Roll, Baby, Roll!

Do you know this song?

Got Milk?

A boy and his hair

This post is VERY IMPORTANT...there is a secret message here...see if you can catch it!

Today SIG got his first real haircut. I went to my friend A's house. She is a professional hair stylist, and very good at it! She used clippers to give him a basic buzz cut all around. He cried the whole way through, despite watching tv and eating a sucker at the same time! A also cut her son E's hair at the same time - in an effort to show SIG that it would be fun...(but sadly the hint was lost on him). Here is a picture of the two of them showing off their cute new do's:

And, in case you don't know what SIG looked like before his haircut, here is a video that nicely showcases how long his hair was...enjoy!

Did you get that?

Watering the Flowers

Thanks to SIG and his love of the outdoors, my plants are getting watered quite well these days! Last night, he went back and forth from the water hose to our plants, stopping to dump the water on the sidewalk along the way. Occasionally he would make it all the way to the plants with his bucket of water.

He's so proud he can carry the water bucket down the sidewalk

Watering the purple spinner we got in Oregon
and the Gerbera daisy (that has yet to bloom this year...sigh)

Tonight, we figured out a better way to water the plants - we filled up the big watering can, brought it to our apt, then I filled up SIG's little can and let him pour it out:

(Funny note: I just walked outside to find it overcast and raining...go figure!)

A Day in Our Life...

Words I heard today (repeated over and over and over...):

• "movie" - SIG wanting to watch home movies on our computer (we probably watched 20 today)
• "bagel" - his new favorite food, which we ran out of yesterday, but he managed to get from his friend LD as she was eating breakfast....!
• "wawa" - translation: water, SIG's favorite drink (with ice, of course)
• "bulldozer" - we were looking for them every time we went outside, but sadly we couldn't find any on our city streets...
• "a-bewee" - translation: strawberry, another favorite food which we are eating all the time, thanks to the local produce market that sells them for $1/pound!
• "siren" - which we hear a lot of on our busy street
• "birdie, dog, plane" ...
• and several others that I'm sure I'll hear going through my head and my dreams as I sleep!

For dinner, we got take out from Chipotle, a "gourmet burrito and taco" restaurant. They recently opened a new location a couple miles away, and we got a handful of "free burrito" coupons tucked in with the weekly grocery store ads. Since most of our neighbors don't take the ads and coupons, my friend KD and I are making sure they don't go to waste (along with all the free milkshake and kids' meal coupons from Chick-fil-A, too)!

Tonight we went to the park after dinner.
We saw a tiny creek, some chirping birds, LOTS of dogs, a few chickens, and a couple of horses.

This is a large tree trunk that grew up a few feet, then sideways for 5-6 feet, then up again.
I am standing up, so you can tell how high it is off the ground.

Vacation

A few weeks ago, we took a family vacation to visit my in-laws on the Oregon Coast. We stayed at The Palace Inn for several days. We enjoyed a nice 1-bedroom suite with a separate kitchen, bedroom, and fireplace. We were 1/4 mile from the beach in one direction, and 1/4 mile from a nice outlet mall in the other direction. We highly recommend this hotel if you are visiting Lincoln City! We loved it!

Here are JG's parents:

One of SIG's new toys is this shape sorter. He caught on quickly!

The weather was typical Oregon coast weather...rainy and windy...for most of the time, and it was rather cold. Here is a picture of how we bundled up SIG when we went outside:

We decided we wouldn't let the weather keep us indoors, so we went outside whenever the sun came out. One day we headed to the beach for some fun in the sand. Here is SIG with his Sittee (grandma in Lebanese). Notice the winter hat underneath his hood...that's how cold it was! :)

Here are a couple of family pictures on the beach:

Here is SIG with his Sittee and Jidu, with the gorgeous coastline in the background:

The sun came out one day, and we headed south to Depoe Bay for a walk along the coast, and some souvenier shopping. See the purple spinning flower in the pot next to the bench? We brought one of those home and added it to our garden pots on the patio.

And, here is a family picture - the only one missing is our brother-in-law, JS.

*Apologies to all the family and friends we weren't able to see this time around. We miss you and love you all dearly!
I'll be coming up with SIG for a visit with my family in November.

Bulldozers, Breakfast, and a new home movie!

Our little SIG is talking up a storm these days. He likes to repeat whatever we say, much to our surprise and delight. Not just 1-syllable words, either...no, he's going for the 2 and 3-syllable ones! At breakfast recently, he started talking, and I grabbed the camera in time to catch this:

Outside Fun

We're having triple-digit weather this week so we're doing whatever we can to stay cool. Here's what SIG did after dinner tonight:

LD's mom brought out a little sprinkler and set it up in the courtyard. The both got pretty wet from the waist down, and then enjoyed running back and forth along the sidewalk.

Notice the matching sandals....:) SIG got his pair first, and LD would always put them on when she came over, so she got her own. They are like two peas in a pod - cute, huh?!

Here they are with Phoebe, our next door neighbor's Boston Terrier. They both get so excited whenever they can play with Phoebe! SIG likes to pick up rocks and hold them out for her to lick...

Disneyland!

