behind the mailbox.

Can you tell he loves being found?

Lil' Rascals

The Critter (wearing a "new" hand-me-down dinosaur hat) and neighbor Parker do their best to dismantle the irrigation system in our front yard.

Oh, say can you scream...

Fourth of July Princesses are terrifying.

Barbecue them veggies

As if Chase's outfit wasn't exciting enough, his anticipation for the arrival of his favorite family, the Cassetta-Waxmans, overwhelms him. Mommy grills a delish vegetarian dinner in the background, while Daddy and Chase play in the courtyard.

Hair Apparent

Clearly, the first haircut hasn't yet happened.

At this point, Ace is starting to look like the love child of The Incredible's Syndrome and Heat Miser from The Year Without a Santa Clause.

But the ladies do love it...

Montessori Method

Chase explores the Toddler Room at Monarch Montessori. We checked it out as a possible school for the Critter. Mommy's not so sure about someone else getting to share their days with Ace, but it may turn out to be a necessity.