Happy Halloween!

Pictures from our playgroup's Halloween party at Megan and Kate's!

This is all of us!

Ellie Claire the Doggie and Braiden.


Two little monkeys! Braiden on the left, Mateo on the right.

Pumpkin Patch

Wow, it's been almost a week since our last post! Braiden has been busy. The other night he took 3 steps, over and over again, from the coffee table to mommy. He was very proud of himself! He has also added 3 top teeth to his pearly collection in the last week, for a total of 6! Let's see... he now knows what the monkey and the bunny say. Last but certainly not the least, we were busy cheering on the World Champion Red Sox! Woohoo! Now the Red Sox have won in Braiden's life time. Not everybody can say that! :)

We visited a pumpkin patch today with some of my friends! Here's me in my monkey suit.

I still like to point.

Joe, Ellie Claire, Bryce and I.

Finally out of the monkey suit! It was about 80 degrees and way too hot for it!

Braiden loved pulling the hay out of the bales! He was in 7th hay-ven, getting messy!

All so serious.

New Teeth!

Sleepover

Despite the circumstances, Braiden and I had a great sleepover at Bess and Ellie Claire's! It was a lot of fun: Braiden discovered his inner dog lover, played with Ellie Claire's cool toys, and we both got to spend time with good friends. Thanks for providing us with a place to stay!

Wildfires

Thank you everyone for your emails, phone calls, loving concern - and especially your prayers! And a big thanks to my sister who has kept everyone updated!!! We are home now, came back last night. Our area hasn't been under mandatory evacuation orders, but we did spend Monday night with a good friend of ours. Thanks, Bess, for your hospitality! We were close to the mandatory evacuation zones (4 miles north and 3 miles east) and decided to leave late Monday night, just in case.

If you are reading the news, take heart. The evacuation numbers are frighteningly large, but really, it means the officials are being extremely careful. There has been no panicky mass exodus; everything has happened in a very orderly and calm fashion. People were given plenty of notice to evacuate. The evacuation centers remain open, but a lot of people have been allowed back into their homes. All in all, it has been a very well managed crisis situation.

The air quality isn't too bad in our area. We can smell the smoke, but can't see it, and there's only a fine layer of ash on our cars, etc. We have the car still packed, and we are prepared to leave if need be, but as of right now, our area is safe. In the map above, we are south and west of the burn and evacuation areas.

Photos from This Week

The party continues: We had a birthday lunch with Matthew and Ellie Claire at the Cheesecake Factory! Thanks, friends, for celebrating with me! (In the last picture above, he is waving to himself. :))


Here are some more of my cool birthday gifts!

Braiden is ready to go!



Braiden found a great piece of furniture: the recliner!

Hugs!

Not the greatest of photos (taken with the computer), but I couldn't resist posting. Spontaneous hug from Braiden!

Braiden's First Year

It is hard to believe Braiden has turned one. And yet, on the other hand, a time when he wasn't here seems so distant. Part of me feels sad, seeing our baby grow up so fast, but a bigger part of me loves seeing all the new phases he goes through and everything he is learning.

Braiden is 19 lbs 8 0z (8,845kg) and 30 1/4 inches (77cm). He met all the milestones in his one year check-up and is a healthy and thriving little boy! He is busy crawling and cruising along furniture and has taken a couple of steps here and there - purely by accident. He has 3 words - dada, mama, and num-num (food), and about 4 consistent signs - more, all done, milk, airplane. He waves hi and bye-bye and loves to clap for himself and play peek-a-boo, stack cups and blocks, and take things in and out of anything. His favorite toys are his dump truck and the stuffed horse from Grandma.

We still have a lot of weekly activities: swim lessons, playgroups, and music & movement. We love getting together with friends and going to parks, libraries, and bookstores. Braiden loves to read! He often "reads" along and turns the pages for mommy.

He loves to imitate - anything and everything, from combing his hair to putting his socks on, trying to say different words, etc. He eagerly races to the door when mama lets him know it's "time to go bye-bye". Same with bath time, he is often waiting for me by the bath tub, trying to take his clothes off.

He is still a very good sleeper and loves naptime and bedtime - mostly because he is reunited with his blankie and binkies that wait for him in bed. :) He is a great eater and loves just about everything - as long as it's whatever everyone else is having!

We have had a very busy year, with a lot of traveling. Braiden has especially loved spending time with his best friend and cousin Annabel. And in just two months, he is going to be a big brother!

Here are pictures of Braiden's first year... enjoy! Oh, and Braiden and I would love to see pictures of the other babies' first year... Up for the challenge? :-D


October 2006 - 5 days old

November 2006 - 1 month

December 2006 - 2 months

January 2007 - 3 months

February 2007 - 4 months

March 2007 - 5 months

April 2007 - 6 months

May 2007 - 7 months

June 2007 - 8 months

July 2007 - 9 months

August 2007 - 10 months

September 2007 - 11 months

October 2007 - 1 year!