The Geiger Gang

November

2012-01-12T15:38:00.001-08:00

I don't have a lot of pictures from November but these are pretty awesome. This is an elevated train track that took a while to construct but held up well to at least allow 1 train to travel on it.

December

2012-01-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

Baby belly at 22 weeks

Zoo lights with Gillian (and family)

The kids were actually very patient waiting in line for the zoo train, it was about an hour wait even though we got there right when they opened!

Finally on the train!

For Christmas this year almost the entire Mitchell side of the family traveled to WI which meant a lot of cousins and somewhat hectic days at times. Here are just a few pictures leading up to and around the holidays.

Making cookies for Santa with mom and Grandpa M.

Learning about licking the beaters!

Getting ready for church...Aunt Beth helping with shoes

Excavator!

Christmas at Aunt Caron's house.

Gianna, Nick, Evan and Mitch. Just one of several attempts to have most or all of the cousins pose together for a picture.

Evan and Mitch weren't shy

Evan, Mitch, Aunt Beth and Gabrielle

Sisters

No husbands or grandparents, but everyone else accounted for:
Kate, Gabrielle, Caron, Gianna, Allison, Nick, Beth, Mitch and Evan

Cold day at the zoo

This pretty much sums up how the vacation was!

Chuck E. Cheese--Mitch's first time there. He really enjoyed air hockey and the helicopter!

Grandma (as usual) is a genius at ski-ball, winning 200-some tickets. We pooled all our winnings together to let all the kids get cheap plastic toys of their choosing!

A little bit of down time after the pizza place

Mitch borrowed some of Gianna's pj's for bed that night (don't worry, she actually had her own to wear).

Hugs!

Mitch really liked this singing cat trio that Grandma M had so we took some pics to remember it.

Evan pretty much entertained all the kids with this toy; there are mechanical bugs that jitter around in the tracks.

So after 6 days in Wisconsin we flew to Colorado to visit Aunt Sheryl, Uncle Ron, Evan and Annie. Grandma and Grandpa G met us there too and we had another Christmas celebration!

The Geiger side of the family has a tradition of making a cookie Christmas tree. Here they are rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters.

We didn't have any snow actually fall in either location while we were there, but in CO there was a little bit left on the ground. Grandma, Annie, Evan and Mitch went out to play and build snowmen.

Then it was time to decorate the tree!

Ta-da!

More presents!

Cousins Annie, Mitch and Evan

Grandpa G, Grandma G, Matt, Kate, Annie, Mitch, Evan, Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Ron

October

2012-01-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

On the hayride to pick out pumpkins for carving.

Mitch in the pumpkin patch

This year we got together with a bunch of people to carve pumpkins. Mitch wanted very specific details on his: triangle eyes, triangle nose and a "mouth shaped like a moon". Turns out, 3 year-olds aren't super interested in the carving process, just the end result. Maybe next year...

Here are all the finished pumpkins. Matt's is the farthest right, Mitch's is next and mine is next to Mitch's. As you can see, some were near professional level carvings! This is the only picture we have with all of our pumpkins together because a day or two after we put them on the porch someone smashed them. Luckily, Mitch never asked what happened.

Baby belly at 18 weeks

For Halloween Mitch wanted to be a purple airplane. We got some cardboard boxes and spent a few hours over a few days to construct this but he loved it, wore it the whole time he was trick-or-treating, and it held up fairly well. He was a big hit!

Showing the wings

This is the second year Mitch and his friend, Gillian, have gone trick-or-treating together. We take them to a community college campus where they have trick-or-treating in the dorms. Mitch got more than enough candy and had a blast, much more into it this year than last. All we need to work on now is the timing of when to say "Trick or Treat!" as he would yell it as he was knocking on the door, then was silent when the door opened.

September

2012-01-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa G in Arizona in September and Aunt Sheryl met us there too! Here's Mitch beginning to learn about Scrabble.

We had a few mishaps with walking into the doors when they were closed so Mitch learned to put his hand out in front of him to make sure the door was open!

Swimming!

Some family friends came over and brought this awesome inflatable swan. Mitch was really the only one who could ride on it (though Grandpa tried).

Swimming video

Reading with Grandma

August

2012-01-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

So, I'm back to do hopefully lots more posting, playing catch up before the new baby arrives in a few months. We'll see how long it takes me to go through 5 months of life/pictures! Enjoy!

Sidewalk chalk

Mitch had a rough time getting ready for bed one night and was supposed to be sitting in his room until he could talk to us nicely. A few minutes later, this is how we found him. Guess he was just tired!

We inherited this tent from some friends who were downsizing to a smaller place (thanks Kelly and Seth!) and so we put it up in the backyard to camp one night. Mitch enjoyed roasting marshmallows but didn't really like how they tasted and so far is not a big fan of s'mores. We'll see if that changes as he grows up!

This is my absolute favorite picture of Mitch at this age. These next pics were taken by a good friend, Ella, who has moved to Buffalo but was in town for a few days. We got some good family pictures!

July

2011-09-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Starting with videos for July: Mitch found a bumblebee costume that is meant for an infant while we were putting away some old clothes. He thought it would be a great idea to run around with it over his PJs. The other two videos are Mitch and Elliot apparently beginning their band already.

Now for some regular pics:

Playing in the sprinkler at Gillian's house on the 4th of July

Watching street fireworks

We went to a party this summer with friends that I work with. Mitch met Rowan, the daughter of a friend and co-worker, Michelle. It took a little bit but they eventually played with each other all night including Mitch's first game of hide and seek!

Work peeps

More work peeps

The making of the band...Mitch is in love with this ukulele.

Happy 3rd birthday Mitch! Still trying to keep up birthday pics with the elephant though he looks like he's in a headlock right now!

