Summer's Closing

Summer is quickly coming to a close with my father going back to work, Matthew going to school, and the weather starting to change.  The days of 95 degrees here are behind us and here are the cool evenings as we start Fall.

I turned 17 months the other day.  I am starting to talk more and more.  I am repeating words, maybe they don't make any sense to you!, and definitely recognizing situations that require words.  I love to say "No No No" as I run my hand on the blinds, and "Ma Ma Ma" as my mom walks in the door!  Matthew and I seem to have developed our own language as we make random noises at each other.  It mostly happens in the car as my dad drives us around.  Besides bonding with my big brother, it is hilarious to watch my dad get totally annoyed at the loud noises and screeches that are made.  Sometimes he laughs, but the best is when he gets that look on his face!  Maybe he just doesn't get it!

Some smaller things that I am doing lately are putting my dishes, plates, and sippy cups away in the sink.  I love the clanging noise it makes and the congratulations I receive when I hit my target!  When asked I will take the item and waddle over to the sink and toss it in.  Another thing is when we return from errands or wherever we go I am able to kick off my own shoes and put them away in a nearby basket.  My father tells people he taught me that so he doesn't have to smell my feet... ya right.  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.  Phew!

I have a new obsession with stairs.  Anytime I see a stair or small step I will do anything to get to it and do anything to stay there too.  Whether it is at a park, my dad's school, or even in our apartment complex; I just love to step up and then step down.  I could do this for hours.  No one else likes me to do this... I guess the falling, tripping, and stumbling makes them feel this way.  I say practice makes perfect!

My grandparents are coming next week!!!  This will be their first official visit to our new home.  They helped us move here, but nothing was really set up by the time they left.  We are all excited to show them around town but I am excited to get my regular dose of kisses and hugs.  Plus being spoiled rotten is always nice.  Matthew did say this many months ago and man was he right!!!  They are going to spend a week with Matthew and I before we go off to our "schools".  We have a ton of things on our list to do and only a week to do it.  We will be busy and I am sure they will need a relaxing vacation after Matthew and I are done with them!

With Love,
Colin

Settling In Nicely

It has been almost 4 weeks in Colorado and things are going well for everyone.  Matthew has been going to day camps at my mom's work leaving my dad and I alone at home!  We are doing all sorts of things together and having so much fun.  My dad bought a trailer for his bike that I sit in and watch as he pulls me around town.  (so that is two items in which I enjoy views as Dad lugs me around... not a bad set up for me!).  We have gone for short rides and really long ones too.  He packs snacks for me and I mostly play with toys as the scenes of Fort Collins go "whipping" by (speeds vary based on his ability).  I sometimes complain if we stop or go to slow, so that keeps the old man's legs going!  One of the longer routes we take has an ice cream place right off the trail, so I am hoping for more rides going in that direction.

Weekends around here are busy!  It seems like we are doing stuff all the time.  I think it has to do with the parentals not having yard work to do... meaning the apartment life is freeing up time for us to do other stuff!  Last weekend we just went for a drive through a state park and forest.  I of course could care less about it, but the other three sure were interested.

Matthew is running in a 1 mile race this weekend in downtown Fort Collins.  He is excited and once again I have to go watch.  Is this going to be happening a lot?  The little brother goes to the big brother's events?  

This last weekend we headed down to Denver and went to a baseball game!  It was so cool to see people throwing and hitting the little white ball around.  My dad and Matthew were totally into it and watched most of the game.  There were times when I was totally watching and then mostly I could have cared less.  My parents took me for walks where we got to people watch and see other parts of the huge stadium!  As we walked I danced and maneuvered in and out of people and saw so much.  I can't wait to go back!

My sleeping is slowly starting to return to normal and everyone is grateful for it.  My teeth are no longer bothering me as much and sleeping is now a continuous thing that everyone is the apartment complex can enjoy.  It is funny to watch my parents say hello in that "sorry for the crying kid" when we see our neighbors.  But come on people, who could be mad a cute little toddler like me?  Either way, I will be sure to make my presence known if and when those back molars start coming in again!  He he!

My talking and coordination are really taking shape these last few weeks.  I am able to mutter "Hi Mama" and "Hi Dada" and I love to stack boxes.  It seems like in the flurry of moving, settling in, and the sleeping fiasco I gained some speaking skills.  I am loving to talk (almost as much as the other 3) and loving to babble.  Once in a while some words might appear!  Toys are much more important to me these days too.  I have a thing for holding onto a toy in one hand while I play with other toys.  I love to stack boxes on top of each other and I am really starting to love my alphabet puzzle sing along toy too!  I can even choose a letter and put it in myself.  My dad and I giggle when we hear "W", we for some reason think that is hilarious!

With Love,
Colin 



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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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