Too Many Monkeys

In a special crossover event with our cousin blogs the Chronicles and Kellan's Crib, we are happy to present the short film "Three Doofuses". No little ladies here, because the Lainster was still chowing some Thanksgiving dinner. Please note the great authority wielded by Connor's Corner editor (and father/godfather to two of the three goofuses) Daddy/Unca B. Other than that, enjoy three big smiles and a bunch of giggling to brighten your day.

Meggg---eee!

NOTE: The following post was meant to be made around Halloween. Auntie Maggie has since been to Uganda and back. Its just been sitting in the drafts folder, waiting to get posted. We here at the Corner are really, really not all that good at this.

Maggie recently spent a couple weeks with us. She is the best! Although it may not look like it in these pictures, I had a lot of fun with her. From the moment I woke up in the morning, I was all about "Meggg---eeee, Meggg --eeee." Mom told me that Maggie didn't like it when I stood outside her door chanting that at 6 in the morning, but I don't think she knows what she's talking about. I spent quite a few days wandering the house chanting her name after she left as well. Unfortunately, it did not cause her to reappear.


For those of you that haven't seen me lately, this is just the latest addition to my vocabulary. I am quite the chatter lately. Some of my favorites include doggie, outside, shoes, apple, and zipper.

Locker goblin

Mom had a hard time getting me out of the locker room after my last swim lesson...

Vroom vroom!

Who needs wheels? Mom and Dad were perhaps a little naive when they busted a BRAND NEW COZY COUPE out of the box for me at about 20 mins to dinner time a few weeks ago, apparently expecting that the super sweet children's toy would come pre-assembled. (ed. note: it most certainly DOES NOT). Sadly, there is a surprising amount of hammering and noise making involved, so daddy did not get a chance to put it together for a couple of days, and then, as you can see below, parts of it remained a work in progress. (ed. note: Jeez, you would think I went on a drinking bender to Vegas in the interim or something. Oh wait, ed. note retracted).

NONETHELESS, it turns out the Coupe or "CAR!" as I refer to it, is crazy fun whether or not it has wheels on it. Climbing gym, snack eating location, all around font of goofy behavior, not sure my parents have made a better investment recently. And now that it has wheels on it, feel free to come over and push me around (ed. note: for what seems like hours!)!

Daddy eventually managed to get the wheels on, but left the top as a T-Top for me and my date with my baby doll, or, as I like to call it "BABY!" Have we mentioned I talk a lot now? I mean, like a lot a lot. Mommy thinks I am a genius, Daddy knows I am...

November sunshine

So who said October and November were terrible months to live in Michigan? Oh yea, Dad. Anyway, I don't know what he is talking about, the weather has been warm-ish, and that has lead to a ton of outdoor fun. Notice the sweet vest in these pictures, you don't see toddlers in Chicago wearing sweet ass vests like that, now do you? Or playing with pumpkins on hay bales at our favorite hang out, the Meijer Botanical Gardens Children's Garden.


So as it turns out, the only person who likes gourds more than my mother is ME! One of the most used terms in my (ed note: frighteningly quickly) expanding vocabulary is "pumpkin"! and I just love to manhandle these things. I got to paint one at school, and Mommy and Daddy even let me dig some "boogers" (ed note: yes, also now part of our vocabulary, oops!) out of the inside of the ones we carved for our front stoop! I LOVED it. Punkins are the COOLEST.





Well, maybe second coolest. Expect more posts about my cozy coupe, which is probably my second favorite form of transportation behind making my dad carry me.

Here I am, through the magic of Benjamin Button style CGI, in an early Halloween costume as an eighty year old Italian man. Yes, I am even playing badminton.

I tried to write a Seinfeld quote in here, but Editor Mommy nixed it. She HATES Seinfeld quotes, even ones about ensconcing oneself in velour!

Boo!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Now, we here at the corner are quite sure you have seen a ton of "cute kid dressed up for halloween" pictures. But until now you have not seen the cutest kid dressed up for halloween pictures, so sit back and enjoy.

