Part 1:



Concentrate.


Part 1.5:



Naw, for real. Concentrate. This shiz is for real.


Part 2:



Strike.


Part 3:



Allow yourself a moment of smugness.


Part 4:





Plan for the next time under the cloak of adorable innocence.

He's flashing this smile all over the place now. His mobile moved a little? Smile. He sees his favorite owl toy? Smile. He sees his dad? Smile. Mom? Gotta make her work for it so she doesn't get cocky.

Good thing I'm pretty stubborn when I want something. And I want as much as I can get of this cute face.

Wow that such a very short time ago, Perry was this little.

Wow that Ryan Tanner is so amazingly talented at capturing this sweet little bubble of time.

Wow that we have a kid this amazing.

Wow I look a little tired.

But a lot happy.

As a kid, I was strongly, strangely patriotic. Like "I will stand UP next to you and defend her still today" patriotic. At my elementary school, they would play patriotic songs on the PA each morning before we said the pledge of allegiance and we would sing along. It sounds a little Hitler Youth-ish now, but it was the highlight of my day (don't know what that says about my six year-old self). My mom once pretended she didn't know me when I started belting out a little ditty called "Freedom Isn't Free" at the top of my lungs at the front of a Kmart. I won an award at age nine from the Daughters of the American Revolution for rewriting the lyrics to the aforementioned Lee Greenwood gem. The prize was a copy of "The Red Badge of Courage."

So, somewhere in me, this shiz runs deep. I use that extended set-up to explain, protect and defend the red, white and blue romper my child is wearing in these pictures from the 4th of July. At least it wasn't from Old Navy. Oh wait, crap. It was from Old Navy.



This kid's poses crack me up.

Here's the rest of us. And yes, I realize that we're all wearing outfits in a conveniently coordinating flag-themed palette. It was an accident. Jon's LA hoodrat look, on the other hand, is entirely intentional.

Perry and Sullivan are pretty cute little friends. Sullivan tries SO hard to be gentle and understanding about the fact that this new friend of his can't really do anything yet. And Perry is cool with the occasional poke in the eye. It's a match made in heaven.