Nic's Life

Just drop off the presents and leave!

2008-12-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Nic met Santa yesterday, or "ho ho" as he calls him. I have never called Santa "ho ho", thats all Nic! Anyways, The visit with Santa went pretty much as I expected....

Nic creeped up very carefully and wasn't too sure what to think of "ho ho". As soon as I put him on Santa's lap and walked off to the side, he started flipping out! This picture was the best out of the 3. Oh, well, its still a memory! :)

I know I have a lot to catch you up on, and I'll get around to it this weekend. Its been a whirlwind few weeks for us!

Everything Old is New Again...

2008-11-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

A year ago, at least, grammy bought Nic a Little People plane. He played with it a little bit, at first, but grew tired of it quickly. In the past couple of weeks, Nic has re-discovered his plane!

He does have some rules he likes to follow when playing with the plane...

1. The zebra is always the pilot.

2. The pilot and all passengers must go in through the door

3. Unless the passenger is Kung Fu panda who has a bit of a weigh problem. He goes in through the top. (the door still goes down, though)

4. The plane must roll around for a bit on the ground....

before it takes flight.

So to re-cap what we have learned: Nic knows what he likes and the way he likes to do it. And I can get away with wrapping old toys up and putting them under the Christmas tree this year! Hooray!

Elmo's Green Thumb (warning this blog conatins LOTS of pictures!)

2008-11-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today Nic got to see his very first concert, Elmo's Green Thumb! He had so much fun! Of course, his souvenir of choice was a ball.

I tried to get pictures of his first reaction when the characters came out on stage at first, I'm not sure it registered what was happening. Although, he was very interested...

Then he ran over to the isle and peeked around to the stage and suddenly it clicked!

And that was the last time Nicolas stood anywhere near his seat!

He began inching closer and closer to the stage...

Actually, anytime they played music Nicolas could barely stand not to dance up the isle.

He actually got me in trouble a couple of times by security because they aren't "supposed" to dance around in the isles...Nic just couldn't help himself! He tried, crawling, scooting, running, anything he could to get up to the stage. I finally had to tell him we were going to go home if he didn't stay with me...it sorta worked...sorta.

I think this is when he realized Cookie Monster was on his shirt AND on stage! haha

The kids had so much fun and they looked so cute watching the show :)

We were so close the characters actually ran down to the kids, Nic was really excited to see them, so that was a great thing. This defintely would not be the show for kids afraid of people in costume....

I mean, Grover even gave Nic a big monster hug!!!

Towards the end of the show he did get tired,

So he got his blanket out and layed down on it for a second, then got right back up to dance! Honestly, I have never seen him dance like that. He had some good moves!
The end of the show they shot streamers up into the air and the kids really liked that!

The next blog is some videos of Nic dancing. I wish I would have held the darn camera the right way. Sorry if you strain your neck watching them.

BIG THANKS TO CATHY AND MARK FOR THE TICKETS!!!!!

Elmo's Green thumb videos

2008-11-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Yes We Can!

2008-11-04T21:22:00.001-08:00

Guess who got a big boy hair cut!!!

2008-11-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

Today I finally took the plunge and took Nic to get a "big boy" haircut. I knew that he would look more like a little boy and less like a baby, but I didn't realize how drastic the change would be! As he was walking around after we left the salon, I got a little choked up. He just looks so grown up!

BEFORE

AFTER

Still just as cute...just a little more refined :)

"Ticky Tee"

2008-11-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

This was the first year we took Nic out trick or treating. Last year we sat on the porch and handed out candy. This year, we let him loose on the neighbors! The entire week before trick or treat I was teaching Nic how to say trick or treat. Anytime he saw our big bucket full of Halloween candy or saw me open a piece of candy he said "ticky tee!". Of course, on trick or treat night he said it twice, haha. He did say thank you everytime, so I guess that made up for it :) The night went pretty much how I expected. It was hard to keep him on task. He was all over the place! I think the hardest part was getting him to go from house to house. He wanted to sit on everyone's porch and eat his candy.

By the end of the night he was exhausted!

Its cold....darn it!

2008-10-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

The high today was about 54 degrees. I hate to stay inside all day, so we bundled up and went outside to play. I'm not really much of a cold weather kind of girl. I feel like I am a southern Californian stuck in West Virginia around this time of year. Seasons are overrated :)

You know its fall when...

2008-10-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

you spend a Sunday afternoon at a pumpkin farm!

Sunday afternoon we loaded up in the car and drove up to Simmons Pumpkin Farm in Peters Township PA. It was a big event for Nic, his first time at a farm! He was pretty excited to see all of the "balls" aka pumpkins. However, there was lots more to do besides pick out pumpkins. We started off the day at the petting zoo. He was hesitant for me to put him down at first, but his feet hit the ground running! Literally....

The sheep there were his favorite. Specifically, the really "mangie" looking one...of course...

After the petting zoo, we headed down to the pumpkin fields and other activities by way of...hayride! Nic was a little bit nervous. He didn't cry, but he sat very still on my lap and looked around.

Down by the "balls" there was a lot of fun little thinsg for the kids to do. A few of the things were a little too big for Nic, but next year(as we plan to make this a yearly trip) he will probably have even more fun. They had a "big truck" with a slide to play on and Nic really liked that.

After some playing, we grabbed our bags and headed out to pick out our "balls".

On the way we found a wooly worm. I pointed it out to Nic, thinking he would be afraid of it...you be the judge...

he is all boy! :)

We also brought home some indian corn. Nic kept trying to eat it. I would imagine it looked pretty tastey to him...

Elmo Live

2008-10-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Nic recently got the new Elmo Live toy and he loves it! I got some cute pictures of him hugging Elmo, carrying him around the house and putting Elmo down for a nap.

Self Portraits

2008-10-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

pictures courtesy of Nic Photography

The Garbage Man?

2008-10-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Nic is really into "cleaning up", as I have mentioned in the past. Lately, he has decided that throwing stuff away and taking the trash out are really fun activities. He "creates" trash to throw away. It's....helpful.....?

(This is a bag of clothes i was giving to a friend. I don't allow my son to carry a big bag of kitchen trash around the house.)

Nic also loves to play with the bathroom trash can. Why? Who knows, but it is a battle to keep it away from him. I bet I am one of the very few people in the world who Cloroxes her bathroom trash can. He carries it all over the house, even all of the back yard.

I have looked all over for a trash can exactly like this one, but I can't find another! So, if you see one, please buy it and we'll pay you back. Christmas is just around the corner and this would be the perfect gift for my little garbage man :)

The Best Things in Life Are Free

2008-10-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor, Lisa, gave Nic this little truck tent. It used to belong to her boys. Nic loves it, and most days, wants to do everything in it. This day, he played, watched disney, napped and ate meals in the tent.

Its great to have nice neighbors who just happen to have 3 boys who have grown out of their toys! :)

Pre-Halloween Festivities

2008-10-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Nic has finally agreed to a costume. He is going as Mickey Mouse! We went with Abby, Sophia and Fletcher to a Halloween Party at the community college. As soon as I said, "Wanna go with Sophia and Fletcher and get candy?" He let me put his costume on him then he jumped up and ran to the door yelling "go! go!" Apparently, Nic will do anything for candy. In case you didn't know, Nic is obsessed with balloons! He yells "boon! boon!" anytime he sees one. Even if its in a book or on television. One of the men handing out candy at the party was wearing a jester hat and gave Nic a balloon. This guy was Nic's best friend from that point on!

He was running all over the place so these were the best 2 pictures I could get of him. I find a lot of pictures I take of him lately turn out like this! :)

Today, Abby had a Halloween party for all of the kids at her house. It was unseasonabley warm today, so Nic just sported his "mummy's boy" t shirt. Abby had cupcakes layed out on the table and Nic made a bee line right for them.

I think this was the point he went into a brief sugar coma...

painting pumpkins...

We also discovered a new food, perfect for Nic...

Popcorn balls!!! He loves, balls, popcorn and sugar! Could it be any better?

Thanks, Abby, for planning such a great party!!!!

Mini me

2008-10-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

Nic is really starting to do more "grown-up" things. He loves to help in any way he can. He loves to help clean, walk Oscar, brush Izzy, brush my hair, he knocks on doors before he enters, he loves to use his keys to unlock doors and just recently he has taken to wearing my shoes and putting on chapstick

Sometimes, he even gets the chapstick on his lips!

Then other times, he just sticks it up his nose...

Picking leaves

2008-10-12T18:13:00.001-07:00

The leaves are all starting to turn and fall off of the trees. So, I thought Nic might like to go on a walk and collect leaves in his Curious George bucket. He loves to gather things up and put them away. Sure enough, the walk was a success! We even made a couple of new friends with little kids who live up the street. One of them is named Nicolas (even spelled the same, with no "H"!)

