I have really been trying to get Rowan to pronounce his words a little more clearly these days. Most other toddlers around us seem to respond quite well to their parents' prompts to repeat the different words they say. Rowan however must have inherited his mother's obstinate and rebellious nature when it comes to taking instruction from others.

This evening after his bath while we were getting ready for bed Rowan needed one of the lights to be turned on and said: "Ight!" I was delighted in the fact that he, for the first time, pronounced the t. When he saw how happy I was he smiled and looked quite proud of himself. I took this as an opportunity to try one more time to get him to repeat some words after me, so I started with: "Rowan, say light." He said nothing. So I tried again and yet again nothing. Then I decided to turn it into a bit of a game. I said: "Dad, say light." After a few seconds Richard realized what I was trying to do and chimed in with "light." We went back and forth between the two of us and then directed a word or two towards Rowan. He actually repeated a couple of words after me and I was very pleased indeed.

Then he decided to make the game a little more interesting and when I said: "Rowan, say water", he said "juice!" This made us all chuckle because for a while now everything that is in liquid form is called juice, even though he always used to call it water. Just before bed as he was on his way to his bedroom I said: "Rowan, say: I love you." He took a second to think about it and then blew me a kiss. That will do son. You do it your way. Have a good night.

The heat and humidity that we have been experiencing lately makes it very difficult for us to spend time outside during the day. In the early morning the trees in our back yard casts a wonderfully large shadow over our terrace and Rowan's sand box so we try to make the most of it by going out there as soon as we possibly can. That is exactly what Rowan and Richard did this morning while they let me sleep in for an extra hour or so. Wasn't that kind of them? Thanks guys.

On this hot and humid August day we made our way to the Ohio river to catch a glimpse of Cincinnati and it's surrounds from our friends boat. We love being out on the water and although we normally prefer a more natural setting, this trip certainly did not disappoint. There were so many interesting things to observe: buildings, bridges, barges, trains, cranes and even a boat with wheels! I don't think Rowan could have asked for more wonderful things to see. All his favourite things on display. Much to my surprise, however, he very calmly sat in his seat and just took it all in.

Given the thumbs-up, the big smile on Richard's face and the eventual exhaustion of our little boy, I think it safe to say that we had a pretty good time. Thank you Nick!

After a busy day of swimming and playing in the sand with his friends and then again later in the evening with his Dad, Rowan settled quite comfortably in his bath robe.

But just as he was getting a little bit too relaxed in his arm chair Richard called him over to do some baking. Yes! That's right! The guys prepared dinner for us tonight - a homemade pizza. Will pizza making become a regular Friday night ritual? Well, judging by the pile of dishes in the sink and the actual cost of homemade versus store bought, I think not. It was fun to try it out though and I must say it looks pretty good, doesn't it?

It is Thursday evening and I have just returned home from my watercolour painting class. I will admit that after three hours of creative expression and good company, I am not feeling too enthusiastic about staring at the computer screen and trying to recall something special about our day. The truth is that our day has been an ordinary one and nothing new or interesting happened. But when I think of my favourite moment of this day I am excited to share it with you. It was a simple moment but something that warms my heart.

This afternoon Rowan and I were playing with his building blocks. I really got into building a magnificent structure that would house his little people and even some animals too. I was excited to see just how he would enjoy this new creation of ours. Unfortunately he thought it better to just demolish it. All that work and thought gone in an instant! I was already quite tired at this point and upon witnessing the collapse of my handy work I buried my head in my hands and just sat there for a few seconds. Then I noticed Rowan getting really quiet. He gently took hold of my arm and pulled it away from my face ever so slowly. As I looked up into those big blue eyes of his he stepped right up and gave me the gentlest and most loving hug. I just smiled at him and thanked him for his thoughtfulness and told him not to worry, "I was just resting my head."

He stepped back again and went right back to playing with the blocks.

Our boy has taken to singing. He makes up his own tune and the words are really all experiments too. In the morning when he wakes up and is patiently waiting for me to come and greet him I can here him singing over the speaker. Sometimes I feel like just sitting there for a while just to listen to those sweet sounds. That is exactly what I did this morning and much to my surprise "La laa laa la" turned into a very beautiful and lyrical "where you, where you, where, where, where are you?" Isn't that something?

One activity that keeps Rowan and I entertained for a very long time is playing with these wooden trucks on this rug.

The trucks have all undergone some character development over the last few weeks. When we started out all they said were "too too!" and "brrrm!" and now they are having long conversations with each other. Rowan will shout from across town: "Hey! Where you going?" then I will say on behalf of the red dump truck that I am delivering some sand. After delivering the sand I have to go over to Rowan's front loader to get some more sand loaded onto my truck. All the while Rowan is talking. When we are done loading the sand he shouts: "Bye!" and so it goes over and over again. Sometimes I invite him to come along and look at the fish in the ocean or perhaps the camel in the desert (all on the same rug). Lately he has taken the character play one step further and decided that when he is tired the trucks must be tired too and will have to rest along with him. They gladly oblige.