The Rest of Christmas Vacation...

TJ and I were both really lucky to have 2+ weeks off during the holidays.  And even luckier because Keaton has been in a GREAT mood the entire time.  Probably because his best friend ever...daddy...was around!  He absolutely adore's TJ right now.  He also slept and napped a lot (yahoo) so when he was up he was up and ready to go go go!

Our time off was pretty low key but we did get out and do some fun things.  Here are some of them:

We spent a very fun afternoon with Lynn Still's perfect little baby, Camden.  Keaton has never been around a little baby and I didn't know how he would do but he was a natural big brother...although he got pretty upset when we took the baby away!

We went to the park a few times even though it was cold out.  It felt good to get outside. 

Keaton took his new bike for a spin around the neighborhood and really enjoyed it.  He liked both riding it and pushing it.  In a few more years he will be down at Alki with his buddies getting into trouble....

One thing I wanted to do was go back to the Mount Lake Terrace pool and we didn't make it there but Keaton got to take a dip in the big tub at home with daddy.  Taking a bath with a little one isn't that fun for 2 reasons....the water has to be much colder than most adults would bathe in since kids can't be in really hot water....and you all know the other reason....:)

We went to see Cyndi Soup, Tim Noah, Gus Puppy and friends at the Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater in Snohomish which was really fun.  When I was a kid we saw Tim Noah perform and he's still doing it.  They encouraged the kids to participate but Keaton didn't want to go up on stage until the very end.  He randomly went up there all by himself and walked around while they were performing....they didn't seem to mind...not sure what he was doing up there!

 

We also rocked out on New Years Eve!  It was just like being out at a night club....there was music and dancing and karaoke...all in the comfort of our living room.  Keaton is pretty good at karaoke, me not so much!  Luckily we have no pictures from this!!

Looking forward to 2013!

Working off those holiday cookies

Somehow we ended up with so many holiday treats!  Cookies, candy, etc. etc. etc.   I've been trying to get out for at least a short walk each day to work off some of this as well as get some fresh air.  We live right down the street from an elementary school so it's the perfect little walk.  Keaton can play on the toys and Manny can run around (since it's almost completely fenced in).

 

 I have so many places I want to explore with Keaton that I've read about. We still needed to burn off more calories from all the cookies, candy, etc. we had been eating so we spent at afternoon at the Seattle Gymnastic Academy in Columbia City. They have toddler times each day and it was a great discovery!  I thought it was kinda funny (and a very good idea) that you have to show proof of insurance before your toddler can play.  Keaton ran around for an hour and did not stop.  Luckily we didn't have to use that insurance card so we will be back...very very soon!

 

Tomorrow we are off to grandpa morgan's for a day or so.  Then maybe a rock concert (kiddo style) to ring in 2013.  Gotta keep busy and keep moving with a toddler!

 

Holiday Magic

We had a lot of fun this holiday and it really was magical with Keaton!   Keaton was old enough to join in on all the Christmas fun.  He helped make cookies for the neighbors, helped with the Christmas card, helped decorate the tree (and take off the ornaments daily), and even got to visit Santa (and so did Manny).  Santa wasn't much of a hit this year but the camera guy made him laugh and the candy cane was good! I got to spend an afternoon visiting an old friend (Lynn) and holding her brand new baby for hours....it was the best and really made me think about what the holidays are all about.....family!

 We started a tradition last year of visiting the Menashe house to see their spectacular light display(they own jewelry store in West Seattle).  We probably went at least 5 times this year because Keaton really enjoyed it and it's right down the street.  We drove over to Ravenna one evening to see the famous lights at "Candy Cane Lane" and decided we liked this one in our own neighborhood better!

 

We went to church on Christmas Eve, which is something I really like to do each year.  They sang "Happy Birthday" which I thought was very cool since that is what Christmas is really about (but easily forgotten).  Keaton made it about 10 minutes before he started screaming random things......Big Truck...Big Red Truck....Ee i ee i oh!....etc.

Christmas morning was fantastic because Keaton didn't even get up until 7:30 (so I got to sleep in).  Of course now that Daddy is around on vacation he's not getting up early anymore :).  TJ and I were SO excited to have the experience of enjoying Christmas with a little one who's starting to understand it all.  It was lots of work and by the end of the day we were exhausted but would do it all over again because Keaton had the time of his life!  He loved every gift he opened and it took him most of the day to get through all of them.  He loved having family over (Grandpa Morgan, Uncle Rich, Aunt Claudia, Uncle James) as well as skype'ing with other family (Nana and Grandpa Tarr, Aunt Becky and Cousins Emerald and Crystal).  Keaton really likes having a crowd to entertain!

 

Manny also had a really good Christmas (he has more Christmas stalkings than anyone else in the family)!  He got all his favorite treats and toys and even a little pot roast.  Now we just need to work on his barking when guests are over...

 

 

It was a magical holiday that we all enjoyed!  Now the tree is down, already been taken away with the garbage, and we're looking forward to 2013!

