Polly want a cracker?

Proof that a little speech therapy and peer interaction works - words this week...

Colter - Yes! He can say his name!
butterfly
mole
frog
lap
elbow
neck
foot
left
right
Kelsie ("Kelkee")
Heather ("Header")
"Gramma Jane"
"Grampa Jim"
"Grampa Hooba"
Mickey
Donald
Goofy
pink
orange

He's also stringing 3 to 4 words together constantly and can count to 4. Oh, and thanks to his new favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, he can almost spell Mickey ("m-i-c").

Exhibit A: The big boy bed

Mama cried this weekend.

Colter and I spent a small portion of Sunday morning taking down his crib. He helped by keeping all of the screws in one tidy pile until we were finished. After lunch he crashed.

The transition to the big boy bed was seamless, proving that he's growing up way too fast. When Colter saw the new bed that daddy put together he was so excited he jumped right up on the mattress and laid down like he was waiting for us the get the "damn thing put together already. Didn't you two notice that I've been screaming for days to get out of that 'cage' you had me in?"

His new sleeping buddy is "Verm (Vern)" the turtle. A gift from Grandma Jane and Grandpa Jim. Every night when Colter goes to bed he has either Jay or me read stories, cover his toes and place Vern up by his pillow where he proclaims, "Verm, hand (Colter holds Vern's hand until he falls asleep)." After the "mama, hug, daddy, hug," slew of kisses and "nite, nite's," I close the door and he's out like a light. If that's not precious, you're dead inside. 

What's On Colter's Schedule This Summer

Colter will be doing some movie work over the rest of the summer and into the fall.

First up on his schedule is a remake of Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocolypse Now." Colter will be reprising the late Marlon Brando's role as Colonel Kurtz.



Then some lighter fare when that shoot wraps up as Colter will play a toddler-aged Steve Stifler in the seventh "American Pie" movie called
"American Pie VII - 'P' is for 'Pie'"

Dr. Hook, Eat Your Heart Out

Try your own version here. 

Jackson Pollock, Eat Your Heart Out

Colter really knows his colors now. He'll identify everything from red and blue and orange, to yellow, green, black, white and even purple. He always wants more purple when he creates his bathtub masterpieces.

You can make your own Jackson Pollock if you like, click here. 

Leaving Red Lodge

It never fails. Whenever we go somewhere, those two always fall asleep on the way back. On the way to our destination, everyone is wide awake, taking in all the sights (even if we've seen them dozens and dozens of times before). But the minute that cars comes back around the other way...ZZZZZzzzzzzzz. Well this time, I figured it was high time to see just how good the cruise control would work.

Hiking in the Beartooths After 4:00 pm

We've been to Red Lodge well over two dozen times since we got married there in 1992, and it never fails...it WILL rain right near 4:00. At least we had our jackets with us.

The effects? There are none. It's simply the "I Feel Lucky" button on Picassa that adjusted the fill light, the highlights and shadows. Click for a larger view. 

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

We spent July 4th weekend celebrating Colter's birthday in Red Lodge. Needless to say, it rained every day. We spent one of the more beautiful evenings hiking here, Wild Bill lake. 

Mission accomplished!

After a bit of re-arranging and sampling, Colter decided the frosting on the cake felt better between his fingers than in his mouth. I don't know if you can tell or not but his hands are as red as a fire engine. He seemed pretty pleased with the outcome. 

On the eve of destruction