Nic decided it would be a good idea to stick his face against a tailpipe, hence the black tail pipe mark on his face, haha! I guess he wanted to know what was inside :)

When we got home he took the pail inside and crushed all of the leaves into the carpet. He had fun and was tired from all of that walking and gathering, mission accomplished!

Oglebayfest '08

2008-10-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

All year long, I wait for Oglebayfest! My friend Nicole and I have a tradition, we get hot spiced Chai and head up to Oglebayfest to take in the scenery, look at the arts and crafts and just enjoy autumn! Well, this year was a little bit different! Last year, Nicole lost her mind and moved to South Carolina so she wasn't around for Oglebayfest. This was the first year we went, with babies, haha! Babies and Oglebayfest don't always mesh very well. For some reason, it seemed like the entire east coast invaded out nice little autumn getaway.

Here is Nic and Sylvia in the strollers waiting to head on up to the fun. They were both ready to go!

Babies, they don't do so great in large crowds. Sylvia wanted to be held and Nicolas wanted to run. Neither of which were condusive to the situation! We did make it down to the farm animals where Nic could run around, but once we left there, it was pretty much over.

Here is Nic enjoying the animals. It was all I could do to keep him from climbing through the fence and petting them. He absolutely loved it!

Mooing at the cows!

The day wasn't a total loss, we did get to hang out with great friends and Nic got to see some really cool farm anaimals. Next year, we'll try to go before the crowds!

Lights Out

2008-09-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, we had some really bad storms that knocked out power all over the tri-state area. Luckily, ours never went out. Last year our power was knocked out quite a bit so we pulled out the candles and camping lantern. Nic was immediately drawn to the camping lantern. He carried it all over the house with him. He thought it was even cooler when I turned it on for him. Here was his reaction, I'm not even joking! haha

Nic loves hearing "secrets". When you tell him you wanna tell him a secret, he leans his ear towards you to hear the secret, its really funny :)

Little Helper...

2008-09-30T09:25:00.001-07:00

Kurt was fixing our front door the other day and Nic decided to help him out.

Pumpkin painting

2008-09-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Nic and I went to "Marketfest '08" down in Center Market with our friend Jessica and her 2 kids. There were some vendors, food and Pumpkin painting for the kids. Nic painted a few strokes on a couple of pumpkins then threw the brushes down and took off running down the street!(he's an active little guy) So, when we got home we got out the finger paints and painted them some more.

After the pumpkins he moved on to some paper...

He was really proud of this little one, so he carried it around with him for a while....

The finished product....

The Play-Doh Man

2008-09-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

Play-Doh is, by far, Nic's favorite toy! On this day he sat at the table for well over and hour playing with Play-Doh. He loves to make snakes and balls and use cookie cutters. When he makes the snake he goes "SSSSSSSSS" (aka snake sounds) Its so much fun to see him playing more "pretend play"!

Eating a meal with Nic goes a little like this...

2008-09-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

The only way I can get him to actually sit down at the table and eat is if I put music on for him. He loves to dance! :)

Elvis Has Left the Building

2008-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Nic hates his Halloween costume. We may have to find an alternative.

Just Beachy

2008-09-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Things have sort slowed down since our trip to the beach so here are a few of the highlights. Nic never really got his "sea legs", but we did manage to get him down to the beach to play in the sand. I think he was just afraid of the ocean. Its a big thing for such a little guy :)

We headed out on our first BIG road trip bright and early. Oscar and the cats got to stay at our house thanks to our wonderful neighbors, The Hummels! Izzy was boarded down in New Martinsville with my mom's dog Maggie. Izzy is way to high maintenance, she 24hr care. (aka, she is a P.I.T.A!) Nic loves Oscar and gave him a long goodbye before we left.

Yes, Oscar is a big, furry chair for Nic :)

10 hours and lots of DVDs later (thank goodness for portable DVD players!) we arrived at the beach!

Yeah, we pretty much lived in a mini mansion for the week! We got there pretty late that night, so we unpacked, took showers and relaxed! Nic ran around like a wild man until he crashed!

The next morning we made the short walk to the beach, breakfast waffle still in hand(nic is notorious for carrying around pieces of food for long periods of time).

First look at the big ocean! He's not sure what to think...

Making some new friends....

Playing in the sand....

Taking a stroll on the shoreline

Shortly after this picture Nic was knocked over by a wave and was officially done with the ocean.

Nic had a great time on the trip, but the highlight for him was definitely the aquarium! He was given the freedom to run around and explore(with mommy and daddy close behind!) and the smile did not leave his face until he fell asleep on the car ride back to the beach house. He was dancing and running and laughing all over the place! It was so fun! Here are some aquarium highlights....

crazy man on the loose!

Going in for a Closer look...

CHEEEEESE!

Making new friends in front of the turtles

Doing a little jig

sometimes he "cheeses" so hard his eyes close!

Starting to wear down...

Phew! "I need a minute!"

When Nic saw the shark coming towads us he threw his hands in the air and squealed with delight!

After we went thru the aquarium we went outside to play and have a snack

Since we had so much fun the first time, we went through again!

Racing off to the next cool thing

EWWWW, starfish!

Haning out at the beach house in his super cool NC Aquarium t-shirt!

On the way home we stopped at a place called the Cotton Gin to pick up a couple of souvenirs for our neighbors who watched Oscar. Outside of the Cotton Gin was a flock of geese! Nic was so excited!

Ok, so they weren't real geese, but Nic was still very excited. He ran over and started quacking and screaming, "duck! duck!". It was pretty cute :)

watching movies on the way home

Once we got home he was running all over the place! He played with all of his toys and was squealing nonstop! Here he is settling down with his books. He loves this desk and is always sitting at it, "reading" his favorite books.

Gritty Feet

2008-09-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

We're halfway through Nic's first trip to the beach and I just wanted to give you a little look into the way Nic feels about the ocean....

He didn't want to actually put his feet down in the sand at first, screamed when we walked him down to the ocean and began to walk back up to the steps to the house. He did get better the second day, but still isn't sold! I have much more to update everyone on, but it will have to wait until after we get home and settled back into our normal groove. We're having a great time, tho!

Is this wrong?

2008-08-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

The other day we took a ride through the automatic car wash. This was the second time we have ever been through one and Nic was really freaked out this time. He just looked all around, very wide eyed, and then started to put on his pouty face. Is it wrong that I took pictures of him being so scared?

Luckily, I only chose the wash and rinse. I don't think he would have made it through the deluxe wash!

A walk in the park...

2008-08-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Nic and I decided to spend the afternoon at Oglebay. We walked on a trail, and through the gardens. We also decided to stop in the gourmet gift shop for a treat! Nic chose the legendary marshmallow ice cream cone. I used to love those when I was little! Although, I have to say, they really don't taste that good to me now. Anyways, I got some adorable pictures of Nic.

KY or bust

2008-08-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to visit my grandma Bea in Kentucky. This was the first time any of my family in Kentucky has met Nic! We had a really nice time visiting. We swam in aunt Rhonda's pool and played a lot at grandma Bea's house. Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend that turned out so good, especially of Nic! He is turning into such a camera ham! :)

I love the 2nd one. :)

Movin' on up

2008-07-21T17:30:00.001-07:00

Nic has moved up to a deluxe booster seat at the table! Here are some pictures from his first meal at the big table. He was making all kinds of funny faces, hamming it up for the camera!

What a cutie, huh? :)

Dog Days

2008-07-18T18:43:00.001-07:00

Not too much has happened this week. It has been very hot, so we've played outside in the mornings and stayed inside during the day. One day we did make it to the pool, but thats about it! One other day we went up to the Highlands with Abby and Fletcher. We let the boys walk around on their own, no strollers! They had fun, but were so tired by the end of the outing. Neither of them would walk back to the cars, they insisted on being carried! I just have a couple of cute pictures from this week. Grammy came up last weekend and bought Nic a cool new pair of sandals and a new pair of Nikes! Here are a couple of pictures of him sporting the new kicks while wearing his Nike outfit. He was looking so handsome!

I'm not sure why he makes that face all of the time, but I think its too funny! Especially in the last one when he has his hands behind his back making that face. What a character!

The Little Things

2008-07-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

I really love how kids can help you remember to find joys in the little things in life. Anything that looks remotely shaped like a ball makes Nic happy. Whether it be a cherry tomato, a watermelon or an actual ball, Nic is on cloud 9 as soon as it touches his hands. He spent one afternoon last week in his pool playing with various sizes of balls and some rubber snakes and he was thoroughly enjoying every moment! Then today we went grocery shopping and the lady in the floral shop at Kroger gave him a free red balloon. He was ecstatic! He was hitting it and squealing and laughing all through the store. Then when we got home he ate dinner holding it and played with it all evening. I absolutely love that such little things make him so happy! He's so funny and sweet and he really makes me stop and appreciate all of the little moments I am able to share with him.

