Baby Rule #4: Hug Your Bear

Jo carries this bear around whenever she finds him. He's got all sorts of stuff stuck to his poor self. His face is a pretty good indication of what the last meal was. Sometimes I find him abandoned in kitchen cupboards (he was in with the mixer last time that happened) and sometimes Jo tries to add him to my shower. However this bear also gets lots of love. He is kissed and cuddled and then passed to an adult to repeat the process. Once the chosen adult has repeated the affection he is claimed by his rightful owner, usually for a repeat of the process. Kisses then cuddles. Sometimes he gets kisses from his rabbit friend.

And sometimes Jo bites his face.

Baby Rule #3: Toys from the Library

I love to check out toys from the library. I think Jo likes it too... And she definitely enjoys pulling things off the shelves there though she isn't fussy what she pulls off this shelf, and she rarely remains committed to whatever she pulls. There are so many things to pull off the shelf, she most thoroughly enjoys that. Our last toy trip to the library was definitely a success. Jo loves music, especially anything with a solid beat. She dances in her chair to the snippets of music between news stories on the radio. She was rocking out when we went to Syd's dance recital. It's hilarious stuff. Recently she has been dancing to her favourite book - Farmyard Beat, which doesn't even have a tune, just a beat created by the pattern of the words in the book. But the most recent toy I grabbed from the library was a music set. It has a little tambourine, a triangle, some bells but most importantly to Jo, it has maracas. She LOVES the maracas. She will walk around the house with both of them just shaking them silly. She will bump her little bum to their rhythm if you shake them in time. They're a major redirection tool.

She will also try to drum up breakfast with them in the morning.

It wasn't working as you can see from the facial expression. I was too busy taking pictures of her. She's most displeased.

Summer Rules #3: Shave Ice Testing

In accordance with the Summer Rules Bucket List (SRBL) we have been trying out shave ice locations. Jo and I tested this location one day after a trip to the library. As you can tell from the pictures Jo was enthusiastic about this particular offering. (She's throwing her head back with her mouth open in the first shot, her way of announcing she would like more. Completely unprompted.) I can't say that I blame her, it was definitely yummy. Tiger's blood with ice cream in the bottom.  Having only eaten shave ice once while actually in Hawaii, I don't know that I am truly qualified in this matter, but from what I recall of said experience, this shave ice was great. No beans though. Next time I am in Hawaii I really want to try the beans. Someone remind me.

This sugary food colouring high was brought to you by North Shore Hawaiian Shave Ice at 1304 North State Street in Orem.

Holiday Rule #1: Take pictures (or pray that someone else does)

Yesterday was one of my favorite Fourth of July celebrations ever. I'm no rookie - I've been doing this for 12 years now in a variety of locations with a splendid selection of folks. But holidays with Jo are really ridiculously better. And yesterday was no exception. Cousins, BBQ, swimming, fireworks. Good times, good times.

Such good times in fact that I completely forgot to take a single picture. Thank goodness for Hannah capturing our two visual memories for the day.

International Trip Rule #1: Get a passport

As I am sure you're aware, you have to get yourself a passport to travel internationally. Even if you are one.

Passports require pictures.

I took so many pictures today.

And not one of them will work. Though if I could I would use row 1 picture 2 or row 3 picture 4.

Hopefully Adam's pictures will be easier?

Summer Rules #2: Make Ice Cream

It wasn't on the Summer Rules Bucket List. But it definitely should have been.
Summer calls for ice cream. If you make it yourself, so much the better.

Proudly presenting, the first ice cream of the summer season:

Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet

All and sundry agree it was delicious. 

Rule #7: No sleep 'till Richmond (subsection a)

The original Rule #7 was a post that happened quite a while ago. This week I had a similar instance. Also quite hilarious.

Jo and I have been going to Mummy and Me swimming class for the last two weeks (check that off the summer to-do list! Yeah!)

If Jo had her way, this is all she would do for class. 

There's a lot of singing involved in the class. And crying babies. And it forced me to learn about swim diapers. And buy a second swim suit (for Jo - I'm still getting by on the suits I bought for Duck in 2010. At least I think it was 2010....). It's been a good couple of weeks. I have the best tan I've had since my summer as a camp counselor - don't get me wrong, I"m still pretty pasty compared to most.

Back to class and the singing. So, there's a song for everything - we do a washing machine song, we sing a modified version of "Ring-a-rosies," we also sing the wheels on the bus (am I the only one who sings that the wheel on the bus go all day long, not all through the town?) etc. Then there was a song I just couldn't figure out. For some reason they were singing about an Indian. I was lost. So for almost two weeks I am listening to this song (I didn't sing it - I was so perturbed by it) thinking to myself "Are we really singing about a 'red Injin'? This sounds so bad. ..." I couldn't for the life of me figure out what this Native American or inhabitant of India had to do with swimming, or why they were calling them a "red injin" with such a twang. Now, one of the side effects of class is that I am constantly singing the songs in my head (Who wouldn't be?). Yesterday as I was showering (where all great revelation strikes, I might add) the "Red Injin" song popped back into my head.
And lightning struck.
"Chugg, chugg went the little red ENGINE."

I am dying.

P.S. How can I brainwash Jo into saying "Mummy" instead of "Mommy"? Would that be confusing for her?