Christmas Celebration No. 1

Myles's second Christmas was a big success. He really enjoyed the festivities and all of the family visiting. Of course, he enjoys his new toys as well.

We started off our celebrations on the weekend before Christmas. Uncle Dan, Aunt Tiffany and Cousin Cole came to visit and have a small celebration, because they would be in Florida visiting Grandma and Grandpa T for the holidays.

Myles got the biggest, coolest present in the history of 16-month old kids from Dan, Tiff & Cole and Grandma and Grandpa T. I remember looking in the JC Penney Christmas catalog as a kid and wanting an electric car - still wanting. It took Myles just 2 Christmases to get one. Lucky dog. He enjoyed it from the first moment and is actually surprisingly good at driving it around the house.

Cole and Myles had a fun time playing together and Cole was very patient and gentle with his younger cousin. As a veteran pro with electric cars, Cole gave Myles some pointers. We enjoyed a nice meal and a nice day with them, and it was a great way to start the holidays.

Decorating the tree...

Myles was only 4.5 months old last Christmas, so this one looks to be a lot more exciting for him. Now that he's running around, climbing on everything, getting into everything, etc., he takes so much interest in what we are doing, and he was pretty excited to see Daddy and Mommy set up a 9-foot Balsam tree in the living room on Sunday. He couldn't get enough of it.



Some of the ornaments we have are semi-functioning miniatures of toys, such as a miniature Rock'em Sock'em Robots and, Myles's favorite, a miniature jack-in-the-box that really pops up when you turn the crank.



It looks like we will be spending the month of December trying to keep Myles from doing too much damage to the bizarre, decorated tree that is taking up some of his playspace. He's so curious about all of it - how it looks, what it feels like, how much force it will take to tear items off the tree and what they sound like when whipped against the hardwood floor.

Happy Halloween

Myles had a busy and fun Halloween weekend! As usual, he was a very good sport and the cutest lion I have ever seen! Friday evening, we headed to our friends' house for their annual Halloween bash. We had a very good time and Myles was very well behaved. He stayed at the party until about 10:00 and didn't once complain about being tired.

We went as a safari family. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get a picture of us all together.

Saturday evening was trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. We stayed home for the first hour handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Myles loved running to the door every time the doorbell rang and all of the neighborhood kids were so cute. Then, we suited up and headed out ourselves.

Aunt Jenny came to trick-or-treat with Myles, which was wonderful! It was not only great having her here, but she sure helped out since Mommy and Daddy were busy wanting pictures and video of this momentous occasion.

Myles hit several houses, and while he was hesitant at first, he really seemed to start to get the hang of it toward the end.

After trick-or-treating, we enjoyed some pizza with Aunt Jenny and then headed over to our neighbors' house for a little get together. It was so cute watching Myles play with the other kids. We are so happy to be in such a nice neighborhood!

Pumpkin Patch, Take 2

As promised, Myles headed back to the pumpkin patch with Daddy over the weekend. Myles had been sick for several days, but appeared to be on the mend and was in dire need of some fresh air and exercise, so this trip was perfect! It was a beautiful fall day!

Myles and Daddy cruised through the hay bale maze. Myles tumbled a few times, but just brushed himself off and kept going.

Myles was fascinated by the gourds and oddly shaped pumpkins.

We have had great times at the pumpkin patch this year and are now looking forward to getting Myles in his first Halloween costume and doing some trick-or-treating!

Grandpa's Buddy

Myles and Grandpa T. really bonded during Grandma and Grandpa T.'s last couple of visits. Myles doesn't sit still much these days, but he liked siting on Grandpa's lap (and Grandpa liked it too). Myles kept Grandpa pretty busy bringing him lots of toys and other various goodies (spoons from the dishwasher for example) to play with. It was lots of fun watching them together. I'm sure Grandpa will enjoy taking Myles on a golf cart ride in Florida when we visit this winter!

Pumpkin Patch, Take 1

Myles went to the pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa T. on Tuesday. He will be making another trip with Mommy and Daddy over the weekend, but he wanted to celebrate the season with Grandma and Grandpa before they head to Florida for the winter.

Grandma and Grandpa took turns taking Myles for a ride in the wagon, which he really enjoyed, but only if no pumpkins were in the wagon with him! Myles walked all over the place, sometimes so fast that we could hardly keep up with him!

He was a very good boy and it was a nice way to spend a visit with Grandma and Grandpa! We were able to get some great pictures and are excited to fill up some new pages in Myles's scrapbook!

Myles brought home two pumpkins to put by the front door, but was promised that he could have more when he visited Pumpkin Patch, Take 2 over the weekend.

Myles is a full-blown walker now! As you can see, he has taken his first header into the sidewalk and scraped up his nose (and got a good knock on his forehead too). We were walking home from the park on Wednesday afternoon. Myles, being the newbie walker that he is, thought it was best if he walked, played with Mommy's cell phone, waved at the passing cars and pointed out the planes in the sky. Mommy had just commented to him that as a new walker, he shouldn't be multi-tasking, when he took a nose dive into the concrete. Of course, Mommy felt very bad that she did not prevent this unfortunate occurrence, but she recognizes that this is the first of many. Myles cried for less than a moment, when Mommy picked him up and he promptly wanted the cell phone back. He is a tough little guy.