The Good Zoo

2008-07-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

This morning Nic, Tiffany, Ryleigh and myself went to the Oglebay Good Zoo! We had tons of fun!

First up, the model train room.

This held their attention for a very brief moment before the went running to the next room...

They keep you on your toes!

The next room was an activity room. Nic went right for the table with all of the little animals and other miniature items on it. He LOVES stuff like this!

Not terribly interested in the monkeys

a future vet, maybe?

enjoying the aquariums!

the spectacled bear was so cool! they got to get right up next to him!!!

and he's done! help me down, please :)

on to the next thing!

Ry and Nic checking out the ostriches

The next exhibit was Lorikeet landing...Nic's reaction was priceless! You have to go through a little building to get into the aviary where the Lorikeets live. Well, Nic opened the door to the aviary, took one look at the Lorikeets, screamed and quickly shut the door! Eventually, he mustered up the courage to go in, but as you can see from the look on his face, he was on guard as he circled the aviary...

Eventually, he warmed up to them. He even scooted up next to them on the ground, like he does with Oscar. I was sure he was going to end up sitting on one!

FYI, Lorikeets bite! Tiffany found out the hard way.

When the kids decided jumping over the ropes and chasing after Lorikeets was a good idea, the mommies decided it was time to move on!

Next up, the goats!

Nic was unsure of them at first. He wasn't crazy about the baby one, but loved the big huge on with horns and a severe pooping problem! (of course) I have no picture of him with that one because I was too busy trying to keep Nic out of mounds of goat poo.

And of course, Nic and Ry wanted to go in the stable which was roped off. He got mad and cried and pointed, so I took a picture :) I will say he didn't keep trying to go in, he just pointed and cried.

After a long morning at the zoo Nic was tired and ready for a nap!

Of course, we couldn't leave the zoo without a trip to the gift shop! Nic picked out a cool stuffed snake and wore it around the house when we got home. He is too funny!

Chef Nic

2008-07-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Due to the success of Abby's cardboard kitchen, (which we still love and will keep forever!) grammy bought Nic a new deluxe kitchen! Nic was so very excited to play with it! I pulled it out of the box and he ran right over to start playing, it wasn't even assembled yet!

This is what he did while I was putting it together...

Here is the finished product!

Here is some video of him playing with the partially finished kitchen...

Here is another video of him talking on the phone that came with the kitchen. He was actually talking on the phone for a while before I could grab the camera and start recording. He is so darn cute!

Big Hugs and Kisses to grammy for the fun new kitchen!

Big Willy Style

2008-07-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday my friend Emily and her son Will were in New Martinsville for a visit. Nic and I went down to spend the evening with them. Emily and I were pregnant with our boys at the same time and they are just a week apart! (Nic is a week older than Will) It was so fun to finally have the boys meet! They quickly bonded over "boy stuff" like banging on things with sticks, tearing stuff out of cabinets and dancing with Barney! (you'll notice Nic isn't wearing any pants in some of these pictures, he made himself right at home!)

the trip down hugging his favorite balls :)

My favorite "cheese" smile!

Will!!!

Boys will be boys...

Bustin' a Move with Barney

We had so much fun during our visit and hopefully we won't have to wait another 17 months! :)

Conquering Fears!

2008-07-08T19:16:00.001-07:00

A little while ago Nic really started taking off! Once he realized he would be ok and it wasn't so scary, he was unstoppable! He is so completely pleased with himself and now, just takes random laps around the house all day long! He is so happy to finally be able to keep up with the other kids, on 2 legs! He thrilled with his new perspective on life and has become the biggest ham in any room!

Here is some video of the early walking stage. He was so cute trying to get the hang of it :)

Highlights from the past few weeks...

2008-07-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Nic made his first build a bear. He made a Panda named Petey wearing tennis shoes. He was so excited! I handed him many animals to choose from, and once I handed him the panda, it was love at first cuddle.

I decided to put only tennis shoes on the panda because Nic is really in to putting shoes on his feet, so I thought he would appreciate the shoes on his bear. He really did! As soon as the bear was stuffed and ready to go, he strolled through the mall holding the bear up on the tray of his stroller making it dance! Thats he favorite thing to do with his build a bear, make it dance so he can hear the shoes "clomp" on hard surfces.

Its too cute! :)

These 2 are still buddies....

They kinda look like they are making the same expression in this picture!

Abby still takes great candids!

You can, in fact keep a baby in a cage! They like it!

(fyi, he did crawl in there himself and closed the door. i didn't lock it, I swear!)

Fletcher and Nic are "bringing sexy back"(I know, that is sooo 2006)...

Nic looks really cute dressed like a tiny little hippie....

New baby friends....

2008-07-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Lately there have been many new babies popping up at Nic's door. He handles it much like you would think. They are fine until they 1. touch his stuff or 2. are held by his mommy for more than a couple of minutes.

For example....

Nicolas was never into the Bumbo seat. According to everyone I talked to, I had to have one. So, I got one and he hated every minute he was in it. He was a strong little guy very early, so he would try to back bend out of it. It just became a head injury waiting to happen. Now, at 17 months, he sees this...

Other babies enjoying HIS Bumbo seat! So this is what Nic does....

All of a sudden, the Bumbo seat seems pretty cool! This is now a daily occurrence in our house.

Sylvia was thoroughly enjoying Nic's puppy that moves and plays music, Nic was extremely upset about this.

However, when I moved the puppy close to him....

Peace and happiness return to the room!

I wish I had some pictures of Nic suddenly running over to me with his blanket in one hand like he NEEDS to cuddle the moment he realizes I am holding a baby, but I am normally too busy trying to keep my balance and not drop a baby due to Nic hanging off of my legs. None of this behavior surprises me, it just makes me laugh. :)

CHEEEEESE!

2008-07-08T18:33:00.001-07:00

Nic has finally decided he wants to smile for the camera. He still plays hard to get, occasionally, but when you pick up the camera and say "Nic, cheeese!" he does this!

I discovered this new trick the other day when Kurt requested cupcakes and Nic eagerly walked over to his high chair as soon ad he realized he would get one if he got in his high chair. He is such a ham!

What a Character!

2008-06-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Each day I am seeing so much personality come out of Nic! He cracks me up! I just wish I could constantly carry around a video camera to catch all of the funny things he does, says, even his facial expressions! He has decided that we need to buy a mini seedless watermelon every time we go to the store. He points to them no matter where we are in the store. We could be on the other side of the store and he sees them and we absolutely have to get one. So I walk over pick it up and hand it to him. Before he grabs it, he stretches his arms straight out, clinches his fists, and giggles with delight. Then, he grabs it and slaps it like its a bongo all through the store and even on the car ride home. The other day at Target he said hello and waved to everyone we passed in the store. When they smiled and said Hi back, he giggled and clapped his hands. He's a dancing fool! When we hear music, of any kind, he has to move! He loves to hand you food and take it away real fast before you can take it. He thinks that is a great joke! I always fall for it, too. He has decided he wants to watch the movie "Over the Hedge" everyday. He goes to the DVD tower and brings it back to me. He is relentless, too. He will just keep patiently handing it to me until I play it for him. He doesn't ever watch the whole thing, but he loves the first half hour of it. After that he just drifts in and out. He will usually go over to his couch and lay back to watch it, such a little man :) Then, the other day Sophia and Colton came over to play and Nic was in his plays house and the other 2 were next to him at the sand and water table. Nic flung open the shutters to the playhouse and yelled "Colton!" ,plain as day, then started laughing! Had I not seen him do it, I would have sworn it was Sophia who is almost 3! Sometimes, he just amazes me with the things he says. He doesn't say "real" words often, but when he does you know exactly what he is saying! Makes me think he is holding out on us! ;)

In this picture, Nic had just come in from playing in his pool and I had layed him down on the floor to change his clothes but refused to let me put a diaper on him. He was so happy to be walking around the house naked eating his baby "cheetos", petting his Osacr dog. ( Who was only sitting with because he was hoping for a dropped cheeto)

(I did some cropping of this picture for obvious reasons)

The other day during dinner Kurt had out the tongs and Nic had to have them and he started doing this with them

He kept putting them up to his ears like they were a stethoscope.

Then, after a long day of playing outside, he came in still wearing his spiderman sweatband. I put it on him thinking he would rip it off, but he loved it! I tried to take it off and he put it back up to his head grunting for me to put it back on! Too cute :)

There are so many little stories like these. He is just growing so fast, its hard to keep track of them all!

No girls allowed (accept mommies, of course!)

2008-06-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Abby and Fletcher came over. The boys had some good male bonding time playing in the pool, the playhouse and with the sand and water table!

Real men don't need swim trunks! They just jump in with whatever they have on!

