Mmm-Mmm Good!

We used to think it was so cute to hear Oliver go "Mmmm" as he ate his meal. Now whenever we hear it I go into PANIC mode and run to his side to see what he is putting in his mouth. He says "Mmmm" when he eats old food off the floor, he says "Mmmm" when he eats dirt at the park etc. Clearly he does not understand the meaning of "Mmmm."

Oliver decides to "enhance" his ravioli with whatever he finds on his tray.

He carefully stirs in the yogurt melts, animal crackers and pretzels...

He would not eat the ravioli till this enhancement, to which he responded "Mmmm." Is it ok to call my son a FREAK?

Why Not...it's 2011!

New Years resolutions come and go, but this year we are adopting the "Why Not" attitude. We have spent the last year cooped up in our home, and it is time to get out there, even if it is a bit tricky. A baby doesn't have to be an anchor that keeps you from leaving the city limits! We are going to get out more in 2011!

NEW YEARS

We started the year off right when we decided to be social on New Years Eve. We brought our well behaved boy, who just had plenty of "sleep-over" practice in Alaska, to Jared & Lauren's house in Alameda. We figured he would go right to sleep. He did. We drank Martini's, Wine, Red Champaign and partied till 2 AM. When we decided to head to bed, Oliver woke up and STAYED UP till 7am the next day!!! He kept the entire house up with his tired cries.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

At least our friends are understanding.

When asked if we wanted to go to an exhibit in Santa Rosa, there were many thoughts going through my mind. Can we do this? Drive that long, do something adults do? WHY NOT!

What damage could a one-year-old do at a museum?

Luckily, none.

However, his loud shouting did sound awesome in a place with such good acoustics.

Dim Sum? WHY NOT?

I was a bit worried Oliver would not like Dim Sum. Turns out the only thing he doesn't like is me stabbing his head with a FORK. (In my defense, I was just trying to feed him. He moved). Luckily none of my co-workers saw what I had done. Oliver did very good, enjoyed Sweet Custard Buns and when he started to get anxious, Jon showed him all the yummy Lobster & Crabs in tanks.

Just recently, we attended the Alameda Antiques Fair. Long drive, and lots of things that Oliver could break, or swallow etc., but WHY NOT? It was an awesome day. Oliver didn't mind eating his lunch on the go. Really, he enjoyed antiquing more than I thought he would. He wanted to kiss everything as usual, including rusted clocks, & dirty lawn Gnomes. He also enjoyed pushing his own stroller through the crowd, hardly waiting for people to jump out of the way.

It is certainly clear, that doing stuff with a little one is always a little tricky and even risky, but it's 2011. Next time we are asked to go somewhere fun, we just have to say Why Not?

"Christmas in Alaska" brought to you by the iphone.

Taken by "Microsoft Promo" at the Oregon Airport during our layover.

Traveling with a one year old means bringing lots of crap with you on vacation, so I decided to not bring all the big cameras this trip. Our entire trip was documented on our iphones. (I'm addicted to iphone photo apps right now and it shows. I'm just asking that you bare with me during this obnoxious time, and hopefully I will get over it soon).



Oliver's first airline flight went very well. Though he refused to sit, or be held at all by his father the entire flight up, he never had a major meltdown.

He did however...

Yank my seatbelt
Papercut my face with the emergency evacuation instruction card
Stick his hands through the seat crack in front of us to touch its occupants
Head butt my forehead
Lick the passenger seats!
Claw my neck
Expose my chest by pulling at my shirt
Stroke the knee of the passenger sitting next to us (while he drank his bottle)
Eat all my pretzels
Pull out all the tissue from the box in the airplane lavatory while his diaper got changed
Drool lollipop on the seats
Drool lollipop on me


So overall, he did GREAT!

Around 9 a.m. driving to Valdez.

Driving to Valdez in -20 weather.

Weird things you discover in Alaska...

Christmas Trees are hung upside down.

The Christ Child was a Bear.

Valdez around 11 am.

Oliver helping Grandma in the kitchen.

One of Oliver's favorite Alaska activities was sledding in his red sled.

He also liked giving his new monkey a ride.

He also liked helping Mom and Dad make a Ginger Bread House. He powdered the top with snow (sugar).

Oliver also enjoys eating Alaskan Icicles right off the roof.

One of Oliver's favorite things in Alaska was Grandpa & Grandma's church nursery!!

He has never been to a place like this before. All these toys to himself!!!

Oliver got some cute clothes, a Green Monkey, a Pillow Pet Bumble Bee, and a Cat Keyboard.

Nancy prepared a super fancy Christmas dinner for everyone. It was wonderful.

Delicious Red Pear Salad

Christmas Roast, Orange Rolls, Corn and Mashed Potato...Yum.

Chocolate, Orange Cake made with Grand Marnier! Fancy.

Bird Watching

Oliver trying to escape and feed the birds.

Long Rifle Lodge. Just one of the few places to stop on the long drive to Anchorage.

There was more dead animals on display than you would find in a museum.

Though we only needed to use the restrooms, it is always polite to buy something, since it could be days between customers. Oliver had his first cup of Hot Coco.

Check out the beaver in the background wearing the hat.

Jon's Birthday Dinner in Anchorage.

I don't look tired do I?

Actually fell asleep on the flight to Oregon! First plane trip was a success.

THIS JUST IN...

These pictures were taken by Jon's Parents on a GOOD camera.