Road Trip

This past weekend we made a family road trip to Travis AFB so Daddy could go and talk to the USAF Reserves.  While he was in his meeting, we checked out the playground and duck pond on base.  You chased ducks, ran on the trail, climbed all over the playground and there was lots and lots of sliding!



Huston - October 2011

Oh, Huston we have had a fun month.  Your speech has quadrupled and now we are finally understanding each other.  Yay.  Your love for words is so cute, I have even caught you practicing a word over and over until you get it right.  One of your favorite things is to say something really loud in the parking garage and hear the echo.  You still have a quirky way of saying bagel (blagel) and banana (blalanana).  You have also learned how to whisper and think it's lots of fun.  One of your favorite replies to anything we ask is "yup".  And, we can't pick on you as much as we used to, because you have learned to say stop it (topit).  You are really starting to put words together to make short sentences.  Today you said "Daddy work money".

The non-verbal communication is taking off as well.  You know to nod your head yes when you mean "yes" but it's still a little awkward so you look like a robot. You point and wave and throw one arm up and say "ready, ok!"  And if we say "go!" you run laps around the living room and kitchen.....endlessly.

You are still my little helper and put away your toys, our dishes, trash.  The other morning you brought a loaf of bread and the milk into our bed because we didn't get up early enough to make you breakfast.  Whenever you are hungry, you go pick out what you want and just bring it to us to open it for you.  You love to help me unload the dishwasher. 

As for food, you are still mostly eating fruit, breads and cheese.  I hear you eat lots of good stuff, even veggies, at school but at home you are a snacker.  I really wish you would start eating meals with us, but everyone says not to worry, that it will come with time.  You ask for chips, fruit snacks (fu nacks), chocolate (chocla) and fries (flies).....it sounds like you are going to be a junk food addict!  Every morning you ask for "candy" aka your Flintstone vitamin.

You like to play with cars, balls, trains, Buzz & Woody and have started saying "monster" in a scary voice when you see anything related (monsters, transformers, aliens, etc)  You have taken over our iPhones and watch your shows any chance you get, you especially like to watch under your blanket.  If we are trying to fix anything, you go get one of your tools and try to help. 

At an early age you are already taking pride in your appearance.  You do sit ups with Dad, love to brush your teeth and make sure I spike your hair in the mornings.  You even have a say in which shirt you wear most days.  Bath time is more of a playtime now, because you like bubbles and your toys.

We love hearing about what you are doing in school.  You have been working with rough and smooth, you play pretend "vet" and tell the stuffed animal "good dog", and you are staring to join in on the weather song and at the end of the Halloween songs you end with "BOO".

Momma and Daddy love you so much!

My Punkin

My Punkin

It's the most magical time of the year....Oct 1 through Dec 31.  It starts out with PUMPKINS and ends with CHRISTMAS TREES.  I love taking Huston to any kind of farm, patch, and festival we can find.

We started out this year with a Pumpkin Patch right by our house and were not disappointed.  Daddy came with us and we rode rides, looked at pumpkins and took lots of pics.

We tried a posed one :)

Loved the train ride



Riding the train with Momma



Best ride with Daddy



Huston - September 2011

Huston, you have hit the two’s running. Literally. You are a very busy little man and unless you are ready to cuddle, you barely seem to need us around. From the minute you get home you play with your cars, trains, Buzz & Woody or read. Every now and then you will ask for a snack or milk, but other than that you are good to go.

You went to your last A's game of the season and had a good time.  It was really hot so we spent a lot of the time in the fun zone.  By next season you will be a pro and will know all of the players if Daddy has anything to do with it.  Yes, you call your Da "Daddy" now.

with Stomper

Huston and Daddy

We also made a trip to the San Francisco Zoo with your Nama, Great Grandma MaryAnn, Uncle Paul, and cousins Jazzmin and Aydin.  You loved looking at the animals and you ran from place to place so fast you couldn barely keep up.  You were especially interested in the Gorillas and the penguins swimming.  It was a great day with beautiful weather and family.

Loved the lion

Feeding the goats

Uncle Paul, Jazzmin & Huston

the only spider i'll kiss

You have become our little helper. You throw away anything that looks like trash (even if we aren’t done with it), you take our dishes to the sink when we are done eating, you help unload the dishwasher, you get your own dishes when you want a snack and you keep all of the doors in the house shut. Sometimes you completely surprise me because I will ask you to go get something and not really expect you to know what I mean, and before I know it you are walking up with it.

You also like to take care of yourself. You go and pick out your clothes (often several times a day), you put on your own shoes and try to dress yourself. You love to brush your teeth and take baths and if your hands are dirty, you make sure we wash them right away. You also like it when I fix your hair and you will come in my bathroom when I’m getting ready and ask me to spike it up in the front.

At school you are working with primary colors, object counting and social skills.  Ms. Preeti says that you like playing with the blocks and coloring.

building blocks

One of your new favorite games is acting like you are going to share your food and then popping it in your mouth when we reach for it. You also like to list off your family members’ names and can pretty much say them all. You can count to three and say “1, 2, 3, GO!” at any appropriate time (walking out the door, playing, etc). You love to play with Da and play “woah, woah, woah, woah” (he picks you up and you put your hands and feet on the ceiling and then he drops you on the couch on your back”. Anything where you can have a short free fall or get swung around makes you happy.  You also still love to color, Buzz & Woody and cars.  And you LOVE to swim.

