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.

Just took pictures of his face for about three minutes. My favorite is the Chuck Norris "I'm probably going to cut you" shot in the bottom left corner.

Let's just say that Perry is a little bit obsessed with Jon. Just a little bit. Perry has two favorite times of day: when Jon gets him out of bed and when Jon gets home from work. I'd be offended except for the fact that it's so cute. So, rather than set up passive aggressive scenarios where he has to choose between mom and dad, I just take the pictures.

A bath, a pipe and some slippers and this little gentleman is ready to turn in for the night.

In Dante's "Inferno 2.0," the circle just below "inconsistent/absentee bloggers" is reserved for "shameless mommy bloggers."

So I think I'm in for a lot of hellfire and brimstone. Give me a few days and I'm sure I'll repent back to absentee status.

But for now, there's this.



He's kind of amazing. He really is the best little boy. He manages to be sweet enough to make things feel easy but a handful enough to let me know that he has his own little ideas on things. He has a grumpy old man face that makes every smile a study in contrast. And one of the first things I learned about him is that the kid lets you know what he thinks with his hands. Exhibit A-F:





There is a legendary photo in my family of my little brother as a kid, with his huge wire-rimmed glasses and satin Donald Trump pajamas, with both of his hands clasped under his chin and his head cocked to one side. By the look on his face, you can't tell whether he just finished a show tune medley or was just channeling his best Punky Brewster cute-face. Needless to say, the overall effect is lovably, amazingly gay (said in the best, most literal way). I would post it but I think my brother has managed to destroy all evidence of it. But when I saw Perry start vogueing all of these, I loved that I knew where he got it from. And, based on my brother's impeccable taste in designer tableware and my husband's interest in women's shoes, I think this little guy will be carrying on a great metro tradition that will make his future wife very lucky.

I really love being a mom. So much. As much as I've loved being married to this guy for the last five years (this is the segue into the "brag about your spouse" post-- I'm really hitting all the blogging red flags today).




But seriously, I really am the luckiest. There's something about seeing your husband as a dad that makes them sexier and cooler than ever. I can't believe we've been married for five years today. I've gotten five years of all the ultimate genuine character, inappropriate jokes and sweetness that anyone could ask for. We've come so far from the MTC. Never thought I'd type that. Love you, babe.