Busy Little Boy

Myles is a busy little boy these days. Although, not too little. At his most recent doctor's appointment, we learned that Myles is in the 99.88% for height for 1-year-olds and 95% for weight. So, he is actually a busy big boy these days! Myles LOVES to climb and Mommy had to snap a quick picture of this favorite climbing spot before getting him down and warning him of the dangers of climbing on kitchen chairs. He was very proud of himself and liked the view from up there. He also loves to climb up on the couches and try to climb up the cabinets so that he can see what is happening on the countertops. Myles also just started walking almost as much as he is crawling within the last day or two. Hopefully we will get some video of his moves on here before too long.

Watching Football with Daddy

Hangin' at the Block Party

Our neighborhood had its annual block party on Saturday, September 12th. It was a beautiful day and we had such a good time. Last year, we were only able to stay for a short time as Myles was only a few weeks old. We are constantly amazed at what a difference a year makes!
Luckily, we arrived early, so Myles got to spend some time in the inflatable jumping house all by himself.
Miss Sarah, the teacher of the music class that Myles attends, made an appearance at the block party! Myles loves music class and especially loves playing with the instruments and other props that Miss Sarah always has with her! We usually have music class inside, so it was particularly fun to be outside this time! Many of Myles's friends from the neighborhood were there as well, so it was really fun!

The Waukesha Fire Department sent a fire truck to the party, so Myles got a good, up-close look at the inside and outside of one of the fire trucks that he hears often (the fire station is only a few blocks from our neighborhood, so we hear lots of sirens).Myles really enjoyed hanging out with the neighbors. We took his Lightning McQueen car (a big hit with all of his friends), so he was able to run all over the place! However, he has had a little trouble understanding why he can't take it in the street anymore - that was sooo much fun!

Labor Day Weekend

Myles went for his first boat ride on Friday, September 4th. He took it all in quietly at first, but then had a lot of fun standing on the side of the boat pointing and shouting at the things he saw. He really enjoyed spending the evening with his friends, Lauren and Morgan, and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed seeing their friends as well.

Saturday, Gramma and Grampa A. came to spend the day with Myles while Mommy and Daddy headed to the first football game of the season. Myles had a great time playing with Gramma and Grampa - they got out his water table, took him to the park, played with lots of toys and had many laughs.
Sunday, Myles took Gramma and Grampa to the zoo and everyone enjoyed the beautiful day with the animals!

Myles had a big day on Labor Day when he took his first big steps all on his own at the park. He made it about 2 1/2 steps before he fell. He has taken a few here and there since then, but he just isn't ready to be a full-time walker yet. However, he practically runs behind his Lightning McQueen car at the park and is doing circles around the house with his walker.

Lotza Fun Friday

Myles and Mommy had a fun Friday morning at The Lotza Fun Room. It is a great place for little ones! It was so fun to let Myles play and play without having to stop him or tell him "no". I believe it will become a regular hangout for us. We went with 2 of Myles's little friends from down the street and their Mommy. After playing, we headed to McDonald's for lunch. Myles took a great nap after his fun morning and is enjoying playing with Daddy as Mommy blogs. Looking forward to a great weekend!





Myles loved playing in the ball pit! His favorite part was throwing the balls out and then screaming with delight when we threw them back in with him. The pretty little girl in the ball pit with him is his friend, Ava.



He was a natural in the car after all of his practice with his new Cozy Coupe!



Myles really enjoyed this mailbox. He played with the butterfly on top and then had a blast putting letters in the box and taking them out again.

Workin' Toward Walkin'

Myles continues to enjoy doing things on his feet. Standing at his water play table, standing and opening / closing the gas cap on the Cozy Coupe, standing in the kitchen and pushing chairs around, etc. He doesn't quite have the balance or the confidence to take his first walking steps, but they can't be too far away. He's really started moving around with his Lightning McQueen car, which is for riding or walking behind. Here's a few minutes of video we took a couple nights ago.

Party Hearty...

Myles's weeklong first birthday extravaganza concluded with a bang today at his birthday party. In attendance were Grandma and Grandpa T., Uncle Dan, Aunt Tiff and Cousin Cole, Gramma and Grandpa A. and Aunt Jenny. Judging by the presents received, you would think there were three times that many guests. Myles is clearly a very loved, and now spoiled, little boy. There are too many gifts to list, but some highlights appear below.

The updated classic from Mommy and Daddy. Cousin Cole provided the ride.



Grandma and Grandpa T. gave some really cool handmade, wood train cars, with which Myles was fascinated.



Gramma and Grandpa A.'s Lightning McQueen ride and walk behind car was a big hit.



He LOVED the water play table that Aunt Jenny gave.



Uncle Dan, Aunt Tiffany and Cousin Cole gave Myles the awesome 30th anniversary edition of the Cozy Coupe. Sa-weet.



The lucky kid was so buried in new toys, he didn't know what to play with next, so we had cake. The cake turned out great - delicious with a perfect drawing of one of Myles's favorite toys.



The Littlest Big Boy had an excellent celebration! Thanks to all of our wonderful family for making it such a great day for Myles!