Before trick or treating, we hung out in the yard and watched the goings on in the neghborhood. If by watched you mean, ate a turkey sandwhich (Dragons are always eating turkeys in the wild, not to mention Wild Turkey), and then tried to talk my parents into giving me a ton of chocolate. After fishing in the candy bowl, Aunt Maggie helped me settle on a granola bar, which I of course later negotiated into two granola bars. Call me a glutton, but, as photographically proven below, I shared.

It is hard to see the wings in some of these pictures, but contrary to popular misperception, I was a DRAGON, not a dinosaur. Frankly I thought Smaug would be proud, if only those darned dwarves and hobbits hadn't killed him.

Relaxing while waiting for more trick or treaters. Judging by the stream of 2 to 18 year olds who dropped in at our front door, the experts are wrong and the population of this area is skyrocketing.

Handing out some candy

Thank goodness all those trick or treaters left some for me! Lucky the editors had been WAY scared by the neighbors into overbuying candy, or someone may have been upset at receiving a pre-chewed (though still wrapped) snickers bar or two.

Family picture. Mom had this up as her facebook profile pic for a short time, apparently. She said something about it made her feel like a bad parent, and caused her to take it town. Dad said it just made him proud of me. Make sure to blow this one up to full size and check out daddy's shacket pocket.

Momma/Connor Time in Missoula!

Lets do the Time Warp again!!! Way back in August, after Mom and I got rid of boring old dad (like WORK is more fun than hanging out with me in Montana), Mom's friend Charmel hosted a lovely dinner for auntie Pam Pott's birthday in Missoula. Before dinner, I played with Char's daughter Haislea (Haze-lea) and Zepher in the backyard. The have the COOLEST ride on toys which the editors are totally promising to get me (just like they are promising to be more faithful about blog posting), and Charmel, as she did for my parent's first anniversary, used her photography talents to capture my best side.

I also showed off my yoga skills and snacking prowess.

After dinner, I gave Mom one of my famous open mouthed kisses. Since it was Pam's birthday, I decided to give her one as well. What woman could resist? Happy Birthday Auntie Pam!!!

Montana adventures

Faithful readers, per our revised mission statement and due to being way behind on posting, we are utilizing this lovely Indian Summer to remember the lovely days of actual summer and post some Montana trip pics.


You will notice the romper I am wearing, the full text is actually "crabby but cute", which is the exact correct way to describe me throughout my time in Big Sky Country. It just so happened that I was a tooth cutting MACHINE out in the American West, adding what seems like four teeth (including a pair of molars) in just over two weeks in Montana. We finished August with 6 new teeth, and for good measure added three more in September. One thing that seemed to ease my grousing was when Mom learned how to make melon sorbet from everyone's favorite convicted felon Martha Stewart. I enjoyed Grandpa Jack's and Grandma Michele's sorbet quite a bit after I polished off mine.

Here I am, giving my "picture smile." I paste that baby on whenever I see a camera coming. I learned this from the best, as many, many evidences of this type of smile can be seen on the face of young Brendan Beland on our cousin blog, the Chronicles. Still, a hard look to pull off wearing only a diaper; I feel it is safe to say I did so with panache here. You will notice I am posing with my favorite toy in the world for the length of this trip, Auntie Bryn's Ab Roller (TM). You may recall I was JUST starting to walk with regularity on this trip, and this was an excellent support/entertainment device. And yes, Bryn SWEARS it works.

Chilling in the arm chair after a long walk outside ...

I learned the downward dog position while I was in Montana, and spent a lot of practicing this yoga pose. My parents later tried to do some revisionist history and claim this was me trying to learn to stand without climbing up other objects, but in truth, I know how much yoga means to Grandpa Jack, and really wanted to share that special experience with him. Also, have you seen how big my head is? How am I supposed to lift that monster above my feet?

Just before we left for Montana, Grandma Patty taught me sign language for "more." It has become one of my favorite things to do, and I use it anytime I want anything, or am just generally unsatisfied with the state of my world. It is strange that I am unsatisfied in this instance, as I am playing with my second favorite toy in Grandpa Jack's house, his corded phone. Must be looking for more cherries.

After Dad left, Mom and I took a trip down to Missoula to celebrate Auntie Pam's birthday. We went with Pam, Charmel, Haislea, and Zephyr to enjoy lunch in the park. I believe this is currently the park being "occupied" a la the Occupy Wall Street protest, as if there weren't already enough hippies there.