Congratulation, John!

2008-06-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

My "little" brother John is now a high school graduate! This very minute he is enjoying his freedom with 7 other guys crammed into a hotel room in Myrtle Beach. Way to go John!

New Edition

2008-06-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Last week as I was driving home from New Martinsville, I saw a sign outside of the pet shop in Moudsville for something called a pocket beagle. I was curious, so Nic and I stopped to check them out. Turns out, they are just extra super small beagles and they were all sold by the time we got there! Which was fine, we don't need another dog! Well, I scanned the cages and noticed a little Pomeranian, the exact color I have wanted for years!!! I went home and did some reasearch on Poms as a family pet. They got mixed reviews as a family pet to a family with young children. I went back to the pet shop with my friend Abby and her daughter Sophia and Nic, of course, to get their opinion of the Pom. We got him out and played with him and was the sweetest little thing, but very nervous of the other dogs and the children. He just cuddled on my lap, shaking. I have wanted a Pom for as long as I can remember, but they just didn't seem like the right pet for us. (Maybe when I am suffering from empty nest syndrome, I'll get one!) I was really upset, but decided it was the best thing for everyone involved. I would hate for him to be miserable in our crazy house or worse, be so scared into biting and child! In my research, I read about Shih Tzus. Turns out they are fantastic family pets and love children! They just happened to have a little girl there. We got her out and she immediately ran over to Nic and started playing! He was giggling and playing with her, I knew she had to come home with us! :)

Meet Izzy!

Izzy's home and everyone is excited!!!

Kurt claims he doesn't like animals, but this picture was not staged!!!!

Its just too hard to resist her charms! She is a good cuddler ;)

Nic is having a complete blast with her! She is playful and energetic which is right up Nic's Alley! I do have to watch him, he tends to play rough. With Izzy only weighing in at 2.65 lbs, she could really get hurt. I sometimes get flashbacks of the incident when John(my brother) was little and decided that our brand new puppy, Ralph, needed to do a Power Ranger move off of our front porch. There is nothing more pathetic than a tiny puppy walking with a cast! For the most part, Nic plays nice and I often catch him watching TV or eating a snack while petting Izzy. Its really cute :)

Here are some good shots of a boy and his puppy...

This move got a little scary for Izzy...

Nic just really wanted to sit on it!

Not to be forgotten, Oscar got a hair cut!!! When he came out from the groomer Nic was totally confused! Usually, Oscar brings a huge smile on Nic's face sometimes even a, "Oker", but this time Nic looked completely puzzled. Was it "Oker"? It wasn't until about 5 minutes after we got home that Nic realized this practically hairless dog was "Oker"!

This is Nic going in for a closer look. I think this was his "light bulb moment". What you don't see is the huge smile on his face and Izzy bouncing around the house barking! It took her much longer to realize this hairless wonder was Oscar! Poor Oscar, he had such a long, traumatic day at the groomer, all he wanted to do was relax and he couldn't because these 2 kids wouldn't stop bothering him!

So, thats the story of how we came to have a fun little new edition to our happy little family! She is such a sweetheart. Now if we could just get her housebroken! :)

Beatin' the Heat

2008-06-10T17:54:00.001-07:00

Well, the dog days of summer are officially here! It has been so hot around here lately and we've been doing our best to keep cool and have fun.
Our buddy Colton turned 3 and he had a "John Deere" party at the Children's Museum. So, we bought Nic a John Deere tee and headed off to party!

The dynamic duo, Nic & Fletcher!

Fletcher wants you to have this...

Ta-Da!

Don't even think about taking the balloons!

Not only did Ryleigh think about it...she did! :)

After Colton's big 3 we came home for a little sprinkler action! We had a ball! I have no pictures of the b-day boy because my camera died before the cake and presents so if you're interested Ashley (his mommy) has some cute ones posted on here blog, "The Misadventures of Motherhood". Click on the link to your right! --->

We also had a fun day at the pool! Nic didn't get in but he sat on the steps and splashed around for a while. The water was still pretty cold.

This is what happens when fair haired little boys refuse to keep a hat on their head. This look was accomplished by using a lot of sunscreen! Its all the rage in Paris this summer.

Nic was cracking up at the 2 dogs that were at the pool. He's an animal lover, just like his mommy :)

This is Sophia. she is a girl who knows how to accessorize!

Takin a ride in the cozy coupe thanks to Sophia's giant muscles!

Before we left we got a picture of Nic and Kam in their matching outfits! They'll hate this one day...

We went to The Well's House for a Memorial day picnic! The whole gang was there and we had a blast! Nic discovered a new toy and he played in it the entire time we were there! He also re-discovered his love for watermelon. I'd say the guy easily had a quarter of a watermelon that day!

The very next day we went to Toys R Us and bought Nic a play house of his own! He loves to play in it, it was a good purchase!

Another great find was this blue My Little Pony, haha. Nic loved Sophia's my little pony when he saw it months ago, but it was pink...a bit too girly...so while we were walking through TJ Maxx we saw a blue one! We snatched it up and brought it home! When we got home, I showed Nic how to brush its hair and walked into the kitchen to fill up his sippy. When i walked back in he was brushing its hair, haha! I ran to the camera, but he had dropped it before I could get a good shot. This was the best I could do.....

Maybe it was laughing outburst that made him throw it down and act like he wasn't brushing it...I guess I'll never know! It was really funny :)

These last 2 are just a couple of cute pictures. He is turning into a little boy before my eyes!

Crazy man, caught on tape...

2008-05-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Friday Fun!

2008-05-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to story time for the first time in a few months. Nic, as usual, was not into listening to the stories. He preferred sitting at a table and coloring, which soon turned into dumping the crayons out and playing "pick up". I'm trying to teach him to clean up after himself. :)
Later in the afternoon Kameryn, Ryleigh and their mommies came over for a little afternoon play. Ashley (Kameryn's mommy) bought Nic a bubble mower because of all of his hard work learning to walk!!! Nic loves it, but won't walk behind it like with the shopping cart. He walks on his knees behind it, haha. He took a lot more steps today and stood by himself a LOT! It won't be long now before he is a full blown walker! He's also saying a lot more words and I am slowly seeing my little baby boy disappear :( Its funny, because I have been so anxious to hear him talk and see him take his first steps and now that it is happening, I just want to stop time before he gets any bigger!

Here are a couple of cute pictures from today. I didn't get any from story time because I was too busy keeping crayons out of Nic's mouth!

In the morning we played with his little people and also with his sunglasses. Nic has become quite forceful with his sunglasses! He won't quit trying to put them on you and then he likes to put them on himself. Each time the glasses go on someone's face you have to yell, "cool dude, cool dude!", I don't know why, I just did it one day and it stuck with him! haha, silly boy...

Later during the play date, the kids saw the dog across the street and they all rushed to the door and started yelling their own versions of "doggie" and there was even some pretty good barking. Don't be fooled by the picture, Nic is the youngest of the three :) This picture cracks me up, because from the back he looks so much older than them!

Kisses from Kameryn...
(notice Nic standing by the door without holding on to anything. He stood like that for a long time!)

Ryleigh bouncing on the chair...

Making Strides!

2008-05-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Nic has never been much for the push toys. He has a couple but has shown zero interest in them. He will push his high chair across the room, but thats about it. He's more of a cruise from furniture to furniture kind of guy. Today we went to Abby's house to play and Sophia had this little shopping cart. Well, all of a sudden Nic started pushing the thing all over the place! He was walking around putting stuff in it, and taking stuff out and he was letting go and taking a couple of steps on his own, I didn't even have to trick him into the steps! It was great! He was even picking the cart up and moving it around where he wanted it to go. It was so funny! The shopping cart is pretty flimsy so, it was of no support to him. He just thought it was helping him. He was pretty much walking all on his own! If my aching back could shed tears of joy, I think it would have at that moment. I have a couple of videos of him doing it at Abby's house, unfortunately by the time I remembered I had my camera in the bag, he was getting bored with it. Abby was nice enough to let us bring it home and he walked all around the house with it. Its such a relief to see he is getting over his fear of walking on his own. I'm not sure what came over him, why he suddenly became so brave but Abby and I suspect it was the Bon Jovi concert playing television. Livin' on a Prayer tends to make you feel brave! :)

On a Side Note....

2008-05-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Josh Aronoff sent me a picture of himself from the early '90's. Whether you know Josh or not, its a great picture! If you've had the pleasure of meeting Josh, its even better, though. :)

I circled him in pink to pay homage to his amazing pink tie.

For you "Nic Fix", I was in the dining room yesterday and he got really quiet. I was sure he was into something he shouldn't be, but when I peeked around the corner this is what I found....

just loungin like a little man :) Apparently, something caught his attention on TV and he pulled out his little couch/bed and started watching. I don't even remember what it was, but I thought the picture was pretty cute :)

Who needs a professional photographer?

