Talking up a storm

Ryan -- who'll turn 2 in less than 2 months -- is really talking up a storm these days! He's gone from words to sentences so quickly. As with most 2-year-olds, Ken and I can translate and understand his language much better than anyone else. But it won't be long until others will understand as easily, too.

Some of his more recent words/phrases:

• I don't want to -- Not my favorite, since it usually follows a request I've made.
• Come on
• Swimming pool -- This one is a bit hard to understand, but he knows what it is.
• Popsicle
• Spider-Man -- His version of this superhero sounds more like Sman.
• Bath
• Kelsey
• Sister
• Outside -- I hear this one quite a bit now that summer has arrived!
• Slide
• Shoes
• Socks

Ryan uses "yes" much more than I remember Brendan using it at the same age. "No" is much more popular with toddlers. (Don't worry -- he uses that word plenty, too.)

He's also becoming one of our boys of summer. His hair has significantly lightened (it was already blonde) in the past two weeks and even with 50 SPF, he's looking tan. I don't expect that to change. We're having a warmer-than-usual summer, which means we're at the pool nearly every day. And Ryan doesn't seem to mind one bit.