Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'!

A few things have happened in the last couple of weeks.  Nana from Montana made a visit for Memorial Day weekend. It was great having her and she got to see how far Corwin has come since Christmas. Sydney got to spend a girls day out with her too, getting pedicures and shopping.

We also got to go enjoy the local Highland Games in Ferndale this year. Joe always has to have some haggis, it is an important ritual. Sydney enjoyed watching the bagpipers and the dancers, in fact she wants to do some Scottish dancing, but we'll see where that takes us!

Syd started swim class again, she is now in the intermediate level, so hopefully this will mean that she can actually swim a bit soon. But she is slowly getting better and more confident.

And lastly, Corwin is now rolling to get places! Sydney never discovered that skill, she went straight to army crawling, so this is different, but he will roll all over the living room to try to get to this and that. It is very cute. I think by the end of June he will probably figure out how to move forward, then watch out! Also, he is very into yelling at his toys and making noise. If we were at all worried about him being able to make his presence known while Sydney is around, well, nothing to fear there!

That is it for now! Sorry it wasn't more entertaining, Joe decided to "let" me write one for once. (Maybe this will encourage him to get back on the bandwagon, hehe.

It's a Zoo!!!

Time does certainly fly by.  It seems like we were just changing Sydney's diaper the other day (6 wipes of course), and now she is a full-fledged four-year-old who can already read and clearly has her own opinion...and she's happy to tell you what your opinion should be, too!  

We hope Corwin doesn't grow too, fast.  Among his list of firsts...he made his very first trip to the zoo, specifically Woodland Park Zoo.  He had a great time, even though it was mostly viewed from the double stroller, which doubled as protection from the occasional raindrops.

 

We lucked out and were able to see most of the animals that we had hoped, and managed to snap a few decent pictures.  Although we took some great pictures of bears, flamingos, and kangaroos, I thought it would be more interesting to share a few other pictures of descendants of the gorilla family...Sydney, Corwin, and Karen.  Sydney has been to this zoo a total of three times now, so we thought it would be fun to share the comparisons between visits.  Of course, you also get to see Corwin's first gorilla picture (hint, he's the one on top).

In other news, Corwin got to spend a little time with his bud Myles, also known as JP and Elyse's little guy.  They had fun exchanging, chewing, and drooling on toys.  All in all they had a great visit and talked mostly about the Sounders season so far, as well as general techniques they employ to keep their parents up at night.  Corwin certainly had much more to share on this front, as he is way more experienced at practicing this skill (basically a different way of saying Myles is a much better sleeper at night.

We also made a trip to Federal Way to participate in a fun run.  This fundraiser event helped to raise money for a good cause, but also gave us an opportunity to catch up with Suni and her family.  Sydney also got to enjoy a 'sleepover' with her friend Jayna.  We don't get to see them enough, but we enjoy every minute we get to spend with them.

 
 
 
We look forward to sharing pictures in our next post of Nana's visit from Montana.  She arrived two days ago, and it's already been a fun time.  Until then, have a great holiday weekend!!!

First visit.

Second visit.

Third visit.

DL Part 2: Behind the Scenes






Fun time were had at the 'Mad T Part' in California Adventure.

I thought it would be fun to share a few more pictures from Disneyland, especially considering the amount of pictures that were taken.  As great as some of the standard pictures of everyone in front of the castle or with characters are, some of the best pictures are of the candid moments that happen along the way...at least that is where some of the best memories come from.  The picture from Splash Mt. is one of my favorites.  It was Sydney's first ever time going on the ride, and the picture says it all.  She was extremely terrified of the drop...I mean, after all, why would anyone choose to ride a perfectly good log down a hill on a stream of water???  Well, you can see I had fun, but I was actually more concerned with her making it through the ride in once piece.

 

Our encounter with a large flamingo!

In other news...Corwin is doing great at eating solid foods.  Obviously he has no teeth yet, but that hasn't stopped him from eating berries, toast, vegetables, and even getting serious with a piece of steak.  Once his teeth do come in, I am fearful for any food item that crosses his path.  It will surely be no match for his ravenous appetite.  He continues to get bigger, more vocal, and developing his hand-eye coordination.