2008-05-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our friend Abby took some pictures of Nic the other day at the park and they are so cute I just had to share! :) He was in rare form this day! I'm thinking maybe Abby should start taking all of his pictures!

These are 3 of my favorite pictures of Nic! They totally portray his personality. How can you not love him? :)

Time Flies When You're Havin' Fun!

2008-05-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

I know it was been since before Easter that I last posted but we have been some very busy people! We have been on the move since the weather has gotten warmer. So, we have lots to catch up on and even more pictures to share!

Easter

We went down to New Martinsville for Easter this year. The Easter bunny was very good to Nic and he seemed to enjoy his basket!

In the afternoon we drove down to Parkersburg to visit with My friend Nicole and her new baby Sylvia! They were in town from Greenville, SC so this was the first time Nic and Sylvia met!
Don't they look excited! ?!?

I guess someday I will learn to take the pictures before the kids are cranky and tired and ready to go home! :)

Nic did get some fun time in watching sports, eating munchies and hanging out with the guys.

Nic got this cool new chair for Easter from Grammy and Grampy and he loves it! It is probably one of the simplest toys he has, but he sits and plays with it all of the time!

The Children's Museum

We have also discovered the Children's Museum in downtown Wheeling. There is so much to do there and the kids can just run (or crawl) all over the place and have a blast.

Here are just a few of the cool things we do at the museum...

the rice table is a HUGE hit with all of the kids!

Climbing on the clubhouse

looking at the "busy" downtown Wheeling traffic

playing on the stage and with the costumes

grocery shopping

coloring

and just having fun!

The Pittsburgh Zoo

A few of us went to the Pittsburgh Zoo on a Monday morning and we had so much fun! This was Nic's first trip to the zoo. I thought he would enjoy seeing all of the animals an I really think he did. As I suspected, he loved the aquarium! He has seen the aquarium at Cabelas and loved it. If he loves looking at a bunch of dirty river fish, surely he would love a big huge aquarium, right? :)

cherrios, again?

The big boys, Fletcher and Nic

eating lunch

checking out the dog sled by the polar bear exhibit with Fletcher and Sophia

REALLY excited to see the penguins up close!

mesmerized by the fish in the big aquarium (and getting very sleepy)

crawling through the stingray tanks!

walking through the deer petting grounds, but no deer would even come up to us! Nic wanted to touch one so bad!

MORE DIPPIN' DOTS!

completely exhausted, but magically perked up when I mentioned the words, gift shop! haha

Nic's first "taste" of finger painting

One morning we went to our friend Abby's and had a big finger painting party! The kids had a blast and we had a fun time watching them make a huge mess! haha

Washing up and cracking up at Colton!

One of the finished products

First Carnival

St. Michaels Parish has a Carnival every year and the was the first year Nic was big enough to go! We all met at Abby's house and had hot dogs then walked over to the fair. We did ride one ride, the carousel. Nic didn't like it, so we just watched other people ride rides and shared some funnel cake! :)

This is a fun little wagon ride before we left for the carnival. I just think they all look so cute! :)

Look what I won!

Colton being funny, again!

Thinking maybe he likes funnel cake....

Kam and her mommy, lookin cute

We did have a couple of weeks that were no fun at all. Nic had the flu and got really dehydrated. We had to spend a couple of days in the hospital, but I was so proud of him. He had to stay in bed for the entire time and hardly put up a fight. Its amazing how well young ones adapt to situations. He hung in bed with me the whole time and watched television, colored, played and really was just the best little boy in the world!

He loved playing with the hospital bed, haha. He is fully recovered now and we never want to go through that again! Thanks to our good friends and family, Nic had plenty of toys and books to play with!

When we got home our friend Abby had made him the cutest little cardboard kitchen! She is so sweet! Nic plays with it all the time!

Well, thats about it! Like I said, it has been a very busy couple of months for us, but I will try to update more often!!!

Here are a few more cute pictures (because I'm sure you haven't seen enough!)....

skipping naptime is never a good thing!

2008-03-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

This just proves that a little boy who fights sleep ALL DAY can't truly win the battle!

Of course, its 6:00 pm and he is OUT, so I'll be the one paying for this later :)

Here are some cute pictures from today's Panera playdate. Nic was such a good boy! He sat in his highchair and played and ate and laughed at the other kids. What an angel :)

Nic has decided that Colton is the funniest guy around! He belly laughed at everything Colton did all afternoon! I wish I could have gotten it on video because Nic's laugh was priceless! Everyone in Panera thought it was so funny!

Nic has also decided that Sophia's my little pony is beautiful! I caught him petting it's mane :) haha We don't tell daddy ;)

a little more....

2008-03-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Nic has decided that he no longer wants to sit sleep in his crib. I say this as I sit here listening to him talking and playing with his crib toy. On a regular basis now, he pops up as soon as he is put down in his crib and SCREAMS! It doesn't matter if its nap time or bedtime, or if he is in a "deep sleep" either way, he does not want to be there. After about 5-15 minutes he either stops crying and goes to sleep, or like today, he sits up in his crib and plays. Now, I know he is tired and needs a nap so I am left with this dilemma, do i let him play himself to sleep(the crib toy chimes on again) or do I just go get him and try again later? I hate to miss a minute of him being awake, but I know he he's tired! Sometimes, it is so hard to know the "right" thing to do...

In any case where are few more cute pictures of Nic from the past week while i try to distract myself from the sounds of him playing by himself in his crib :(

Here are a couple of things Nic has taught me this week.....

No food is ever safe around Nic, especially now that he is pretty good with a spoon!

The Swiffer dry mop is really a lot of fun!

However, not nearly as much fun as the Swiffer Wet Jet!

This face gets you just about anything you want...

Nic has a NEED to be right in the middle of everything mommy is doing at all times!

park day!

2008-03-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

well, last week we had one nice day so of course we went to the park!

after lots of playing at the park, nic came home and crashed in the middle of the living room floor on his blankey. i didn't even get to take his jacket and shoes off!

Swimmin' Fool!

2008-03-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Saturday was my second day of swim class and I am turning into quite the little fish! The first week was kinda hard for me, because i didn't want to let go of mommy's shoulder, but this week i actually let her put me on the side of the pool to "jump" off! She did more of the motion for me, but I got the idea! Every time mommy held me up in the air and then back down into the water i laughed so hard! It was really fun! All of my good buddies are there with me in swim class, too!
here are some pictures of some of the action!

I have decided that I really like to play with the little people toys! My favorite thing to do with them is line them up on the window ledge and knock them off! I have also started to make them move, or dance, like mommy and daddy make them do! Its really fun! Mommy can't believe how funny I am playing with those little people...

Just another sign pointing to how grown up I am becoming!

The other day in the mail a big huge package came for me! It was from my grammy! She sent me my very own couch that flips out into a bed with a sleeping bag attached! It is so cool! I sit on it all the time with my stuffed animals!

Well, thats it for now! See ya later!

crazy dancing boy!

2008-02-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

I recently bought Nic a cd. Its by They Might be Giants and its called Here come the 123's. The cd comes with a bonus dvd and Nic loves them both! He is quite the little dancer and I have been trying to catch it on video, but you're just never sure when the Rhythm is going to get him. Today, while we were playing and watching his dvd it happened and I had my camera right there! The video is longer than his actual dance. I was just hoping to get some more slick moves out of him. So, feel free to stop watching after 20 seconds or so. If you have a little one I highly recommend this cd, its part of a series and I enjoy it as much as he does. We both usually end up dancing and "singing" along when the music is on. On a side note, at kindermusik this week, Nic started patting his knees along with the Hello song. It was a proud momma moment! :)

12 month check

2008-02-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

We had Nic's 12 month check last week and I was shocked when they put him on the scale and it said 29 1/2 lbs. He only put on 1 lb since his 9 month check! Normally, he gains a few more than that from check to check. The big shocker of the visit, however, was how TALL he is! Big Nic is now 33 1/2 inches tall! He got 3 inches taller from his 9 month check! I was shocked! He is in the 100th percentile for height and has remained in the 97th percentile in weight since he was about 5 months old. He is, literally, growing before my eyes :( He has also cut another tooth and is now working on all of his molars. Which definitely explains the consistent 2AM wake up calls. Poor guy!
I will upload some new pictures later because I am having some problems with the computer. It's being real cute right now!

Funny boy...