Mitch was pretty lucky this year, he had 2 birthday parties. This one is a combined party with a friend from school, Alexa. They have the exact same birthday and we had all the school friends meet at the playground gym where they had some organized games and open play to basically run around and act silly.

Cupcakes!

All the kids finding their ears.

Then we had some of our other friends over that afternoon. The cake this year was James from the Thomas the tank engine series (Mitch's request obviously). It turned out pretty good and he was excited as you can see.

June videos

2011-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

For some reason I couldn't load the videos onto the last post so here they are: one of Mitch dancing to the music at the Grilled Cheese Grill and Mitch pushing Gillian on the swing.

June

2011-09-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Spelling names with wooden blocks

What railroad engineer doesn't wear only underwear and rain boots?

This was the beginning of Mitch not napping at school, fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep on me once in the house. I have to say, I didn't hate the snuggling part!

Went upstairs to wake Charlotte up one day and this is what I found...only her front paws sticking out from under her blanket. She covers herself up during the night and apparently in the morning it was too bright!

Train track building with blocks

Eating lunch on Father's Day at the Grilled Cheese Grill. They have many variations on grilled cheese and the booths are inside of an old school bus. They played some pretty rockin' music that Mitch bounced/danced to the whole time he was eating!

Just some cute pictures of Mitch and Charlotte hanging out

Mitch and Gillian on the swing before heading out on their tricycles. Portland has a few Sundays every summer where they close the streets to cars and allow bike traffic only. The kids rode their bikes to the nearest park and then played for a while before riding home.

We even got there early enough that we could hang the bikes up!

May

2011-09-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Mitch wearing all of my hair clips at the same time!

Mitch after his haircut with new "spiky" hair

One of Mitch's favorite things to do when I'm about to do his laundry is climb in the basket and have me put all the clothes right on top of him so he's buried! Then he jumps out and makes a big mess! (but usually helps to clean it up too.

Over Memorial Day weekend we took a trip to Lincoln City, at the Oregon Coast. We stayed in a small house very close to the beach. The first day was the sunniest and it was still a little chilly but that didn't stop us from exploring the beach. Here's Mitch standing on the porch.

Bringing the bucket down to the sand

Nice sunset

Running on the beach

Burying feet

It's a good age when the boy and his dog are interested in the same things.

Family photos

One of the more interesting (and stressful) parts of the beach trip was that our car broke down (luckily right in the driveway). With lots of planning and waiting since it was a holiday weekend and no parts stores were open, we ended up having our car towed all the way back to Portland! The tow truck driver was very nice and the car seat and Charlotte all fit though as you can see here it was a bit of a tight squeeze! Mitch was pretty excited about the whole thing!

"The ants go marching" and some of Mitch's rules

Oops...more April pics

2011-06-05T15:02:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from Easter, reading "Down by the Station" which is one of Mitch's favorite books (actually he's singing it). He was very excited when the Easter Bunny brought it for him!

We had some pretty nice sun coming through the windows that day, thought I should post a picture of one of our other children, Charlotte.

Playing on the play structure in the back yard

Out in the Gorge, looking at waterfalls

Bubbles!

Dying Easter eggs was a pretty big hit though I think I was the only one who actually ate any of them!

Here's Mitch singing "Down by the Station" with a little help from Mom every now and then

Best.Dog.Ever

Almost caught up

2011-06-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

A few pictures from last month...making PB&J sandwiches to take to the zoo. Mitch has really been liking helping out in the kitchen lately and is pretty good at it! Not sure it makes things go any faster though...

At least half of the time Mitch goes to the bathroom he asks for "privacy", then calls Mom or Dad to say he's all done. When we walk in the bathroom, this is how we find him, hiding behind the shower curtain.

More Catch up pics

2011-06-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we were told about a place in Portland that has all sorts of climbing, slides, etc. that is all indoors. Mitch loved it and we've been 3 or 4 times, it's a great place to go when it's raining. Here are just a few pictures of him playing, it was hard to get good ones because he was moving so fast!

Mitch came home from school one day with this star taped (with packing tape) to his shirt. It says "super helper" and he got it for being the kid who helped the most when cleaning up toys! Now it lives on our refrigerator and we let him wear it when he is being a super helper at home!

That same day, he and Matt picked me up at work. He likes to work on the computers when he comes to visit though I'm not sure what the sly look on the lower picture means!

Sidewalk chalk train!

Just a few cute pictures of everyday stuff

What a ham!

Beginning to play catch-up

2011-05-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, no excuses, it's just been too long since I've posted anything. (I did have camera and computer issues but mostly I was just busy). So, here are just a few to start off with, I'm going to try to add more this week to slowly sort through the 4 months of pictures since I've last posted. These first pictures are of Mitch and his good friend, Elliot, reading books at Elliot's house.

And what play date is complete without a little game of chicken?

Here's Mitch making valentines for his teachers at school. He's pretty good with a glue stick!

And the big news is he's wearing underwear! Potty trained except at night and occasionally during nap time at school. He was inspired by Thomas the Tank Engine underwear, I think! Way to go Mitch!

New Year Fun

2011-01-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

Super duper tall lego tower!

We got so many good new books for Christmas...here we are reading a Curious George one, I think. Thanks Aunt Caron!

At the zoo with Gillian, riding the tractor.

Apparently cardboard boxes still make for good toys, especially with Corduroy.

Playing with Elliot

We made play-dough the other day. Mitch wanted orange, green, yellow and purple. He wasn't really keen on actually touching it at first but did enjoy squishing all the balls I made for him!

Learning to roll it in his hands

We made a train (sort-of) as Mitch has a fairly large obsession with trains. He wanted it to "go by itself" and I'm not sure he was satisfied with my explanation that it wouldn't because "it's only play-dough".

"Go Pack GO!" Preparing for the Super Bowl!!!!

CHRISTMAS!!!!

