Consider us now "International Adventurers"!!!! Part 1

An urgent call from far far away concerning a very high profile theft provided the backdrop for our first ever international case!!! Follow along as we piece together this mystery (and also try to have a very nice vacation too!) ...

LOCATION OF THEFT: 

Louvre in Paris, France

ITEM MISSING:

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa

PRIME SUSPECT:

Artist rendering of thief from 

eyewitness accounts

We told Mommy and Daddy that we won a "Pig in a Poke"

contest that provided the airfare and accommodations to 

help keep our cover as a typical American family abroad

Emery "researching the theft location" 
while we spent 10+ hrs on our first plane

 Avery reading up on thief profiles that steal

such high valued items during the long plane ride

 Lots of down time during transit, with
lots of waiting for connecting planes ...

 ... some more waiting for luggage delays ...

... and then waiting for trains ...

 ... then very long train rides ...

 ... and then a taxi for a very long car ride ... 

notice the "big girl" baby seat Emery used in Europe

(they are very advanced in "child safty" out there) ...

 ... to then a long stroller ride (and quick nap) 

before finally start up our investigation!

 But ... first Emery needed a new diaper 

(and the only place to really change a diaper

in Europe is in any of the many public parks) ...

 

... but then in the park there happen to be a nice

little ice cream stand that smelled so great, so ...

... we ate ice cream ... then everyone started thinking 
that it had been awhile since eating a real meal 

other than snacks and airplane food, so ...

 ... off to the local pub ... where everyone
got sort of sleepy/cranky/inebriated since we had

been awake traveling for 30 straight hrs, so ...

 ... off to get some much needed sleep, but not before

yet another diaper change while on-route (at a bank's

window along Avenue des Champs-Élysées) ...

... we then finally slept non-stop for two days!!!

After that much needed sleep, Mommy and Daddy 

wanted to explore and this was the perfect cover for us ...

 ... fitting into the surroundings as 

"simple American tourists" as we start our investigation ...

 ... eating the local foods ...

 ... shopping with the locals ...

 ... even sometimes trying to "look just like the locals" ...

 ... and yet other times looking like typical Americans ...

... and yesy of course it's fun to have fun with 
the people you love while working, right?!!??

We finally really got started on the case

soon after a trip to the Eiffel Tower

 And since "it is" the Eiffel Tower, you have to 
get the typical "jumping" pic ... when we did it, 

you would never guess who we ran into!??!?!?

 Auntie Em?!?!??

 Ok, so of course we had to do another 

"jumping" photo with her

 As we started to chat about "what a coincidence 

meeting like this was" and "who would have thought

 we would bump into you here", we immediately both 

thought that this seemed highly suspicious ...

 ... but it was great to see her and visit with her ... 

 ... and to have snacks in the park and run around and such ...

 ... but then things got really suspicious when we all "just happened" 
to run into Grandma Wendy and Grandpa Charles in Paris?!?!??! 
Were these actual clues?!?!? Were they all in on the theft?!?!? 
To solve this mystery, would we have to put our family in jail?!?!??

 Avery and I had no idea whether these were

real leads or pleasant surprises ... we could barely wait

to see what happens next as we really started up on the case!!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Blast Off ...

Avery thinks I can't jump as high as her since I'm "just a baby", so I had to show her just what these baby legs can do ... watch my video and be amazed!!!

I think I can, I think I can ...

... gravity has nothing on me!!!

Emery, the Plumber ...

 Daddy had a big plumbing problem,

one he couldn't just figure out ...

 ... so I squeezed on in,

and had myself a-look-about ...

 ... to properly diagnose, I took a long long break,

and then started to run it all through ...

 ... in a moment it just came to me ...

Eureka, Daddy ... I know exactly what to do ...

 ... you take a-this and a-that and then a-rat-a-ta-ta ... 

put it all together and away goes all that animal fat ...

 ... boy, I wish being a baby 

was as easy as all of that!!!

They say I'm sort of a Daredevil ...

Emery testing her climbing abilities

I like to push the limits sometimes, just so I know my full capabilities. Here's a video of me scaling down from Avery's bed ...

To be able to get down, one must first get on up

And here's the video of me climbing up onto Avery's bed to begin with ... notice there are no nets or safety harnesses involved during either feats!

Downtime in the Sumertime ...

Midday car naps are the best during the hot hot days of summer

Summertime seems to have some very busy days with tons of downtime in-between, so you have to be creative to stave off boredom and not go crazy! Here are some snapshots and videos of what we have been doing with all our downtime lately ...

