Playing with my buds

I know this is hard to believe, but Mommy suggested that we meet our friends from Spokane at McDonalds so we could play at the playland. I had a great time! Below is a picture of Daddy and his friend Jon with my buddies Tryton and Jacob. It was taken last July in Spokane.

Yesterday I got to play with my friend Abby while Mommy and Fun Aunt Holly caught up with some long-time friends. Abby and I are only 3 weeks apart. Can you tell who's older? (I'll give you a hint: it's me! Okay, so I'm not very good at keeping secrets...)

Christmas Day

This week has been a blast! Not only have I celebrated my birthday twice, but I also celebrated Chrismas twice. I've been socializing like a champ. It has been a little overwhelming at times...

Plus, my fun Aunt Holly came to stay overnight and I didn't recognize her because I used to think she looked like our phone. Hearing her voice outside of the phone was a bit surreal. She spoiled me rotten though and I think she's my favorite aunt.

Another party pic... stay tuned for more

Elsa's One! (almost)

Elsa had her very first 1st birthday party tonight! (Her second one will be on Tuesday.) Elsa seemed oblivious to the fact that this party was just for her... probably because she is the center of attention every day. Some of her friends traveled all the way from Canada (aka "the great white north") to be at this twice-in-a-lifetime event! (That's Canadian Jess in the middle.)
Mindy had to help Elsa realize that the frosting wasn't just for poking - it was also for eating. Now we will certainly have a little chocolate addict on our hands. You should have seen her face after a few handfuls! Chocolate on her forehead, chocolate on her eyelashes, and somehow even chocolate on her pantlegs. Notice little Lincoln L. in the background. He was the littlest partygoer and had the most fun with the party favors.

Snowshoeing Near Mt. Baker

friends

This is Quinn. He came over to play the other day and I shared my toys with him. Kind of.

Birthday...

shhh, don't tell Elsa, but her birthday is next week. Regular readers of this blog may want to be there. Please e-mail (or comment on this post) if that is you. All out-of-state friends, we understand that you are big Elsa fans and would love to be here, but if you are not, Elsa will understand.

daddy's students

Some of dad's students were featured in a local paper today:

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/43268.html

crafts with mommy

I'm sure glad mommy had snow days last week... we worked on crafts together. Life is never dull with her around. I love my mommy!

bye bye, snow

After 11 days straight with Mommy and Daddy, the snow has almost melted and it's time to get back into the "real world." I didn't get to play in the snow much because I refuse to put shoes on. Tomorrow I finally get to go back to Grandma's to play with the cats and to learn more about my body parts. So far I'm a champ at locating noses, and I'm pretty good at feet, too. Now, if I could just keep straight which person is Mommy and which one is Daddy, I'd be ready for kindergarten.

movie recommendation

Elsa usually does not recommend movies but her dad thinks this is an important one. Whether you like Al Gore or not (the presenter), this is a valuable film in terms of changing human habits for the sake of future generations. Rent an inconvenient truth (or check it out from the library) today.

Boulevard Park...

Having fun with Elsa's orange 4X4. I think she was sleeping at the time.

Money Grubber

Note that Elsa's got her hand in the "piggy bank." She seems to be worried that she'll be discovered.

snow...

More than 8 1/2 inches have accumulated today thus far! Took the BOB all-terrain stroller to church this morning... didn't even have to chain up. ; )

Reading With Your 11 Month Old: a Step By Step Guide

Since these shots were taken, Elsa has been entertaining herself and us by pointing at the teddy bear on each page in one of her books. The first time she did this we thought surely she was advanced and headed for greatness. That was before we asked her to point to the little girl and she pointed at the teddy bear... and we asked her to point at Mama and she pointed at Dada. Ah, well, at least her great intelligence won't go to our heads.

question for anthropologists

Recently, a family member of our household located and photographed this strange circular phenomenon... it contains plastic and fuzzy objects. We are now attempting to discover what type of creature leaves a nearly perfect circular pattern like this one. Any ideas?

Friends...

Elsa visited with Abby last weekend... fun to actually play with someone her own age. Elsa really appreciated Abby's hospitality and willingness to share her very cool toys. She is already looking forward to the next visit!

first words confirmed!

well, elsa has said a lot of things that sound like words. now confirmed by at least three different sources: she can identify and say "duck" and "a duck". she says this about several different shapes and sizes of toy ducks... it is pretty cool. she also says something very close to "cat" when she visits with grandma's cats during the week. thought I would pass along the news. -daddy

Seattle Aquarium

Mommy and Daddy took me to see the marine animals and fish at the Seattle Aquarium on Saturday. I especially liked the sea otters, the "petting pools" (almost as fun as splashing at bathtime) and the pretty tropical fish. I can't wait to go to the zoo next!

