Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a wonderful time for a little boy that loves to eat candy. B wanted to have Michael wear a Lion costume so they could be the Lion and the Mouse from Aesop's fables. They were super cute together and had tons of fun going Trick-or-Treating. Michael only got three suckers stuck in his hairy mane.

The weather has certainly turned colder and there was even a little bit of snow. That hasn't stopped this boy from being outside and playing with his puppy dog and the ball. It is hard to say who likes playing with the ball more.

We all love going on our Sunday afternoon walks around the neighborhood park and lake. But as it has gotten colder, we have needed more and more layers to make it back without turning blue. This time the boys turned into Angry Birds characters to keep from getting cold.

Happy Birthday 1 year old!

Michael is such a wonderful one year old. Super social and loves to meet new people. He still rolls everywhere to get around most of the time. Occasionally he will crawl but walking is a hold on to two fingers thing.

Here are some of his one year old portraits we had done. It was hard to chose which prints to get because he had so many cute ones.

For his big day we had lots of presents. Which he was so cute opening. All his little expressions of "For me?" "Really!" "Thank you" clap clap clap "Yay!" oooooooo

On the occasionally frustrating to get open gift he would give it to B to help him out and B was thrilled to oblige him. Once said gift was open he would put his hand out for it back and that seemed to work out ok with B too because the opening was what he really wanted to do anyways.





To keep the party going for the rest of the day we went swimming as a family and checked out the pool down the street from our house. He instantly loved the idea of a slide and water combined. Totally fearless he played until he was exhausted and went home for a birthday boy nap.

Cake and ice-cream followed a dinner of some of his favorite foods, lasagna, peas, oranges, and milk.

These pictures really say it all for the cake and ice-cream experience.

After the whoa I ate too much, the sugar rush, and a nice bath this birthday boy went to bed one happy little Michael Man.

Welcome to CO!

 We made it to Colorado. Every week brings something new to explore together and a lot of go go going. Michael loves to be busy and each morning heads for the door ready for a new adventure.

Hiking, biking, playgrounds so much to see and do. He loves to ride in the backpack and is a great tour guide. Pointing at rocks, birds, trees and making sounds to tell us about each wonder he has found.

Everything is so cool and interesting to him and he wants to share each new discovery he is making.

Biking is one of his favorites. He has a little seat that puts him right in the front of the bike where he can see all the sights and can continue to hone his tour guide skills.

Although not quite walking at the time of this first hiking adventure, he was determined to get down and try out the terrain.  It didn't taste too great but he was generous and shared a rock with his brother to taste while his mouth was open for a silly picture.

Whoa! how cool are slides. Our new house is just around the corner from a playground and bike path around a lake. Needless to say this busy little guy wont have to go far to get out and explore and play.

We love living close to the mountains. They are so beautiful and it will be wonderful to share our love for the outdoors with Michael and feed his love of adventure.

Summer Fun!

Oh, the joys of summer. Swimming and playing in the water, camping and visiting family. Michael has had so much fun seeing so many of his cousins and aunts and uncles. He loves an audience and having lots of new faces to see. There was camping in the mountains, playing at the lake, hiking and exploring new areas, and most of all, just being with family. Everyone that saw him commented on how big he has gotten and what a beautiful smile he has. It has been a great summer filled with tons of fun.

 Michael loves water. It doesn't matter if it is warm or cold, if he is at the lake, or in the pool, or in the bathtub. He just loves being in the water. Even for a warm-blooded boy from South Carolina, the cold mountain water didn't deter him. He splashed and played longer than any of the other kids. He just couldn't get enough. As soon as he could see the water, he was arching his back and fussing to get in the water.

 One of the big adventures of the trip was the hike to a waterfall. All the kids had so much fun and it was great to be outside and enjoy the beautiful area. It was a short hike and Michael was getting tired, but as soon as he saw the water, he was re-energized and ready to keep playing.