Playing "SuperDog Adventures" with Scout-No

 Playing "Naked Baby" any chance we get

Sliding, sliding, and more sliding

Walking all around in the house ... in circles, again and again and again ...

Teaching Scout-No how to read ...

... and even teaching my big sister too!

Although Avery reads a lot, just all on her own ...

 There has also been all of the eating ...

 ... I mean really, tons and tons of eating ...

 ... with lots of desserts afterwards ...

 ... and thus, lots of brushing our teeth 
each and every night!

Even when we're in Daddy's running stroller, 

we use the time to get very very close ... literally!

Also, I've been practicing my jet skiing skills, inside the house though with the cool air conditioning blasting away ...

Scout even let's me practice my 

balance on her back!

And I can't forget all that rock n' rolling I do each day, all night long ...

Happy Daddy's Day, Daddy!!!

 Making breakfast for our Daddy on his day!!!

 

 And even though sometimes 

we don't exactly listen to you ...

 ... or get sooo bored as you explain 

everything in all it's fine details ...

 ... we want you to know that you are the best 

Daddy ever, no one else even comes close ...

 ... to all the joy you bring into our daily life!

We love you so much, Daddy!!!

Happy Birthday to ...???

... meeee!!! It's finally here, my big 1st birthday!!! I had so much fun at my birthday party ... special thanks to everyone for all the gifts and especially for coming over to celebrate with me!!! Here are just a few snapshots and videos of all the fun!!!

 "Swimming" in the pool for the first time ever,

 even in my brand new jet ski!!!

 In my new swing that's just my size!!!

 Surrounded with even more and more ways to get soaking wet!!!

 Being chauffeur around all day by Grandma Judy!!!

 Ready for some huge delicious cake ...

 ... but Mommy was too slow, so had to just dive right in!!!

Here's a video that shows how excited I was for my birthday. I like to call it my "Happy Dance" ...

And here's a video of my "Happy Dance" extended (with even more Avery photo-bombs) ...

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!!!

For Mother's Day today, we are dressing up as fairies to grant Mommy a very special wish ... anything she needs, wants, desires ...

So, Mommy ... what is your wish then???

 Emery and Avery in special fairy outfits

The place that contains all the merry fairy wishes

Happy 5th Birthday, Avery!!!

Emery "bouncing it up" with big sis Avery

Leading up to Avery's 5th birthday party extravaganza, I secretly overheard Mommy and Daddy talking about "kids bouncing through the air" and "humongous gigantic castles rising from our backyard" ... what does it all mean?!??! I could hardly wait, so we counted down each day leading up to the huge birthday bash using a super cool calendar Becca (my Nanny) made.

 Countdown to Avery's birthday

When the grand day finally arrived, it was all something I can't even explain in words!!! Watch all the videos below to see for yourself  ...

Avery perfected her professional exit strategy from her castle ...

Both of us getting our bouncy bounce on in the gigantic castle ...

Everyone had a great time, especially me ...

Plus there was lots of cake for everyone ...

... and Avery BFF from school, Chiara, was there ...

... and even Mommy bounced up and down and all around ...

... and of course Daddy got a little crazy
 bouncing wildly all around ... oh Daddy!

The Mystery Behind Emery's Overwhemling Smile ...

People just don't understand how I can always be so happy, smiley, and carefree. There really is no mystery to building up a nice great big ol' smile ... just watch how easy it can happen ...

Emery starting up only the thought of a smile ...

 ... here it get a little more pronounced ...

 ... watch out, here it's starting to tip the 
overwhelming iceberg ...

 ... and now the flood gates are completely busting open ...

... and here it finally is, Emery's uncontrollable 

and absolutely stunning smile of happiness!!!

Always ready for anything, anytime ...

 Emery preparing for her daily brutal workout

Being an investigator, I always have to be ready for anything at anytime. I have to constantly train and be 100% ready to overcome any obstacle, any inconvenience, at any moments notice. Below are a small sampling of videos from my daily workout sessions ...

I call these my "Stand-up Talls" ...

And this one is called my "Rock-a-bye Giddy-Ups" ...

And then this one I call my "Low Couch Crawl" ...

... while I call this one my "High Couch Crawl" ...

This one I like to call " Riding the Lightning" ...

This one I call "What to do when wild animals attacks" ...

And this one is called my "End-of-the-day relaxation time" ...

Emery relaxing with a protein shake after her tough workout