Christmas 2011

I had a fun Christmas in Albany at our new house on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, I opened my stocking and presents from Santa. My big brother Zak came over on Christmas day and we had a big breakfast and opened presents. I got a cool Dinosaur Train track and we set it up on the dining room table so that I could see it go!

Swimming in Corvallis

Phoenix and Steph went swimming in the Corvallis swimming pool a couple of weeks ago. We chose their pool over Albany, because the smaller (kid's) pool is kept 10 - 15 degrees warmer than the Albany pool.

Phoenix really enjoyed his time in the pool with Mommy. He played in the pool for 2 hours, until "parent / toddler time" in the pool was over. When we were on our way home, he asked if we could go again!

 

Playing at Avery Park in Corvallis

This weekend we went to Avery Park in Corvallis that has an old steam engine in it for kids to climb on. We thought Phoenix would like it. And, there were also some man made "rock" formations for kids to crawl and climb on. It was really wet and muddy though, so we didn't stay too long! We weren't really dressed for it being so wet! We're still learning! We need to bring extra clothes and have boots ready! All we did was layer, and I don't think it was enough!

 

Playing at Deerfield Park

Mommy (Steph) took Phoenix to the neighborhood park (Deerfield Park) last week to give Mor (Lisa) a break. Here is Phoenix playing at the playground! Mommy even managed to get Phoenix to put  coat on, over his sweatshirt, as well as a hat. YAY! Phoenix likes the gloves because they're soft (knit) and he can use his fingers. And these are the only jeans he'll wear (because they're lined with soft fleece!). Phoenix has been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, and one of his "issues" is clothing that is not "soft" (like sweats or soft cotton, like pjs). He'd prefer to just walk around in a t shirt and a diaper.

Trick-or-Treat, Scooby Doo!

We got this Scooby Doo costume for Phoenix last year, but he wanted nothing to do with Halloween last year, so we introduced it to him again this year, and he showed more interest. Unfortunately, the costume was a bit small for him, but he didn't seem to mind, too much.

Lisa and Phoenix watched a few episodes of Scooby Doo on YouTube and ON Demand (TV) on Halloween day so that he knew who Scooby was. He kept saying "Dooby dooby doo!". And, many of his Nick Jr. shows featured Halloween themes (including trick or treating) this week.

When Mommy (Steph) got home from work, we went to visit Grandma Bobbie and Grandpa Chris at work, but Phoenix fell asleep on the way! But, we woke him up and did a trick-or-treat mall walk at the local mall. We timed it just right, because it started raining while we were in there. He was excited when I told him if you say "trick-or-treat" and hold your bag open, people will give you candy.... "YAY" he said!

He got the hang of it, including a whispered "thank you" after he got his candy at each store front in the mall. Then, like an old pro, he checked his bag to see what he got! Apparently, he was hungry because he ate every Tootsie Roll, as he got it! So, we stopped at Burger King before going back home. 

We then went to Grandpa Chris's house to trick-or-treat and we all went together to go around the neighborhood, door to door with a flashlight. He wasn't too sure about this plan at first, but seemed to figure it out after a few houses. He even tried to talk to a few of the candy givers, telling them he was Dooby Doo and that he likes chocolate and then he would demonstrate his flashlight skills to them! He walked most of the way himself and then we decided to head back when he was yawning more than walking!

He was wearing his pj's under his Scooby costume, so we just peeled it off and hung out at Grandma Bobbie and Grandpa Chris's house before heading home. He was very excited about his "haul"!

Pumpkin Patch at Kruger Farms

We went to Kruger Farms to go to their pumpkin patch with Per, Gabrielle, and Tycho. I intended to get a couple of photos of the little cousins together, but Phoenix was not happy about getting his picture taken (or wearing "uncomfortable clothes), so I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to introduce a baby to the "photo shoot"!

But, here are some pictures of us looking for some carving and decorative pumpkins as well as some "photo shoot" pictures (after we made Phoenix change clothes - yes, in the pumpkin patch!).