A Year in Review

Every time the New Year approaches, it leaves many of us wondering...what did I do with my year?  Where I have been?  Where am I going?  Well, I know in the case of the Fuller clan it has been a very full, busy, but meaningful year.

We started off 2010 with Sydney just having completed her first birthday.  A great milestone by itself, and leaving us wondering what we could expect for the second year of her life, and also for those of us living in our late 20's...wink wink :)

Well, in June we took a big journey to Australia.  This served the very important purpose of Karen donating bone marrow to her uncle Dennis.  And during the trip, we did get to see some great sights of Sydney, but more importantly we got to spend time with Dennis, Kris, and Rebecca.  We were grateful for the time that we got to spend with them and to get to know them.  They are great people, and we are glad they are family.

Later in the year, we also got to visit Sydney's uncle Nathan, and all of her cousins in Florence, Oregon.  This was also a special time as she gets to see them just once or twice a year.  But it's truly the case that quality, and not the quantity, of the visits truly makes all of the difference.

Sydney also got to experience her very first (in person) Seattle Sounders game, began to experience the joys of 'going' on the potty, and also developed physically, mentally, and verbally...especially over the last few months.  Her texting abilities have grown exponentially, and her use and fluency of speaking IM has well exceeded expectations.

It's always fun to see how she compares, physically in this case, to the previous year.  The pictures below shows one set that was taken in April of '09 in Seattle to the comparables that were taken this week.  It's just a great visual reference of how this little girl has progressed.  It's amazing just how quickly she has grown, and I can only imagine this next year will be more of the same.  She is truly becoming a little lady :)

 

Beyond that, 2010 has brought great times with all of her family members, baby friends, and older friends that care about her.  She also got to visit with her friend Reina from Japan, and also kept up with other BFF's, including Maggie and Kate.  All in all, a great and amazing year.  We would not have changed much about it.  Having said that, I believe the best is still to come!



Nana shows Sydney how napping is done...
or is it the other way around?

Happy New Year!  Welcome 2011!!!

Ho Ho Ho!



Sydney's 3rd Christmas!



Mother's and their offspring :)



Well, the busy part of the holiday season is over.  Christmas eve and Christmas day have come and passed, so hopefully this will mean a few relaxing days before gearing up for New Year's.

But, all in all, Sydney enjoyed her third Christmas.  Uncle Nathan came on Wednesday, and Nana from Montana came on Christmas eve, so it was fun spending time with all of them.  While Sydney gets the luxury of visiting with Nana for the next week, she'll miss her Uncle Nathan and Cousin Thomas who have already returned to the warmer Oregon coast.

Christmas eve and Christmas day of course brought the crowds together for a great time...a lot of visiting, a lot of food, and a lot of fun.  I suspect this year clued her in to, and later years will confirm, the realities of sugar highs...which are inevitably followed by sugar crashes, and also the miracle of the 'turkey coma' (the undeniable need to sleep following the consumption of large amounts of turkey).

While I could write so much more about the season's adventures...as always, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

Sydney enjoying her horse...

Joe enjoying Sydney's horse...

Uncle Steve's wish came true...a baby
and a doggie...what a great day!

What a good looking crew!!!  Gotta say...
good genetics :)

Happy Holidays!!!

Naughty or Nice???

Sydney's first Christmas...barely
more than a week old!

"He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake..."  OK, when you read that line by itself, it really is sort of creepy...like you are being stalked...or worse yet, you picture Kathy Bates standing over you while you sleep similar to what she did in the movie Misery.  But, in the traditional sense of those lyrics, Sydney is very eager to find out if she was deemed nice this year.  Just a few short days away and she'll be able to get reliable verification.  And I'm fairly confident she made the nice list.  Of course, even if she had been naughty this year she would not likely get coal in her stocking, as that is not very eco-friendly and is generally frowned upon in the Pacific Northwest.

Sydney's second Christmas...
what a cutie pie!





There is much to look forward to this holiday season.  Sydney's uncle Nathan and cousin Thomas will be coming up on Thursday this week.  And on Friday, Donna (aka Nana from Montana) will be coming to spend the week.  There will be a number of festivities, foods, and fun, but spending time with family is what she is truly looking forward to.

And while she will have a growing appreciation for presents, I fully expect she will continue to be more fascinated by the wrapping paper, bows, and boxes that accompany the gifts.  The gifts themselves will likely be a bonus...ha ha!