2008-02-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Nic did a couple of really funny things today! I think it will translate well through blog, but if not, just humor a gushing mommy! :) He has decided that he loves to watch Ellen's monologue and the part when she dances. He has always done little "dance moves" here and there but today during Ellen's dance he really busted a move (do the kids still say that?) He was watching intently, as always, with a huge smile on his face and his little feet moving all around so I said "Nic, get down!" and I started dancing all around the room. He then started to shake his head from side to side really fast, twist his torso and flapping his arms all over the place laughing and smiling through her whole dance! I mean the kid really had some moves! It was one of those times that I wish I had someone following us around with a video camera because I can't possibly get every single moment on video! Then later at Target we were walking up and down the baby isles trying to decide what to get my friend Allison for her shower on Saturday. You'd think it would be a no brainer for me, right? Anyways, I'm deep in thought looking up at a shelf of baby toys with my hand held out to hand Nic a baby Mum Mum. Normally, he snatches it right up. After a couple of seconds with it still in my hand, I look down at him and he is looking up at me with a huge ornery looking smile on his face, giggles and snatches it real fast out of my hand! We both got a huge laugh out of that! Its funny that we are laughing at each other's "jokes" so much more these days. He's a regular baby comedian! He also decided that he would rather "lounge" in the shopping cart these days. He had one foot down front, one foot propped up to the side with his back leaned up against the other side of the cart and his elbow resting on the push bar, lol! It was such a funny sight! The kid is full of character!

Here is a picture from the other day. I had just gotten him dressed and he just stayed in that position! Spread eagle in the middle of the living room floor. He watched a little television, looked around the room a bit with the most serious look on his face. This lasted about 5 minutes or so, which is a very long time for him! I only wish I knew what was going through his head at this time!

A little later that day we met some of the kids at Tumblin Tots. They all had a lot of fun! Here are a couple of pictures of them enjoying a snack after some hard core playing!
Here is Nic, yelling and banging on the table. He's ALL boy!

Here is Nic with Ryleigh and Kameryn. Can you tell Kameryn loves to get her picture taken? She cheeses it up and Nic looks away! haha

And of course, Nic eating a Mum Mum and talking...

One day, I'll have to work on his table manners :)

Where Did the Baby Go???

2008-02-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Mommy says that I have turned into such a little man overnight!
The Birthday presents are still rolling in! This is me playing with my new toy my uncle Dean and aunt Melissa got me. I really like it because it makes lots of noise and my mommy really likes it because it keeps me busy and out of the kitchen cabinets while she is cleaning and cooking!

I have also decided that one of my new favorite places to hang it is in the cat bed!

Mommy says, out of all the fun new toys I have my favorites are still the cat & dog toys! I like them because the animals come running to see why I am playing with their toys and then they will play with me!

Oscar has decided that I am his new best friend, but only during meal times...

I really love Oscar, so I'll take him when I can get him! :)

I have also decided that when Ellen dances, it makes me so happy!

She is so entertaining!

I like to nuzzle heads....

What a sweetie I am, huh? :)

In the mornings I like to sit on the couch with my blanket, my sippy of milk and share a bagel and cheerios with mommy. Sometimes I also have yobaby yogurt!

Mommy says that she is noticing that even the way I sit and eat a mum mum, makes me look like a big boy.

Mommy says that more and more I have my own mind and I am all over the place all day long! She says that I am all boy!

Birthday Balloons are FUN!

2008-01-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have had tons of fun playing with my birthday party balloons!

Uh-Oh!

balloon crazy!

My First Birthday party!

2008-01-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

We had my first birthday party on January 26th! It was SO MUCH FUN! I thought instead of posting just a couple of pictures, I would make a slide show of some of the highlights! The slide show starts out with my grammy's visit on my actual birthday and then goes into my big birthday bash!
Thanks so much to everyone who made it out for my party! You made me feel very special! :)

I'M ONE YEAR OLD TODAY!!!

2008-01-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well, today is my big day! On this day one year ago at 7:30 pm, I was born to the luckiest parents in the world! I'll do a bigger post later with lots more pictures, but here is what I looked like exactly 1 year ago today....

and here I am today.....

When I was born I weighed 6lbs 12 oz and now I'm up to about 28 lbs! We'll know exactly how big I have gotten during my well baby check in Feburary!

Busy Boy!

2008-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

After Kameryn's birthday party my week got even more crazy! The weather was unseasonably warm for part of last week. Tuesday we took advantage of it with a trip to the park! I couldn't wait to get out of the house!

Finally, I can really move around by myself on some of those big toys at the park. Kameryn, Colton, Ryleigh & their mommies all joined us at the park. Here are some pictures of all the fun!

Wednesday was my first Kindermusik class! Kindermusik is pretty fun! we sing songs, dance and read stories! The class was way too action packed to take many pictures, but mommy did get one of me with my rhythm eggs! The teacher had a whole basket full of them. I crawled around showing them to the other babies as they came into class.

The rhythm got me!

I've been doing a lot of playing with my lion. Its really fun to ride on and push, even though it moves pretty fast for my chubby little legs! :)

Also, my new thing is this face....

Mommy calls it my snarl! I call it getting laughs! I was doing it all over the house the other day and mommy was taking pictures of every one of them. So, if you just can't get enough of my snarl, let me! There are about 30 more pictures where these came from!
I have also made up my own game, its called "basket" ball.

I'm not trying to brag, but I think I'm on to something big here! I play it everyday and I'm getting pretty good! I only slam dunked it once in this video. After one I just started throwing it at random things.

I also like to do what my mommy calls my "let's go crazy" dance. I'm pretty sure it will catch on too!

I also really enjoy it when mommy tries to eat the cheerios out of my hand! Its hilarious! (Sorry it's sideways!)

Kameryn's First Birthday Party

2008-01-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today I went to my first birthday party! It was lots of fun, there were babies everywhere! There were going to be a lot of ladies there, so I had to wear my polo shirt with my collar popped. I was lookin' pretty cool!

Hello, ladies! I'm here, let the party begin...

I was about to make my move, but then I noticed this cool toy in the corner...

eh, I'll talk to them later.

So, Ryleigh, come here often?

uh, no, i wasn't playing with this pink purse, I was, uh...just handing it to you...yeah, here ya go. have fun.
Then it was time to sing a song and mom put this pink hat on me. Totally messing up my image!

Kameryn had these cupcakes that looked really good!

I say they LOOKED good because mom wouldn't let me have one. She said I have to wait until my birthday which is the 22nd. (Don't worry, you still have a few shopping days left.)

I really liked this toy a lot too! Don't let my over tired look fool you. I was bouncing all over this thing. I like to go to Kameryn's house and test toys before we buy them. :)

This was another winner!

Not this one tho! I was, uh, just picking this one up to hand it to one of the girls, I swear! She does have a lot of pink toys....

This was all of us! This was at the end of the party, we were all tired and ready for naps!

Mommy's Little Helper

2008-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

He's old enough to start pitching in around the house!

He does, however, get bored pretty easily...

The baseball toy is a HIT! Thanks uncle Dean & aunt Melissa!

Oh, never mind the ghost we caught on film in these pictures. We'll probably send these in to psychic Sylvia Browne so she can tell is whether its a ghost, angel or spirit guide...

Shhhhh! I'm concentrating.....

2007-12-29T16:35:00.001-08:00

My First Christmas!

2007-12-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy week! My first Christmas was very fun and very exhausting! On Christmas Eve we went to visit my daddy's side of the family. There were lots of people there so I was especially embarrassed that mommy made me wear this outfit!

I was not amused! I kept the outfit on, but refused to wear the hat! What was she thinking?

We got home pretty late on Christmas Eve but I was wide awake! I couldn't wait to see what Santa was going to bring me. So mommy and I put on our Christmas jammies and took a couple of pictures.

Then I crawled over to daddy and got couple of pictures with him too! I love when he wears baseball hats :)

Finally, the big morning has arrived! I came downstairs and saw tons of presents under the tree just for me!!!

This was a wagon filled with blocks, very cool! I was pulling it and pushing it all around the room!

This is me opening my first Christmas present! Mommy says I caught on pretty quick to the whole present opening thing. I say, of course, there were toys in them! I pretty much only wanted to play with this present. It was a good one!

By the time I was finished opening the third present I was so tired! I kept crawling up on mommy's lap to sleep.

Did you know you aren't supposed to eat styrafoam packaging? I didn't.

So, after a little more playing with my new toys

and very long nap we headed for new martinsville where there were more presents waiting for me! Hooray!
I got a lot of good stuff at grammy's house. I got a Mickey Mouse! Mickey is one of my favorites. He always makes me smile!

I also got the Polar Express, which is my favorite movie!

Aunt Leslie got me a big cuddly Elmo! The first thing I did was lay on it and cuddle it and kick my legs against the floor! That's how you know I really love something! :)

After presents we went down to aunt Sharon's house and had a very yummy dinner & more presents! My first Christmas was really exciting! I can't wait until next year!!!

things i love...

2007-12-22T19:42:00.000-08:00

I love my Oscar dog...

My new favorite lunch is....

watermelon, avocados & sweet potato cinnamon bisque! YUM!

