Jumpin' Jumparoo

As I mentioned in his 5 month post, Little Man is a mad man in his Jumparoo! Here are pics and a video from about a month ago that crack me up. This was the first time he spent a considerable amount of time in the Jumparoo and really figured out what to do in it. Now he wants to spend at least 3, 20 minute sessions in it! Wow - Mom is finally able to get some cleaning, school work and (if I'm really lucky) a quick workout in!! LOVE the Jumparoo!!

Classroom visit

Tristan is really becoming a regular in my classroom! He spent most of August there with me as I frantically tried to put together my new room and then has become a regular visitor on the weekends. He doesn't usually come in on the weekdays, but since I had SOOO much to do to get ready for our field trip to the pumpkin patch and our Halloween party this week, Brian had to drop him off for a few hours. Since Tues & Thurs are Brian's days to have him at the office, it worked out perfectly. I tried to keep him incognito, but since I share a large classroom with my teaching partner, it was hard to keep him a secret for too long. The students kept trying to find any excuse to peek over the barely-there barrier (ah, the joys of a 2-in-1 classroom). Sorry Raina for disrupting your entire Science lesson!!



I'm not going to be able to contain him for very long. He was already moving around in circles the entire time!

Let's Dance!

Last night we went over to Trav & Bridg's for dinner. Little did we know it would also turn into a dance show! Each time we come over, Lincoln always has to show us his new gadgets. This time, he pulled out his guitar and immediately started showing Tristan his moves. Little Man loved watching his cousin and was cheering from the sidelines!

Sitting Man

We have a sitter! For the past week or so, Little Man has been able to semi-support himself by leaning all the way over to his toes while sitting. He could usually stay in the position until he became too top-heavy and toppled over to the side. And then yesterday, although still showing me how flexible he is by touching his toes, he showed me he could sit almost all the way up! We're not all the way there yet, but it's still fun for him to show me his new independence!


*Sorry about the blurry photos - these were taken with my iPhone. Maybe I should have listened to my brother when he was trying to tell me that his iPhone4 was SOOO much better than my iPhone3. Okay, I'll admit it Trav. Yes, it is...*

Little Man's Best Friend

It's so fun to see Little Man realizing he has two pets. He absolutely loves Bella and laughs at her any time she walks into the room. Bella will pretend she's not noticing him, then will come over with a sneak attack and drown him with her her doggy slobber. They are pretty cute to watch!

On your mark, get set...

Challenging each other to a stare-off

Annual Fall Fest

Sunday we celebrated the 4th (maybe 5th??) annual Fall Fest. It has definitely changed over the years as many of us have gotten married, started families and can't quite stay up as late as we used to! One example - for the first three years, we went to the pumpkin patch on a Friday night, then went back to someone's house for dinner, had wine and then watched a scary movie. This year, the Fall Fest took place on a Sunday afternoon/evening with four children in tow, which helped end the evening by 8!

We all met out at Kruger Farms on Sauvie Island and then went back to the Zervis' for dinner afterward. Fall Fest is one of my favorite traditions among our friend group, especially when the weather is absolutely perfect for the pumpkin patch!

Family photo opp on the hayride

On the way to pick out the perfect pumpkin

Nick and Leah staking claim to their Great Pumpkin


More family photo opps among the cornstalks

Tristan with his first pumpkin!


Back at the Zervis' - definitely a different scence at this year's Fall Fest!

Happy 5 month!!

Wow, can't believe our Little Man is already 5 months! For some reason, 5 months seems so much older than 4 - he is such a big boy now!

Here are some 5 month milestones:
*He's really into touching and putting his feet into his mouth. If he's laying on his back, chances are he has both hands on his feet, trying to find a way to put both in his mouth :)
*He loves interacting with those around him. He pretends to act shy and coy and "flirts" with anyone who barely looks at him. He also will check out a new person inquistively, staring at them until he feels like they are okay to be silly with.
*He absolutely LOVES both his Jumparoos and is a mad man in them!
*He has now noticed the dogs and will often try to interact with them as much as possible. He tries to pet both of them as they walk by, although Bella is the only one who pays attention. It seems like the feeling is mutual between he and Bella, who will lay down next to him and try to lick him as much as possible, or have a stare off. I have a feeling those two will get into a lot of mischief together over the next few years!
*He loves to "sing" and will often sing himself to sleep.
*His cousin Lincoln has really shown an interest in him and is so excited every time we come to visit. He loves showing "Teestan" all his toys and books and will have a full conversation with him about them. He also loves to feed him his bottle and is always making sure everything is okay with his little bud. I am so excited to see these two playing soon!!


Relaxing in the robe after a refreshing bath



Lovin' his ladies!

At Happy Hour with the All Saints crew

Taking his first ride in his big boy Jeep!


BFFs

Celebration of Life

This past weekend, a group of us girlfriends traveled down to the Sacramento/Lake Tahoe area to support one of our closest friends during one of the hardest times in her life. As soon as we found out her dad's health was in jeopardy, we knew we needed to show her family the kind of love and support they have shown us over the 11-13 years we have known them.

