Adjusting...

So Colorado life is great during the day!  Hiking, new stores, beautiful weather, sunny walks to new parks, and so much more to take in.  BUT, we are having a little bit of an adjustment when it comes to night time.  I have to admit that I am not being the best of sleepers.  Normally I will hit the hay around 8 and be ready for a milk around 5am and nap again until 8am.  Normally...

Ever since coming to Colorado I have been getting up earlier, more often, and just having a harder time getting comfortable.  No one is sure what is going on and neither do I.  I will cry and cry trying to sleep, but it just doesn't work.  My parents try to help, but nothing really works.  Not sure what we are going to do... but I am sure everything will return to normal sometime!

The other day my dad took Matthew and I on a morning hike!  We went to see a hole in rock???  We walked up trail for a mile or so to see a hole in a rock.  I am not joking!  It was fun to be on my dad's back and not have to work very hard like Matthew did.  We had to stop to let him rest up and have water breaks.  We got up the hill and were back before we knew it!  I really liked the hike and am looking forward to the next one!

My mom is well underway with work.  She is doing well and loving her new job.  She comes home with great stories for us to listen to and it seems like she is a natural fit for what she is doing.  We got to go into her office the other day and meet people!  The building is very pretty and her office is nice!  Maybe I will get to spend some time there some day!!!

While we were "in the area" (which I don't believe for a second) my dad brought me to a daycare facility and dropped off a check.  So I guess I have a home away from home too.  Matthew and my dad have theirs, my mom has her office and now I have one too.  I will be only 8 blocks from my mom's office!  The school is nice and the people seem to be incredible!  When my dad was looking around and talking to someone, another nice lady held me and played with me.  I had a ton of fun and am looking forward to going next month!  I am trying to embrace going somewhere to be watched, rather than having an aunt watch me in my home :( ....

Well that is about it for now!

With Love,
Colin

The Colorado Life

My mom applied for and accepted a new job with Colorado State University and because of that we have officially moved to Colorado!  Specifically Fort Collins!  We are all here in our new home with all of our things.  It took quite a long time to box up everything, put it on a truck, and bring it here.  But the process is over and everyone is getting settled.

The best part of the moving process was seeing my grandparents.  They came out to Salem and helped drive our car here, helped pack boxes, helped clean the old house, and helped move us into our new place.  Both of them were such a great help to our family and we could not have done it without them!  We really appreciated everything they and everyone did.

I didn't drive with them... I flew on a plane with my mom.  Apparently I am "at an age" that prohibits me from sitting still for long periods of time.  And since it takes 18 hours to get the Fort Collins, that wasn't the best idea for me to get in a car.  Instead I got on a plane and cried, screamed, and tantrumed for almost the whole 2 hour flight!  Boy was my mom frazzled!  But what was priceless was the look she had when I pulled on a full cup of coke onto the man next to us!  We both charmed our way out of that, but barely!  Either way we made the flight and like my mom says "let's just forget that ever happened".

So far Fort Collins is absolutely amazing!  We are on the move and doing things all the time.  We have gone to parks, stores, and restaurants that can't be found back in Salem!  We are very happy with our move and are not looking back.

I am hearing my parents have conversations all the time and one thing I have picked up on DAYCARE???  Sooo I am keeping my ears open because I need to figure out what in the world this concept is all about.  I will report back later when I know more, but so far I am not liking the sounds of these talks.

So from now on, With Love from Fort Collins!
Colin

Announcement

So I have an announcement that needs to be made and it involves my entire family.  My mom has accepted a new job in Fort Collins, Colorado and we are all moving there really soon.  Everyone is very excited about this change and change is the one thing that has been happening all over the place lately!

Change started when I was evicted from my room for the night, and when I returned my room was no longer blue!  Beige?  Nice color Mom and Dad!  Apparently that is a "sellable" color... but not so much for a little boy's room.  The other changes have included toys that are now in the garage sealed inside boxes.  Instead of choices of 20 toys I only get 5?  How is a child suppose to live?  The nerve!

