hike

daddy & happy passenger!

? falls

daddy, z, & uncle c

the trio, eating lunch above triple falls.

hike

triple falls, although not so clear due to stupid people eating at the perfect photo area.

wheee!!!!

too-too (choo-choo)!!!

pumpkin patch 2010

z is all ready for the pumpkin patch!!!

on the train, with the grandparents close by...

we hit the pumpkin patch at exactly the busiest time. daddy bought some kettle corn, which z loved!

pumpkin patch 2010

z meets a mule.

daddy makes a friend.

fun climbing on the haystack pyramid. z had fun walking inside with daddy.

thanks for coming with us, abuela & abuelo!

harvest festival

z's new preschool holds a fundraiser each year - a harvest festival.

z had fun with the "boo" basketball.

here he's enjoying making big bubbles with extra large bubble wands.

thanks for the cute outfit, uncle j & aunt m!

zonked out from the festival, complete with a necklace he made. we all especially enjoyed the bells. after the harvest festival, we drove to canby to visit a pumpkin patch with the grandparents.

zoo

we went to the zoo a couple tuesdays ago. there's always quite a wait to play on this old tractor. it's popular with the tykes.

my cutie!

z was fascinated with the zoo lights. he kept wanting to touch them. he didn't quite understand what they were (because they weren't lighted).

z's 2nd b'day

z in the morning. he just loves elmo these days!

we headed to meriwether's for brunch to celebrate being parents for 2 years. we enjoyed watching all the poor marathon runners running by the restaurant in the pouring rain. when we went in, the temperature was rather mild, but it had gotten a lot colder when we left. so glad i wasn't running!

z & mommy at breakfast.

daddy and his yucky looking belgian waffle with fried chicken & bacon.

z is happy with his toast & fruit.

a close up of daddy's yucky looking food. he loved it, and finished every bite!

z's 2nd b'day

z & auntie m

z & uncle j, & daddy & abuelo

mommy had to teach a lot over the birthday weekend. group class 7-9pm friday night, cooking & 3 hours teaching saturday & errand running, and group class 3-4 on sun, with party starting at 4. cake was decorated all mid-morning & early afternoon long, and daddy had to cook all the hors d'oeuvres & get things set up while mommy taught. daddy did a great job! long long day for all. z was tantrum-y by the end of the night. he was still so tired the next day that he fell asleep on daddy long before his bedtime, so for the first time in a long time, he went to bed without a bath.

z's 2nd b'day

z & his new bike (that he has no interest in riding at the moment)

spider web cake - daddy drew the spider web

z & mommy

blowing out candles, with big sister nearby...

z's 2nd b'day

spider cake. took a really really long time to make. would be faster the 2nd time, but will there be a 2nd time? most likely not. buttercream icing, guinness chocolate cake.

z and a lady friend, playing with the elmo toy.

devilish grin...

z and his "big sister" - fun with a magnifying glass!

violin lessons

hmm... is this the right way?

i'm trying it a different way. this thing isn't making any noise. doesn't sound like mommy's...

cupcakes

we went to get cupcakes today from cupcake jones in the pearl district, because they're donating 5% of their profits today to the metropolitan youth orchestra. many of my students participate in that organization, so i wanted to support it. z went with me to the cupcake shop, & didn't seem too excited at the time. however, in the car on the way home, he was really grumpy. when we got home, i realized why - he had been saying "cupcake," and i didn't even know it! he wanted to eat his cupcake! even though it will ruin his lunch, i let him start eating his. he only made it halfway through before saying "all done." mommy was craving doughnuts on sunday, and happily z didn't like them, so i'm not too worried about him getting hooked on junk food.

the 3 remaining cupcakes.

z attacking the bottom of the cupcake.

little pirate

here's a pic of z trying on his costume. it barely fits. i think he makes a pretty fierce, but adorable, pirate.

talking with toddlers

z was playing with our computer, and this is what he pulled up. i thought it was funny.

walking again

Z CAN FINALLY WALK AGAIN!!!! YAY!!!

messy

z hates having anything dirty on his tray or hands when eating. i finally just gave him the wash cloth, but then he threw it on the floor, so it wasn't the brightest idea. this is what he picked for breakfast yesterday - carrots & almond butter. weird kid.

spider smack down

z loves spiders. he makes the sign for spiders whenever he sees them, as he can't say the word yet (although he can say apple, which is fun... we're making progress, albeit little by little). it's hard to see in this picture, but there are 2 spiders, one bigger than the other, that were actually FIGHTING. i thought it was really neat, so i had z watch while he ate his yogurt one morning. i've never seen spiders attack each other.

edamame

who would've guessed? z loves edamame!

1st movie

we are finally letting z watch tv & videos, since he's almost 2. here he is watching monsters inc with daddy. he wasn't interested for very long... he really is only interested in things with elmo. sesame street is only on from 7-8am, and sometimes (like today) he sleeps later than that, so at eating times i'll sometimes play videos for him that are online at the sesame street website.