Go Bucks!

I look like I'm ready for varsity ball in this picture, don't I? I'm watching the Ohio State Buckeyes play and loving every minute of it...until Mommy puts me in for my nap.

In the second picture here, I'm staring at a "buh" on the floor. I pranced around it for awhile, made some screeching noises at it, and then tried to crush it with my football. Mommy got a Kleenex and put it out of it's misery...into a watery grave: the toilet.

I've got two new words in my vocabulary now. The first one Mommy taught me yesterday. I had to get my ears trimmed (well, the hair around my ears) because I was lookin' a little shaggy. I was scratching my neck a lot (after I finished screaming), and Mommy asked me if I was itchy. For the next few hours, I walked around the house saying "it-sy! it-sy! it-sy!" I really like my new word.

I've also begun saying popcorn. Daddy taught me this one today while Mommy was at yoga (her first try at such a class). When she walked in the door, I yelled "bopcon" and she almost fell over. Great job, Daddy!!!

Well, this last picture shows me making a fish face. See you all soon. I miss everybody!!!

Love, TJ-Fish-Face

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Push-ups as Promised

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Pumping Iron

First of all, let me tell you how grown up I am. I'm saying more and more words each day and talking in my own language a ton too. Sometimes I go on and on so much that Mommy starts laughing. But it's a good laugh. I know she supports me in my TJ-speak. I am finally able to "meow" perfectly. It was one animal sound that I just never wanted to say. I'm able to pick out any animal from books or tv or magazines...but I never wanted to say "meow" when it came to making the sounds. But yesterday began my obsession with meowing. I love it. And I sound just like the commercial for Meow Mix. I wonder if Moo and Boo (my cousin kitties) will let me play and talk with them when we see them in a week.

I have also become a HUGE imitator of people. Male and female. Young and old. If you do it, I will do it. (This is both good and bad, my Mommy tells me.) I am excellent and cleaning up my messes and things like that...but I'm also good at yelling "no" in my chipmunk voice when I hear someone else say it (like some of the kids at Mommy's work). Guess I gotta learn what's good to imitate and what's not. But that's why I do it...so I can learn.

An example of my imitating is doing (drumroll please): the perfect push-up. See, my Mommy and Daddy like to do push-ups. My Daddy saw a silly ad for "the perfect push-up" and Mommy saw the gadget on sale at Linens-N-Things, so she bought it. They've been using it ever since. Today, they left it out on the steps and when Mommy was in the laundry room, she noticed it was a little too quiet in the living room. When she walked around the corner, she saw that I had taken the "perfect push-up gadgets" off the steps and I was actually doing push-ups. She howled and immediately grabbed the camera to catch me in the act. (The video was staged afterward). When she told Daddy, he laughed and said I had done that earlier for him too. Funny, huh!!!

Well, gotta get some sleep now.

Love, TJ-Iron-man

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Running with Playing

Daddy and I ran the Greek Fest 5k this weekend...and we crossed the line in 16:37. Can you believe that? Daddy ran so fast that my hair got wings on it. Check it out in my picture. Actually, my hair looks like that (or worse) every morning. It just so happened that Mommy got me out of bed late (6:20ish) and we had to leave right away in order to get to the race on time. Yikes!

I know I say this a lot but I am growing up so quickly. Mommy and Daddy talk about it all the time and they get a little sad from time to time. My new favorite phrase (besides "yeah-yeah") is no-no. I raise my voice and octive or two when I say it and it's pretty sweet. I may say "no" about something that Mommy or Daddy asks me to do, but I will still do it. I'm a good boy that way.

I'm not being very good about eating lately though. I'm not allowed very many snacks these days because I don't eat good meals and my parents think my snacks are spoiling my dinners. But I'm just going through a phase. Mommy doesn't know that I saw her buying brussel sprouts at the store today...and if she thinks I'm going to eat one tomorrow, she's nuts. My Mommy learned something new about my Daddy today too...he actually EATS THOSE THINGS! Who knew? My Daddy does not like vegetables and yet he likes brussel sprouts. Wow...we're both still trying to grasp that fact.

