Say Cheese...

Sydney has had a full schedule, lately.  She's resumed swimming classes, has enjoyed a recent trip out to Stoney Ridge Farm, and continue to actively support the Seattle Sounders as they head to the playoffs.  So, while there is much that can be said about her recent activities, I wanted to keep this post short and simple and share more pictures taken during our most recent session with Rebecca Brethauer.  It seems life gets so busy with activities that can be shared, we don't get much of an opportunity to share as many of the pictures from our sessions as we would like, and Rebecca does such a great job capturing life.

So, we will have much more to share in the coming posts...especially with a baby-class reunion, as well as Halloween, looming.  Stay tuned!!!

Green and Blue Fury!!!

What is about 26 pounds and displays green and blue fury like no one else???  If you guessed Sydney, you'd be right.  Sydney was prime to show all of her might in a tremendous display of team support for the Seattle Sounders this past weekend.

Sydney gets her game face on and

is ready to 'bring it'!

She helped to propel the Sounders to a 3-2 victory, collect a valuable three points in the league table, and send Toronto back home with the bitter taste of defeat.



We actually weren't sure how Sydney would respond to the extremely loud crowd (who chant continuously during the game), or other random loud cheers and music.  But, to our relief, she was actually very excited about the whole event.  She loved clapping when everyone else started to clap, and she started to dance anytime the music started playing.  She even knew one of the chants (albeit due to months of training ahead of time).  All of the festivities got her in the spirit and made the event great.





Sydney gets prepped for the occasion.



Having said that, as parents we do have some work to do.  Being a supporter not only means coming out of the gates fast and showing support, but it also means pacing yourself and exhibiting some endurance.  At the conclusion of a great first half, Sydney promptly fell asleep on Grandpa Don's lap and was out for just about the rest of the game.  Even through two more goals were scored, Sydney barely batted an eye at the loud ruckus.  We'll just consider it a learning process for her, and now she'll know what to expect next time.

Sydney loved watching the game with Grandpa!





In other news, Sydney continues to speak more than ever.  You can barely say something without her repeating it right back.  Most of it she understands (and in context), but there are a few things that I think she is just truly repeating, such as any Italian words we throw out randomly.  She's also gotten better at putting word combinations together, like "Daddy...milk...now!," and "Mommy right...Daddy wrong," and stuff like that...ha ha!  Actually, she really is doing quite well. 

 

Sydney's true first baby picture!...ha ha!

As you can see, she started her training to support the Sounders at an early age.  That practice has carried over and served her well as she turned those hours of practice into active support.



Although she takes her job seriously,

she still manages to have fun with it!

  Have a great weekend!!!



All about the Oregon Trail...



Sydney spells out her name in the sand...
with just a little help.


A mere 21 months old, but there is one thing that Sydney knows, it's traveling.  Even at her young age, she has already graced three different continents (albeit in her fetal state), and visited four different countries (Italy, France, and Canada also during her fantastic fetal stage...but Australia was definitely during life on the outside.) 

So, what does this worldly traveler do?...add the Oregon trail to her travel resume, of course.  OK...it's been a while since I took history, so I'm not completely sure the exact path of the Oregon Trail, and I'm sure we were no where close to it, but I thought this was just a fun way of saying Sydney got to go to Oregon to visit her uncle and cousins.





A quick visit to the Glass House,
but amazingly...no glass.



She had a great time visiting Florence and seeing family that she only gets to visit with just once in a while (and not often enough).  She spent Friday night getting in touch with her aquatic-side, to the point where I assumed her and her cousins would begin to grow gills, but it was a great time.  The fact that the hotel had a wade-in poll and also some other water attractions (automated sprayers and buckets, etc.) made it a very entertaining time.  Saturday resulted in some time at the beach, and although it was a little overcast, it was still great to be at the ocean.

Sydney is always entertained by her cousins, and she loved being able to show off her new words, spunky pigtails, and her love for books.  She enjoyed spending time with all of them...and she really hopes to be able to see them all at Christmas!!!





Sydney with cousin Desi :)

Karen, Nick, Thomas, Nathan, and Desi in back...
Pickle and Sydney in front...

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Backseat Driver

Sydney takes Dad's car out for a spin.

When infants first begin riding in the car they are almost always rear-facing.  Eventually, they are able to graduate to the next stage and transfer to a forward facing car seat.  It's all about making the proper adjustments at the right time, specifically accounting for the correct weight and age of a child.  It's really all about proper safety...which reminded me of the day when I realized I had to quit putting Sydney in the trunk because of the danger posed if the car got rear-ended.  Don't think I'm a bad parent...it was only on her noisy days!!!...ha ha...I'm only playing...or am I?...LOL.

Actually, when Sydney started to sit forward-facing it was great for her.  She truly enjoys being able to look out of the window and see the world as we drive down the road. 

Could she be any cuter???

Unfortunately, it does comes at a price. She tends to back seat drive. She'll say, 'you're driving too fast, you're driving too slow, you should be in the other lane, you should have made a left there..." All of this from someone who can't reach the pedals. But we take it in stride, and are glad that she is willing to voice her opinions.  And I'm sure she'll be a great driver. So when she turns 35 and we let her try for her license, I'm sure she'll make us proud.



I wanted to keep this blog a little shorter so that we could share a few of the many delectable pictures taken recently by Rebecca Brethauer.  She is always able to capture great moments.




Part 1: Dad tells funny joke to Sydney.

 
 







Part 2: Sydney can't believe how incredibly

funny the joke was, or how funny Dad is...

