(Click to see full size.)
Friday, April 15, 2011
Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my front door...
Today is on the left, and the right is a photo from November 2008 (Alton is less than 1 year old). The "baby" picture is one of our favorites of Alton and Nerve and is framed in our living room. Today they were in the same position, waiting to see the garbage truck, and I couldn't help but snap their picture.
(Click to see full size.)
(Click to see full size.)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Introducing Baby *S!
As you might remember from the baby shower back in November, my sister Cari and her husband Julio were due in Feb with a baby boy! The little guy *S made his debut on Feb 19 at 11:55a.m., 8lbs 4oz, 21" long. Welcome to our nephew! Two gorgeous grandsons for my parents Steve and Pam, aka Nonna and Papa. Cari, Julio and *S settled in to some first days at home, and I patiently waited two weeks for the trip I had booked ahead of time to come down and meet the little dude and congratulate the new parents. I got lots of turns to hold him, tried hard to snap a few photos when he wasn't sleeping, and gave him the little stuffed knitted teddy bear that I'd made as a newborn gift. While I was down there we even managed to all go out to dinner for Nonna's birthday! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....
We're so glad to have you in the family, little one!
We're so glad to have you in the family, little one!
The Rest of February
Yep, I was slacking in February and only posted twice the whole month. Here's a quick recap of some of the stuff we did.
Alton went to a friend's birthday party--she and he were both so good at sharing turns to push the pink stroller, they did it at the same time!
Daddy/Alton self-portrait at the party.
Another self-portrait on another weekend: this time Andy and Alton are at OMSI, the science museum in Portland.
By mid-February, we started planning our big spring family camping trip (spoiler alert! more to come about this trip!) and got out some of our equipment to assess and discuss. Well, once the subject of camping came up, Alton got very excited remembering our weekend on the Rogue River last year, and recalled that while we were camping he had been given two one-time-use cameras for his very own to snap photos around the sites. This was the first camping trip that he was old enough to remember and the camera time sat REALLY well with him, so he was really jazzed about our upcoming trip thinking that he'd get to play photographer. Andy and I put our heads together and unearthed a really old digital camera that we had that still worked, but had been retired in favor of newer models with more bells and whistles. We dusted off the first digital camera we'd ever owned and passed it on to our little dude, who proceeded to happily snap photos around the house of his Play-Doh...
his games...
...and you!!
His set of pictures are like an incarnation of Julie Andrews singing "My Favorite Things." You have the Buzz Lightyear-mobile,
the LEGO tow truck,
Tonka trucks and a bike,
the rocking horse,
and the awesome self-portrait, of course.
Moving on in the month of Feb, there was some finger-painting (why wear a smock when you can just take your shirt off?)...
and a Model Train Show at the Portland Expo Center! Many local model railroading enthusiasts converged to show off their engines and cars in all sizes. Alton was in awe.
What could be more fun than that? We wrapped up the month with a visit from our friend Chris (are he and Alton playing "Heart and Souls"?)
and the snow day, of course! Brr! For the shortest month of the year, we sure packed in a lot. On to March!
Alton went to a friend's birthday party--she and he were both so good at sharing turns to push the pink stroller, they did it at the same time!
Daddy/Alton self-portrait at the party.
Another self-portrait on another weekend: this time Andy and Alton are at OMSI, the science museum in Portland.
By mid-February, we started planning our big spring family camping trip (spoiler alert! more to come about this trip!) and got out some of our equipment to assess and discuss. Well, once the subject of camping came up, Alton got very excited remembering our weekend on the Rogue River last year, and recalled that while we were camping he had been given two one-time-use cameras for his very own to snap photos around the sites. This was the first camping trip that he was old enough to remember and the camera time sat REALLY well with him, so he was really jazzed about our upcoming trip thinking that he'd get to play photographer. Andy and I put our heads together and unearthed a really old digital camera that we had that still worked, but had been retired in favor of newer models with more bells and whistles. We dusted off the first digital camera we'd ever owned and passed it on to our little dude, who proceeded to happily snap photos around the house of his Play-Doh...
his games...
...and you!!
His set of pictures are like an incarnation of Julie Andrews singing "My Favorite Things." You have the Buzz Lightyear-mobile,
the LEGO tow truck,
Tonka trucks and a bike,
the rocking horse,
and the awesome self-portrait, of course.
Moving on in the month of Feb, there was some finger-painting (why wear a smock when you can just take your shirt off?)...
and a Model Train Show at the Portland Expo Center! Many local model railroading enthusiasts converged to show off their engines and cars in all sizes. Alton was in awe.
What could be more fun than that? We wrapped up the month with a visit from our friend Chris (are he and Alton playing "Heart and Souls"?)
and the snow day, of course! Brr! For the shortest month of the year, we sure packed in a lot. On to March!
Disneyland!
In January, we went on a family trip to Disneyland. With Alton's 3rd birthday toward the end of the month, a mere few weeks after Christmas, we decided that instead of doing a party and presents we would take the little guy on his first visit to the Happiest Place on Earth. And when my sister Cari pointed out that children under 3 are free admission, we scheduled our excursion for the week before Alton's big day. Score!