In other recent occurrences, Kate celebrated her second birthday this past weekend.  Happy Birthday Kate!  It was a fun event where those aged two years old, and also those much older whose ages will be kept confidential, had a great time.  Four of the kiddos in attendance were from our birthing class, and it's always great to when they can spend some time together.  Sarah (Kate's mom) also has mad baking skills, and it's always fun to see what she creates.  This time she made some fantastic cupcakes for the celebration. 



The big song...and then blowing out
the candle.



Showing how to truly
enjoy a cupcake!

 In other news, Sydney's Great Grandparents (Harry and Carol Pagels) celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past weekend.  Reaching their 60th is just amazing, and we are so fortunate to have such a great foundation for our family.  They are certainly the best grandparents (and great grandparents) that any grand kids could ask for.  Congratulations!!!



Have a wonderful Holiday Season!!!

Get’n Down in DC

The epicenter of bureaucracy…the pillar of politics…the capitol of our nation. I recently made a work trip to Washington DC where I spent a few days attending a conference.



While I was there, I spent the majority of time in workshops or at conference activities. Fortunately, I was able to get a small amount of time to see just a few points of interest in the city…at least the ones that happened to be in the proximity of my hotel. I was not alone in my nearby walks. Excluding my work counterpart, I was also escorted by a spirit very dear to Sydney (and me)…and one that also happens to be a world traveler. That is Kooky Bird (or just Kooky for short). Kooky was picked up in Australia at the Toronga Zoo, and likely made on even another continent. But a week ago, I would have never guessed at how invaluable Kookie’s experience and travel tips would be on this current travel adventure. And for those of you who can’t figure out where he got his name, he is a Kookaburra…afterall. Kooky helped to make me feel like I had a little part of Sydney with me on the trip. In the end, it gave me a chance to have some fun taking pictures with my feathered travel companion.



Kooky at the Washington Monument.



The say life has it’s ‘ups’ and ‘downs.’ Well, most times this is used metaphorically. Unfortunately, in my case, I experienced it literally while on the trip. On my journey from my room on the 9th floor to the lobby of my hotel, the hotel elevator got stuck between floors four and five. This left the elevator unresponsive to any button pushing or general desires for it to move. The bell was rung, the operator was called, and three brave souls (one of which was me), were trapped in the elevator awaiting help. What seemed surely to be six days, was in fact only about 17 minutes. I was rescued, signs of emaciation obvious, loss of weight evident, and a dramatic desire for java ever present. While there were no injuries or casualties, it does add a little extra memory to the trip.



Unfortunately the weather was extremely cold. While the temperature was cold, the accompanying wind made it truly bone-chilling. When the sharp cold makes your nose run and then also makes it freeze to you, that provides a good indication that flip flops and shorts are not appropriate attire.



Kooky visiting the National Christmas Tree.




Kooky at the White House.



   

Outside the Lincoln Memorial...





Despite being away from my wonderful family for a few days, technology was great in helping stay connected. Skype was very handy in allowing us to video call each other, giving me a chance to read Sydney a bedtime story, as well as find out how her day went. This let me know the latest ‘bus’ count, as well as the new words she surely learned that day!  But, even when a trip goes well, it's always nice to come home :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Two is the new Three

 

Although Sydney's official birthday is not until the 15th, she had her birthday party this past Saturday, which undoubtedly helped to avoid a busy upcoming holiday season. She had a great time, opening presents, gossiping with friends, and talking about the latest toddler fashion and hip toys. Ya Ya Sherri hosted, and there was a lot of great food for the consumption and digestion from those in attendance.



It's hard to believe she is already two...so many changes from her first birthday a mere 365 days ago. It's not often you double your age, but she did it in style! Her speech, her physical activity, her mannerisms...all have accelerated at an amazing rate. The days of infancy are far behind, and she is certainly turning into a young lady. I just hope the next couple of years don't go by as fast as the first two.



We did work hard to teach her she was turning 'two.' So, Sydney of course loves saying two. I think she realizes the symbolism of the number with her age. Unfortunately, the side affect of this has meant her counting to five seems to stop at two...then she just repeats the number...like a CD that is skipping. Oh well, I'm sure she'll be ready for the next numbers after the month is over and it's not her birthday anymore. Then we'll start her with advanced counting, and then on to geometry and trigonometry :)



In other news, Sydney continues to be fascinated with Christmas lights and buses. Those are the two things that we consistently search for every morning on the way to daycare, as well as the return trip home. She is getting great at spotting buses, even to the point where she can discern a 'school bus' from a 'public transportation' bus. She can even point out the 'airport shuttle' bus. Her fascination of buses occasionally leads her to say, "I wanna." When I tell her there is no space in her room for a bus, she is not dissuaded and will simply mention her request again at a later time, either hoping I forgot or hoping that the physical dimensions of her room has changed....perhaps both! As for Christmas lights, we'll take her on an evening adventure at some point soon so she can see all that the neighborhood has to offer.



