You know you’ve watched entirely too much Blue’s Clues when you prepare scrambled eggs with a French accent — and it seems like the most normal thing in the world.

You know, this photo’s even funnier when you realize that lemon wedge wasn’t the first one she’d sampled. Yet somehow, she always expects that the next one might — just might — taste better.

From Babycenter:

Your toddler may now be able to throw a ball overhand with ease, although she’ll probably miss her target most of the time. The whole-arm coordination that allows her to roll or throw a ball at something (or someone) usually comes somewhere between 18 months and 3 years.

Or someone? Uh, yeah, no kidding. I think I still have a bruise from learning that lesson. We’re working on the concept of “throw balls *to* people, not *at* them.” The word “gently!” has popped up in my everyday language with OCD-like frequency.

Only one month left until she’s two. Where has the time gone?

We will be away for the next several days, as I drive down to Arizona to take Clay back to his breeder. While we’re away, I hope to introduce Maya to some of the Anderson clan in Albuquerque who’ve yet to meet her. Photos and stories, as always, after we return.

Maya sports a shampoo point that would put Pee-Wee Herman to shame. Either that, or she’s morphing into a teletubby (god forbid).

This is truly more Maya’s brand of meandering — we enjoyed lunch at her grandparents’ house, followed by time on the swings (with grandpa, of course) and a walk around the property.

Naturally, Maya just looked at this post and started saying, “wheeee!” That was immediately followed by, “grandpa!” Any wonder that Maya has her grandpa twisted around her itty bitty fingers?

Fish!

Maya admires the latest batch of goldfish who are starting to grow a bit. It seems that each time we get them nice and large, the blue herron returns to feast.

It may be a small pond that our herron feasts upon, but we’re good hosts. The herron gets table decorations in the form of a water lily.

The hills are alive…

Maya has started singing real, actual, honest-to-God songs lately, by the way. I believe at this point, she was singing “Moon, Moon, Moon” by Laurie Berkner. I’m utterly charmed by the singing, and she knows it. Guess what she started doing as *soon* as I told her it was bedtime last night?

Because of the unusually high amount of rain we’ve had for August, not only is the property green, it’s even blanketed with a thick cover of yellow flowers.

This is also good for the sled run. Look waaaaaay in the back of the photo for the green hill — that’s the grass that once covered the garden I’ve been building in the front yard. Hooray for recycling, right?

Maya’s great-grandmother tends her flowerbeds meticulously, and they’ve responded happily.

(grin…that’s just my way of saying “I never got around to blogging last week’s hike!)

Last Saturday:

Allison and Maya strike a pose
with Pikes Peak in the background.

Joy and I gained a new hiking partner, Fred — he’s relatively new to the area and needs to be let out of his cage from time to time. Hiking provides a good, safe way for him to commune with other human beings, as scientists sometimes forget to do that.

Maya, Allison, Fred, Joy, and Dominic near the
high point of the Waldo Canyon trail.

This weekend:

This weekend was a repeat of one of my favorite local trails, Section 16 / Palmer-Redrock Loop. I’ve always wondered how long the trail is in reality after accounting for the time on High Drive and Gold Camp Road. According to localhikes.com, it’s six miles, total. I think we did nice work on it, all things considered, then — we completed the circuit within three hours. In the rain.

Oh, guess I didn’t mention that — while the hike started out cloudy, it ended with a progressively heavier spitting from on high. Fortunately for us, the rain never got hard enough to annoy the kidlets, just to dampen the adults!

There are so many times that I need my camera nearby, but it’s not in reach. Ah, if only I had a wand. But, alas, my camera is in my purse, and walking to my purse would ruin the moment.

Maya sits in a chair by my living room window (just outside the office) giving a lecture to all who might listen. She’s impossibly small compared to the kitchen chair she’s in, but she’s as comfortable as can be and talking away, patiently waiting for me to be ready to head to the gym.

A few moments ago, I was sure she was inconsolably upset after her balloon from dinner the other night “died.” She had a hard time grasping the concept that I couldn’t “fix” the balloon. I love toddlerhood at times like this, when her attention span is so short, she’s already moved on from the death of her playtoy.

We’ve had a busy few days, largely because my sweet child had a second bout with horrific teething, this time including fever spikes and extreme clinginess. Maya’s doing much better now (she’s normal today, wheee!), but I have work to finish before I can spend time on posts.

Coming soon, back-posts about our first trip to the zoo and Saturday’s meandering.

I can’t believe it took us this long to hit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but we finally went this morning. Joy and Rod (Dominic’s slaves) have a family membership, so Maya and I joined Rod and Dominic for a bit o’ wandering around on the hillside this morning.

As you can see, Maya wasn’t quite sure what to make of the giraffes at first. They’re *hungry* in the morning.

Dominic was a bit more comfortable with the giraffes, as the old hand on this trip — he loved petting the girraffes’ noses (when they let him).

Buzzards and other carrion birds also live in the girraffe area. I love the way their dinner is presented inside a zebra carcas for a little touch of reality. Unless you look closely, you don’t notice the tin pie plate of meat inside the statue.

Maya chatted up one of the gorrilla matriarchs.

This female recently gave birth to a baby who’s just being introduced to the family. I feel your pain, honey.

Mossaic covering a full wall as you leave the hippopatomus area (dear God, they’re big). Cool, no?

I took a gazillion photos, and have lost the energy to blog all of it (grin)…so take a look at all of them here.

Otherwise, here’s a sampling:

An ongoing conversation:

Maya, would you like some breakfast?
NO!
Would you like something to eat?
Yessssss!

I wonder what the meaning of “breakfast” is in her toddler mind? How has it become something that somehow doesn’t involve eating?

Tylenol meltaways, at first glance, seem to be a fantastic idea. I mean, you get meds into a teething toddler who typically otherwise spits liquid medicine back out at you.

The “good idea” part comes into question when said toddler starts to beg for Tylenol, because pink bubble-gum flavored meds seem SO much like candy.

Maya’s two side incisors are coming in just enough now to become part of her smile (barely). Dear lord, it’s cute.

Dogs, plural. Soon to be Dog, singular.

Clay, my not-a-bitch dog, has snapped at Maya a few times here and there, and I’ve kept an eye on it, but until recently it’s been nothing I’ve worried much about. Until this past weekend. There was food involved, and I know that’s something I can manage…but he drew blood, and that is my personal place to “draw the line.” At the end of this month, we’re taking a road trip to Tucson to return Clay to his breeder.

What makes this even more difficult is that Clay seems to know. He’s been on his best play-bowing and generally being cute behavior ever since Saturday. Oh, puppy, do you have to make this so difficult? It’s been a wonderful five years, and I’ll miss him horribly. But, he’ll have a wonderful home, and if he stays with his breeder, perhaps he’ll even get to run agility. That dog *loves* agility.

On the bright side, this gives Maya and me and excuse to visit family in Albuquerque on the way down and back.

When I pull this site up, Maya looks at the profile photo and exclaims, “baby!”

Think it’s time for me to update? Really?