Everett’s ability to speak continues to develop in new and sometimes unexpected ways.  In June we suspected his two year molars were coming in.  We say this partly because he was drooling and sucking on his hands and fingers, and also because he pointed at his mouth and said “I got a new tooth!”.  The latter is a great example of how much easier it has become to figure out what is going on with him.  More language = less guesswork on our part.  And he generally does not say things unless he means it.

If Everett had a native American name it might be “Talks to Ducks” or “Talks to Goats”.  He tries to have conversations with many animals, but especially ducks and goats.  After he fell off a picnic bench at the zoo and bumped his head, he walked over to the Family Farm and asked a goat to kiss it:

We have wondered for some time if and when Everett would start correcting us in way that some children do, such as for incorrectly naming a dinosaur or some other animal.  Well apparently those days have now begun.  When Melissa asked him if the baby ducks were born at the state fair he replied “No, they were hatched.”  And when Chris saw some unusual fish in a pond at the Renaissance Faire and wondered aloud what they were, Everett replied “Um, those are fish Dad”.

He does not like it when either of us is gone, even for very brief periods of time.  One time when Melissa had to step away for a moment recently Everett said:

“Mommy, where are you?”

“I’m in the bathroom.”

“Are you having some privacy?”

“Well, I was.”

Lastly, his ability to speak now enables him to ask borderline existential questions. Today he asked “Is Mommy love?  Daddy, are you love?”.  Clearly the only correct answer to these questions is yes.  We just hadn’t thought about it that way before.

There is a surprising amount of wildlife around us, at least for an urban/suburban environment: rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, ducks, deer, frogs (more likely toads, we’re not entirely sure), mice.  A couple weeks ago we found a vole in our basement.  That’s right, a vole.  We had never seen one before and it looked like a mouse until its front legs and claws were closely examined.  But by far the most commonly viewed example of wildlife this summer has not been an animal but rather an insect: the mosquito. There have been thick swarms of them in our backyard, so much so that even spending 10 minutes watching the July 4th fireworks from our backyard was impossible. We have been building a patio in the backyard, which has been pretty tricky with the mosquitos because Chris has to swat at them like a madman between each brick placement. Chris even contemplated building a DIY laser system to shoot the mosquitos out of the air:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/backyard-star-wars/1
though this could be a bit dicey with small children around.  In spite of this we were able to get the patio (mostly) finished in time to still use it this summer. Here is some footage of Everett helping Dad with gravel leveling:

Other forms of wildlife:

-There was a huge outdoor dinosaur exhibit at the zoo this summer. Lots of mechatronics and sound, and several life-sized specimens, to which Everett exclaimed “That’s ridiculous!”

-One sign of affection from Everett: gathering imaginary rabbits off the top rim of his milk cup and handing them to people. Upon receiving a rabbit you are expected to hold it in your hand, put it in your pocket, or put it on your shoulder.

-One significant event that caused a lot of discussion was when Morritz the cat caught a mouse at Sophie and Anna’s house (photo above). “Morritz caught a mouse, and then the blood, and then the mouse died.”