They're baaaack

Suvia and the 3 Amigos returned from their month away with Wild Tales from (down)East and a camera-card full of photos. Here, I think, is my favorite.

What kind of cold-hearted mother calmly snaps this picture instead of rushing to her young son's aid? But wait, she protests:

• Just before the camera came out, Diesel had been happily playing in the mud, and was standing there muddy and smiling;
• he doesn't ride a bike yet; Dylan's bike had been lying there all morning, and just happened to be in the frame;
• The holes in those jeans weren't new;
• he was upset that Nana had gone to the Post Office without him (and who can blame her, with all that mud?).

So the picture is eloquently misleading. Nice work, Suvia. A future with National Geographic awaits.

There were some other great pictures as well, summarizing new stages in young lives. Timo turned 1 and learned to walk right on schedule. Much like a novice ice skater, he often catches an outside edge and lands on his (amply padded) derriere. Fortunately, since this video was taken, he has managed to kick his dependence on saliva-soaked socks.

And last but not least, Dylan's reading has really taken off; he spent much of the month making mincemeat of Volumes 1-30(!) of the Magic Treehouse series.