Guest blog appearance by Marianne Martin:

at the beach with mama, cousin marianne , cousin brenden and aunt bridy, we stopped to get some ice cream. i was a mess after eating my spiderman ice cream.

Happy second birthday Liam!Liam is just about three weeks younger than me. While dada had testing at his school for his students, mama and I went to the Alden house (see link above right) for Liam's birthday party. Liam is very into Thomas the Train. So is my friend Luke. I'm still into tractors and construction equipment. Liam had cool toys - it was so exciting to see all the different stuff!

Mama thought it was very cool that Liam and I almost, kinda, sorta played together. Just a little. Most kids my age play "side by side", but that will continue to change. In a few years, we'll be playing at the beach together.

Mama's friend Sandy sent me this ultra hip sushi puzzle all the way from Chicago for my second birthday. Mama is really excited to see Sandy, and hopefully we will all get to meet Noelle and Melissa, in September in Chicago.
I love that you can arrange the pieces in so many different patterns. Hamachi, tako, maguro, tekka maki, kappa maki, wasabi...

We had a visit from some more of mama and dada's buddies, Dave and Sher. They came by to see me, of course, and see dada's boat. David and dada went fishing the other day and caught some trout. We don't eat them, though, because there are warnings about Galveston Bay's PCB levels. Gross.

It's official, I'm allergic to...

[in most severe order] PEANUTS (I have an epi pen and everything), egg whites (which makes sense because I've never eaten eggs when offered), cats, and molds. Interestingly, no pollens, which doesn't explain my nose running. But I am now taking Nasonex and we are going through 100 less boxes of clean-ex every week. It's unbelievable how much it has helped.

Pictured above, I ate something, mama can't remember what right now - GA, what was it? - but was fine. Ga took the picture so we could show the doctor, but we forgot to bring it...oops.

REMINDER FRIENDS AND FAMILY - NO PEANUTS FOR ME!!! Just like dada, peepaw and uncle Billy.

'Cause I'm a cowboy... Eatin gummies...'Climbin in the oven drawer...

Makin' mama crazy.

Every year for the last three years, "Aunt" Shannon has come to Texas - when mama was prego with me, when I was almost one, and now, when I just turned two. We are long-time buds. We hung out before I was even born!

Sha, as we call her, is a pilates instructor and chiropractor in Atlanta. She is one of the only people mama knows that has a more rockin' body now than when she was in college! Sha and mama met in college - there are so many memories.

On Sunday morning, mama and Sha's college buddy Ruthie came over to visit. Ruthie and mama were in a play together in college when Ruthie was a Senior and mama was a Freshman. They kept in contact a little after graduation, but eventually lost touch. After mama got married to dada (after dating almost ten years since mama was 18 in college, dada was a junior), she began thinking about old friends from college, and Ruthie, her dear buddy, came to mind. Mama found an old email address and gave it a shot. Ruthie emailed back to say "I LIVE IN HOUSTON!!!" The rest is history. How cool is that?

While the ladies chatted it up, seriously, I kept cool with Mickey.
Eat your heart out ladies -- check out my lashes. Oh, how mama wishes she had them. I got them from dada.

And all good things have to come to an end. I hated to see these ladies go!

Mama and I visited the Seven Lakes community pool. I ran, literally, between the beach entrance pool, to the sprinklers, to the baby pool for an hour. Mama, who had quite a workout actually, must have said "walk" a thousand times if she said it once. But, mama felt validated that night when she heard me talking myself to sleep over the baby monitor.
I said "mama WALK hold hand."
We're making progress.

I have my sights on that slide. Maybe in a couple years.

Very GQ.

Welcome Jackson Troy Allen

Mama is excited to announce the birth of Jackson, first son of Troy (that mama works with) and Jordan (that mama has become buddies with). Jackson was born on July 15 and weighed in at 8lbs 4oz, and was 21 inches long. Mama is still trying to convince Jordan and Troy to make a blog - we'll keep you posted!

STOP THE PRESSES - Jackson has his very own blog now - the link is to The Allen Family on the right.

OK, who's been spying on us? Seriously people - my two faves: gummies & John Deere.
It doesn't get any better than this.