2011-01-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Mitch trying to drive the truck to go pick out our Christmas tree.

At the tree farm

Helping Dad set up the tree stand

Decorating the tree was pretty fun this year...Mitch actually helped with (for the most part) unbreakable ornaments. He really liked to put them all in the same spot so Mom and Dad had to decorate the rest of the tree!

Putting the star on the top was a bit challenging. First Mitch and Mom tried...

...but we were too short so Dad came to the rescue!

Ta-da!

All dressed up after church

So this year instead of a gingerbread house we made a gingerbread train. Mitch was really into decorating it. He picked out which color frosting to put on the engine and the caboose and was pretty good about putting the candy on. And he didn't care too much that we told him not to eat the candy! He did get to eat the cookie part a few days after and really enjoyed it.

Here's our final product along with the example given on the box. We actually used shredded coconut for snow to complete our train!

Christmas morning...evidence that Santa came and ate the cookies we put out for him!

Presents! Here's Mitch with a sandwich made from Aunt Allison's gift...

...acting train conductor with hat, scarf and whistle from Grandma and Grandpa G...

...and loving the sock monkey from Aunt Beth. All the gifts were very well received (we just didn't take/post pictures of all of them because I've already got enough pictures on here!)

Mitch was singing "Twinkle twinkle" to his new bear, Corduroy and rubbing his back (like Mom rubs MItch's back when he's going to sleep). Then he started "the banjo song" which I caught on film!

"I love my trains sooooo much!"

Mitch linked all his new trains together to make a super train (23 cars!). The only hard part is pulling it across the floor while keeping it together.

Showing Charlotte his new trains

Lately Mitch has been wanting to use sidewalk chalk (even when the rain washes it away the next day). He requested a train and helped me decorate this one.

This video is a little dark but Mitch was taking a trip on his train (like a book we have)

The baby doll and stroller from Aunt Caron were a big hit. Here's Mitch "fixing" the stroller with the baby still in it and holding his wooden knife in the other hand. Not quite ready to babysit, but getting close!

Just a few pics of play time-legos...

...taking a walk with Dad (and sporting a Sephora bag)...

...and another new favorite thing--using his step stool from the bathroom to build super mega lego towers!

Holiday Season!

2010-12-09T20:00:00.001-08:00

Here's Mitch making Green Jello Salad for Thanksgiving. He did a pretty good job and liked licking the spoon!

So we went to the Christmas tree lighting in downtown Portland the day after Thanksgiving (you know, the one where the FBI busted a potential terrorist). We got there pretty early and there was already a huge crowd of people. So we got a pretty good spot across the street from the square where the tree was but it was hard for Mitch to stay interested for an hour and a half while we were waiting! (they were a little late lighting it).

The above picture is the closest we could get to a self-portrait family photo.

Getting sleepy...

Ta-da!

Mitch mowing the lawn one day. He decided after a while that it was fairly difficult to mow the actual grass and instead turned to mowing the sidewalk. He went all the way to the end of the block and probably would have crossed the street if I hadn't turned him around!

Just a few pictures at the zoo. The baby elephant is the same age as Mitch and getting big too! We were pretty lucky we got to see them getting bathed! Mitch was pretty excited.

Just playing...

Here's Mitch singing some combination of "I've been working on the railroad" (which he calls "banjo song") and "The wheels on the bus" all while playing the xylophone. He is one talented kid!

Zoo Lights! The Portland Zoo decorates with millions of lights for the holidays. We met up with Mitch's friend, Gillian and her family to walk around and see them all. It was really pretty and at times I think I had more fun than Mitch did! It was cold but at least not rainy!

Sitting on the zoo train waiting to see the lights

Just some scenery pictures. We took a lot of pictures but only a few turned out really nice mainly because it was so dark and we were moving a lot.

More play time

2010-11-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Mitch and Elliot had a chance to hang out last Saturday; even though it was a bit wet we still took a wagon ride to the park. They did a pretty good job of sharing space in the wagon!

Swinging

The teeter-totter was a big hit with both boys-we balanced perfectly with moms and boys on each side.

Matt and Mitch went to the airport to watch planes and play a bit. Above, Mitch at the end of a moving walkway which he apparently ran back and forth on many times. Below, Mitch drinking "coffee" on the train (actually water).

Halloween!

2010-11-04T19:31:00.001-07:00

Mitch is such a snuggler! Here he is doing just that with Ginger (and we greatly appreciate her tolerance of it!)

Painting his pumpkin for Halloween

Mitch is now in a regular bed! He was so excited to sleep with a pillow and a big blanket! The transition has been good so far and the bed rail (even though not the cutest) has been a good reminder for where the edge of the bed is!

Mitch really wanted to be a dinosaur for Halloween this year. Thanks to our friends we were able to take a frog costume and doctor it up with accessories from a dinosaur puppet and voila! Mitchosaurus!

Practicing his roar

We went trick-or-treating in the dorms at one of the local colleges with Mitch's friend, Gillian. Mitch was really excited before and had lots of fun afterwards but was pretty overwhelmed while inside. He needed some coaxing to go up to the doors and didn't utter the phrase "trick or treat" even though he had practiced many times at home! I think this might be the only picture we have of the entire back of the costume.

Mitch and Gillian

Hugs

Mitch and dad downtown after dropping off our voting ballots

There are a bunch of bronze statues of animals downtown and here is Mitch, petting one of the deer.

He also decided he wanted to ride the deer and "hold on ears"

Nothing too exciting...

2010-10-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Mr. Sticker-nose...he kept this sticker on his nose from the time he got it (at Target) until the time we got home (about 20 minutes later).

Putting on "chapstick" with a pen cap

No, we weren't locked out of the house. Mitch had a fever and had been inside all day and was acting like he needed to get out for a while. It was raining and chilly but we decided it might be fun to read books on the porch while snuggling under blankets.