After dinner, Mommy and Daddy and I lounged in the living room and watched a show on Animal Planet about prarie dogs. It was so interesting! While they were cleaning up from our meal, I climbed up on the couch and started getting interested in the show. They saw the back of my little red head sittin' on the couch from the kitchen and talked about how sweet and cute I was for a good 10 minutes. Then they came in and we hung out...like I said. It was cool.

I love bugs. Just love 'em. I find them everywhere and point, saying "bug" (most of the time, I leave off the "g"). I have a towel that's a bug/bee and I went to bed with it tonight. I couldn't get enough of it while we were reading bedtime stories so Mommy put it in bed with me. That was nice.

Okay, well, I know I had more to tell you but I forget and I'd like to go to sleep now. G'nite everyone! Love, TJ

p.s. Mommy got me my Halloween costume the other day. Bet you can't guess what I'm gonna be!!?!?!?

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Tickle-Me TJ

WOW! I've been a traveling man all summer...and I'm gonna tell you all about my latest trip. Mommy and I flew up to Cleveland for our great friend Anj's wedding. On our flight, I decided to amaze Mommy with my behavior. I was THE BEST behaved kid EVER. Mommy was so proud (she's always proud of me). I stood by the windows and watched the planes come in and take off. I yelled "ooooh oooooo ah-peen" about a million times until airport security had to come see what all the fuss was about (not really). I walked onto the plane with great anticipation until we were about the step over the little crack between the ramp and the actual aircraft. I stopped in my tracks and reached for my Mom. She carried me to our seat and we sat down next to a nice kid who decided to find another empty seat so we could have another one next to us. How cool is that!!! (Even if he just didn't want to sit next to a baby).

Mommy and I sat on the runway for 35 minutes before we took off and I was a happy kid the whole time. We read books, colored in pen on Mommy's list paper, played with dumbees and Yowee (Woody the cowboy) and watched some of Jimmy Neutron. It was great. Before we knew it, we were landing and I was holding on tightly to my Mommy.

Everything we did during the long weekend is kind of a blurr. We went to Kohl's the day we got in so Mommy and Grammie could shop. We got takeout from Bucci's (my Mommy's favorite) and took walks around the block. Grammie and Poppy had a new room added on to the back of their house. It is amazing!!! I immediately took it over as my new play room and I made a quick mess of it. They took me to a cool amusement park close to their house that Mommy had never even heard of. I rode in a few rides all by myself! I'll have pictures of that when Grammie sends them to Mommy.

Let's see...OH! Our first night in Ohio...I decided to not sleep. Yes, I decided to wait til 9:30 to got to sleep and then I woke up about 11pm and did NOT go back to sleep until around 4:30am. Boy, my Mommy was sure upset about it. The rest of the weekend, I slept a little better but not nearly as much as usual. Yep - Mommy's still tired.

I didn't go to the wedding but Mommy said it was a beautiful Greek wedding and she had lots of fun. She brought me some of Anj's chocolate chip cookies home because I was awake, crying when she got home at midnight. Grammie and Poppy let me sit on the couch with them and watch the Olympics. It was a long night after that too before I'd go back to sleep for Mommy. I won't sleep now unless Mommy tickles my back until I fade off to la-la land. Oh, I'm a character alright!

Before my trip home, I got to see my Auntie Melissa at Five Guys. Oh my gosh, I ate gobs of ketchup there and some bites of burger and fries. Best food I ever ate in my life!!! Look how cute I posed with my Auntie Melissa! : )

I have more to say, but this is it for now!!!

Love, Tickle-Me-TJ

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Dirt Don't Hurt

God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt!!!!

When Grandma and Grandpa were here, I showed them how I can get dirty now without getting upset about it. My Mommy had to encourage me and sorta push me to do it, but I got down and dirty in the mulch and dirt of our yard.

I'm so funny about dirt and putting it in my trucks...that I'll even take little pinches of it into my tiny dumptruck. See??? Rocky likes to watch me do it when he's not trying to bounce around the yard and see how close he can come to knocking me over : )

Love, TJ

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P.S.

As a p.s. to the blog I just posted...here is a picture of me last year (left) and one taken last week (right). What the heck happened???

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Bright Eyes!