He was so excited to watch the cousins play in the sprinklers. He and his cousin Spencer are wishing they could walk and run and play like the rest of them. Having so many other kids around was constantly entertaining. He played hard and slept hard for the two weeks he had with family.

May

May has been so much fun. We took a day trip to Charleston were Michael got to taste his first fist fulls of sand. He loved the waves and jumping and splashing in the water.

This was just an adorable random morning hanging out with B on the trampoline. Michael was fascinated with watching the dog and chickens under the tramp and would sit with his head down watching through the tramp then put his head up and smile. B thought it was so funny to sit and copy all of M's moves and sounds.






Once again hanging out with his brother in the rocking chair. Michael knows that Mom and Dad are great for taking care of needs but when a fellow needs some smiles and fun he looks for his brother.

Oh the delights of swinging. If only he didn't get motion sick so easy he would really love this. He was all smiles while swinging and would laugh with each drop of his tummy but it took him a bit of sitting still afterwards before he was doing his usual happy bouncing. Then he would lean towards the swing for more tummy drops. A bit of a thrill seeker I think.

Food and Fun

Wow time is flying and life is busy. April has been so much fun and so many new flavors for Michael. He is loving every second of it. (oh except for the seconds that take to long for his food to come). Here he is on Easter thrilled to sit and snuggle with his puppy, and watch everyone run around and look for what the Easter bunny brought. He thought the couple of little tries of candy were a complete delight. Seems like he has a bit of a sweet tooth. His first two teeth (bottom middle) have made a full showing after a lot of painful growing work. The next set seem to be coming in somewhere because they are giving him grief. He isn't sitting like a pro yet but is close. No matter what position we put him in he wants to get back to his back (the comfort zone) before he'll relax.

He loves having lots going on and is a little party man full of smiles for everyone. Once again he got to go visit family and hang out with his cousins charming everyone with his, smiles, rolling skills, and love of food. During that trip he climb (via mom's back) his first mountain peak and was very blown away by the beautiful view. Actually he mostly loved the snacks we brought and getting to ride around in the backpack at the same height as everyone else. Grandma was so funny to hike next to, each time she was there he would laugh and laugh, each time she wasn't he'd start fussing. For a first time hike he was quite the trooper and was well prepared to go again a few days later when we went on another small family hike. He even was a good sport about sharing his Dad's shoulders with his brother.
It never ceases to amaze me how delighted these two brother are with each other. They really love each other and are delighted to be around one another. Michael was giving B. hugs just before I took this picture. Also he will call out to B. if he can hear him but not see him. Kind of this, "hey, hey, hey, come play by me" thing. And B. will wake up from his nap and want to know where M. is and what he is doing.
Michael's baby talk and babble are so much fun right now. He will gurgle sing when you sing to him. He has some very good screams and squawks down, the silent screams are esp. cute that he makes. Plus I think he has discovered that all good things start with the letter B. So there is alot of Bah Bah Bah sounds. (Bath, Bottle, Benny, Bed)
Benny has been a great feeding helper these days, much to Michael's appreciation. B. is always willing to feed puffs to M. (and eat a few him self) while Mom is busy fixing dinner for everyone. Or B. always makes sure Michael has a spoon of his very own to control while being fed.
Needless to say they are already learning how to watch out for each other, care for each other, and be a family. Michael loves to lay on the floor next to B. to look at a story together. Or have mom and dad load them both on their laps for a story. M. also loves playing in the same room as B. and just hanging out. What a blast it is and who new it would be so much fun to get to spend each day taking care of and loving these boys. What a joy and treasure Michael is to our family.

Trying new things

This is the month of trying new things. Michael has been very busy experimenting and perfecting all the amazing skills a 5 month old needs. It has been an intense hard working month for him but his list of daily practice includes screaming/squawks/squeals, motor boat sounds, sitting up(with aid), rolling over(with aid, but he sure tries hard, the arms just don't cooperate, don't worry bud it will come), standing ("oh how I love to stand" with aid, his back up plan if rolling over doesn't work out), smiles, blushes, eating, not eating, arching his back, how to make his older brother laugh, and huge smiles.