In Sydney news, she continues to do great at everything, especially reading.  At school, they are focusing on learning a particular letter each week using fun activities.  Unfortunately for Sydney, she's known her alphabet forever and has been reading words and sentences, so I'm sure it's not at entertaining for her.  But we're proud of the progress she is making.  I'm sure she'll be reading Shakespeare to us next year!...ha ha!

All in all, everyone is doing great.  Have a great weekend!!!

Corwin discovers ice cream!



My definition of magic!

 

Corwin's First Visit

Corwin made his very first trip to Disneyland. He had a great time, not just because it was 'vacation', but also because he got to spend it with family, including Grandma, Uncle Nathan, Aunt Amber, and his cousins Desi, Pickle, and Lelend. He doesn’t get to see some of them very often, so it was a great opportunity to catch up with them while having fun.

Disneyland is known for its rides. Despite all of its offerings, Corwin made clear his favorite two rides where the stroller and the ergo (in no particular order). Corwin’s first real Disney ride was the Jungle Cruise, then he managed to swing next door and hit the Pirates of the Caribbean. He conquered these two classics like a champ, or perhaps his sleeping through them just made it seem that way. He may not have much memory of these rides (or the trip itself) as he gets older, but we have some fun pictures that we can share with him.

Unlike Corwin, Sydney has now collected her fourth pair of mouse ears, each one signifying a visit. She navigated the parks like a pro, and her willingness to go on new rides was impressive. In fact, now that she meets the all-important 40 inch height mark, a whole new list of possibilities opened up for her. So, even as a veteran, she got to experience many new things for the first time, including Splash Mountain and Star Tours…my little girl is growing up so quick!...single tear. She also got to ride Radiator Springs Racer in the new Cars Land, and finally took on some other firsts, such as the Haunted Mansion and the Bugs Life show (not height restricted, but content too scary, previously).

Uncle Nathan was brave enough to test his luck on Tower of Terror, and the other thrill seekers (Karen, Amber, and Desi), made it onto California Scream’n, a coaster that shoots you off and offers a loop and some fun drops.  All of the rides were great, and we managed to experience almost everything we wanted to.

Our resort was amazing, and had its own entrance into the park. The full kitchen was a nice benefit, and had it been warmer we would have utilized the pool more...perhaps next time.  It served as a great home-base for our easily too-short three-and-a-half day visit to the parks.

Much more could be said about the trip, but I'd rather share more pictures.  All in all, great food, rides, company, and just an awesome time!!!  Thanks to everyone who went!!!

Travel Size!

Airfare is expensive.  There's hardly any way to cut costs when you fly.  And why, oh why, would a child's ticket be about the same price as an adult?  I understand that a seat is a seat, but it seems like they could charge you by the pound or something instead when it comes to children.

Well, I've had some very productive thoughts about how to save a little on travel costs.  Fact of the matter is...kids are already 'travel size.'  Instead of buying an expensive ticket for a seat, even at general coach rates, why not consider the 'carry on' option?  I know Corwin would already fit nice and snug (room to spare actually) in an overhead compartment or in the designated under seat 'foot area,' so the ample room of a seat makes little sense.  In fact, even at 4 Sydney demonstrates that this common-sense approach would work well.  Of course, having said that, she'd probably need to be 'bag-checked.'  But even in that case, what's the $25 bag-check fee compared to buying a whole new ticket???  In fact, as you can see, there's even plenty of room for a lot of dirty laundry in the suitcase (which I believe even add adds to her own comfort while snuggling in).

Corwin is doing a much better job of sitting up on his own.  He is getting much stronger and his balance much better, but we still can't leave him alone in a sitting position without ample padding surrounding his perimeter.  This is an exciting development, and we're sure this will help his active playing time quite a bit, since his favorite position is sitting up.