Other change include the color of Matthew's room, a sign in our yard, all the walks and drives because of strangers looking inside our house, and my mom being gone a few days at a time lately.  Everyone keeps talking about how exciting it will be.  How we will be closer to our cousins in Chicago and Texas, a new city to learn, and friends to meet are just a start. On the other hand some things will be sad to leave behind too.  I am told we will miss our friends, our family, the near by things like the beach, the close by parks we love to go to, and especially our home.

Matthew and I were both born in Oregon and to us this is the only home we know.  It is exciting that we will be able to always call Salem, Oregon our first home and be able to drive by the house we came home from the hospital and partially grew up in.  We will be able to come back to see people who were our first friends and closest up to this point.  However, it is exciting to know that we will have a new house to grow up in (with rooms that aren't bland!), a new backyard to be chased around in, a new city with parks and attractions to see, new friends to be close with, and but most exciting is the home we get to set up together!!!

When I was born March 5, 2012 I came home from the hospital to a home that was already set up.  Not just a house, but a home.  A family that had everything ready for me.  Rules, rooms, and everything was set up for me... and the same for Matthew.  But by moving to Colorado all together, the four of us get to set things up together.  Everything will be new for all of us and we all get to experience that together.  It is quite a change, but a change that is a great one and something we are all excited and looking forward to!

My mom starts her new job next week and will be gone for 10 days or so.  Matthew, my dad, and I will wait out the sale of our house and will be joining her as soon as we can.  It will be interesting to see how badly my dad packs boxes and how down the wire things get!  But I am told that is part of the adventure!!  I will continue to update this from Oregon until we leave and say our goodbyes!

With Love!
Colin

Announcement of moving
mom's job
Excited about it
house is sold ish

And there goes May???

So we are at the end of May.  Where did Spring go?  A few weeks ago it was Mother's Day and we all had a wonderful weekend.  Matthew, my dad, and I made a little book of memories for my mom and made her breakfast in bed.  I of course didn't do anything to help (14 months old what did you expect?) but I was totally cheering them on though.  I am surprised my shreeks didn't wake my mom up, but either way I was cheering!  The rest of the day was wonderful and of course it is because I have a wonderful and amazing mother.  She dotes on me, is a "bit" overprotective, but no matter what she does I know she loves me an incredible and ridiculous amount.

The rings are easy now.  Stacking, unstacking, and even carrying them from one side of the room to stack them up is easy.  I am also getting pretty good at spinning the small red ring and watching it go around and around!  Fascinating stuff!

I am totally into loud noises, crashes, and ramming things to make a loud noise.  I can stop conversations with one quick boom.  Lately I love to bend over to pick up my push along cart by wheels and flip it over down the one step.  Crash it goes and then the looks from the three come my way.  Hilarious! 

Speaking of the small stair down into the living room... I am able with regular success go both up and down it without falling.  Sometimes I miss it or forget to step up and trip, but with concentration it is pretty easy for me.  As always my mother and Yaya both put pillows down on the sharp corners to protect the noggin from dents.  My dad and brother don't bother with the pillow and even cheer me on and judge my graceful falls.  Nothing like getting different messages!! 

"Matthew" is clearer now with "datu" and it can be easily heard when I chase him around the halls in the afternoon and evening.  It is a look we give each other and then it just starts.  He runs and I go after him, then I will turn around and he will chase me.  Sometimes he is nice enough to hide on me and I have to look for him in all sorts of places.  The other times he isn't so nice and will tackle me by "accident/purpose"... drives my mom nuts!  But we are always laughing and giggling no matter how games goes.

Lots of upcoming events and changes are happening!  Matthew is graduating from kindergarten soon and everyone seems to be extremely busy around the house. 

With Love,
Colin

Mid May!

I can't believe it is already mid May!  Time is just flying by, but as it does I am getting bigger, stronger, and much more confident.  The things I can do is amazing.

My Poopa came for a visit and it was fantastic!  I gave him a run for his money and made him earn it, but in the end he did a wonderful job watching me and spoiling me.  We went all over the place and took a ton of walks around the neighborhood.  We played in the backyard and he let me walk up and down (repeating over and over again) the small hill.  Poopa even encouraged me and gave my the confidence to play on the stairs and slide contraption all by myself.  Matthew taught me to slide head first, but people are still trying to lay the blame of how I got the idea of sliding back down the stairs...

