Mark of Fridays: Meeting Mya

This past weekend, Lynne, Matt and Mark got to meet Mya - the beautiful daughter of good friends Alex and Ann.

And she's now Matt's goddaughter. Very awesome.

We had a great time.

Another Hanley in the news

Well, the Pulitzers were announced last week and Matt was tragically overlooked. Again.
But, there are other Hanleys in the news: Lynne was in the local paper for the work she did helping to organize a shoe drive at the high school!
Check out the story here. They didn't even misquote her.
So, she's not only a great mom and great wife, she's a pretty awesome person. But you already knew that, didn't you?

The it-was-going-to-be-an-18-month-Mark-but-we-fell-behind-so-it's-the-19-month Mark

Measurements: I can reach a doorknob. I can see what's on the kitchen table. My belly doesn't fit too good in 18-month pants, but isn't big enough for 24-month pants. Mom and Dad say they noticed their arms are getting sore.

Best friends: Where to start? Mom and Dad, of course. Jack is funny. Grandma, Grandma, Pap-pap and BaBaBoo are awesome. Aunt Megan, Aunt Eee-Eee, Aunt Wawa and Uncle Josh are cool. Great Grandma is so much fun. Elaina, Aunt Sara and Uncle Tripp are super. Uncle Michael, Uncle Tom, Kalli, Jake, Uncle Jim, Aunt Shelly, Uncle Steve, Uncle Bill, Aunt Carol, Uncle Rick, Uncle Roger, Aunt Candy...

Enemies: Cold weather. This state I was born in is nuts. One week it's eight feet of snow. Then a few weeks later, it's sunny. One day it's 80 degrees and I can have so much fun at the park in shorts. The next day, I'm bundled up in a winter coat and knit hat. I haven't been around long, but I sure hope it's not always like this. This year is aberration, right?

Just found about: Pizza! And Cheerios! And apples! And cantaloupe! Did you know about all this stuff? You'll remember that at the One-Year Mark I barely ate anything that wasn't pureed. Well, I went to a little food therapy (yep, there is such a thing) and got a bit of confidence. Now, I'm willing to try a lot more stuff. I hate to admit, this but some of it isn't too bad.

Not so sure about: Sharing. A few times my really cool cousin, Elaina has come to visit. It's great that she's here, but I'm still not clear why she thinks she should be allowed to play with any of my toys. After all, they are my toys. And the toys she brings with her are pretty much my toys, too. And, if that wasn't bad, enough...she thinks that she can sit in my da-da's lap. What? Whhhhhy? Ahhh waaah waaaaa. Aaaarrgggh!! Sharing stinks.

Favorite activities: Going to the museum. Almost every Friday, mom, dad and I go to the DuPage Children's Museum. Just so you're not worried: it's not a museum where they display children. It's like the greatest place in the whole entire Earth. There are things that woosh, light up, snap, bang, bong, squish, smoosh, fly, shake and shine. It is really, really fun. Strangely, I also love taking a bath. Mom and dad sometimes get me to clean up my toys by promising they'll let me take a bath. I'm sure that's normal.

I have a crush on: The alphabet! Did you know that all of these letters make sounds? It's true. They're like animals, except without the fun motions. Still, they're pretty cool. I've already learned A, C, D, E, F, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y, and Z. I say B like M for some reason. That's a tricky one. As for Q and X, well...Q and X are useless. When I'm out walking in the neighborhood, I almost never see Q and X on any of the signs. But, if I see any of those other letters in a book, on a sign, on a t-shirt - anywhere, really - I'll announce them so everyone can hear! Now, if only I knew a number besides '9'.

Major accomplishments: I swim - not by myself, but I do love being in the water. I go to sleep all by myself. My dad used to get worn out because I needed to be held for 30-40 minutes before I would get in bed. Now, that I go right away without crying, I think he misses the snuggling. Taught Derrick Rose how to play defense. Read every book I own, 55 times.

Mark of Fridays: Totally tubular

What?

No catering in here?

Mark of Fridays: Vacationarama

Well, we had a week off and Mark made the most of it. He traveled to Florida! In the sun. As a reminder, 10 weeks ago it looked like this.

But in Florida, it was pools and shorts and lizards and bubbles and sunscreen and general awesomeness.

Mark got to meet (again) Maggie Huffenberger, the exceptionally smart and cute daughter of Kevin and Angie. Mark had a little sharing trouble, but Maggie was magnanimous about it. For another view of the visit, check out Kevin and Angie's site. (After you look at the cute Mark and Maggie pictures, be sure to take a gander and Angie's research. Wow!)

More non-Mark Florida pictures to follow...