I love to climb the stairs, eventhough they can look pretty itimidating at first!

Once I get started, I can climb them pretty well!

I really like using my toddler spoon! Sometimes the Cheerios don't make it to my mouth, but when they do....

SUCCESS!!!

I don't love it when my mommy puts the bowl on my head...

but I think its really funny when she puts it on hers!

I love that I can stand and play on my own,

but I can still reach for my mommy when I need a hand :)

I have an idea.....

2007-12-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I wanna grow this just a little longer so I can braid it and put a couple of beads at the end! good idea?

A boy and his blush brush...

2007-12-19T05:48:00.000-08:00

My mom walked in from the kitchen the other day and caught me using my blush brush to paint my jammies! She thought it was hilarious!

They looked like they needed a little color!

Also, I have been trying really hard to figure out how to use a spoon. I can get stuff on the spoon, but it falls off before I can really get it to my mouth. I'll get it!

It may be time to switch to the toddler spoon, mom!

my teeth hurt!

My mom and I both have colds! The winter is no fun! The doctor says the average baby gets 12-15 colds during the year, mostly during the winter months. I think we need to move to warmer weather! I was so tired this morning that I fell asleep in my high chair.

Hopefully we get all better before Santa comes next week!

bath time fun!

2007-12-14T19:45:00.001-08:00

Mommy & I had the BEST time in the bath tonight! We just couldn't help but show you all some pictures!

Splish Splash!

peek!

Best bath time EVER!!!

What a busy week!

2007-12-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

This has been an action packed week guys! Last week I had my first experience with snow! I woke up and mom took me to the window and this is what I saw...

It so neat! I kept crawling over to the window to check it out. So mom bundled me up and out we went!

I really liked it until my mitten fell off and I realized how cold snow is!

So my mom scooped me up and we went inside to get warm!
A couple of days later we found a sled at the store. So, next time it snows we are prepared. Until then, I'll just sled around in the house.

And give Cookie Monster a ride!

The next big event was picking out a Christmas tree! We went to a place called a tree farm where they had lots of trees and you got to pick out the one you like. Some of them were still in the ground! We found a great one. It smells really good!

So once we got the tree home we put it up in our living room. I thought it was pretty neat,

but what I really liked were the jingle bells mommy hung on the tree! The were so much fun! I danced around with them all night. I even took them to the bath with me!

The next big thing was our first playgroup meeting! It was at my house and we had a blast!

This is me and my buddy Atley. He was the first one to get to our house.

This is all of us together at the end of play group. I suggested the mommies take the group picture before we are all tired! We're still cute, though :)

Ryleigh, Atley, Kameryn and ME!
We're having it again next week at Kameryn's house, I can't wait!
Did I mention I still love my blush brush and spaghetti???

Well, as you can see we have had a busy week! So what does a guy do at the end of a busy week?
He curls up with his Snoopy and goes to sleep!

Goodnight! :)

Chair Tents & Rudolph

2007-12-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

My mom did the coolest thing the other day! She built me a tent out of chairs and sheets right in our living room! We played in there all afternoon. We ate lunch, played with Billy, laughed & watched ELF in our chair tent! ELF was ok, I thought some parts of it were funny. Billy is much more entertaining :)

Then, tonight mommy let me stay up a little later to watch Rupolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! I really liked it! Rudolph is also on my stocking!

That thing I'm holding is my mommy's blush brush. Its my new favorite toy! She took it from me and showed me how to use it, then she gave it back to me and I did exactly what she did! Mommy says I applied blush on her very well and that I am becoming very good at mimicking everything she does....watch out, mommy & daddy!!!
After about 10 minutes of watching Rudolph I got bored and decided to go play with my puzzle blocks. I'm a very busy guy, ya know! I gotta stay on the move

Video Fun

2007-12-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

As promised here are a few fun videos :)

This is me and my grammy passing a ball!

Here is one of me making mommy and daddy laugh! I do that a lot lately. I started to do my fake cough and then found that if I started yelling, it really got them going!

Finally, this is what I look like when I get excited! I just started this a couple of weeks ago and it really makes people laugh! The other day at story time we were all singing and dancing and right in the middle of my cool dance moves I did this to the story time lady! Everyone thought it was so funny, so I kept doing it. It never gets old!

Mommy hasn't taken video of this yet, but I have started to feed Oscar! Not just throwing food on the ground either, I actually have found he really likes it when I hold food in my hand and give it to him. Don't worry, Oscar is careful!

Stimulating Dinner Conversation

2007-12-03T13:21:00.001-08:00

I like to tell stories. Can you guess what this story is about?

This story was hilarious! Maybe you had to be there.....

Thanksgiving Fun!

2007-11-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

This has been a very busy couple of weeks for us! We did a lot of visiting, shopping, eating, decorating and we even had people come over to our house! I've had a few very late nights! On Thanksgiving day we went to grammy's house in New Martinsville. We had yummy food and I got to play with Maggie. She is getting so big! Grammy made me my favorite, cornbread! We don't have any pictures from that because someone forgot the memory card at home! A few days later mommy made a Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Luckily, we were able to get pictures then.
This is me eating cornbread stuffing, mashed taters and a little bit of turkey(I wasn't crazy about the turkey). Mommy knows just what I like!

The day after Thanksgiving mommy's friend Nicole was in town so we went to her house for a visit. There were so many new people there! It took me a while to get used to it, so I stuck close to mommy. There were lots of ladies there with babies in their bellies, so everyone wanted to watch me for practice! It's ok, I love being the center of attention :)
The next day I got to spend the afternoon just me and daddy because mommy went to a baby shower. I didn't really want to go, I have way too much important stuff to do at home, like crawling and practicing my walking skills. When mommy came home she brought some of her friends, the pregnant ladies again! They are everywhere, mommy and I started a trend. We make it look so good :) It was another late night for me ! Once again, everyone wanted to watch me! I'm very interesting, ya know :)

Billy and I put on quite a show for everyone! Billy is really fun to play with.

That's Nicole's hat that I am wearing, by the way.
I also showed Ryan my ball skills.
Yeah, I've got skills!

That's right, I said SKILLS! It was really fun until I dropped it on my head...

Whatever, I don't think anyone saw it. Except mommy with her camera!!!
So, after the busy Thanksgiving weekend we have been getting ready for Christmas!!! I'm not sure what it is, but it sounds GREAT! We have decorations all over the house, lights all over the outside, I even have a little tree in my room! Mommy and daddy say we are going to go cut down a real tree and put it in our HOUSE! I can't wait to get all up in that! My plan is to pull on the lights and try to pull it down, just for fun!
Mommy and daddy bought me this cool Rudolph stocking...

It lights up and sings!
I also got this Elmo toy that sings Christmas songs! It took me no time to figure out how to turn this thing on! I'm thinking that's why mommy put it up on the table. I manage to get to it, though :)

Tonight we watched a Christmas movie called, The Polar Express. It was really neat! I talked to it and laughed at it, but after about 20 minutes I got tired and fell asleep. It was good while it lasted!

This has been a really fun couple of weeks. I'm learning all kinds of neat stuff. I like to feed mommy while she is feeding me, i comb mommy's hair, I can even stand for a few seconds all by myself! mommy says I am officially getting into EVERYTHING! I'm also still trying to cut my top middle teeth...boy that takes forever! Here are some more fun, random pictures from the past couple of weeks...

Sharing puffs with Oscar...

giving Oscar a good pat...

Cheesin' it up, showin' off my chompers...

and just general mischief...

oh, and fighting sleep!

I have some really funny videos to upload, but I'm really tired so check back in a couple of days. They should be uploaded then! :) Off to bed! night, night!

Wheeling Christmas Parade

2007-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the Wheeling Christmas parade. I had tons of fun! There were bands, dancers, horses, lights and Santa Claus!!!! I was enthralled!

When the bands walked by, I got the chance to show off my great dance moves. I shook my head back and forth and waved my arms around. The crowd went wild!

We met up with my new friend Atley and his mommy and daddy. We are good buds! Aren't we cute?!?!

Here is a picture of us with our mommies watching the parade.

Of course, mommy and daddy had to get pictures with me, they're such camera hogs!!! They love me so much!

The weather was cold, but all in all, the parade was a blast!

I can't wait 'til next year when I can run up with the big kids and get candy!

Halloween Fun!!!

2007-11-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! We have had a busy few days. Mommy and I have had some play dates, lunch dates and photo shoots not to mention all of the Halloween fun last week! To start out the Halloween season we went to the Halloween party at story time! This was the first time I was able to wear my Halloween costume. I soon realized how hot that costume was and wanted mommy to take it off!

We even got to go Trick 0r Treating around the library. I got some animal cracker! They are my favorite!!!