He loves to sit up by the table while we eat meals, and we started feeding him baby rice then oatmeal. The rice was not his favorite (lots of spitting out, and a few yuck shivers, whoa what is this stuff they put in my mouth, don't blame him one bit, what is that stuff) the oatmeal he likes a little better but he still knows he isn't getting what we are eating. Just a couple more months and you'll be well on your way to the good stuff (veggies!), don't worry. He is one smart little guy and you can't put anything past him.

He loves having everyone around and loves to spend his awake time watching and playing with B.  If B. goes to another room to play that's when Michael will pull out his scream/squawk/squeal practice. The cutest thing he is doing besides his huge open mouth smiles is his motor boat sounds. I think he has discovered that it usually gets a laugh out of B. so if he's board (such as in the car) he'll start up his boat and listen for a reaction.

This last month we drove up to VA to meet his newest cousin, it will be so much fun to have two little boys running around (I guess just kicking around for now) together at family gatherings. Grandma and Grandpa were there as well and loved seeing how much he has grown and changed in just the short 2 months sense they last saw him.
During our trip to VA Michael got to try out swimming for the first time and was wonderful. He kicked and splashed like a pro, was amazing at floating on his back (with just a little help;) and loved watching his crazy fish brother.

Then last but not least the other new try for Michael this month was biking.  This little guy is always up for an adventure and loves to get out and do things.

Smiles and Coos

Michael is now full of smiles and lots of very concentrated baby talk. Long sentences of coos, followed by bashful smiles when he gets a good response. Last week he went on his first plane ride to meet the extended family; which he did marvelous on. He loved going as a family and keeping an eye on all of us. Once there he gave everyone lots of smiles and loved meeting everyone. He gave each person a good looking over, then a wonderful smile, and everyone in turn fell instantly in love with him. He is a complete charmer.

It is so fun to watch his brain working, he listens and studies things. Right now he is working hard at how to get things to his mouth. His big brother laughs and laughs as he watches this process of now how do I get the toy to my mouth and not my eye or nose. His passion for food and bath hasn't changed a bit. The other night Dad was rocking him to sleep and trying to skip the bath and boy did Dad hear about it. The protest stopped and turned to instant smiles and coos once the bath water was running. He is easy going as long and those two things happen when he thinks they should.

His 4 month visit proved that he has caught up with the averages and now is a healthy 15.15 lbs. Plus he got the all-clear to start trying out foods so that will be a delightful surprise to him to get to also eat at the table and not just smack his lips at us through meals. We gave him a spoon the other night and he was quite delighted. He also caught his first bug, after our trip. Poor guy has a sad cough and likes to protest after each cough with a good ugh. He still manages to smile lots despite feeling under the weather and is getting better so once this bug clears up the feeding adventure begins.




It is so amazing, that a completely innocent, needy, brown hair, green, brown, grey, blue? eyed little guy can bring so much joy to a family. That the moment we met him we were in love and awed. What a beautiful, huge lesson in love Michael has given us. What a blessing and miracle!

Growing Fast

Wow time is going too fast. Michael' is growing so fast. It was shocking to realize his head grew 4 inches in two months, that his weight has doubled in size, and that he is over two feet tall. How precious each moment is and how we are treasuring this little miracle of life. He loves to babble and grin and is quite the social little guy. He doesn't cry really, just screams at us when we don't make things happen when and how he'd like. He's gotten into more of a routine and has really fun interactive awake time. During each meal he wants to be held at the table where he can really watch us eat and even smack his lips at us. His passion for food has continued.
After being woke up Christmas morning he was happy for a little while while he ate, and watched the festivities then fell asleep for the majority of the morning. B was quite sad that he had to wait till M woke back up to help him open his presents.
He loves his floor play time especially when B plays nearby so he can hear and watch him. He also loves getting in the stroller for walks and loves being outside.

A precious moment of B reading a story to Michael.

The cute chubby grin.