 




Another family day under a bridge...and loving it!

Having fun in Fairhaven!

Anniversaries, pillows, and more...

Ever wonder where Sydney gets her
weird behavior?

It's so hard to believe...just a few years ago, Karen saw and became quickly interested in a particular guy...we'll just call him eye-candy to protect his true identity. He was funny, charming, and definitely handsome...and actually still is to this day. Of course, she couldn't resist him. So, we fast forward three years later and poof...Sydney exists. This post could be about many things, but since this blog focuses on Sydney and her family, it couldn't be helped but to write about two major forces in Sydney's life...her parents! I know you were thinking Starbucks and her shoes, but those are two 'other' important forces...ha ha!

So, this September 15th Karen and I will be celebrating our third anniversary. We've had an amazing journey together so far, and it just continues to get better.  Happy Anniversary babes...I love you!

In other news, there has been a recent purchase.  If Sydney had any doubt about where home was, that doubt was quickly laid to rest...no pun intended, with the purchase of a new pillow.  We recently got Sydney her first ever toddler pillow.  So, she's got a great reason to hit the hay every night, snuggling up with Kooky (her plush kookaburra), Mr. Hooter (her plush great horned owl), and her new soft pillow.  The first day we got it she was inseparable from her new pillow.  We hope this new acquisition makes for enjoyable sleeping patterns.

 

The Family at Jessica's 18th Birthday.



Upcoming...Sydney will make her Seattle Sounders debut...as a fan, of course, on October 2nd.  Seattle will be hosting Toronto, and Sydney will be making every effort to ensure the Canadian team returns home non-victorious.  This means she will engage in the chants, the taunts, and other behaviors that will send the rivals home beaten, battered, humiliated, and without an important three points.  Sydney has been working for several months on the songs...so we look forward to hearing that in action!  She may be painted blue and green or she may just show up with her feisty 1.75 year old attitude, but regardless...she will be a force to be reckoned with!!!



I think something is clogging the sink...
just had to share this picture.



We hope everybody has a great weekend!

The Council of Mothers...

What a cute face!

Every now and then history finds a unique gathering of sorts...one that has been rarely seen throughout time but where the purity of wisdom can only be imagined.  Is it mere coincidence, or are some mysterious forces at work that gathered these individuals on a holiday which just happens to be called "Labor Day."  While the pun is present but not intended, no greater truth is present than the fact that an extensive and raw collective knowledge of motherhood exists here.  While this gathering cannot accurately be named...if we had to title it, we 'd call it the Council of Mothers.

The council in session...

OK, so maybe that is just the dramatic way of saying that we had a Mother's BBQ.  I guess in Sydney's case, it was her grandmothers.  It was a fun afternoon, where Sydney got her dosage of grandmas, ya yas, nanas, and more.  It is great when they can all be in one place at one time :)  It is great to see that the generational relationship is strong and thriving...what could be better...

The group imparts wisdom to
the youngest.

Burgers, corn, potato salad, fruit salad and more marked the items for consumption, but interesting stories and entertainment provided by Little Miss Pigtails were the true entrees.  Sydney of course loved every minute of it.  She enjoyed showing off her new words and new skills.  She's quite comfortable in a group, and she often likes the attention of so many caring individuals.  We hope the Council of Mothers can unite again in December, over the holidays.

Exhaustion sets in... 

In other news, Sydney's vocabulary has grown exponentially in the past few months.  She uses new words on a daily basis, and in context with correct meaning.  It is too hard to even keep track of them now.  As parents, we feel like we have truly succeeded so far in her speech development, as she has never once used a swear word (despite her parents)...ha ha!!!

We look forward to other great upcoming activities.  Sydney will soon be traveling to Oregon to visit her Uncle Nathan and all of her cousins, and then she'll experience a life-changing event in October...her first Seattle Sounders game!!!  She's learning the skills needed to attend the game, such as the appropriate chants and holding her scarf high!

Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

Galileo or Picasso?

A sampling of Sydney's abstract art.

Left brain...right brain...it'll be a fun to see which side Sydney embraces.  Whether it's art, or its the fundamentals of science, I believe Sydney will excel in both.  She is certainly genetically predisposed for greatness on both fronts!...ha ha!

Right now, Sydney enjoys both and we will encourage both.  She loves to have a deep conversation about quantum physics, but she also loves to draw, color, weld, and be creative through other mediums.  At daycare, she also gets plenty of exposure to art and the ability to express herself.  You should see her interpretive dance number....ha ha!  But, she is often creative at daycare and comes home with a number of 'works of art,' as can be seen from the pictures in this blog.

Nothing beats a good book!

In other news, Sydney has had a fun and enjoyable week.  She has spent most of her days with Nana from Montana.  She's loved reading, coloring, and playing with Nana.  She has also enjoyed playing with Nana's dog, Alex.

A collection of works from daycare!

On Friday, Karen, Nana, and Sydney all had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant.  Since Sydney is a well-refined and cultured little-lady, she tries to honor the eating traditions of the meal at hand.  In this case, she quickly learned to master the complexities of the chopsticks!  While she was waiting for her food, she managed a little maneuver only seen in Karate Kid...the catching of a fly with chopsticks.  She is a truly gifted child and will have much success...our young grasshopper.  OK, so in reality her chopstick use may have room for some improvement, but she certainly has no fear of trying something new, and in some cases she actually does a pretty good job picking up the activity quickly.

Her first run using chopsticks.

But if all else fails, go with the reliable

standby...the hands!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!