On the Sydney front, she has finished up her ballet classes for the session.  She's also looking forward to some upcoming trips we have.  I do have to say, on the sister front...she is an excellent sister.  She is always eager to check on her brother, give him hugs and kisses, and entertain him at the drop of a hat.  She never seems to be anything other than attentive to him, and I admire her for all of her selflessness when it comes to her brother.  It may not last...likely won't into the teen years...but for right now I'm grateful at how good she is with her lil' brother!

It's been a few weeks since the last post, but life is busy and it's tough to find time to write something on a consistent basis.  I'll try to post as often as I can, but if you don't see regular posts it's only because we are living life to the fullest and having a great time of it...translation = I'm so tired I don't event know who I am, let alone able to write something funny or witty...or really anything at all.  So, to you three that read the post when it does appear, thank  you!  And...

Have a great weekend!!!

The Difference of Time

For many of us, a few months does not seem like very much time, especially over the course of a lifetime.  But when your life consists of only 4 months, the changes that occur in that amount of time are massive.  To illustrate just how much he's grown, I've provided a picture of Corwin at 2 weeks old and at 4 1/2 months.  You can see how much he's grown and filled out his soccer uniform.  It's crazy how quickly they develop physically and mentally.  He continues to talk up a storm, and he's all smiles these days.  And while he certainly can't walk, and hasn't even gotten to the crawling stage yet, I thought I'd share some of his 'pseudo' walking...he he! 

Sydney continues to be a great big sister.  She enjoys supervising diaper changes, is ever-willing to help entertain her brother when he's fussy, and she loves dropping him off and picking him up at school.  In fact, each morning she picks out the device Corwin will start the day out in (jumper, bouncer, or swing), and she makes sure that he has toys he can play with.

Now...to Corwin's credit, he has been a great little brother so far.  He's put up with his big sister's off-key high-pitch singing, her annoying and never-ending supply of questions (why this, why that?), but most of all he's been a great sport being a 'prop' for his sister.  He's at the age where he can't escape (after all he's not mobile), so he's at the mercy of those who want to dress him up or make him an accessory.  In this latest case it wasn't so bad, though.  From my point of view, it was very funny to be busy cooking in the kitchen, turn around, and see Corwin sitting in his chair wearing a pair of sunglasses.  It made me have to snap a few pictures.

Well, life continues to be extra busy, but I'll try to post when I can.  I hope everyone is doing great!!! 

Rock N Roll!!!

Corwin got his first taste of rolling over today for the first time.  Well, it was actually three times in a row.  I suppose he believes anything worth doing once is worth doing at least three times.  He rolled from front to back, which tends to be easier for babies.  It's a big milestone, but of course he quit doing it once the video camera came out. 

In general, Corwin is getting bigger and stronger every day.  Having stronger neck muscles also meant he got to have his first experience in the jumperoo at home.  He's finding it very entertaining, and who wouldn't with flashing lights and jungle music.  In all honesty, he liked it but Sydney couldn't stop playing with everything on it.  Perhaps she was just reliving her youth.

As far as his personality, he's definitely all smiles.  All you have to do is look at him to trigger a big wide smile.  He also talks quite a bit.  And since I've been doing Rosetta Stone for baby speak, I've found his conversations to be very intellectually stimulating.  He asks some of the most profound things about the universe, but he's also got a few good jokes to tell.

He's also spent some time in the Bumbo.  I know what you're thinking, "isn't Bumbo that Disney movie with the elephant?"  The answer to that of course is no.  The 'Bumbo' is a little chair that supports him so he can sit up.  There can be, however, drawbacks to this simple device, and I'm a little disappointed there was not any warning tag on the chair or in the manual.  You see, because of the level of tight support around the body, there is not 'extra' room for other things, especially brown substances that are prone to coming out of the 'ends' of little people at various times.  Let's just say you need a cavity of some sort to compensate for new material, otherwise the result is a bath, because poop has found itself halfway up the occupant's back.

Sydney is doing great at school, and has been a stellar big sister.  She's patient with him, and wants to help in whatever way she can (perhaps at times she wants to help too much).  We thought it would be fun to share some pictures of them around the same age. 



Sydney



Corwin

Have a great weekend!!!