Wired for the Tech World

I think kids now a days are born knowing how to use computers, cell phones, even the most complicated remote controls.  Keaton is of course fascinated with all of these wonderful electronic devices and we are constantly trying to keep them out of his reach.

We were at story time at the Monroe Library today (with Grandpa Morgan) and decided to wander over to the kid book section afterwards to read a few books.  We never got to the books because we found these computers that were just for kids!  They had special keyboards with extra large buttons and a very fancy mouse that lit up and had water/fish inside. It was amazing to see how quickly Keaton figured out how to use the mouse to play the games.  And he knew to put on the head phones to hear the music since he does that with daddy all the time.

So the old fashion books didn't get read but he did do some learning via the exciting and ever changing tech world!  Now let's hope he forgot all about this once he wakes up from him nap because the computer is still off limits at home!

A Few of My Favorite Things.....

Keaton's favorite things are changing constantly....but most of these have been his favorite for quite awhile:

Bubble Guppies: As far as Keaton is concerned there shouldn't be anything else on TV besides this  show.  The bottom of the Christmas Tree is covered in Bubble Guppies paper ornaments for Keaton.

Blue Blanket & Thumb: He is a blanket guy and thumb sucker. He's got two blue blankets that he loves, one that my mom made and one that my aunt Jeannie made.

Dogs: Manny is very loved by Keaton, he likes all dogs which can be problematic at the dog park.

Talking: He's a big talker and lately it's even starting to make some sense!
 Belly Button: It was the first body part he could identify and he loves to show it to everyone. 

Condiments: Lately Keaton hasn't been a very good eater but does love anything with BBQ sauce or ketchup.

Trucks: Still completely obsessed, anything with wheels that moves is a truck.

Books: Loves to be read to, flip books are his favorite and of course "Where's my T*R*U*C*K?" book.

The Performing Arts: Music, Singing, Dancing, Acrobats ....to a cell phone ring tone, commercial on TV, just about anything.....If I had to guess his future career path it would be a cirque du soleil actor or professional trampoline jumper.

 

And a few things he doesn't like....his high chair (which is now in storage), not being able to move freely, sleeping in.  That's about it!

Halloween 2012

Halloween was so much fun this year!  It is so fun to experience different holiday traditions with Keaton now that he's old enough to understand a lot of it.

We went to 2 pumpkin patches this year.  One on a very warm sunny day and one on a very wet stormy day!  We also went to a festival in West Seattle where they had a small petting farm and Keaton got licked by a little horse.  He really liked the cow train at Bob's pumpkin farm and we had to pull him off it kicking and screaming because he wanted to go again.  Not sure he was a fan of the pumpkin patch since he's screaming!  Keaton even got to go to a spooky party at his friend's house after the pumpkin patch!

 

 

Here is Keaton last year and this year at Bob's pumpkin farm.  He sure has grown up a lot!

 

This was Keaton's first year going trick-or-treating.  He loved it and could even say trick-or-treat by the end of the night (thanks to that smart cousin Wyatt).  TJ and I decided we would take turns picking out his costume each year.  This was TJ's year and I must say he did look pretty cute as a UPS worker (and if Keaton knew a UPS man drove a big druck it would have been even more exciting).  Keaton got to pick one piece of candy to eat at the end of the night, which was very exciting.  Mommy and Daddy ate the rest!

 

Back East...

We just got back from a very eventful week back east in the Boston area.  The 6 hour plan ride there and back was not eventful (Keaton was so good thanks to that DVD player) but the rest of the trip was packed full of fun.

Keaton got to spend lots of time with his new best friend Wyatt.  Wyatt taught him so many things and we are pretty sure Wyatt is about the smartest toddler around.  He is also very well behaved, Keaton's mom and dad learned a few things from his parents.  But we will never learn to cook as well as Uncle Steve.  If we lived closer we would be over for dinner every night.

One day we took the boys to get pictures at Target-wow-what a totally crazy experience with 2 little ones!  That hour felt 10x as long and it ended with me and Eileen taking our wild boys home and TJ sticking around to finish things with the photo lady.  Hopefully we won't be banned from Target's permanently!

Keaton spent quite a bit of time hanging out with Nana and Grandpa.  The best part was was probably decorating cookies cookies with Nana.  Actually the highlight was probably when he realized he could eat these cookies too!

  We planned the timing of this trip so we could be there for Hallowen.  We didn't plan to be there for Hurricane Sandy.  We were lucky and only experienced high winds and lots of rain (and about 20 minutes with no power).  Many others weren't as lucky.  We also stumbled upon "Sandy Island" at a park we were exploring.

The trip was spent visiting TJ's family and we got to see most everyone.  Even TJ's amazing Grandma who is in her 90's and still going to water aerobics and is a lot hipper than many 30 year olds.

 

It is hard being across the country from so many wonderful family members.  Hopefully we will be able to see them all again very soon!