Have a great week!!!



The "cake"



The "girls"
(Kate, Sydney and Maggie)




Gift opening begins!



Let It Snow...

Sydney got to experience the recent snow that we had last week.  She is now old enough to share her fascination of it.  She won't quite comprehend the bliss of school 'snow days' for several years still, but that didn't keep her from being excited about this new look of the world around us.

It's not that she's never been present in snowy conditions...in fact, it snowed quite a bit on the day she was born (as with the rest of that week).  It was quite a blizzard travelling to the hospital, and when we got to go home two days later, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground, and plenty more coming down (as if driving in the snow isn't bad enough at times, try doing it with the pressure of a newborn on board!)



Picture from last holiday season.  Not a real
snowman if you were wondering...ha ha! :)



This year, the snow went away almost quicker than it came, so the necessary parental teachings that come with 'snow' will have to wait until another snowy day.  The future ensures that I teach her vital life lessons, such as how to make a proper snow angel, how to make the perfect snowball, and the most essential lesson...'don't eat the yellow snow.'  We will look forward to coming snow activities, like sledding, igloo building, and snowball fights, but perhaps that will take place another day this winter.

In other news, Sydney and her family had a great Thanksgiving.   She loved spending time and visiting with everyone.  She is getting in the holiday spirit and is looking forward to all of the festivities coming in December.  She already loves lights and decorations, and she will eagerly participate in that time-honored tradition of humiliating our animals for entertainment! 

We are looking forward to embarrassing our pets
again this holiday season!

Another year down...

What is hotter than the core of the sun???  If you guessed Karen's birthday cake, you would be correct.  I wish I had know in advance about the intense heat that would radiate from the dessert we were about to enjoy.  I felt short of breath as those flames consumed most of the oxygen in the room, but fortunately my mental and physical toughness kept me from becoming light-headed and passing out.  Apparently my arms were not long enough, as no amount of distance could have removed the physical distress the sheer heat produced.  As funny as that may sound...third degree burns are no laughing matter.  I was treated and released from the hospital the next day.  OK, while I my exaggerate some, it really is just a testament to the length of time Karen has inhabited this earth, and also to all of the wisdom she has gained and imparted on others.  See...doesn't that last sentence sound much better than just saying she is getting old?  And as far as the carrot cake, itself, it was very tasty.

The event provided a time not only to celebrate Karen's advancement in years, but also offered a nice social occasion to see friends and a few family members.  Sydney got to spend quite a bit of time coloring, playing with toys, and catching up on gossip with her friend Maggie.

Although it was a very busy week, I will keep this post brief.  We are, however, looking forward to the coming week which will include several great things, such as a short work-week and then Thanksgiving Day!  Who could ask for more...family, great food, some Starbucks, and also sharing the day with a great wife and daughter.  Those are enough to be thankful for :)

Have a great weekend!!!

Tickle Zones



Another fun picture from
Rebecca Brethauer.



Some people are ticklish on their feet, some in their armpits, others on their sides.  Everyone is different, but what is likely similar is that tickle spots can change over time.  When Sydney was little (obviously she is still little, but when she was littler), she wasn't very ticklish.  Most of the zones that can be common tickle areas did not trigger anything.  She would sometimes smile, but that was more likely a reaction to our behavior, one of amused curiosity of what in the world were were trying to do.  Fast forward to current...the tickle zones are rampant and provide a buffet for any fingers desiring to make a little girl with pigtails scream, laugh, and wiggle on the floor.  It's so easy it's almost like taking candy from a...well, baby :)

Her neck was the first zone to achieve the appropriate level of sensitivity required to provide a physical reaction.  And she quickly learned that just one finger in her neck area could do sufficient damage to any stoic look she might be trying to achieve at the time.  As a result, when I ask where her neck is these days...her neck promptly disappears as she creates a lock-tight formation between head and shoulders.  It's nearly impossible to penetrate this fortress.  Quadrants two (armpits) and three (tummy and sides) evolved later, but with no less potency.

 

 But, of course, it’s not just the act of tickling, but it is the threat of it. The slower you go, and the closer you get, it creates an unbearable situation.  She'll usually start busting up at the prospect of being tickled before the first zone has even been breached.

In other news, Sydney helped to celebrate Karen's birthday.  Karen is now just a young...um...I think she turns 21 this year.  I'll have to double-check, but I think that's accurate.  Happy Birthday ma chienne!!!