This picture was taken after a recent bath. It's ironic that I'm smiling because for the past few months...I've been HATING baths. Seriously, I freak out when I hear the bath water running or when Mommy or Daddy says the dreaded word "bath-a". Oh, I hate it. Hate it! I stand there and scream my head off while Mommy soaps me up and rinses me off. I haven't sat down in the bathtub for at least 4 months. I have bathtub crayons and great bath toys and I just won't play with them anymore. Stresses my Mommy out for sure. She thinks my bathtime should be fun!

Any suggestions??? Please let my Mommy know. And yes, Daddy even got in his bathing suit and sat in the tub with me. I wouldn't even look at him. Showers? Not even gonna try it. I hate getting water on my head. Hmmmmm. Now what?

Love, TJ-Squeaky-Clean-Boy

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The Weekend in Photos

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit me this weekend. They said they came to see my Mommy and Daddy too, but I'm not sure that's so true. I think they like me better. Who wouldn't? : )

Here I am practicing my football drills. Gotta love those hash marks! I ran around on this field while Grandma and Grandpa and Mommy and Daddy watched me. You should've seen how sweaty my little red head was after that. I was rewarded with ice cream for my hard workout.

We went out to eat every day that Grandma and Grandpa were here. It was great! We went to Cici's Pizza so they could see me eat mac-n-cheese peepa! Oh, it was so good. I ate a lot and behaved very well. We also got excellent BBQ at a place that looked like a hole-in-the-wall at first glance. Same with Chez Fish in Kiawah Island. Mommy thought it was so gross and didn't want to go, until she got inside. Then she ate her words...and a lot more than that : )

I love wearing shoes, heels and flip-flops. I went for Grandpa's shoes every time they weren't on his feet! They're a little big for me here, but I think I'll grow into them. They may be on the wrong feet, but they sure look goooood!

Bob? Oh, Bob! Bobby? I'm calling for Bob the Builder here but I can't find him. Does anyone know here Bob the Builder went?

More on my Grandparents' visit tomorrow. Love you!

~TJ

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TJ the Dog Whisperer

Here I am looking out the window in my apartment outside. (hehehe) I look like I'm posing for this picture, but I'm not. It's a candid. I admit it, I'm cute.

Rocky and I are having a great time together. I like to give him a hard time...and he does the same to me. He lets me lay on him and I let him knock me over and chase me.

I love the Olympics and so do my Mommy and Daddy. Thanks for beating the French relay team last night USA swimmers! Mommy and Daddy actually woke me up because they were "silent cheering" so loud!

Love, TJ the Dog Whisperer

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Building Forts

My Mommy found out that I have a new favorite hiding place...it's a place I like to call "TJ's Fort". Sometimes in the middle of playing, I'll disappear into my room for a minute. When I don't come right out with a toy or something, Mommy comes looking for me. Today, she found me in my fort again and figured it was pretty blog-worthy. I love to go back behind the chair and read books with my legs straight out and a silly grin on my sweet face.

This morning, I didn't have that sweet grin on my face. You see, yesterday my Mommy bought me a prize. She got me new Spiderman sippy cups. They're insulated and everything and very, very cool. They're so heavy too because they have a special rounded lid with Spidey's face on it Well, I have been throwing things a lot lately and Mommy and Daddy have being very consistent with the fact that they don't like it. This morning I didn't care and I wanted to throw it. So, I did. And wouldn't you know it? It landed DIRECTLY on top of my Mommy's bad foot where it was nearly broken last week. I've never seen her face do that before. And I've never heard her voice make that sound before. I think it hurt her pretty bad and I cried my eyes out. When her eyes stopped watering, she gave me a little talking-to and then dropped it. (so to speak)

Yeah-yeah is a character in the movie The Sandlot...but it's also my new favorite expression. I probably say it at least 100 times a day. I'm also obsessed with playing choo-choo on my new train table AND with puzzles. I can put all the animals in the right places in my puzzles AND if you ask me which animal is which, I can tell you or show you.

I forgot to tell you that when Mommy and Daddy drove home with Rocky when they picked him up, he rode home sitting in my carseat nearly the whole way. It was hilarious!