You Know Your From Washington State When:

Dad used these in history class today and we thought you might get a kick out of some of them.

• You know the state flower (Mildew).
• You feel guilty when you don't recycle.
• You use the phrase "sun break" and know what it means.
• You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
• You can wear casual clothes to a nice restaurant.
• You've stood on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.
• You understand that if it has no snow or has not erupted, it is not a mountain.
• You can taste the difference between Starbuck's, Seattle's Best, and Tully's.
• You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye (or at least know what they are).
• You consider swimming an indoor sport.
• You are well versed in the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
• In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark -- while only working eight-hour days.
• You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
• You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
• You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
• You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
• You notice "the mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
• You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
• You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
• You've actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
• You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
• You knew immediately that the view out of Frasier's window was fake.
• You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Washington.

Hiking Again

My parents are really trying to get the most out of fall before the weather "turns" whatever that means. Wow, my favorite part was crawling around on the big rock at the top and chewing on pine needles when mommy and daddy weren't looking. Oh yeah... my parents thought the view was pretty.

Entertainment Book

Update: when you follow the link, it really ends up looking like a pyramid scheme... telling you to sell 5 books to get a giftcard... feel free to do it; I figured it would just take you to the entertainment.com main page. Sorry.

My parents essentially eat out of the Entertainment Book... eating out is one of our family's primary forms of entertainment. If you are considering one for next year anyway, use this link to buy it. If 4-5 people use it, my parents and I will take you out to dinner, maybe not a steak dinner, but a dinner. My dad tells me that in the mob underworld (and in politics) this would be called a "kick back". If you won't use the book, ignore this shameless post.

http://friends.entertainment.com/r/3d6ef446b85510298b39

Hiking

Hiking at Squires Lake last weekend with Mom & Dad. After working on the house all summer we are trying to sneak in some hiking before the winter months.

Happy 10th Elsa!

Happy 10 months Elsa! Here is a little old school slide show from your 3 month birthday! The song is mommy's favorite dance tune, but it is on loan to you for this special day.

Wow, check out that dark hair!

Siamese Twins

I hope this makes all of my blog fans laugh. Don't tell Daddy that Mommy helped me post this.

techie cont.

A friend said on Sunday: "does she ever cry?" Elsa has a great attitude about life. It is very rewarding being her parent and watching her grow.

hmmmmm, a lens.

Elsa enjoys technology. She loves banging on the keyboard and chewing on the remote. When mommy's purse tipped over on the floor the other night she chose the cell phone and keys to play with out of all the choking hazards.

NightVision Elsa

Here is Elsa or some critter that looks like Elsa bouncing around and generally having a good time.

books and boxes

I've been reading a bunch of new books lately, but daddy had been slow on changing it. Its more technical than posting, so I can't do it on my own yet. However, I can open the top of the jack in the box I have without listening to all the silly music. You just flip the little lock holding the lid closed rather than spin the handle on the side. ; )

A Special Birthday

Today Elsa celebrates an Elsa Solstice of sorts... 9 months in the womb 9 months out. I asked her tonight which she preferred and she seemed to indicate that she enjoys life outside. She didn't say much about life on the inside - I suspect it was warm and cozy for most of the time, but the cramped conditions necessitated a change of venue. We have enjoyed all 18 months. Happy Birthday Elsa!

Fragrance Lake Hike

This proves it!

Notice that Elsa is watching Face the Nation. We tried to get her hooked on violent cartoons but she prefers listening to senators debate each other. (P.S. Thanks, Kara, for the cute pajamas!)

Lincoln

There are a bunch of pictures of me visiting Lincoln at his blog. Hopefully my mentoring on sucking on and using fingers, picking things up, rolling over, and sitting up will pay off.

This one's for Grandma R.

Look at what a daredevil I am, Grandma! Remind you of any daughters of yours?

Elsa the Historian

Finally, they caught me. I've been reading Daddy's text book for teaching US History. It was going to be a surprise, but I've already memorized US History from 1776-1863. It's hard being a genius.

time with friends...

I have enjoyed spending time with my friends Angela & Quinn and Kara & Lincoln this week.

A special shout out to my buddies Quinn and Lincoln! Its been fun spending the days with you!

Ferry Ride

There's nothing like a trip on the Puget Sound. We love spending time with our smart, beautiful kid!

Hello, World!

This is my newest common facial expression. It is usually accompanied by the ever popular vibrating bv-bv-bv-bv sound, which makes my lips feel funny.
Crawling is hard work! I can't figure out how to get my belly off the ground and move my arms at the same time. It sure makes a lot more sense to walk on my feet than my knees, but that makes it even harder to move my arms!