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!!!

Holiday Fun!!!

The Holidays were definitely busy this year, which is probably normal with a fresh four year old and a new 'almost' three-month old.  Fortunately for Sydney and Corwin, Santa did decide to make a stop at our house and bring them some gifts.  The verdict on the 'naughty' or 'nice' list was still out, but apparently everyone came through it okay and made the cut.

We certainly made the rounds, experiencing family and friends at different locations and at different functions.  All in all, a great time with lots of great food and fun activities.  It was fun to experience Corwin's first Christmas, but also see Sydney in her unwrapping fury, especially since she understands the concept so much more this year.

Nana from Montana has been with us over the holidays, so she's gotten to see how much Corwin has grown in the past 6 weeks, and how much his behavior has changed.  He's now a talking and smiling creature that loves company.  And of course she gets to see how much of a lady Sydney is becoming.  Besides the good company, one of the best parts of Nana's visit during the holidays...SALMON BALL!  This tasty treat should be more than a holiday food, so I'm thinking of integrating it into monthly events :)

Sydney also got to experience her second bout of ice skating.  She took to the ice like a champ and only happened to fall a couple of times.  Her natural coordination likely comes from her dad, but her finesse comes from her mom.  I'm sure she'll be making return to visits to the rink to work on her technique.

In other news, Sydney's cousin Lelend also had his first birthday on December 27th, so we'd like to wish him a Happy Birthday!!!  Now that you have reached your first year, your age is no longer a decimal point.

Until the first post next year...

Have a Happy New Year!!!

Birthday Girl!

  
Happy Birthday Sydney!!!

As you may have concluded from the title, we celebrated Sydney's 4th birthday this weekend!!! She is growing up way too fast. She is such a wonderful little girl (albeit challenging at times, but what 4 year old isn't!?).  She continues to enjoy being a big sister and loves her little brother so much and is now getting rewarded with smiles and coos.  It is very sweet to watch.

We had a little party at Grandma's for Syd and instead of a party this year with her friends she chose to have a "girls day out" with her BFF, Maggie.  I though this was the sweetest choice, so we will be going out for pedicure's, cupcakes, and some fun times at the local children's museum.




In other news, I recently took Sydney ice skating for the first time and she had a blast!!  She really is a natural at it and I'm hoping to continue taking her on occasion.  She'll be in the Olympics in no time, but of course that could have serious ramifications on our pocket book.

We also had some family pictures done which turned out beautifully! I thought I'd post a few to share with everyone!  (All done my MKDaughters Photography)

 

 

 

Welcome December!

As you can tell by the pictures below, the tree is out, the house is decorated, and we're all set for the holidays.  This year will be another fun one, as it'll be Sydney's fifth Christmas and Corwin's very first (and my...um, twenty-fourth...he he!).

 

Sydney has been learning Christmas songs this year.  She's got Rudolph perfected, and with Frosty she gets about every third word and mumbles through the ones she doesn't know.  Unfortunately, she did receive her mother's overall singing ability.  Hey, I'm not much better, but I certainly can't hit those high-pitch ear-piercing notes, so it's a little more tolerable.  Plus I am conscious of my deficiencies, so I am selective about where I sing and don't sing, a quality Sydney has yet to gain.

Corwin is getting bigger.  He's already pushing 11 pounds, or the size of a small terrier to those canine lovers.  His sleep patterns are really anything but a pattern at this point...in fact they are sporadic as far as night time goes.  You just never know what you are going to get, and each night is like rolling the dice but hoping for the best.  Aside from that, he's a very mellow little guy who just loves being around us, staring at the Christmas lights, and living life (so we'll keep him).

 

We did a photo session with a photographer Karen knows, so we should have some fun family pictures to share soon.  In December Corwin will also have a photo session with Rebecca, who also took Sydney's very first professional baby picts.  We'll certainly have more photos than we know what to do with, but we want to make sure that Corwin (the second child) isn't left in the cold since it's typical for the second child to have less photos.  Of course, in this digital age, that is much less likely to occur. 

 

Well, we've been very busy with life and December will be another very busy month.  So, until the next post, have a great weekend!!!

One of his favorite sleeping positions!