This is what it looks like when 2 parents are trying to get dinner ready and Mitch is left to play!

Pumpkin Patch etc.

2010-10-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

"Ready to go" Pajama day at school

My sweet little boy...

We went to a pumpkin patch last Saturday, got a late start because Mitch took a long nap so we were there as the sun was setting. It was actually pretty cool, we rode on hay bales on top of flat beds pulled by a tractor which I think was the high light of Mitch's evening.

We weren't the only ones out there late though!

Mitch's pumpkin (still too heavy for him to carry back the whole way).

Happy October

2010-10-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

So this is a rather large posting of pics, hope no one minds! Here's MItch with a pumpkin sent to him by (Kate's) Aunt Laura and Uncle Dale. It's very soft and squishy and MItch loved it immediately-Thanks!

Last weekend Mitch's friend, Elliot turned 2 and we went to a birthday party for him. It was mostly adults with a few kids (not a bad ratio if you ask me) and Mitch had a great time playing with new toys! Here are the two of them giving hugs...

...and reading a book with Brooke.

Bicycling with Mom on the floor

Mitch covered Charlotte up with his blankets the other day and wanted to snuggle. Talk about sweet! I can't believe Charlotte kept them on long enough to have lots of pictures taken. Though she does like to be tucked in at night, she probably wishes Mitch would do this more often!

"Cheese"

Some editorial photos of Mitch on the light rail

And then walking home with Dad

Wearing Dad's hats

One new thing Mitch has been enjoying recently is taking his socks off and putting them on his hands. I call him Mr. Sock-Gloves and he thinks it's pretty funny. Here he was before a bath, totally naked except for his sock-gloves.

We had another playdate with Mitch's friend, Gillian from his first daycare. They still have the best time together and are pretty cute to watch run around. Here they are taking a break from playing and sharing a snack. (which for Mitch means eating all of Gillian's goldfish crackers).

Discussing hot topics at the top of the slide.

A couple shots of Mitch sliding

Silly time and posing for pictures before going home.

Lazy Days

2010-09-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess this last week we didn't do too much exciting but here are a few every day shots and a couple videos. Here we are reading a Christmas book (a little early)

Mitch really wanted to push mom on the swing and did a surprisingly good job!

"Baby Beluga"

Bicycling on the couch

Family Time

2010-09-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mitch was standing at the sink, totally naked except for his sunglasses washing hands one day. Sometimes you just can't ask why with a 2 year-old!

Mitch and Elliot

New red wagon

Great-Grandma Werner passed away about a month ago. It was a sad time, but we got a chance to see a lot of family when we went back to Wisconsin for the memorial service. Here's Mitch sitting on a rug made by Great-Grandma

Mitch with cousins Evan and Annie

Making cookies with Grandma G and Annie

A leisurely stroll (it was actually really windy and a little cold!)

So, it wasn't super warm when we were there but the kids all wanted to go swimming. Mitch had a great time playing on the pier and with the water but needed some reassurance from dad to actually get in the water. He also wanted to see the "one....big....white....duck".

Hanging out on the boat

Evan, Annie, Mitch and "baby Abel" (3 weeks old here)

Mitch sort of fell in love with Annie while we were there and she was a fantastic babysitter!
They played with water on the pier and below, with glow sticks that Grandma found in a closet somewhere!

Mitch with (Matt's) cousin Tracy

Driving the boat with Grandpa G

More cousin time

We also got a chance to visit the other side of the family for a while. Here I am with Gabrielle

Mitch giving the other cousin Evan a big hug

The Mitchell side: Grandpa and Grandma M, Aunt Caron, Mom with Gabrielle and Evan with Mitch...Say "cheese!"

Hot days/Mom time

2010-08-25T20:50:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we had a couple of 100 degree weather days in a row. With no a/c we spent 2 of those afternoons playing in our "pool". Also, Matt was out of town for a few days so there are a lot of Mom and Mitch pics this time 'round.

Then on Monday, I tried to take Mitch to school so I could go to work and turns out he was not able to go because he had hand-foot-mouth disease (again!) and they wanted him to wait 1 more day. So...I got a 3 day weekend and my friend, Ally, Mitch and I went to the zoo!

Last weekend was my work picnic on the Sandy River. Mitch loved playing in the sand and it was also a great place to watch airplanes as they were flying pretty low. Here he is pointing one out to whoever would listen

This was taken only a few minutes before he decided to shove 2 handfuls of sand into his ears! I think we're still getting it out!

To get away from the sand hazard we went back up by the house and had some fun on this awesome tree swing!

Then, back down by the water, playing on chairs.

The following day we went to watch one of my friends in a triathalon. Mitch and I met Elliot, Josh and Brooke down by the river and Mitch and Elliot got to look for boats. They held hands for probably 10 minutes-super cute!

Kissing Charlotte

Snuggle time on the couch with Mom

Our budding photographer doing a portrait of Gordon. (okay, Matt held the camera but Mitch pushed the shutter and you have to start somewhere, right?)

August fun

2010-08-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Mitch attended one of his friends' from school's birthday party at Gymboree. He had a blast (though seemed a little overwhelmed at first). Here he is after jumping off a platform to land in 2 inner tubes stacked on top of each other with a parachute in the middle. Who thinks of this stuff?!

More parachute fun

Grandma and Grandpa M came for a visit last week. We were very busy and had a great time. Here's Mitch snuggling with them and reading books.

Good to know Grandpa can still compete with a 2 year-old when it comes to silliness!

Say "cheese"!

Walking to the grocery store

Trip to the Oregon Zoo! (I just realized I didn't put any pictures of animals on here so you'll have to take my word for it that we really went there!)

We have blackberries that grow between our fence and our neighbor's fence that were in season--I think Grandma actually got a little obsessed with picking them!

