Hawaii!

I'm too lazy to write much, but here are a couple pictures. We are having a blast - Henry loves, loves, loves the ocean and pool and all the attention he's getting from everyone. More to come.

In regards to updates...

....there will be a brief interruption in posting as we leisure in Hawaii. Perhaps there will be postings from the island, perhaps not. One can never tell what island living will lend itself to.

Weekend Fun!

First of all, how darn cute are Anna and Henry at the zoo? They have so much fun together and are so darling! A woman asked me if they were twins - that's the second time someone's asked that! The zoo was awesome, and I think Henry was actually pretty interested in a lot of the animals - especially the goats in the petting zoo!

The top picture is of Henry enjoying his first ever Oreo at Famous Dave's (of course...it's Brett's favorite restaurant). Henry loves eating out...mostly for all the attention he gets. See the woman in yellow behind him? He kept turning around and trying to get her attention in any way he could think of; talking, yelling, squealing, anything! His hair looks quite red and thick in that picture - I don't think it looks that red or thick in person though.

68 Weeks Old!

The top picture is of Henry at Foothills Park on Wednesday evening. We met the Hubbs family for a picnic dinner for Lake Oswego's summer concert series. The second picture was taken at the elementary school by our house - Henry is running towards the camera... Again, I know I am biased, but how darn cute is he?!?

He is signing so much more these last few days! I borrowed a sign language video from the library and so I think the combination of watching that, the sign class, and our efforts to sign more around him are really paying off. He has signed: car, duck, baby, more, all done, light, fan, play...maybe dog (I can't tell for sure). I think there are probably others that I am not remembering at the moment.

We are getting ready for our trip to Hawaii - I'm gathering all kinds of stuff to try and keep him busy on the plane...kind of nervous about the length of the flight!

Adventures in Eating

This video is narrated; but the gist is that of all the choices I gave Henry at this lunch, the only thing he would eat was my pad se ew (Thai) noodles. Go figure. [Video is kind of boring towards the end...]

Time Keeps On Slippin'...

...into the future.

I can't believe how big Henry has gotten. It seems like just a couple months ago that he was an infant and now he's a full-fledged toddler. He amazes me every day with all that he understands. Today I asked him to go take a block to daddy and, to my amazement, he did. He puts toys away when I ask him. I made a little makeshift basket and showed him how to toss the basketball in it and he did. It seems like he went from not understanding anything to understanding almost everything. We got him a booster seat today to sit at the table with us instead of his highchair. He's already into his big boy carseat and now his highchair is on it's way out. Brett commented tonight after he put Henry in his pajamas that he remembered how long those particular pajamas hung in the closet and they looked so giagantic to us; it was hard to believe they would fit him, and now they do. Here he is at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months and 15 months.

67 Weeks Old!

I cut Henry's hair today...I really should have waited for Brett's help. Henry moved while I was cutting it and I made the back totally short on one side, so then I tried to even it out, but it's crooked and really short...whoops! At least it's just in the back...

In other news, Henry is walking like crazy. He has just about mastered the bend down and pick up an object move. He practices this whenever he gets the chance. At our music class today he spent a good 10 minutes walking over, bending down, picking up a book, and walking back to me to hand it off. He also spent about the same amount of time practicing getting in and out of one of those foot-powered red and yellow cars at the indoor playground yesterday. I love that he keeps repeating a skill over and over until he feels like he's mastered it.

Today was our last sign language class. I've made up my mind to re-double my efforts to sign as much as possible because it is so rewarding to be able to really communicate with him. The frequency with which he signs is in direct proportion to the frequency with which we sign to him. The teachers who teach the classes we've been taking also offer a second and third level sign class which I would really love to take as well.

Here is a picture of him taken yesterday at the indoor playground and the video is of him practicing the bending over/picking up skill. This is a great video actually, because he also says "mama," throws a toy, gives Wilbur a hug and waves to the camera. Enjoy!

Weddings, Pictures, and Walking

What a busy weekend we had! Brad and Crystal's wedding was absolutely gorgeous! A hot, hot day at a vineyard that made you think you were in Tuscany if it wasn't for the lack of Italian being spoken. We were able to watch the ceremony from the veranda so it made it all very relaxing for those of us with little children (top picture). The video is of him at the wedding walking a little bit and a view of the lovely setting. Then today we went to Foothills Park with the Hubbs Family and got to meet their 5 day old son, Connor. The second picture is from today; Henry enjoying the water. We had the family over for a little BBQ tonight where Uncle Geoff entertained Henry with his version of the Irish jig.

Declare Your Independence!

Dissent is the truest form of patriotism.
-Howard Zinn

When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and purity of its heart.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson


Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

66 Weeks Old!

No picture this week...I'll put one up either later tonight or tomorrow. We've been pretty busy the last couple days and I haven't even pulled the camera out once. Actually, I did put it in my bag today, but then forgot to take pictures. We met up with Henry's friend, Taylor, at Foothills Park this morning so they could splash around in the water before it got too hot to be outside. Tonight is a rehearsal dinner for Brett's friends' Brad and Crystal who are getting married tomorrow. Brett is a groomsman in the wedding which is being held at a vineyard outside of Salem. So we will be busy with wedding fetes all weekend!
Henry is doing well - walking, walking, walking. And asserting his own personal will more and more frequently in the form of temper tantrums, saying no, and doing things he knows he's not supposed to. We had our first dish casualty today when he threw down a bowl of pasta I had given him. My fault for trusting him with a ceramic dish. Of course the fact that it broke into a hundred pieces fascinated him and I caught him feverishly looking around for another one to toss overboard.
I can't resist commenting on the idiocy of Sarah Palin as I sit here typing this and watching the breaking news of her resigning her gubernatorial post a year and a half early without truly offering a reason why. Damn, that lady gives feminists a headache. Gotta love her family values though....in true Republican fashion she espouses the "do as I say, not as I do" belief system. Knocked up teenage daughter, leaving her kids (including an infant) to campaign, and now not fulfilling her elected duty. Solid. Yes, let's elect her to the White House. Perfect. I hope she announces she has some medical issue...at least that would provide some explanation for her lunacy.