The week he was here went by too fast and I can't wait for him to come again.

With that summer weather almost here we are always out and about.  One of my favorite things to do is to play in the near by field.  I love to wander around and pull up grass and flowers.  We head over there on sunny weekends and sometimes when my dad and mom get home from work.  It really is a blast!

I am talking more and more.  I am really struggling to say Matthew and it comes out "derder".  Poor Matthew is not thrilled with this, but I am WORKING ON IT!!!  I have Dada and Mama down pretty good.  I can copy some sounds and movements, but pretty much I do what I want.  My parents are nicknaming me "The Goat".  I take great offense to this.  They feel that I am stubborn and independent.  So what if I prefer to wander off by myself and I have no interest in sharing anything.  So what if I am determined to knock down or move objects that are deliberately put in the way to stop me from going into a room.  So what if I skreetch at the top of my lungs and have a giggle in the middle of a restaurant...  Yeah, I have no idea where this goat stuff comes from?

My motor skills are very much improving as well.  I can stack my rings in order multiple times over and over as well as carry my basketball around the house.  Sometimes it is a "soccerball", but picking it up and carrying it is something I am really enjoying.

Some sad news to report... Yaya and I only have a month left together before summer starts and my dad is back.  She has taken such good care of my this year and I am going to miss her.  I hope we have as much fun this last month as we always do!!!

With Love,
Colin


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The Blue Ring and Me

These last few weeks have been such a blur.  We have been so busy and it seems like we are always coming from or going somewhere.  Matthew has swimming lessons a few nights a week and with the weather being nicer we are getting out more often.  These last few weeks have brought about some changes and with that I can do more things than before!

I have a set of stack able rings that have become my “go to” toy.  I love playing with them and stacking them.  Once in a while I will stack them correctly and sometimes I don’t.  I just love to pick up the rings and see which ones go where on the stand.  My favorite ring (and toy for that matter) is the large blue ring.  I will hold onto that ring for long periods of time.  At night I will clean up out my play pen lifting toys and moving them, but all the while I will have my blue ring in one hand.  I am attached to my ring and love it a lot.  I love it so much that I will even give up my blanket for the ring… which is saying a lot!

Butter is gone and I miss her.  We have spoken to her a bunch and even used facetime on  my mom's phone.  She is still the same Butter!  She coos at me and I screech back.  Maybe she can visit soon!

My grandfather is coming in two weeks to visit us!  Matthew is of course excited to see him and so are my parents, but what everyone is forgetting is that I will be the one that will be spending the most time with him.  For a whole week my parents will be at work and Matthew at school… during that time it will be ME that gets Poopa all to myself!  Walks, cuddles, and naps!!!  It is really exciting.  Gee Gee isn’t coming this visit, but maybe she can come out for her own visit some other time! 

 

I can’t wait to show my Poopa all that I can do.  I am walking way better (with shoes now) and much farther.  Typically I can spend many minutes walking around the house before slipping or if we are out side I can walk around the yard for a bit… unless I tumble down the hill.  Sharing is something I can getting much better at too!  When someone says “Please?” to me I am very willing to give you the item, but I still want it back!

My parents are starting to make me clean!  AHH.  13 months old and I have to clean up my toys?  And they are trying the whole “Please” and “Thank You”????  Also according to my dad I have outgrown the small plastic bathtub and am in the big tub like Matthew!  My mom has a different approach and if up to her I am pretty sure I would be in the plastic tub all the way into High School. 

I am still waking up around 4:30 or 5:00 every night for a pit stop of milk… but for the most part I am sleeping every night from 8:00 to 8:00 (except those 15 minutes in the wee hours).  My babbles are starting to sound like sounds that sound like words.  Dada and Mama are words, but Daaaa is close enough for Matthew and so on.

That is pretty much it for now. 

With Love,

Colin

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MAMA

It is official.  I finally looked at her and said it.  She is thrilled!!!

With Love,
Colin