This is my and Kameryn singing Old MacDonald. Story time is fun, but it's more fun without the chicken costume!
Then came the big night, Halloween! I didn't know what to expect. People came up to our house dressed funny and we gave them candy. Next year mommy says we can walk around and get candy. It was still fun sitting out on the porch and watching all of the big kids.
Here is me and mommy handing out candy!

Playing in the candy bowl was my favorite part!

By the time Trick or Treat was almost over, I was exhausted! I just wanted to crawl up on mommies lap and go to sleep.

Last Friday Our friend Erin came over to take my pictures! I love to get my pictures taken, mommy says I'm a ham. Erin says I was the best model she had! Check out her website. She is really good!
http://www.etoilephotography.com/index2.php?v=v1

Time for Lunch! :)

Its Been a While!

2007-10-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

I know you've all been wondering what I've been up to! We have had a very busy couple of weeks! I have discovered this really cool thing called a ball and I LOVE it!

I think I would like more! We're going to Target today, I bet I can convince mommy to get me one!

I have also mastered self feeding and now its all I want to do!

The only way I will let mommy feed me off of a spoon is if she gives my some finger foods to eat. I want to feed myself with the spoon but she won't let me. Sometimes, I sneak it our of her hand! :) The other night she let me try to feed myself my prunes and applesauce and ,well, let's just say its didn't really work out well!

Eventually, I just ditched the spoon and started drinking straight from the cup! Maybe mommy is right...

I have also started to give KISSES! Mommy was so excited!

Of course like most "tricks" I do, I don't like to do them on command! It keeps 'em coming back for more! I say "da da" often on my own, but never when I am told to! Also the other day mommy left the room and I yelled out "ma!" I think I'll wait a while to say it again. Its really funny to see mommy try to get me to say it!

I also really like reading! Here I am reading to mommy and daddy. This is one of my favorite books. Its all about animals!!! In case you didn't know, I love animals!

Probably the most exciting development over the past couple of weeks is that I am taking some steps! With help from mommy or daddy holding my hands! Pretty soon I will be walking all over the place. I think I'll go ahead and skip the while crawling thing, I don't need it!

Well, mommy wants me to get ready to go to Target so I better go let her change my diaper and put some shoes on me! My next post will be my Halloween special, so don't forget to check back! :)

I miss sunny days at the park!

2007-10-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this week the weather has started to get cold. This means mommy and I have to stay inside more which means mommy has more time to take pictures. At first I was ok with it, but that bright light in my eyes tends to get on my nerves after a while. Now I know how Paris feels! We did get to go to the park once this week but it was kinda chilly and there weren't very many kids there. So, mommy and I walked around a bit, chased a couple of ducks and went to Starbucks. Here is a picture of me in my stroller at the park. I got to wear my cool new hat :)

If you're wondering what I am looking at, well, the ducks at Wheeling Park really like food. When we got to the park a family came with McDonalds and about 35 ducks ran by me to get some little kid's Happy Meal. It was quite a sight. Apparently ducks can smell french fries because they didn't run up to us like that!

I have also found a really fun new thing to do while I'm eating.

So, now not only do I need to change my shirt after I'm done eating, so does mommy! YAY! haha, never a dull moment with me!

Another thing we did this week was go shopping for winter clothes. Grammy gave me some money to go buy "school clothes". I'm not in school yet, but I wanted the money so I kept quiet. I got some really cool stuff! Thanks grammy! I think my favorite is this really cool dinosaur sweatshirt. I really like to look at the dinosaurs!

Yeah, I really like it!

So everyone is always telling me that I am such a "big boy". Well, we found this t-shirt and it just seemed fitting. We had to buy it. Now I know what to say next time somebody says it to me! Welcome to the gun show people!

I have discovered something really great this week. Its called a flashlight!

I love to shine it all over the walls and floors and ceilings! It's so neat!

This week I was able to break out my new big boy flannel jammies.

I have also become quite the Simon Wiz!
I beat Elmo in 2 player mode...

And dominated in single player mode...

After all that playing, I crashed on the couch with mommy. I was exhausted, I literally fell over into this position.

There is really no story behind these next pictures. This is just me, caught in a funny moment. I am always doing things to try to make people laugh!

After all that laughing, I was worn out!

Well, thats it for now. I'm going to go eat some cereal and go to bed! See ya next time!

What a Weekend!

2007-10-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to my first Oglebayfest! Grammy came up and brought the puppy, Maggie. Oglebayfest was pretty cool. I didn't really care much for all of the crafts, but I really liked laying on a blanket with Maggie and playing with the leaves! I was talking the entire time!

We had a really fun day, but I was so exhausted by the time we got to the car. Hopefully next year it won't be so hot so I am a little more comfortable! :)

It seems like I am doing something new everyday! I am getting really good at standing up straight (with a little help!). I really like the view from up there! Check me out!

Mommy found some really good new treats for me to try. They are called Mum Mums and I LOVE them! Mostly because I can hold them and feed myself. They taste pretty good too. :)

I am also learning how to give 5. Since I like to slap things anyways, this game is perfect for me!

Today mommy and I had lunch out on the back patio. Mommy says that pretty soon it will be getting cold and we won't be able to play out side much anymore. So, we decided to take advantage of the warmer weather. We say outside and blew bubbles and played in my baby pool. I think bubbles are probably one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life!

Last night mommy, Oscar and I sat outside in front of our house and watched daddy put out our Halloween decoration. It was so exciting!

The Halloween decoration is called Marcus the Carcus and it is so cool! He lights up! Daddy kept trying to get a picture of me looking at the camera, but I couldn't stop looking at Marcus. I think we should keep him outside all year long!

Well, its been a big couple of days for me, so I'm off to take a nap on the porch swing!

Big things are "poppin" up!

2007-10-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the wait is over! I have just cut my first tooth! Wa-Hoo!!!! I know I have been a little bit unbearable at times. Most days the only thing that made me feel better was to have mommy cuddle with me and carry me around.

Well, I am feeling so much better now that the first one broke through. I'm back to my sweet little self. :) Mommy says I'm always sweet, but I definitely had my moments! There were nights my teeth hurt so bad I would wake up at 2am and not be able to go back to sleep until around 5am! One day mommy decided to go ahead and feed me my breakfast at 4:30 in the morning and I didn't even make it through the meal before I fell asleep in my highchair!

Did I mention mommy had finished off a cup of coffee at this point and was wide awake? muaw! love you mommy! :) I am still working in the 2nd tooth, but cutting one is much better than cutting 2!

Mommy and I made up a really fun game! It involves tupperware containers filled with rice krispies. Its called "dump the krispies on the floor and smoosh them into the ground"! I love it!

Don't worry, they vacuum up nicely! :)

I also have recently gotten really in to Sesame Street. I really like to sit with mommy after breakfast and watch it! Of course Elmo is my favorite, but I really like Big Bird and Cookie Monster, too! I laugh and talk the entire time I'm watching!

So, now that I am 81/2 months old mommy thought it was time for me to try some yummy new foods. She gave me something called organic pastini. Its little tiny pastas and this is how I looked the first time I tried it...

I NEVER WANT IT AGAIN!!! It feels funny in my mouth and tastes yucky! If this is what she means by yummy new foods count me out! I'm stickin' to sweet potatoes!

My "stationary" entertainer is no longer stationary at all! I am running really fast around it and am dragging the entire thing all over the place! I really like to drag it over to the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. I am really nibby these days!

And now, to end this post I am going to give you a sneak peak of my Halloween costume. I think it is the funniest costume I have ever seen!

I'm a rooster and I love it! I'll be sure to post more pictures of me as a rooster in my Halloween Blog Special!

Baby on the Move

2007-09-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, it has been a busy few days! Saturday our friends Jason and Amanda came over to watch the WVU game. They brought their dog, Bentley who was hil-arious!
Just me and the guys, watchin' the game....

Here is me and Bently, don't I look cute in my mountaineer hat?

This week Oscar and I have had some major breakthroughs! Oscar has always protected me, from a distance. But this week he is really warming up to me. He brought one of his toys over and sat it down next to me, I can't throw it yet but I will soon! He also let me pet him for a very long time. I was SO EXCITED!

I think Oscar and I are going to be best friends! :)

Mommy thinks I'm old enough to start pulling my weight around the house. So, this week she had me help fold clothes.

And unload the dishwasher.

Next week she wants me to learn to vacuum. Does she realize I can't walk?

This week I have also been dominating my "stationary entertainer". I can race really fast around it now. And I am so strong that when it isn't where I want it to be I just drag it along behind me. I guess thats why my mommy calls me "Hoss"! An empty milk jug has also become my new favorite toy.
Here is me racing around my "stationary entertainer" shaking my milk jug. Mommy put a little bit of water in the bottom so it makes a really fun noise!

Notice my new best friend Oscar by my side! :)
(don't worry, he moved)

So, as you can see, I am a very busy boy! More next time!