Tucson Zoo

Before Daddy arrived, Grandma and Grandpa took us to see the Tucson Zoo. Mia became riveted by the giraffes. We had no idea that she loved giraffes so much, but we had to keep on going back to see them and tear her away at the end.

Tucson

Grandma and Grandpa moved to Tucson in January so we decided to go visit them for Easter. Mom, Mia, and CJ flew out early and Dad followed a few days later. The kids did great on the planes and Mom was very happy that there were some very nice people to help get on and off the planes.

We had a great time enjoying the desert, especially seeing all the plants and wildlife.

Being a Big Sister Means...

Being a big sister means helping your brother learn how to walk...



Mia and CJ did this for quite a while after school yesterday, but I sadly only thought to get it on video when they were getting tired of the game.

*Sorry about the video quality, but this was taken on my iPhone.

Oh What A Beautiful Day

We could not have asked for a more beautiful Sunday.

We played outside after church.

And then headed to Nina and Taid's for dinner. We even got to eat outside!

My Ball

"Where is my ballllllll? I can't find my balllllll."

"Do youuu know where my ball is?"

"Please help me find my ball."
(Notice pitiful remaining tear on left cheek.)

"There you are ball. I missed you so much. I'll never let you out of my sight again. "

Current Events

Here's just a nice shot of Mia getting the latest current events with Dad.

Future Olympian

Well, if they decide to add an 8 mo old chair walking competition, then CJ has it in the bag.




...unless he comes across a rug.

Dress Up Fun

Fun in the Snow

Mia's got to live up this snow while she can. Who knows if she'll ever see this much snow again!

Buried & more coming

The storm started around noon on Friday and brought 6-8 inches by bedtime; respectable, but not bad. This morning, we woke up to about 16 inches and another 6-8 are predicted. Oh dear...

Mia's Update

Mia hasn't been up for photographs much, but here are some recent cute ones. She loves school and playing with her brother. Her favorite game is Dora Memory, though she not so good about letting you take your own turn and is pretty good at remembering where all the cards are.

She has become obsessed with robes. She got one for Christmas, but insists on also wearing one that Nina and Taid got CJ.

She also really enjoys watching the snow fall. She's a big fan of winter. We're not sure how to break it to her that this is a very, very unusual winter for here and she's not likely to see this much snow again until she goes to college and chooses someplace in the north.

CJ's Update

Yes, it has been a very long time since we've posted new pictures, but life has gotten a little crazy. Here are some recent pictures of our crazy little man, CJ. He's really fast at crawling, wants to stand all the time, and cruises or uses chairs and the like to push himself along standing.

Daddy was able to get a few shots of him actually sitting still.



Then, Jabber came to visit while Nina and Taid went on a trip. CJ and Jabber are very close and Jabber is very well behaved with him. CJ can even grab toys out of the dog's mouth and he doesn't even flinch!

He did protest with some whining when CJ tried to invade Jabber's personal space in his crate.

Buying New Baby Cards in Bulk

This week, we welcomed two new friends into the world. This week's set seem to go together so well, they could have been twins!

First, Charlotte Ann was born on February 2nd to our River friends Mary and Dave. Charlotte is joining an ever-growing list of children of Mommy's friends from Thousand Island Park. We hope to be able to see them this summer and have a nice little reunion!

Next, Claire Evelyn was born on February 4th to our friends Susan and Matt. Susan and Mommy went to college together and have followed each other to various cities around the country. They still live in San Francisco so we're hoping they eventually wise up and move to DC! (Though, we're not holding our breaths, sadly.) We can't wait until we get to meet Claire!!

CJ 6 Month Update

The Stats:

Height: 26"
Weight: 16lbs 9 oz

We couldn't do shots because CJ had a fever from a virus he was getting over. Even with being sick, he was in a great mood and showed off his crawling for the doctor. She was quite impressed and was one of only two babies she's seen crawl before 6 months!

Random Conversations Heard Today

Rob had to work today so it is just Mommy, Mia, and CJ home alone. We have a wind advisory so it is bitter cold outside, which isn't very inviting for the walk I had hoped we'd do. Instead, here are some snippets of some conversations Mia and I have had today.

Me to Mia as we're leaving her bedroom: Mia, I'm sad you didn't take a nap today.
...About 10 minutes later downstairs...
Mia: Mom, you are sad? I make you happy. I'll play instruments and make music. Music makes you happy.
Mia proceeds to play various instruments she got for Christmas (recorder, harmonica, castanets, etc).
Mia: Mom, are you happy now? I made you happy by playing music.


Mia: Mom. Baby brother is my horse.
(Mia is behind her brother holding the hood of his sweatshirt as reigns.)
Me: Mia, don't pull on the hood. It could hurt your brother.
Mia: No Mom, he's my horse.
Gall-Up horse. Gall-Up! (Waving the hood up and down and thankfully, not strangling CJ.)
Come on horse.
Gitty-down.

Crawling

It's been hard to remember to video tape and then upload the videos of CJ crawling so we finally have some. We don't have it on video, but he's also now pulling himself to standing on low objects like the stairs.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Walk in Old Town

Given the relatively warm temperatures, we decided to head to Old Town for a walk along the waterfront.

CJ spent his time sleeping in the stroller.

Mia, on the other hand, spent her time running around, watching the ducks, and enjoying the time outside.

Happy 5 Months

Christopher is now 5 months old. He happily sits and is very close to crawling. He smiles, talks all the time, and gives big belly laughs. His favorite activity though is playing with his sister. The picture below is of the two of them playing peek-a-boo with Mia just about to cover his eyes.

Halloween

We had a fantastic Halloween this year.

Mia enjoyed painting her pumpkin while Dad carved his.

And, Grandpa happen to be in town for some business meetings so he was able to the holiday with us. Mia was a mouse, which prompted Grampa's cheese head, and CJ was a leopard*. The day was quite warm (70 degrees) so trick or treating was a lot of fun, though no pictures were taken.

*All costumes courtesy of Grandma and her wonderful sewing machine.