This shifty-looking kid is about to bite into one of the first fruits from our vegetable garden. Somehow, the very first tomato was eaten without proper ceremony...Matt snuck it into pasta salad last Friday without telling me what he'd done. Since I know the one pictured above came from our garden, I'll be sure to savor it on my BLT tomorrow.

Not pictured above is the black and blue big toe on B's left foot. A very heavy gate fell on his foot this morning. We consulted a pediatrician and a trauma surgeon in the neighborhood before we decided that it isn't broken and will likely feel better after a popsicle and a nap. In the mean time, the swelling has gone down but the bruising is impressive. We are very thankful for our neighbors and their expertise!

We love Barritt, we really do. But at this stage of his development (heretofore called the Tasmanian Devil stage), he is difficult to capture on camera. And when he is awake, taking pictures is one of the last things on our minds - we are more preoccupied with disciplinary measures, property protection, and fire prevention.

But in these slow days of summer, Annabelle is a visage of irenic bliss. Sure, she throws most of her food on the ground, bites her parents, and falls on the floor screaming when she is not allowed to climb in the pantry. But she sure is cute.

Annabelle wears the pants in this household, most of the time

The header is misleading - Annabelle is always in charge, she's just not always wearing pants. If there was any doubt as to who is in charge now that we've moved, one sidelong glance from her will set you straight. She doesn't care if she is too big for the tricycle, or if she is not really supposed to be on the stairs, or for that matter, if she is even wearing clothes on her bottom half.