Today I took SIG to Disneyland for the first time. We met some friends from our home fellowship group, AJB, EB, and TF. While there, we went on 4 rides:

• The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• King Arthur's Carousel
• Storybook Land Canal Boats
• Casey Jr. Circus Train

SIG seemed to enjoy them all, for the most part. I think he experienced a good dose of visual over-stimulation, but he handled it well! After the last ride, we met up with more friends, but SIG and I were ready to head out. After a quick stop in Downtown Disney to pick up some Mickey Mouse souveniers, we headed home. I think we will try to get passes in the fall, so we can go on more rides and enjoy all the fun! Here are some pics from the day:

This is part of the entrance.

Here we are riding the carousel.

Here we are outside the castle at Fantasyland.

This is a pretty tree that was in bloom outside the entrance...
I just couldn't resist taking a close up! :)

How to Make the Best Pot of Coffee Ever

Here is a glimpse of how we spend our weekend mornings.

Swimming Fun

We are in the midst of another heat wave and this time we got smart!
Here is SIG with his friend LD, enjoying the afternoon sun in her little pool.
And, here they are sharing a seat on the beach chair.

A Boy and His Dog

I love this picture! Last weekend we had dinner with some friends, EB and AJB. A highlight for SIG was playing with their little dog, Emma. After dinner, SIG and Emma were playing on the sofa, and EB started snapping a few pictures. I love the expressions on both their faces! This was really a good shot, because SIG doesn't often hold still that long for pictures, and EB said that Emma doesn't either. Here is another cute pose:

EB has recently started her own photography business. If you are in CA and need a photographer, be sure to get in touch with her - EB Photo and Design.

Thanks EB for these adorable pictures - they are wonderful!

Legos and Friends

Today we took a walk up the street to visit some good friends. Here is SIG with his buddy Emilio (who just turned 4). We we walked up to the door, Emilio was waiting for us, and he brought out his big box of legos to play with. Emilio built some great towers, and SIG tore them all down. Emilio also took this photo of us:

Much fun was had by all!

Favorite Finger

Lest you think that SIG only shows his favorite finger when he's with daddy...here's proof that he is indiscriminate with it! :)

Thanks EB for this cute pic!

Building blocks for life...the TP way!

When it comes to baby-proofing the house, I am a stickler on some things, a little less strict on others, and then some things I don't really worry about...this is one of the latter...

This picture is in our bathroom, sort of. The sink/mirror/cabinets are seperated from the toilet and shower by a sliding door. If you are facing the sink, there is a huge closet behind you, which is in front of little SIG. All of the lower cabinets are behind him, and have strong magnets that keep them shut...except for one. This one can open easily, and it happens to be the closest to the sliding door, so we only keep tp in there. I am standing at the sink, brushing my teeth this morning. SIG is playing in my room, and he follows me into the bathroom. I look down to check on him, and this is what I find.
I think to myself, "At least he isn't pulling the TP off the roll and putting it into the toilet..!" :)

BREAKING NEWS: New Worldview Alert!

As part of a club of academic folk that make it our business to declare the presence and propensity - if not potency - of a new worldview on the market, permit me, as the president of this happy gang of some, to declare that we have found a new worldview in our midst ...

"PAN-MOM-MA-ISM"

The main doctrine of this worldview is the simple but existentially important claim, "All is mommy, and mommy is all."

No doubt, the worldview is as old as the concept of mommy itself.

SIG has been caught-up in this attractive wave of thinking for sometime. But there appears to be evidence that he has now become a devotee of pan-mom-ma-ism, choosing to adopt and adapt his life to its main doctrine. He lives rather consistently with his worldview, never forsaking an object of his intention in order to note that such and such is "mom-ma!" and over there is "mom-ma," and that hairy guy holding him - you know, the guy with the rhythmic lips - he's also "mom-ma." There you have it, pan-mom-ma-ism at work.

We are pleased to offer this Public Service Announcement, which is a further division of our worldview discernment ministry.

Breakfast at our Place

Whenever I'm in the kitchen cooking...er, trying to cook...my little guy loves to be in on all the action. This usually means he wants to be held up at eye level so he can see what's on the counter, see what's cooking on the stove, etc ... Since I often need both hands for the prep work, it helps to put SIG on the floor and have him cook right alongside me. He keeps his little pan and spoon in a cupboard next to all his "bowls" (ie, plastic containers) and all I have to do is ask him if he wants to cook with me. Here's a cute video of SIG making breakfast for us all this morning:

Walk This Way

Well, little SIG started walking about a month ago. He had been taking 3-4 steps at a time, then he would fall down and crawl. Then, one night he just walked clear across the living room - at least 20 steps, like he had been doing it all along. He's been walking most of the time ever since. Now that our 1 yr old is walking, life is no longer what we knew. We are constantly chasing him around and pulling him down off of things (like the shelves in the fridge :). He's much quicker and sturdier on his feet after a few weeks of practice. Here are a couple of videos I caught today.




Here's one I took outside in the courtyard:

My new toy

What do the following items have in common - 6 short straws, 6 frozen juice lids, and an empty parmesan cheese container?

My friend KD inspired me to make this toy... shape-sorter redefined! As you can see, it was a big hit!
The lids fit through the bigger opening, and the straws fit through the small holes. When all the items are put inside, it makes a great shaker toy! :)