Mitch's monster friend wearing his bike helmet

Swinging

Grandpa on the slide (going "wheeee", as Mitch likes to call it)

Mitch going "wheeee"

At the Hoyt Arboretum. I had never been there before and it's actually really cool, lots of nature but was a little chilly when we were there.

Mitch wanted to touch the tallest tree but, alas, Mom is not tall enough to help.

We only went out for dinner once and Mitch got to use a regular fork! He needed a little coaxing but eventually really enjoyed his macaroni and cheese!

Bike riding with Dad and Grandpa

Mitch has a Thomas the Train book that he got from his other Grandma last year. He just recently has wanted us to read it to him. Grandpa M had a great time reading it and pushing all the sound buttons in all the right places. Sometimes he was more into it than Mitch was!

We went to see a few waterfalls which Mitch loves though he did always want to touch them. He also kept saying "big yaya" (which is Mitch-speak for big water)

This was taken at the last waterfall we went to but Mitch is actually pointing to a train that was going by which he also loves!

Family photo before going to the airport

Mitch at the airport...I think he really wanted to go on the planes instead of just look at them.

Later that day (after everyone had taken a nap) we played outside. Mitch wanted to wear his bike helmet even though we weren't riding bikes.

Maybe in case he wanted to do some extreme sliding!

Happy 2nd Birthday Mitch!

2010-07-28T21:55:00.001-07:00

So, we officially have a 2 year-old. Here is a picture from when he was approximately 2 days old and then from the past week. I can hardly believe it's the same person!

Balloons from his Birthday party last weekend. He's been playing with them ever since and I'm not quite sure what will happen when they pop or if he'll just drag them around on the floor when the helium finally dies!

This is the face I got after trying many times to have him hold still long enough for me to get a picture. These digital cameras sometimes aren't fast enough! Anyway, in case you couldn't tell he was saying "cheese".

Playing with Travis in the water spray. Mitch had a blast and didn't even care when he got splashed in the face.

Watermelon was also a big hit with the kids...here's Samantha, Elliot and Mitch all asking for more and waiting for me to hand it out like it was Halloween!

The boys on the play structure

Okay, so most people probably won't be able to figure out what is on the cake but it's supposed to be a "green line train" which is one of the lines of the Portland light rail. Mitch thought it was cool, so that's all that really matters. I don't think I would have won any cake decorating contests though...maybe next year.

He also thought the cake tasted pretty good!

This is how I found Mitch sleeping the other morning, blanket over his shoulders and his friend, Kirby on top. How he got that way, I have no idea!

Playing in a blanket fort with Dad

Mitch's friends Sammy and Travis got him this awesome lawnmower for his birthday. I'm not sure if he loves it or the balloons more!

So, here's Mitch today, on his actual birthday. He had a crown from school that he mainly kept on his head because he was distracted by opening presents.

Wooden train

The big gift-a tricycle!

Trying it out outside. It seemed to get a little frustrating when on the incline back to the house but he's definitely understanding the concept of the pedals.

Here's another comparison picture...Mitch today at 2 years old and below at 1 month (and not looking thrilled to be sitting there!)

Couldn't ask for a better kiddo...We love you Mitch!

Big Shoes! (and other cool stuff too)

2010-07-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, these shoes are outside of the adidas headquarters in Portland and we can drive past them on our way home every day. Once Mitch learned this he asked to go see the "big shoes" multiple times a day and for a while, whenever we were driving anywhere in the car. Then he started saying "no big shoes" and covering his eyes when we would drive past (even if he had asked to see them earlier in the car ride). So we decided he had some sort of fear of large apparel and thought we'd go see the big shoes up close. He definitely has a love/hate relationship with them and was very frightened to get too close. After a while he warmed up and was able to stand on his own and even touch the shoes! We did this last Saturday and then today he again said "big shoes...no big shoes" on our way home. So indecisive!

Afternoon trip downtown. We took the light rail (which Mitch is rather obsessed with and can identify which color line each train is) downtown and just walked around, then took the max back home. Here we are just watching the trains go by.

More berry picking-are you sensing a theme to our summer? It was actually chilly when we were out on Sunday morning, picking marionberries. Mitch did put some in the bucket (instead of his mouth) and one of us had to hold him the whole time to avoid all the thorns!

There was also a small barn that had a few animals in it so after the berries were picked we went in to look.

Mitch's favorite was the bunny rabbit. Here he is saying "hi" to it.

Over at a friend's house for a barbecue

Mitch got to ride a pretty cool scooter with some help from our friend, Derek. He's really been intrigued by skateboards lately and this was pretty fun for him.

Summer fun

2010-07-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Just another cute picture of Mitch and Gillian. We had another playdate last weekend, went to a park that has a few water features (sprinklers the kids can play in) and they both were just watching other kids play while on the teeter-totter. They seemed interested in the water but didn't play in it...maybe next time as I'm sure the hot weather isn't over!

We went to a park with a pond that had a lot of space for little kids (e.g. shallow water) and it took a few minutes but Mitch loved it! Here he is walking with dad.

Jumping out of the water with mom's help

Pre-water play

Blueberry picking was a hit with Mitch. They're pretty much his favorite fruit and he ate lots and lots while we were picking.

Proof that he actually put some blueberries in the bucket

Apparently we have a budding photographer on our hands...Mitch took this picture of Ra-ra himself.

Hanging out with dad

Busy week!

2010-07-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

I realized after putting this together that we really had a lot of events in the past week, visiting friends and playing. I guess that's what summer brings! Here's Mitch being goofy with Dad

Hanging out with Dannon

We went to our friends Tara and Derek's house for their annual "3rd of July" party. Mitch was the only kid and loved being the center of attention! He stayed up pretty late but had lots of fun and wasn't too cranky the next day. (Mom was a little cranky cuz she had to work!)