In anticipation of this momentous event, Andy's friend Kyle (a HUGE D-land aficionado) hand-screened a t-shirt for Alton to wear with a Mickey Mouse outline on it. He shipped the shirt, along with some fabric pens, before our trip so that Alton could personalize his attire. Thanks, Kyle!
We flew down to Southern California toting one of Alton's Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy, a rolling orange suitcase decorated with tiger stripes! The little suitcase has a grooved seat in the center to make it perfect for little ones to sit upon, with a long strap that can either be worn on your shoulder or be a ready tow-line for the suitcase's passenger. It was awesome! We've never gotten through an airport faster, Alton loved the ride, and we were turning heads and asked "What is that?!" by everyone we passed.
Our itinerary included a layover in Sacramento long enough for Grammy, Andy's mom, to meet us in baggage claim for a quick hello and some energy-releasing fun for Alton: she brought along the plasma car from their house, a little scooter-mobile that was a rip-rollin' good time on the tile floor at SMF.
And on to Disneyland! Disbelieving of the weather predictions in the low-to-mid-70s, we Oregonians came prepared wearing what we know best: layers. Here we are first thing in the morning on Disneyland Day #1, with Alton proudly sporting his Mickey artwork. (That sweatshirt came off soon afterward.)
We started meandering around, Alton completely unable to digest the incredibly colorful, joyful, cartoon-y world around him, and started easing into a routine of checking out the rides, assessing whether all three of us could ride, and (at least on Andy's part) trying whenever possible to snap pictures. Alton was really into Dumbo, but didn't want his elephant to go up and down! We stayed cruising just above the little pond underneath the flying pachyderms while his engineer's eyes assessed the structural integrity of the steel beams rotating us around.
Just like his Nonna, Alton LOOOOOVED the teacups! And as many times as I've ever been to Disneyland, I've never seen shorter teacups lines before. We hit that ride at least four times (without spinning the cup--the large-scale cruising was enough for the little man) and Alton got a huge kick out of picking his cup, opening and closing the little door to the "car," and waving to Daddy if he was on the sidelines.
After some walking around...we ran into Mickey and Minnie! Hooray, Alton got a picture with the mouse while wearing his cool new shirt.
He smiled with Minnie and she even gave him a hug!
The submarine ride, more Fantasyland favorites, some incredibly expensive snacks and eventually Day #1 was over. Even though this guy usually crashes for a 2-3 hour nap in midafternoon, he was awestruck and still going strong late into the evening...(Note his button that reads: My 1st Visit! A nice lady at one of the shops gave it to him.)
...our day wrapped up with amazing colors and lights and a really fun photo that Andy took!
The next morning dawned early for our sore feet and we headed back to Anaheim for more fun. Alton loves Pooh Bear and had stars in his eyes when he got to meet his yellow friend.
Then we noticed Tigger was right nearby, too!
We went on a ride and were just meandering out when Alton let out a squawk of shock: THREE characters from the 100-acre wood all in a row! He rushed right over to them and waited his turn to pose. He was so, so, happy.
We rode around the park to Toontown on the Disneyland Railroad...
...and for once I turned the camera around on Andy! The two guys were ready to cruise in this animation-worthy auto.
With an early lunch, we wrapped up at Disneyland and headed over to California Adventure for more amazement! I had never been there before and was eager to see all these new-to-me rides. On our way over, we grabbed a rental stroller and strolled steadily in the shade for a minute to let Alton doze off for a much-needed nap. His new friend, Nemo, acted as pillow.
He woke up rested and ready to go. We climbed into the huuuuge Ferris Wheel for great panoramic views.
And after a little while spotted the Toy Story crew! Alton was speechless in their presence.
A quiet moment with his fishy friend.
I included a shot of this ride because it's the one Alton always refers to as "his favorite" when people ask him which ride he liked the best. These big rocket pods are attached to strings and rotated around high in the sky. No Alton in this picture, but another cool one from Andy!
Hooray, the movie CARS is coming to California Adventure! Welcome to Radiator Springs! (A favorite of Alton's.)
Day #2 of Disneyland fun wrapped up in A Bug's Land, where all the rides and decor revolves around the insects from the movie "A Bug's Life." Alton gets the stinkeye from a wisecracking ladybug.
The next day we finally got to enjoy some time with our hosts: my Aunt Coleen and Uncle Mike! They very generously opened their home to us during our trip, and Alton was in heaven playing in their backyard in the sunshine.
Alton arranged some of his trip souvenirs in the grass.
Coleen even had a little set of cars at her house, perfect for little boys to play with!
During this trip we were also able to pay a visit to Andy's Uncle Scott and his grandparents (pictured below) Shirley and Chuck. Sadly, Chuck passed away just a few weeks after our trip. We will miss him very much, and were so glad that we got this chance to be together, chat, and snap photos of Alton with two of his great-grandparents.
It was definitely a birthday trip to remember. All of these pictures warm my heart, we still talk about some of Alton's wondering one-liners from the amusement parks, and he still sleeps at night with his arm tucked around Nemo the fish.
