And we're off

A silly photo to tide you over...

T & I will be taking our first kid-free vacation out of town since the 3 of us became 4 of us. Kids will be home with grandparents spoiling them. But that means limited posts. We'll be home soon. Hang in there. 

Oh, and for all of my family and friends who are OSU fans (that is Oregon State for those of you out-of-towners) O.M.G. Go Beavs!! USC. No way. I am actually considering teaching my kids a few real cheers for OSU - not just the ones that mock. 

And she's off...

It took the 3 of us using various methods of distraction to get G to sit still long enough to snap a few shots for her obligatory "sitting with the boppy pillow" monthly photo session. 

Even so, she took off, as fast as she could go, toward the open baby gate and up the stairs. 

Not her best angle, but she moved so fast, I couldn't shoot it any other way. Then, we got the obligatory, "Yeah for me," clap at the top of the stairs. 

Happy Kids

Photos of T's folks with the kiddos. 

Very happy boy with his Grandma. G is watching her brother in awe.  Grandma looks pretty happy, too. 

G with a very happy jungle gym.  She is waving hello to Mom behind the camera. 

Kiss the Baby

We spent the weekend at Sunriver, a local resort full of rental homes, bike baths, golf courses, tennis courts, and a spa. T's parents joined us. Nice to have 4 extra hands when rounding up the youngins...I have included photos of G spending time with her best friend - the baby. She loves it when she can see the baby - this particular time it was her reflection in the patio door. We started asking her to give the baby a kiss, so she leaned in and kissed the glass, then she laughed and laughed. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!

When toddlers dress themselves

Many moms choose to argue with their kids when deciding what the child will wear to school, church or a family photo. I've been known to go a round or two with B if he's made a particularly poor clothing choice. However, I know that if he goes out in clashing duds, MOST people will realize that I had nothing to do with the situation. I have actually been know to encourage some creativity when it comes to getting dressed so that when I have to pull the "you are not going out in that outfit" card, it carries some weight. This particular combo just screamed "photograph me" so that I can torture him later in life (think Prom night). He was very proud of each element - frogs on the (too small) hat & shorts, zebra on the shirt, Thomas snow boots (great on a warm, sunny day). So, for those of you readers who don't have a small child in the house, please know that if you come across a little person trying to express their inner "Project Runway" designer, Mama may not have prevented the combo, but she didn't necessarily endorse it.  

Many faces of a teething baby

More shameless photos

An attempt at photographic evidence

If you zoom in you can see the tooth. Bottom right (her left) coming in at an angle. 

B showing he can show off his teeth...

Who doesn't love the "so big" pose, especially when you get multiple, beautiful arm rolls in the process?

Not posed. He really does just run up and  hug her a few times during the course of the day.

Goodbye Gums

Both kids have been restless for days. B not napping (boo hoo) but having an "I really need a nap" attitude and G (who isn't one to wake much) up several times in the night. I have my own theories about B, but with G, the answer is now obvious. She cut her first tooth today between breakfast and lunch. It's not a big surprise. She's been chewing on lots of things when she typically won't chew anything but food and her gums were beginning to swell. But I know that it can take weeks or months for teeth to emerge. At 10 1/2 months she definitely took her time getting them. Now I need to snap about 1,000 photos of her (nearly) toothless, gummy grin for it is the last time we'll have one of those in our house. (Insert collective "Ahhhh" here). 

First Day of School - 2008

B's been attending school since last October - including summer camp at his school - so today didn't feel much different to him. However, as a Mom, I have an obligation to take a photo to mark the beginning of the school year .  

As a side note - he's holding his own nifty-nabber. This is just like the nabber Grandma got to help pick up items dropped on the floor after her back surgery. 

Just for a basis of comparison, here is a photo of his first day last October. My, what a difference a year can make!

New Local Celebrity

We decided to spend the morning at the zoo. We thought the resting giraffe (check out his front legs) was pretty cool. 

Not to be outdone by the beautiful Amur leopard.

But who doesn't love a new baby?? This little guy was born on 8/23. He weighed nearly 300 lbs but looks so little comparatively - about the size of a brown bear. His mother weighed 100 lbs less at birth so I guess he isn't small for an elephant. B's been talking about him all week - since the local news stations can't stop reporting on him.