Spending some quality time with Tara in his pajamas

Eating hot dogs with his friend, Jordan

Last Friday we went to the Children's Museum after work/school. Mitch really liked the water wall...

...and driving the bus...

...and playing peek-a-boo from the top of the "tree"

We sort-of forced this picture but he was a pretty good sport

We got to spend some more time with Mitch's friend, Gillian, playing at a park. Mitch is head-over-heels for Gillian's mom, Andrea and spent a lot of time chasing her and asking her to hold him! It was pretty cute and I'm pretty sure he still loves Gillian too!

Little daredevils

I maybe went a little overboard with the merry-go-round pictures but wanted to show how they pretty much just follow one another with how they play. Here they are standing...

...laying down kicking their legs...

...tummy time... (do you still call it that when they're toddlers?)

Hugging goodbye.
No doubt we will have more playdates in the future!

Mitch and mom just hanging out.

Last days of June

2010-06-30T21:07:00.001-07:00

Strawberry picking went over very well as you can see here...

Hooray for strawberries!!!

Needless to say, Mitch put more strawberries into his mouth than in the bucket. We had a great time but somehow lost his sunglasses in the field. We tried to go back and look but it was a lost cause.

We did have another pair of sunglasses, they're a little too big but very snazzy. Matt thinks they look like Elvis glasses, maybe Mitch agrees?!

Mitch and Elliot had a playdate and at one point were hiding in the hallway near the elevator. Contrary to what it might look like, they were not in trouble or told to stand in the corners.

Reading with mom

We met up with another one of Mitch's old school friends, Freya, at a park we hadn't been to before. It was pretty cool, good climbing equipment and we got there before it was too busy.

Freya and her mom were on the teeter-totter and Mitch wanted to have a turn as well. But, he didn't want to sit on the opposite side and just decided to hold on to Freya! It was pretty cute and we took lots of pictures!

Barbecue at the Lobdells...before we had kids we always talked about what this would be like (when we had kids). Never did I imagine it would be so hectic! Adults still outnumber children though and at one point all the girls actually were sitting on the porch talking while the boys watched the kids!

Mitch and Jordan taking turns hitting the ball off the tee.

Mitch's new skill

Finally a little sun!

2010-06-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Shadow picture of Mitch and Dad

Matt told me Mitch didn't want to say "cheese" for this picture...just more evidence of the ever-emerging opinions on everything!

Looking like such a little boy walking down the street!

This was after Mitch's school had Pajama Day-I love these sock monkey pj's!

Playdate with Elliot

They did a great job playing together, sharing and taking turns. Only needed a little promptimg from moms!

Father's Day dinner. Matt is wearing the tie Mitch made for him at school. Very professional don't you think?

Just June

2010-06-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a little naked football before bathtime!

Mitch and Elliot went to watch the Dragonboat races last weekend and discovered the joys of the Benson Bubblers. They were fascinated and kept taking turns drinking though they don't quite understand how it works. Pretty cute, though.

Mitch and Elliot sharing Josh's lap

Tuesday we went to the zoo with one of Mom's friends from work and her kids. Here's Mitch in the goat-petting area.

For about a full minute Mitch just stared at this goat saying "Hi" over and over again. He's holding a brush that he then used on some other goats. He had a great time, I was just worried he might try to hug one of them and make them mad!

Leann holding Mitch and her son, Eli. We were pregnant together, due one day apart, but Eli was born 6 days before Mitch. Surprisingly (and sort of sad) this was the first time they had met! They had a great time and I know Mitch would love to play again soon!

Summer is here---sort of

2010-06-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

We had one beautiful day last weekend, we got to sit outside and eat watermelon like it was a real summer day! (the next day was gray and rainy)

Mitch loves all the outdoor tools, he really just likes to carry the rake around right now. Maybe when he gets older he'll do the yardwork!

Mitch was rolling his truck around and offered to give me a massage with it (well, okay, maybe I suggested it)

And then I gave him one!

We had another play date with Mitch's good friend, Gillian. This time we went to OMSI-they have a fairly large room dedicated to kids age 6 and under. This part had air blowing upwards which caused the balls to float in the air. The kids had fun with that and also with just the air blowing in their faces/hair!

They also have a water play area. There are smocks and crocks for the kids to wear if they want but it actually worked out easier for them to just take their shirts and shoes off. So much fun!

Matt, Mitch, Gillian and Craig (Gillian's dad) after playing in the water.

Saying goodbye...

Holding hands while walking to the cars. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of many playdates!

Matt got some pretty cute pictures on his phone one day. Mitch still loves riding the light rail, here he is sitting on the seat by himself.

Getting ready to leave.

Enjoying some outside time with Dad downtown

Memorial Day weekend (etc)

2010-06-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

So, Mitch had a 5-day weekend last week for Memorial Day. We did lots of playing around the house and some fun activities out of the house (despite the cold, rainy weather). Here is Mitch playing with Mom's old wallet and with dad.

Being semi-shy in the bathroom while Mom was putting on make-up.

We went to a housewarming party and Mitch and Julia had staring contests.

Mitch and Daniel (one of Matt's friends/former co-workers and dad to Julia)

We took a trip to the zoo with Elliot, Brooke and Josh. Here they are eating snacks...

...watching the monkeys...

...and pointing out lots of cool stuff!

Mitch had another playdate with a friend from his old school, Keara. We went to a kid-friendly coffee shop where we thought there was going to be music. Turns out apparently the music man doesn't come on holidays, but the kids had fun playing in the play room.

We also went to the Multnomah County Fair (which we didn't even know existed before). The best part was the ball pit, lined with hay bales. Mitch had a great time walking around the edge, jumping into the balls and letting mom and dad bury him!. We took lots of pics of this part so bear with me while I share a bunch!

