Ian: 8 Months

So here he is at 8 months.  Ian James Badger.  

I recently discovered we have a mini-Stephen in one aspect... 

The drama king.  In high school, Stephen was named the most promising actor in his drama class, and I believe his son is following suite.  Stephen has ignored the fake crying for a while now, (it takes one to know one, right?) but for some reason I ALWAYS fall for it because I just can't let my little boy cry!  He's so precious!  

I should have known that most of this crying business is phony though because once when I picked him up after a "crying" bout a few months ago, my friend saw his facial expression from over my shoulder and he totally gave the proud smile of "Ha!  I got what I wanted!"  That little stinker!  Now that I know he's faking it, I just laugh to myself when it comes, on cue, EVERY time I go to nurse him.  I'll set him down in the rocking chair while I'm getting ready, and then it comes, the "milked-up" whimpering and coughing.  Like, "Oh, I'm so desperately starving!  Please help and feed me, Mother dearest!  I can't stand another minute."  Oh please!  
He also knows what he should and shouldn't be doing, but tries to get away with sneaky stuff anyway.  He knows not to eat shoes, keys, or pull his sister's hair.  But when I do slip-up and let him gnaw on some keys every once in a while, (like below)...
he does the fake high-pitched squeal which sometimes convinces me to give-in.  But, if I'm feeling rational and just ignore it, it stops only seconds later, especially if I can distract him with something else.
"Who you talkin' 'bout, Mama? "

The picture above reminds me of when, a couple nights ago, Ian was eating a piece of a nectarine and dropped it down in his high chair seat somewhere.  I then said in a funny voice, "Which way did he go, George, which way did he go?"  Stephen looked at me, shocked.  I didn't know what caused this reaction, I was only repeating something that my Dad used to say.  He then asked in disbelieve where i heard the saying from.  After I told him it was from my dad, Stephen's response was, "Whoa!  For a minute there I thought you actually watched some cartoons!"  Does anyone know where that line came from?   
If you said Bugs Bunny, you've got it!

Ian's favorite word is Dad.  Since he got such a favorable reaction the first time he said it, he has babbled it forever since.  I try to get him to say Mom, but I don't count it that he says "Bob."  I didn't think that the "mmm" sound was too difficult for babies, but maybe he's testing out his comedy skills already and just laughing at how frustrated I get about it.

Ian is crawling more and more with his stomach off the ground and he even attempts climbing up things to stand up.  He's also tried scaling the stairs.  He's only fallen from the second stair once for sure!  I guess we can no longer put shoes and other "off-limits" equipment on the stairs because it's his major motivation.  When I found him fresh from the 2nd-stair fall, he had taken with him the out-of-reach princess memory game!

His favorite things to eat include, but are not limited to sand, dirt, grass, paper, stickers, plastic bags, and other dirty things.

The Number 5

Learning Time has become the highlight of Brooklyn's day.  It's a fun little ritual.  Here's our #5 lesson.  We counted her fingers and toes and put stickers on them. I also had her circle all of the 5's she found in a grocery store add.  I didn't realize that "5" is not a popular sale number, probably because it's so middle of the road, it doesn't sound catchy enough for a bargain price.  I think 9's would be a better number for this activity.  There are a few standard things we do with each number.  First we read a counting book (from the library, 1,2,3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle) up to whatever number we are studying.  We also do a page in her workbook that highlights that number.  We draw it over and over on different things.  I also have these stamps that are markers on one side and a stamp on the other.  We stamp them on the workbook page, 5 times in this case.  Also, I have a fish-shaped plastic container.  I have her count out beans to "feed" the fish.
Thank you to grammy for purchasing our table and chairs that we now use for learning time. She bought it for us back in the "Bayou Badger," Louisiana days.  The table got a new facelift, however, thanks to Papa.  It was left on the balcony over a very wet weekend and got waterlogged.

This and That

I think Ian looks a little like my brother.
It's so cute how Calvin (my brother) always asks to hold Ian when we are visiting.  They are buddies.  I can just imagine how funny it will be when Ian is old enough to run around and keep up with Calvin's boys.  He will probably get into all kinds of mischief and love every minute of it.
This is Stephen reading The Giving Tree to Brooklyn before her naptime during one of Stephen's lunch breaks.  We always look forward to him coming home for an hour around noon!
The witch hat that never was big enough for Brooklyn's head.  It fits Ian just perfectly though, she discovered.
Brooklyn and Daddy enjoying a Baby Signing Time DVD with Ian.  Brooklyn takes very seriously her self-appointed assignment of teaching basic signs to Ian with the help of these well-loved DVD's.

