Nutty Drivers

It's hot.
It hasn't rained in a couple of weeks and isn't supposed to for at least one more.
And it's hot.


I consider myself a negligibly smart guy, and I used to have a pretty good memory.

Yet in the span of our six "fall/winter/spring months" I always manage to forget how hot it gets for the other 6 months.

oh well. life goes on (indoors or pre-sunrise)

The latest greatest thing around our house is books. They're no longer just for chewing, you know.

Riley will now bring you a book, sit down, and let you read it (usually).
It's the weirdest thing.

He's gotten to the point where he wants a book before his milk in the morning. A few days ago he wouldn't even let me get him out of bed, he just wanted a book delivered to him.
Whatever keeps him quiet in the truck is fine by me.
And I hope he enjoys it now, because high school/college/grad school have a tendency to kill that pleasure.



We stocked up on new books today and even (accidentally) got a book with a jeep in it, giving him one less word he's got to learn.



Last Sunday, before it was unbearably hot, we headed over to Ryan's house for a BBQ and some of PK's famous family-secret salsa.
Here's where it comes in handy that Gabe and Riley are so close in age, because they have reliable playmates at our gatherings.





Riley had a blast paying with Gabe, making a new friend, Ms. Candace, and showing Mr. Ryan that you must always guard your plate with toddlers around, lest you have veggies stolen, partially chewed and returned to the mix.





Of course, the 15 month old who still wears 6 month shorts, still has a wide foot and can't even fit into the 18 month shoes at BRU.
So, once again we spent half a mortgage payment to order him some extra wide shoes.
They actually make some cool kids shoes if you look around.




Our basic rule for dressing him is (with the exception of onesies) his clothing should be miniature versions of what an adult would wear.
If I wouldn't wear it, he probably won't.

Imagine any outfit from friggin Strasburg Children blown up into adult sizes. You'd only see that on some pervy basement dweller website, never in the real world.



(unfortunately such a site is the first google hit for "adult in kids clothes." Always think twice before you click "search.")


Saturday, we headed down to Erath to visit Joan's grandparents, bearing gifts of pulled pork and potatoe salad (I prefer the Quayle spelling)
You'll never guess where we got the pork, but it rhymes with Jons Suns Boo Con-Air.

Ok maybe you will.

Down in the country Riley had a few firsts:

His first close up look at an armadillo......... which he wanted to end as soon as possible.






His first tractor ride............. which he wanted to end as soon as possible.






and his first pedal boat ride......... which he tolerated fairly well.





On the way back, he puked all over himself while we were still 20+ minutes from home.
I've got no pics, but you can smell my truck if you don't believe me.

That evening, we headed over to a new mexican restaurant called La Pagua for dinner with my fam.
It's in the same shopping center as Baskin Robbins on Johnston.
They just opened this week. I've gone once at lunch and once at night and it was pretty good both times.
An expected tex-mex menu with a few more authentic items thrown in for street cred.
The owner used to work at Baranda's.

I recommend giving it a try (that's my non-Johnson's product plug of the week)
Oh, and they are still in the process of applying for their liquor permit, so the owner told us it is BYOB if you want to drink.

Just don't try to get your drink from Daiquiris Supreme, the hottest daq shop in town (ewww.. too soon?)


joining us at dinner and for a sleep over was his long lost godmother, Lesley. (i'm not sure if they've chosen a name yet)

She unfortunately caught him in a pretty demonic post-nap mood, but he eventually warmed up to her and made her read him some books.






Once the books were done, he proudly showed us all that he knows where a lens cap goes.






Sunday, we tried to beat the mercury to the zoo and were able to catch a few animals before their heat stroke kicked in.
The zoo here is actually pretty pitiful, but he doesn't know that, so its still fun to go.
Now if only they'd enact a "no smoking" policy. (which I really expected them to have, until I asked. But I guess that's how you keep the cave-dweller crowd coming. No offense to all smokers, just the trashy, inconsiderate, illiterate, over-breeding ones that pack the zoo.)

I'd be a bad husband if I didn't include the gem of Joan's day, catching a rooster in mid-crow.





and to go out on a low note-- We didn't ride the train this week.................. because the driver looked a little squirrelly.