Happy second birthday Luke!On Saturday, we went to Luke's house to celebrate his birthday (which was on Friday). I am three days older than Luke. When Luke's mama came to visit me at the hospital when I was just born, the nurses tried to admit her because she was seriously prego. That is one of mama's favorite stories, and she will tell it every year.

It was a kiddie water circuit training wonderland - several pools with toys, sand and a slip and slide. I of course made the regular slide into a slip and slide too. No one was very surprised.
The family finally got to meet baby Hudson, Jackson's little brother. Can't wait for him to join us boys in creating craziness.
And baby Davis was there too - but I think he slept the entire time, right Al? Oh yeah, me and Jackson on the slip and slide. Good times to celebrate my good buddy Luke.

Sara has done it again!

http://www.saramoonphotography.com/slideshows/hochmuth/

Please check out the slide show of me at (almost) 2 that Sara Moon, photographer extraordinaire, put together for our family. There is music, so crank it up.

Sara was recommended to mama and dada last year by mama's law-school-lady friend Stacy McCarty (click above right to see her blog). We loved Sara's pictures last year, as well as Sara's visit, so mama and dada decided to have pictures taken every year. Over this last year, mama and Sara have become email buddies and mama reads Sara's blog (again, link above right). Sara has become a true friend, and it's fun to see pictures of her little girls. It was great to see Sara again this year for my #2 pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

The link to Sara's blog also links you to her webpage. Mama and dada highly recommend using Sara to photograph a little slice in your family's life. As Sara said to me the other day: "Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." From The Wonder Years.

Happy, happy second birthday Keegan Alexander!

Since I already had a John Deere cake in Canada, mama ordered Green and Yellow "John Deere" cupcakes from Ooh, la la bakery in Katy (note from mama, she highly recommends the business - please visit them so they keep making cupcakes!). The tractor adds a nice touch, no? Do you sense a theme in my life right now?

Mmmm, delicious!

Anxiously waiting for my B-I-G birthday surprise from Ga and Pawpaw...

A B-eeeee-G tractor, a John Deere tractor!

(the pull-up adds a nice effect - it's time, kid)
Ga took me for a stroll. Then dada... Then I opened a new book from mama's friend at work Mandy. Ta ta Mandy - I really enjoyed the book at bedtime tonight!
What a great year it's been - so many roads traveled - so many more to come.

Trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada
On Friday, June 27 mama and Ga packed me and a whole lot of stuff and flew me all the way to Canada. My first international trip. We didn't get into the beach house until 11 on Friday night, so it was very exciting to wake up on Saturday morning. It was a little rainy, but Ga took me for a walk nevertheless.

Driftwood on the way to the beach. Tide's out, look at the cool ripples in the sand.
Splash!
Just a reminder that I AM (almost) a two year old, and the tantrums have already started. Oooh, I was mad that I couldn't stay on the beach in the rain. Even a bath didn't help. A nap did though, equally so for mama who took a glorious nap too.

After my nap, we washed bear. He was dirty from all the travels.

Meemaw and peepaw flew in on Saturday. We were too busy horsing around that we forgot to take any pictures!

Sunday morning at the Noonans'. On Sunday morning after church, we took Ga to her brother and sister in law Phillip and Lorraine's house for breakfast - they have 11 children, and 25 grandchildren. They are amazing. You can see some of the family above - lots of goings on over there. And, Lorraine makes the best raspberry jam - mama and dada were savoring it all week before having to leave it behind fearing customs!
I was the happiest little boy when my dada arrive on Sunday eveing. We took him right out to New Glasgow for a lobster dinner. I got to walk around and inspect the lobster traps before dinner. I was very well behaved at dinner between all the toys meemaw brought me from Chicago (including an entire packed Superman roller suitcase) and the superstar waitress Sandy whose mission was to get me to say lobster, which I would every time she turned her back. I named the plastic lobster meemaw gave me Sandy too!

Dada and I had a good laugh over that one!

Monday morning trip to the beachDada and I had to stop to check out the driftwood - that is neat stuff. Dada and I went for a walk. The adults' feet got chilly, but I didn't let on that mine were too. The scene to the east of the beach house - you can see Confederation Bridge in the distance. PEI is very proud of their 9 mile long bridge. You don't pay a toll to come on, only to leave. Peepaw and mama.

Bozer in the sand.

The adults taking a break.

And enjoying a pint at Ruthie's Pub and Grill in New London.