The Boy has Quite a Memory

On Any Given Weekend

It was another gorgeous weekend in San Diego. Saturday started off gloomy, but we decided to head to the Wild Animal Park anyway and take our chances. It rained on the way up and from the walk from the car to the entrance and then it was clear. The animals were active and playful and it was relatively empty as far as people go. Nice way to spend a Saturday morning. This morning we headed up to Carlsbad to cheer Aunt Julie on as she ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon. I was supposed to run it with her, but procrastinated in signing up until it was sold out. Good thing too, because watching all of those people run hurt from the sidelines. Anyway, she did great and was proud of herself. After Nathan's nap we loaded up the tricycle in the car and let him ride it around the park. He is doing great! He seems to really enjoy it. All in all, another great San Diego weekend.

2 in 2, as in two years old in 2 months!

Seriously, I cannot believe that Nathan will be two-years old, two months from today. Where does the time go? At 22-months, Nathan is fun and frustrating all at once.

Current likes:
-All things Thomas and train related.
-Videos on Youtube, whether it be animals or one of his kiddie songs, the kid would sit for hours and watch Youtube...yikes!
-Listening to "his" Ipod, which is really my old Ipod reformatted with tons of kiddie music, so we don't have to listen to it ourselves (clever, eh?)
-Books, though his taste is getting more sophisticated. He enjoys longer books like Dr. Seuss, which he will say. He is getting pretty good at memorizing his books too, just as we are!
-Little People farm and cars.
-Riding his Trike.
-Climbing and swings.
-Playdoh, which he got for Christmas. He doesn't do much with it, but loves to touch it.
-Drawing with his "Chawalk" on his "Chawalkboard"
-singing songs and making up silly songs
-the Itoot application on Brian's Iphone

Current Dislikes:
-Swimming lessons
-Slides
-Being told his video time is over
-Being told "no" in general
-bananas (secretly, I am happy about this one, as I am not a fan either!)
There are more, but these are the main ones right now.


We seem to be getting more interest in all things potty related, except actually going in it, but he will take of his clothes, request to sit on it and is very interested in when we flush "up" the toilet. He likes to read his potty book and can tell you all about his friends who are potty trained at daycare, so I think we are getting closer. Now if we could just get him to go one time....

2008...It's Over!

Happy New Year! As Nathan says at the end of one of his songs...It's Over! 2008 was a great year for sure. We watched as Nathan grew from an infant to a full fledged toddler to a little boy right before our eyes. Milestones included Nathan turning one, travelling to Costa Rica, Nathan talking, getting our first family dog, Milo the Pug and watching as the country voted in the first African American president.

2009 looks to be a full year, as well as we gear up for Nathan's second birthday, various trips, both close and far. Our resolutions continue to be the generic eat better, exercise more and to get better at recycling and using reusable bags.

Merry Christmas

Christmas with Nathan was fun this year. We enjoyed Christmas Eve at Brian's parents house. The night included lots of yummy snacks, fondue dinner, plenty o'drinks and of course opening presents. Nathan enjoyed opening his gifts, but was a bit overwhelmed by the process, but still enjoyed it. On Christmas morning we opened gifts/stockings from Santa and then lounged around gorging on bacon, fruit and Krispy Creme doughnuts and watching Grease. After a nap and a dip in the jacuzzi, we headed up to Brian's aunt and uncle's house in Poway for more food and gifts. Today, Grandma Lois, Grandpa Larry and Annemarie are coming for the weekend. We are glad to see the sun shining and hope to enjoy a beautiful sunny weekend. Thank you to all of our friends and family who helped to make this an enjoyable Christmas for us.

Holiday Fun

We are gearing up for Christmas 2008. To prepare we have had a pretty busy weekend of parties, meeting Santa in several different locations, seeing Christmas lights with friends and breakfasts with Shamu and Santa at Seaworld (which doubled as a birthday brunch for Julie).

Refreshing

This school year has been by far the most stressful and disgruntling that I have faced. Couple that with the continued hate that we have seen in our state this year and my outlook on humanity has been lessened. However, yesterday on the last day of school before a three-week break, my faith in humanity was restored. Do you know who it was who restored that faith? A group of fifth graders. Our district has moved toward including children with disabilities into general education environments, as the law states that we do. Some teachers have been skeptical about this and some have been more open. Two teachers this year have stepped up the plate and run with it, while most have run the other direction. Fear of what we don't know, often breeds hate. Well, we have a student with severe Cerebral Palsy who is bound to a wheel chair and has been out for 6 weeks having surgery. Her mother decided to bring her to the Christmas party at the end of the day. Well, I happened to be in the classroom when she came. Every single one of those students was surprised, happy and genuine when she wheeled into the room. It was the most endearing thing I have seen all year. So while adults around continue to spread fear and judgement, we can step back and learn sincerity and caring from a group of 10 and 11 year olds.