Sydney and Maggie in swim class.



Not for a lack of words...

 

She sometimes goes for a more
sophisticated look.

I read that toddlers around Sydney’s age learn about two new words every hour. That’s an incredible rate which translates into a lot of new speech. Inversely, with my increase in age and general lack of sleep, I think I am losing about two words per hour in my vocabulary. So, at least our household has ‘no net change’ in overall speaking abilities. But her advancement has led to sharing words we didn’t have a clue she new, and some we didn’t think she would say for quite some time still. She is starting to put together some simple sentences, and she enunciates many words very well. To try and trip her up, we’ll throw out an Italian or French word, and while she may not know the meaning or have a context for the word at this point, she’ll often repeat it back.

She’s also doing great on the potty training front. It’s not uncommon for her to go at school, and now she even asks to use the potty at home. I guess you could say she’s really getting her $h*# together!...haha. But it’s great to see her wanting to use the potty, and perhaps soon she can be switched to pull-ups or something along those lines. It’ll be nice to finally pull the puppy pads up off of the floor :)

Singing is also a favorite activity. Each night, Sydney loves to dance around to ‘If Your Happy and You Know It’ and a few other numbers she likes. When the song is done, she usually says…”Sydney happy,” and of course...”more.” While it is great to see her completely engrossed in the song, you would not want to be a fly on that wall. To that extend, let’s just say Karen and I would not intentionally submit any other creatures to our singing ability, or perhaps more accurately, lack thereof.  We apologize to the dogs, deer, raccoons, and other animals with sensitive hearing that live in the neighborhood.

Sydney and Dad show proper support
during the Sounders first playoff game.



Sydney will be wrapping up her swim class this week, but will also begin her new session of tumbling. That will make for a busy morning, as she’ll have just 30 minutes to lose her gills and grow her tumbling legs.  But she loves all of the activity, and we have a great time doing it with her!



Have a great weekend!!!

Hallow's Eve...and other things from the home front!

What a busy week for the Fuller household.  Sydney continued her aquatic escapades as she enjoyed another swim classes.  Her current swim class will end in two weeks, which I surmise to be sufficient time for her functional gills to fully grown in.  What can we say, she loves the water and loves to swim.  And, you know you enjoy taking her as a parent when you are looking to download songs that are sang in swim class :)  When she concludes her final swim class she will re-engage in another favorite of hers....tumbling!

On the home front, we have recently converted Sydney's bed.  I know what you must be thinking....this means we finally took the chicken coup wiring off of the top of her crib that prevented her from escaping....ha ha!  But actually, it just means that her crib was converted into a day bed (intended by the manufacturer).  While this means that she can enter and exit her bed at will, we found out quickly that when she is in bed for the night, she is there for the night (thankfully!).  Naps have been a different story, but that's ok :)

She continues to talk up a storm.  When I ask her to look for things, she'll respond with 'I find it.'  Or if I say 'ready', she'll say 'set...go.'  It's really funny, and you never know what she is going to say next.  One morning she woke up early and got to spend her last hour sleeping in our bed.  And when she the alarm clock finally went off we got to wake up to her chanting...."Sounders"....seriously, and I was so proud I had to respond saying, "Seattle," while fighting back a single proud tear from trickling down my face.  Of course, on the way to school, though, the conversation is usually 'more buses' or 'school bus.'  This is because we see WTA buses, as well as a number of school buses, on our route.  She is fascinated with buses.

The Halloween festivities also continued.  While we experienced the baby reunion Halloween party last weekend, this Saturday marked the actual second official 'trick or treating' event for Sydney.  She got to experience the event with Snow White (aka Maggie), with a million other kids that descended upon the downtown region of Bellingham.  The benefits of her second year were obvious...she could walk...she could pick out her own candy...and she could give the illusion that she would eat all of the candy she was profiting from.  Actually she did eat some.  But a stern note to parents: be sure to teach your kids the appropriate candies to select from the buckets...if you do not, you will undoubtedly end up with more dum dums than you know what to do with.  Teach them to be selective and grab the chocolate (or other non-hard candy) options.  Sydney also got to enjoy some 'worms in dirt' that she got to make at daycare.

Despite the fact that we did not perform the act of carving pumpkins, it was a rather enjoyable Halloween, and we enjoyed it with our little giraffe.  And let's just say since we didn't carve pumpkins we may still have the option of pumpkin bread!  We hope everyone else has a safe and enjoyable Halloween.  And remember, it's ok to 'call out' those homes that decide to handout raisins or popcorn balls at Halloween this year....I mean really, what are they thinking!