This is Mitch's idea of helping Mom fold the laundry-he's wearing a (clean) pair of my scrub pants on his head!

More May

2010-05-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Mitch and Elliot got to play together last weekend...at one point they were running around and playing peek-a-boo without shirts on. Too cute!

Building with blocks. Mitch has gotten pretty good stacking them up but his favorite part is knocking them down!

Last week Matt had his final review for the thesis studio he's teaching. We decided to get all dressed up to meet him there.

Mitch also decided to practice some sweet dance moves before we left.

Mitch and dad all dressed up.

Mitch tried on my sandals (on the wrong feet).

We got caught in the rain for a while last weekend but Mitch didn't seem to care...as long as we have crackers we usually do pretty well!

Play time

2010-05-19T20:15:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday Mitch got to have a playdate with his best friend from his old school, Gillian. They had so much fun as you will see from the pictures and at the end they gave each other hugs and kisses! (Of course, I was not ready with the camera...maybe next time!)

Swinging on the big kid swings

Snack time worked out pretty well...Mitch really wanted Gillian's goldfish crackers and she liked the apples Mitch had. They both did such a great job sharing!

I am actually surprised that they went down this slide-it was probably the tallest one Mitch has been on. Gillian kept telling Mitch "come on Mushie"!

Teeter-totter

Holding hands and jumping on the bridge to the play structure

Talking on the phone on Sunday afternoon. We asked who he was calling and he said "Jzha Jzha" which we interpreted as Gillian (since he had just seen her the day before). When we said her name he got super excited and kept talking and saying her name into the phone. He also kept saying "more" Gillian.

This week Matt has his final review for his thesis class he's teaching. Mitch helped him set up the space on Tuesday. He worked so hard he got to take a snack break!

Today, Mitch got sick and needed to be picked up from daycare early (low fever, he's been coughing for days). I stayed home with him and he actually was in a pretty decent mood. He was pretty warm and wanted to take off all his clothes. He played and ate lunch in just a diaper. Here he is after crawling through the tunnel.

Peek-a-boo!

Mother's Day etc.

2010-05-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

These are flowers that Mitch made at school for me for mother's day-they're great because they'll last forever!

Mother's Day was great...in the afternoon we drove to the Columbia River Gorge and went to see one of many waterfalls there called Bridal Veil. Mitch did a great job of walking back up to the car so I didn't have to carry him the whole way-it was uphill on rocks! Mitch loved the waterfall but kept reaching out to touch it. He doesn't quite get the concept of depth perception yet.

Family photo

Mitch was really cute--after waking up from his nap he decided to snuggle with me on the couch for a few minutes--best Mother's Day present ever!

Mitch (with some help from dad) made a krinkle block representation of me-here Mitch is laying on the floor and above he's hugging me!

Playing at a park

Trying out a new hat and loving the sunglasses

We were shopping at Fred Meyer the other day and there were flats of flowers outside. Mitch really wanted to touch them all but then I convinced him to only smell them. He smelled every flower he could reach and took much longer to get to the car!

May

2010-05-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Playing with Travis

Riding the train (light rail) with Dad

Being silly...

One of Mitch's favorite things to do lately is hide...he doesn't have many places, this is one of his favorites-behind his crib.

Running in Pioneer Square

Just got an "owie" from the dog stepping on his foot, just a few cuts from her nails. If you look closely you can see the band-aid on his right foot.

Last weekend we went to a barbecue with some of my friends from work. Here's Mitch tickling Lisa.

Walking down the sidewalk with Mom.

There was a park across the street from the house where the bbq was being held so we went and played for a while. Mitch actually seemed to enjoy the swing which he hasn't been a big fan of lately.

April part 3

2010-04-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

Matt and Mitch downtown

Playing with the music table in pj's

We apparently didn't take many pictures of fun stuff we did this last week, but I didn't want to keep our loyal fans waiting. So, not super exciting, but that's how life is sometimes! More to come (hopefully) next week!

April part 2

2010-04-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Check out the bed head on the side of his hair!

Mitch took a hiatus from the airplane but for the last few days he's been loving it again!

We took another trip to the zoo-this time he got to pet the goats and loved it!

Here we are, another family self-portrait. On the way to the zoo we asked Mitch what animals he wanted to see and he said "jzas" which is Mitch-speak for giraffe. He repeated it over and over and over until we finally got to the section with the giraffes. There are 2 and they were both inside (one because of arthritis) but we watched them for quite some time. Then we moved on and ate a snack and had to go back to see them again! Is this giraffe obsession hereditary (grandma m)? Well, we had a good time but couldn't really get many good pictures of him looking at the giraffes. Maybe next time they'll be outside.

April

2010-04-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Mitch enjoying his first potato chip-BBQ flavor

Mitch and Elliot playing: Elliot was sweeping and Mitch was "vacuuming" with an old paper towel roll (one of his favorite past times).

We went to Pioneer Square last weekend and Mitch really liked watching the water fountains. But, when he got up close with Matt's help he didn't want to touch the water-maybe next time.

Making silly faces in the mirror with Dad after a bath

Mitch also likes to point out birds now and was pretty excited to get close to the pigeons--I don't think they were as excited to meet him!

Fun with Friends

2010-03-31T21:29:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we went to a friend's b-day party. Mitch LOVED the slides and spent a lot of time climbing up and down, playing peek-a-boo and just being silly.

Here you can see a couple of the kids playing basketball and Mitch hammering the t-ball tee with a golf club. Maybe he's develping a new sport?

Mitch consoling Travis who fell and needed some Hello Kitty ice.

Earlier that day we met Elliot (and Brooke and Josh) in the Pearl district for the "Bunny Hop". There were supposed to be lots of kid friendly activities. Mitch didn't want to get his face painted like a bunny but we did stand in a very long line to get super fancy bunny ears (we're talking felt, headbands and hot glue guns) but as you can see, neither Mitch nor Elliot wanted to wear them so Brooke and I were the lucky winners!