You are still doing really well at bedtime. When we tell you it’s time, you get your “B” (blankie) and walk into your room and get in bed. Most of the time you will stay there all night, although we have found you rolled off and under your bed a few times. And occasionally there are some toys out so I know you got up at one point.  Stinker. You are so cute because you cover your head up with your blanket and pillow so sometimes it’s hard to find you.  Sometimes you do sneak into our bed early in the morning....

You have learned one expression that I do not like. “Uh-uh” (complete with shoulder movement). It makes me so crazy! If you are not in the mood to do it, I have to ask several times before you won’t respond with “uh-uh”. Your dad says that you get it from me. I have no idea what he is talking about...

You are really enjoying being near your CA family and there are so many things we want to take you to do now that we are all settled in.

You are so handsome, smart and funny and you make us so proud.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Doug has been working with Huston on all of the family names when they are driving home from school each day. I guess he has associated it with the car, because now on the way to school he has started doing it on the way to school to. This was our drive today:

Momma
Dada
Ay (Aydin)
ZhhZhh (Jazzmin)
Nana
Grandpa-pa (Grandpa)
Sean
Kadie (Katie)
Paul
Mayyy
Nana
Ganie (Grannie)
Mawme (Memaw)
Papa
Dawn Dawn
Wobert (Robert)
Dade (Deda)
Suston (Huston)

After completing the list, he then proceeded to do them all….and test me. He throws Ay and ZhhZhh in between almost all of them; he loves his cousins so much.

His vocabulary has just blown up and he is even starting some small sentences. “All gone.”, “Stop it.”, etc.

We try really hard to not say “no” (we save no for danger) and use some other phrase. Well, that kind of back fired, now he tells me “nuh-huh” if he doesn’t want to do what I ask. But it is pretty darn cute.

Our all time favorite though, is when he’s upset and he starts crying “Whyyyyyyyyyy, Whyyyyyyyyyy, Whyyyyyyyyy?” He does the same with “Ridddddddde” when he sees his stroller.

He’s our crazy boy and we love him.

Huston's Birthday Week

Huston's birthday week started off with a much needed haircut.  He's had about 5 and has always been pretty good.  Especially if he gets a cookie or sucker.

have cookie, will sit still

The morning of his birthday he went to school so that he could have his party.  He got pizza for lunch and got to blow out the candles on his cake while his friends sang happy birthday to him.

waiting for the party

Happy Birthday to you....

blowing out the candles

Nama Dede picked him up and they spent the day together. When Doug and I got off work we met his cousins, aunt May and Grandpa at Red Robin.  He got a trainset, clothes and other goodies.

Red Robin party

practing his 2

The next day his Poppop and Gramma came over and the celebration continued.  He got a cupcake, cars rug, clothes and toy story and cars underwear.

cupcakes!

blowing...but there was no candle :)

yum

where's that smurf audition?

licking icing

favorite present....underwear

thinks he needs to wear them all....he does poop a lot :)

And finally, it was the day of his party!  While he went down for his nap, I went out by our poolside "cucina" to decorate.  Unfortunately, the wind did NOT cooperate and all of the Hot Wheels decorations I bought kept blowing around and then the 20 balloons I bought came loose from where I tied them and floated away (carrying away the toy I had them tied to) much like the movie Up.  Nama saved the day and brought more with her when she came, but needless to say I was frazzled that his party wasn't all I planned it to be.  I pulled it together and Aunt Katie & Aunt May showed up early to help finish getting things ready.  Grandpa Ron grilled the burgers and dogs and we all had a great time.  The wind also stopped it from being a pool party, but at 2 he didn't even really know what was planned so thank goodness for that!

cheeeeeeeeeeese

eating the chips

the cake (yes, i made it)

cheese

By then, he had the candle blowing down and was very excited to do it again.  Now when he hears that it is someones birthday, he puts his lips together and blows out and goes "whhhhhhhwww".  I love him.

Save Me San Francisco

Shortly after moving to California, we spend the day with Popop and Gramma (Huston's paternal paternal grandparents).  We started out by going to the San Francisco Academy of Sciences.

with momma

with da

We weren't really sure what to expect, but heard that it was cool so we checked it out.  It has lots of "stuffed" animals, real animals, fish, rainforest, etc.

so many pretty butterflies

penguins were so cute

coolest turtle i've ever seen

Huston needed some quiet time, so I took him to the toddler area and he got to chill out for a bit.  It was such a cool room, it had a tree, puzzle tables, books, etc.

this tree house was amazing!



impressing me with his puzzle skills

Once we wrapped up there, we hit the Hard Rock for some lunch. 

he loves the videos and memorabilia

Then we went down to Pier 39 and shopped around and watched the seals.

he's shhhshhhing the seals

they were being lazy

It was a great day with beautiful weather and family.