In anticipation of this momentous event, Andy's friend Kyle (a HUGE D-land aficionado) hand-screened a t-shirt for Alton to wear with a Mickey Mouse outline on it. He shipped the shirt, along with some fabric pens, before our trip so that Alton could personalize his attire. Thanks, Kyle!
We flew down to Southern California toting one of Alton's Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy, a rolling orange suitcase decorated with tiger stripes! The little suitcase has a grooved seat in the center to make it perfect for little ones to sit upon, with a long strap that can either be worn on your shoulder or be a ready tow-line for the suitcase's passenger. It was awesome! We've never gotten through an airport faster, Alton loved the ride, and we were turning heads and asked "What is that?!" by everyone we passed.
Our itinerary included a layover in Sacramento long enough for Grammy, Andy's mom, to meet us in baggage claim for a quick hello and some energy-releasing fun for Alton: she brought along the plasma car from their house, a little scooter-mobile that was a rip-rollin' good time on the tile floor at SMF.
And on to Disneyland! Disbelieving of the weather predictions in the low-to-mid-70s, we Oregonians came prepared wearing what we know best: layers. Here we are first thing in the morning on Disneyland Day #1, with Alton proudly sporting his Mickey artwork. (That sweatshirt came off soon afterward.)
We started meandering around, Alton completely unable to digest the incredibly colorful, joyful, cartoon-y world around him, and started easing into a routine of checking out the rides, assessing whether all three of us could ride, and (at least on Andy's part) trying whenever possible to snap pictures. Alton was really into Dumbo, but didn't want his elephant to go up and down! We stayed cruising just above the little pond underneath the flying pachyderms while his engineer's eyes assessed the structural integrity of the steel beams rotating us around.
Just like his Nonna, Alton LOOOOOVED the teacups! And as many times as I've ever been to Disneyland, I've never seen shorter teacups lines before. We hit that ride at least four times (without spinning the cup--the large-scale cruising was enough for the little man) and Alton got a huge kick out of picking his cup, opening and closing the little door to the "car," and waving to Daddy if he was on the sidelines.
After some walking around...we ran into Mickey and Minnie! Hooray, Alton got a picture with the mouse while wearing his cool new shirt.
He smiled with Minnie and she even gave him a hug!
The submarine ride, more Fantasyland favorites, some incredibly expensive snacks and eventually Day #1 was over. Even though this guy usually crashes for a 2-3 hour nap in midafternoon, he was awestruck and still going strong late into the evening...(Note his button that reads: My 1st Visit! A nice lady at one of the shops gave it to him.)
...our day wrapped up with amazing colors and lights and a really fun photo that Andy took!
The next morning dawned early for our sore feet and we headed back to Anaheim for more fun. Alton loves Pooh Bear and had stars in his eyes when he got to meet his yellow friend.
Then we noticed Tigger was right nearby, too!
We went on a ride and were just meandering out when Alton let out a squawk of shock: THREE characters from the 100-acre wood all in a row! He rushed right over to them and waited his turn to pose. He was so, so, happy.
We rode around the park to Toontown on the Disneyland Railroad...
...and for once I turned the camera around on Andy! The two guys were ready to cruise in this animation-worthy auto.
With an early lunch, we wrapped up at Disneyland and headed over to California Adventure for more amazement! I had never been there before and was eager to see all these new-to-me rides. On our way over, we grabbed a rental stroller and strolled steadily in the shade for a minute to let Alton doze off for a much-needed nap. His new friend, Nemo, acted as pillow.
He woke up rested and ready to go. We climbed into the huuuuge Ferris Wheel for great panoramic views.
And after a little while spotted the Toy Story crew! Alton was speechless in their presence.
A quiet moment with his fishy friend.
I included a shot of this ride because it's the one Alton always refers to as "his favorite" when people ask him which ride he liked the best. These big rocket pods are attached to strings and rotated around high in the sky. No Alton in this picture, but another cool one from Andy!
Hooray, the movie CARS is coming to California Adventure! Welcome to Radiator Springs! (A favorite of Alton's.)
Day #2 of Disneyland fun wrapped up in A Bug's Land, where all the rides and decor revolves around the insects from the movie "A Bug's Life." Alton gets the stinkeye from a wisecracking ladybug.
The next day we finally got to enjoy some time with our hosts: my Aunt Coleen and Uncle Mike! They very generously opened their home to us during our trip, and Alton was in heaven playing in their backyard in the sunshine.
Alton arranged some of his trip souvenirs in the grass.
Coleen even had a little set of cars at her house, perfect for little boys to play with!
During this trip we were also able to pay a visit to Andy's Uncle Scott and his grandparents (pictured below) Shirley and Chuck. Sadly, Chuck passed away just a few weeks after our trip. We will miss him very much, and were so glad that we got this chance to be together, chat, and snap photos of Alton with two of his great-grandparents.
It was definitely a birthday trip to remember. All of these pictures warm my heart, we still talk about some of Alton's wondering one-liners from the amusement parks, and he still sleeps at night with his arm tucked around Nemo the fish.
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