Lovin' our Cousin Lilly

Pip, Jeff, and Lilly came down for Sunday dinner a few weeks ago.  The kids couldn't get enough of each other!

Thanks for the cute up-do, Pip!
Ian is investigating whether this other small creature who has entered upon his territory.  Friend or foe?  I think he decided that she's harmless.

A Park in Mission Bay

So many parks, so little time!
Didn't you know this is the latest trend?  Barefoot and not.

One of Ian's favorite chew toys is our camera case.  The other two are my keys and the dirty bottom of any and every shoe.

Carlsbad in June

For nearly 50 years now, Grandma Diane and Grandpa John (Bickmore) have come down to camp at Carlsbad beach for one week during the summer.  Usually they bring down one of their two silver-covered Airstream Trailers, hitched up to their white suburban.  This year, they've down-sized to just tent camping because it's getting harder for my nearly 80-year-old grandfather to hitch and unhitch the trailer by himself.  
They came for a week in June this year and also this past week (in July).  So now that I'm finally playing catch-up with my blog, we'll start with the pictures from the June trip.  The night we came up, they treated us to some yummy pizza...
Walked along the beach with Pip, Jeff, and Lilly...



roasted marshmallows,  
and played a couple rounds of Aggravation.  Notice Brooklyn's make-shift wrap-around skirt as a result of her sand-crusted and salt-water-drenched pants, socks, and shoes after our walk.

WAY back on Mothers' Day...

We took a few casual family pic's at my parent's house.  Ian already looks older than this now!

Fly like an Eagle..

Does this look funny to anyone else?  
What trip to the mall would be complete without a downhill wagon ride through the parking lot?  That's right, the dad is IN the wagon while the three-year-old is outside of it, running downhill on the asphalt and pushing.  Nice. 
I think Brooklyn volunteered for the caboose-pushing job, but then again, her dad LET HER!
Who says grown-ups have to always play by the rules?  (Sorry about yet another picture of our "cross-dressing" son.  I really need to stop this so he doesn't grow up confused.  Then again, uncle David turned out okay after his older sisters doted on him and "dolled" him up a few times.

Home Teaching at its Finest

A short spiritual thought and a game of Fancy Nancy.
And the award goes to....Mark!  Congratulations and here is your victory tiara and wand!
We know it's not as cool as all the activities Mark spontaneously invents and leads at ward parties, like rolling down the grassy hill and playing tag, but we still love that he played it with us anyway!  

J.J. and Nancy's Wedding

We recently attended J.J. and Nancy's wedding at the L.A. temple and the reception in Monrovia that evening.  Congratulations to the happy couple!  
Finally there are two cousins of mine on the McKendrick side that are married.  Michelle, who is my age, married last September.  She and her husband, Travis are on the top left of the picture.  My aunt Margaret, in the grey suit, is my dad's younger sister.  She and her husband Michael have 4 children.  Jacob and Lauren are the other two, also pictured above.  Now there are only four other siblings of my dad's that will soon (maybe) join the club!

These gals are good friends of ours.  They are Megan, Karen, and Rachelle Smith.  My mom served under Karen as stake girls camp leaders for a while and became good friends several years ago.  The Smiths have since moved away from the area.  Rachelle Smith became good friends with Nancy up at BYU.  Rachelle then discovered that Nancy's then-boyfriend, J.J., was related to our family.  Small world!  Great to see you, ladies!
These are a bunch of my other McKendrick cousins.  My dad is the oldest, so they're all younger than us.  It was great to have Richard's oldest 4 kids in town for the occasion.  They live in Florida!  Also pictured are my dad's other brother, Rob's kids, 3 of them.  They live in Temple City, CA.  Josh, Kelly, and Claire Bernd, my Dad's other sister, Helen's kids, live in Del Mar, just about 15 minutes up the freeway from us.  So now is when I wish I had the fancy computer skills like Eric or Jessica to label the people by typing on top of the picture.  Also, I really hate the funky face I'm making in the picture, but I don't know how to replace it without messing up the order of things.  So sorry!
Brooklyn and my brother's boys tearin' up the dance floor!
Grandma Grace and Grandpa Glade with Ian.  Grandma and Grandpa Merkley just celebrated their one-year anniversary in May.