I had the great honor of meeting Jim Plank 11 years ago when Jenna and I first became roommates. Over the next five years while Jenna and I lived together, he and his wife Sue were common visitors. Since my own parents lived out of town, I always looked forward to their visits. It felt so much homier in our sparsely-decorated house when they were there.

Over the past 11-13 years, they have attended many of our important life milestones - graduations, house-warming parties, Corrado Fests, weddings and even celebrations of some of our children. One example of their selflessness and generosity - they sent us a gift for Tristan even while Jim was going through the hardest part this summer. Just another reason why we needed to be there for Jenna and her family.

Jim had a heart transpant 12 years ago. This new heart gave him 12 more years of life. It's hard to believe that he never would have been in our lives had it not been for his new heart. This amazing procedure not only gave him quite a few more years with his family, but it also allowed all of us college friends to meet him. Had it not been for this, so many people would have missed out on knowing him.

Jenna and her family planned a beautiful celebration of life for Jim on Sunday. It took place outdoor, at a beautiful property owned by one of his friends. Many people got up and spoke about what an amazing person he was. I had never been to this kind of memorial service before, but it really seemed to compliment Jim's love for life. It was an amazing day that taught me what love, life and relationships are all about.


The beautiful setting at Jim's memorial



The day/night before we went to his memorial service, we decided to take Ali up on her offer and stay at her family's condo in Squaw Valley. This used to be a common vacation spot among our friends for quite a few years. And Dresel and I even lived in Squaw for two summers while working at a summer camp in Truckee. Here we shared a job, a car, a room and even a bed! (Loooong story - it would take it's own blog to explain all the craziness of those two summers :) Sadly, I hadn't been back in close to four years. We are so grateful that we were able to stay a night in our old stomping grounds - so many memories!

Even though the main reason we were down there was to celebrate Jim's life, we had originally wanted to surprise Jenna by coming down, which meant we'd be staying in a different location Saturday night, thus taking Ali up on her Squaw offer. Even though she ended up finding out, we decided to stick with the original plan, in part because (as Lyndsey so eloquently put it) it was also a celebration that so many of us were able to leave families/jobs behind for an entire weekend. It doesn't happen as often as it used to!

Of course we had to pack in as much as we could into the limited time we had that day! Here are some pics of a last minute wine tasting detour, wine bar in Squaw and beautiful Lake Tahoe. It turned out to be a pretty amazing trip!




Wine tasting at Vina Castrellana




At a wine bar in Squaw Valley



Picture perfect day at Squaw!!


Driving to Placerville for the service, we stopped at Emerald Bay for a photo opp - what a beautiful day for our drive!

Even though it was hard to be away from my Little Man all weekend for the first time, I am so glad I was able to be there for a friend when she needed us the most.

Whirlwind Weekend

What a whirlwind! Brian, Little Man and I had a packed weekend of social events - a complete opposite from last weekend's more subdued family time. Not only did Brian and I get to have some fun adult time, Tristan was also able to visit with quite a few of his friends, too.

We started things off right by going to the Greek Festival on Friday night with a group of friends. Surprisingly, we had both never been before even though it is right down the street from my school. It was basically the Greek's version of Oktoberfest, complete with an abundance of food and drinks. I definitely think this will be a yearly thing :)

Prefunking at the Zervis', we got to see our friend Amelia Netzel before heading out for the night.

Not too sure how he was able to sleep through the excitement, but there are times I wish I could ride around in an Ergo when I am tired. Especially that night :)

Then on Saturday night, we celebrated our friend, Traci's, birthday. The three of us didn't quite make it out as late as the night before, but still had a good time celebrating!

Tristan and best bud Logan

Love this picture - looks like they're having a pretty serious discussion.

And last but not least, Brian and I had our very first date night on Sunday since Tristan was born. And it was Little T's first time with our sitter at night. I think he was the least nervous out of the three of us since he also got to have a playdate with Reese Dudy at the same time. He barely looked our direction as we left :(. Our friends had gotten us tickets to see Jack Johnson last spring while I was still pregnant and October had seemed so far away then. I had no idea then that a late night concert on a Sunday would be twice as hard to attend with a baby to think about, work the next day and a weekend full of other events. Brian and I are definitely not 25 any more!! Despite all this, we had SO much fun on our first night out since becoming parents. But if you had asked me how I felt this morning during my 5am wake up call for work, not so sure I was thinking the midnight bedtime was completely necessary. My, how 31 and being parents change you :)




The concert took place at an ampitheater - the reason for the jacket and beanie that Brian insisted he wear. Hmmm...kind of hate to admit that he was right...

Today's blog brought to you by...

Tristan!

Little Man in the Mirror

We've been playing in his room more and more lately. Today I pulled out a mirror I had bought (and then never used!) for my times in Pre-K last year. I knew this would be the perfect toy him, so we set it up and spent at least 30 minutes playing with the Little Man in the Mirror :)

My favorite is at the end when he realizes I am recording him and gives me the "seriously, mom??" look!