Mitch did warm up to the bunny ears and wore them on the ride home and into the house.

Hugging the cat (Maizey). The cats are wonderfully tolerant of Mitch hugging and petting them and occasionally lying all the way on top of them.

Cool pic of a walk to the library on a nice sunny day!

Growing up

2010-03-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Riding on the Max train with dad. Mitch got to sit in his very own seat-he's getting to be such a big boy!

Mitch likes to play peek-a-boo with his bibs after he's done eating

"Cleaning" the paper bags

Drawing with a pencil...it's getting hard to convince Mitch that paper is the best place to draw. He likes to try the refrigerator, the chair, the floor, etc. At least it's just pencil!

He also loves stickers-I'm guessing this fad will last a while!

Hammin' it up

2010-03-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mitch is a definite ham for the camera as you can see from the first few photos. He still loves to play in cardboard boxes and climb in/on/around things, hiding and playing peek-a-boo!

Singing "Rock-a-bye Baby" after wrapping up Zousha as a baby.

Visiting with friends Josh and Elliot-playing ball...

...eating snacks

Playing at Target-we can make anything a toy!

Outside time

2010-03-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

During another trip to the zoo we explored a section that we had never been to before-Mitch was able to get up close to the ducks...

...and enjoyed the waterfalls. Little does he know how many there are in the Gorge!

Here's Mitch trying to help Charlotte get her ball out from under the couch.

Mitch at his friend, Jordan's 2nd birthday party

First time using a baseball bat

We went downtown last weekend since it was sunny and all the cherry blossom trees are blooming. There were a couple of guys throwing bread to the seagulls and we stood for a while just watching. Some of the birds were pretty good at catching pieces mid-air. Then the guys gave us a few pieces so Mitch could throw some (with Mom's help).

There was beautiful green grass to run around on but what does Mitch decide to play on? The inclined rocks. Hopefully as time goes on I'll get less paranoid and more used to his daredevil nature!

Spring is coming!

2010-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

I forgot the camera a lot this week so most of these pictures are from our phones. They might be a little grainy but the subject matter is still fantastic!

Playing at a new park after school

Climbing stairs has been a favorite activity for a while now. Recently Mitch has been able to start climbing without holding our hands. Matt took Mitch to Pioneer place with all these brick steps and he just kept going up and down. It's a great activity to wear him out!

Reading stories

Watching airplanes

We've had some sunny days recently and Mitch seems to understand that sunglasses help with the brightness. He didn't want to take them off when we got back inside so he pretended to cook with them on.

Mitch got his 2nd haircut last weekend-I think he looks very handsome, less like a baby and more like a little boy!

Hanging out with dad

Mitch loves balloons and was fortunate enough to be able to take one home from Trader Joe's

Blueberry hands and goatee!

I have to wake Mitch up a lot during the week...one morning this is how he was sleeping. Sometimes I wish I could just crawl in the crib with him and sleep!

Trips to the zoo

2010-02-24T22:12:00.001-08:00

Mitch and I went to the zoo today since I had the day off from work. It was not crowded at all and we got to see lots of animals and even got a pretty decent self-portrait!

Hanging out in a onesie

Mitch has a book that has different animal masks but he doesn't quite understand it-he opens a page to a new animal and then holds the book up and makes the animal sound-he doesn't realize you're supposed to turn the book around to show everyone else what animal you are. Needless to say, he's pretty much always the frog.

Mitch and dad had a playdate with Elliot and Josh-lucky Josh got to read the pop-up book that has most of the flaps missing since they've been pulled off.

We had some beautiful weather over the past few weeks and finally activated our zoo membership that Mitch got for his birthday. Here we are having a snack.

Looking at the turtles...the beginning of the (probably never ending) "don't knock on the glass"

Naked pics, etc.

2010-02-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

Mitch playing with his space shuttle before bath time.

I think Charlotte may have been a bit confused.

Mitch is starting to LOVE stuffed animals, he needs at least 2 in order to go to sleep. Here he was snuggling a little before nap time.

Mitch decided he just wanted to wear his hat around the house the other day; here we are reading books.

Mitch has loved these spray bottles since he was little-we use them to squirt the cats when they're misbehaving. Luckily, he hasn't quite figured out how they work so he just points them at the cats and says "ss.....ss....ss" Or he chews on them (see above).

Not much exciting...

2010-02-10T20:44:00.001-08:00

So, I made a great resolution to post more pictures but I sort of forgot that means we will need to TAKE more pictures. So, this week, not too much exciting happened. Here are some pics of Mitch playing with his Winnie the Pooh airplane (thanks Aunt Laura & Uncle Dale!).

He likes to start the propeller just so he can stop it.

Since I don't have too many pictures I'll give a little more info about what's going on with Mitch. He talks a lot, has a lot of words but many sound the same. Here are some examples:
ba ba....could mean blueberries, belly button or penis (depending on the context)
da dow...could mean doggie, sticker, sit down
ra ra...could mean broccoli or his stuffed lion
ni ni...could mean night-night or lotion (with this one he rubs his hands on his legs)
wa wa...could mean wash hands, waffle and is sometimes hard to distinguish from the above "ra ra"
I know there are more but I can't think of them right now. He also makes lots of animal sounds but won't say the actual animal except for dog and owl.
Hopefully I'll have some more pics next week-at least I'm posting! :)

February resolutions

2010-02-03T20:30:00.001-08:00

So, I am going to try to be better about blogging, goal is for a new post every week (we'll see how long I can keep up!) Here is a picture of Mitch trying on Matt's slippers (and sweeping at the same time)

Old wrapping paper tubes can make some of the best toys!

Bathtime fun!