Signing for my food

"more" and "please"

"milk" and "yeah"

"thank you"

Mommy loves when I sign! It just makes everyone happier.

Sonoma Farmer's Market

July 13, 2010

Here I am with Papa walking to the Sonoma Farmer's Market...

After some running around and grabbing strangers' legs, mom made me sit in the stroller for a little while.

In the middle of the square, is a playground. I insisted that Papa swing with me and he did!

There is also a pond with ducks, which captured my complete attention. I am a sucker for birds and bird watching. Papa, Grammie Joan and mom had to keep a close eye on me, because a few times I tried to reach out into the water for the birds when they weren't looking.

After walking around and playing, we all got some food and settled in the grass for a picnic. Mari met up with us, since she now lives just a few blocks from the square. I had a great time playing peek-a-boo, engaging mom in chase games, and roaming the lawn to socialize with people from other picnics. Below, I am showing Mari how much noise her bags can make.

Hot Day in Middletown

July 10, 2010
How to stay cool in Middletown on a very hot summer day:

1.Learn how to enjoy sitting in a kiddie pool in the shade under a fan.
2. Keep smiling, even if you have to force it.

3. Get the adults to play with you.

4. Ask other toddlers to splash and play.

5. Learn how to get your own hair wet to cool down.

Baseball

Here is my first time playing baseball. I pitched the ball to mom and she hit it back. The ball she gave me was much different than the normal tennis ball I throw, so it didn't go as far as it usually did, but it was fun nonetheless.

World Cup Fever

So, as many others in the world, I have spent the last several weeks tuned into the World Cup. Once mom explained that the game entailed kicking a ball, I have been hooked...
Excited for the match to start...

Go USA, Uruguay and Argentina! After the US was out of the tournament, I spent my time cheering for Uruguay and Argentina, since those are the only other countries I have been to. They were also interesting teams to watch. Not like those silly spanish players who only ever won by a goal.

Practicing my vuvuzela skills. Now if only mom would get me a real one, so I can make some real noise for the games.

My version of thundersticks. Hey, a boy's gotta celebrate every way he knows how.

Moving in for a closer look...

I didn't let meals interrupt my chance to view the games...

Can't wait until I can start playing myself. Now let's hear it for the USA in 2014!

4th of July

On July 4th, Grandma and Grandpa Miller celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!! Mom, dad and Aunt Sheila packed them a picnic and sent them to the plaza to work on a memory book that they made.

While they were gone, I think I figured out how to use a VHS player on my own. I had never seen one before, since nobody I know except grandpa owns one.

When they returned, I showed off my stacking skills with my block train...

I even clap for myself when I get a block on.

Mom and dad made everyone dinner, then we watched fireworks from the golf course. Before they began, I tried to convince everyone that a bright star was the moon, but no one was buying it. The moon wasn't out, so I thought it was a close second. I loved watching all of the lights of the fireworks in the sky. I was only scared a little during the finale, when there were lots of big booms.

Ball Boy

Spending time with the grandparents in Healdsburg. I think grandpa has found a way to meld some of his favorite things together, tennis, exercise and me! This was so much fun. I get to ride in the basket, while grandpa or grandma collects balls, then as soon as they come into the basket, I get to throw them out again!

Garden Helper

This summer, mom, dad, and I have been working in the garden, trying to get our veggies to grow. Dad has been awesome at watering with me and mom likes to take me through the garden to pick weeds. The other day, mom sat me on the lawn and threw freshly picked weeds my way. I wanted to help, so I would then take each weed and throw it even farther. This was a really fun game, until mom caught me chewing and sucking on the root of a weed. My mouth was full of dirt, so there was no denying it! You see, mom doesn't really care about the rest of me getting dirty, but once I start trying to eat things like dirt, we are usually done.

Here I am after helping mom. Check out the legs!


I am giving mom a "silly smile" so she can capture the ring of dirt around my mouth on film.

I was quickly put into the bath tub to clean up. Check out my new favorite pose for the camera:

Checking out the taste of the rubber ducky:

What?! I wasn't doing anything...

Making sure I get rinsed off well:

Mom thinks I am such a ham:

While in the bath, I like to line up my bath toys on the tub, and mom will sometimes flick them back into the water:

Yeah! That looks right...

Grandma Kathy's Birthday

June sure was a month of great birthday celebrations! On June 28th, the family all went up to Healdsburg to celebrate Grandma Kathy's birthday. We first caravaned to Diavola Pizzeria, where the grown-ups enjoyed yummy italian style pizzas. I got to try some of the crusts, which were also delicious. After dinner, we returned to the grandparent's house for dessert and play time. Aunt Sheila made a lovely fig cake, served with ice cream. Mom let me have a few bites, which made me grin with joy.

Hanging out with grandma:
Giving kisses:

Practicing my walking...notice the hands in the air technique:

Posing with some of the fam...grandpa is getting me to smile to my left, which was way more interesting than the camera itself.:

1st Shiner

Now that I am walking around, I am finding more things accessible to me. For example, I saw this cord and pulled it, the other day. Down came a glass full of marbles and coins. I started to cry, which mom thought was due to shock, but later she realized that the glass hit me near my eye. She tried to take a picture of the damage, but I was too busy being a ham for the camera: Finally, I fell asleep and she got the picture of my first black eye:

Luckily, it only lasted a day or so.

June 26th, 2010

On Saturday, June 26th, dad did not have to go to school, so we enjoyed a lovely sunny day. First we walked to the Farmer's Market, where we met Aunt Sheila. Mom, Sheila and I roamed around the market and snacked on some baked goodies. Next we joined dad at the Police Dog Trials at the Fairgrounds. When we arrived they were doing dog races. I thought it was pretty interesting at first, but then my attention turned to practicing my walking skills on the grass.
That evening, our neighbor Jennifer offered to take us to La Cantera with her daughter for a swim. This was my first time in a big pool! Mom dressed me in the right gear:

However, I was a bit nervous to get in. Mom had to hold me and she slowly dipped the two of us in the kiddie pool. I did not like it at first, but there were a few other kids in there to help distract me. Eventually, I let mom float around the 1 foot kiddie pool and I sat on her stomach. Jennifer played in the pool too, which was fun, but I never got too far from mom the whole time. After all of the emotional drain, I spent some time relaxing in the sun...

WALKING!

On June 25th, I decided it was finally time to start walking. At first it was only a few steps in between mom and dad...

Then, it quickly became 7-8 steps within a few minutes...

Less than 24 hours later, I was walking across the house...

Mom always thought that I would walk when I was good and ready. I am a pretty cautious tike, so I like to wait until I am really sure I can do something before I do it.