G'nite! Love, TJ-yeah-yeah

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Locked Out and Rocked Out

WE GOT A DOGGIE! I can't believe it but it's true. Rocky Budic arrived Saturday and has been so much fun for me and for my Mommy and Daddy. He's settling in very nicely but we're trying to learn how to play nice with each other. I like to poke him sometimes, and he forgets that I'm not a fellow doggie sometimes...so Mommy has her hands full keeping us happy. And we are very happy.


He loves my Daddy more than my Mommy or me. Probably because he is the strict disciplinarian. Why does it work that way?? Anyhow, that's the way it is. Rocky gives me kisses and Daddy kisses but he won't kiss my Mommy. No fair! One of these days...
As a treat for my Mommy yesterday, I did something very special. Mommy went out into the backyard at 6:3oam to wipe Rocky's paws and I was watching from the sliding glass door. For some reason, (thank you, God) she closed the screen door and not the glass door. What was my special treat for her? Well, I locked it. I locked that door up tight. When Mommy tried to come in with Rocky, she couldn't. She tried and tried to fiddle with it and to get me to unlock it but shoot, I don't know how to do that! After a few minutes, I started to cry and she started to really worry. Daddy was running and she knew he wouldn't be home for another 45 minutes. So... Mommy pulled the door off it's track and saved me. I was happy and so was she. Rocky didn't seem to care either way.


Well, I'm going to bed now so that I can rest up to play with Rocky in the morning. He comes in every morning and gives me kisses through the bars of my crib. What a cool guy!


Tomorrow I will tell you about my new train table and the Children's Museum in Charleston. G'nite! Love, TJ

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Kep-uck and Dups

Hi Everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I wrote last. We were on vacation and then we got a new addition to the family so I've been a bit busy. Let me first tell you about my vacation. Mommy and Daddy drove me down to Kiawah Island where my Grammie and Poppy rented a house for a week. My Uncle Ben and the Greats were there too! (The Greats are my great-grandmas) We had an awesome time. At first, I was a bit afraid of the ocean ("osa"). But by the second day, I was up to my waist and rolling around in the sand. I never did like to put my feet in the sand when we first got there each morning...but I got used to it a few minutes later.

The island was incredibly beautiful and Mommy's main goal while there was to see an alligator. She saw tons!!! Mostly on her runs with Daddy, but I'll get to that in a minute. The houses on this island were insanely huge and ridiculously expensive. I wish you could all see the monstrous houses there. Insane. I got to ride in a cool trailer attached to the bikes they rented...so instead of driving the mile to beach each day, I just sat in my own trailer. It was great...UNTIL...on the third day. Mommy was getting me out of my trailer and the bike flipped over causing the trailer "connector" to crush my Mommy's foot. She let out a big yelp and she did actually cry too. Luckily, Poppy saw it from the porch and he ran over to help get me rinsed off and into the house. Mommy's foot turned a neat shade of eggplant purple and blew up pretty good too. She didn't want to get x-rays even though it looked and felt broken. It stinks that she had to take a bunch of days off from running just when she was getting back into racing shape. But she ran yesterday and is slowly coming back....SLOWLY.

I am such a huge fan of kep-uck these days. I love adding it (ketchup) to all my favorite foods and I even asked for it the other day when Mommy forgot to get it out of the fridge. It counts as a vegetable, right? Mommy hopes so. : ) I also like to get dups as treats. Dups or dips is the word I use for "chips" but it's still hard for me to say it.

At the beach, I got to eat kettle corn out of bag that my Nonny was holding...and my GG read me lots of books and let me eat the raisins out of her Raisin Bran cereal. How nice is that! I think my Uncle Ben is sleeping a lot these days since the trip. He played a lot with me and I know that he got pretty tired, pretty quickly. Grammie and Poppy were so fun. I got prizes for the beach and spent so much time with them. They took me to fun events around the island and cuddled me as much as I'd let them! I can tell they love me a lot.

My Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit me this weekend. I can't wait!!! I am gonna show off how smart I am and all the sign language things I've been learning. They will be amazed. : ) We're gonna eat mac-n-cheese peepa at Cici's! Hooray!

Love, TJ the tannest pale little man ever

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