A New Blog - Going Private

I've been pretty busy creating a new family blog, and it is now finally up to date and ready to be revealed.  This older blog will remain up to direct family and friends to our new site, but both sites will become private in about a week.  If you would like an invitation, please leave your email address in the comments or on facebook.  Don't be shy!  Thanks!

Our new blog can be found HERE

The Colbs

Currently Spencer and I are organizing all of our pictures clear back from when we first met, to now.  It's a HUGE project, especially since the amount of pictures taken since Colby was born has likely tripled the size of our folder.  So we have moved all of our pictures to external hard drives, and off of our computers, which means blogging takes one extra step.  So I've decided that I really need to post some of Colby's new tricks before he grows up even more and stops doing some of the cute things that only 19 month olds do.

UPDATE:  Turns out our external hard drive somehow crashed before we were able to back up any of our pictures onto another hard drive..... so we currently have zero pictures of our life together.  I'm not allowing myself to think about it so that I don't break down in tears.  Thank goodness I have a blog with tons of pictures, especially of Colby from birth to now.  Now were just waiting to see if someone can extract any pictures from the hard drive in its current state.  Cross your fingers for us.

1.  He is saying soooo many words.  He started saying mama and dada way back when, and then just after his birthday, he said his first real word, "car-car," and he's never looked back.  He has always been super talkative and will talk your ear off (if he's in a comfortable situation), but it's been tough trying to understand anything that he says.  By his 18 month well check, his vocabulary grew tremendously.  He pretty much repeats the last word of each sentence you say and has also started saying some phrases.  Some of his favorites are: melmo, ide (outside), bite, mommy, daddy, car-car, taoys (toys), elp peas (help please), bye-bye (he screams this continuously as we leave any location), sow (show), ack (snack), ink (drink), buggy, pogi (his friend that I nanny), tubby, stinky, blankie, doggy, toes, eyes, cookie, mayail (mail), Caillou (let's not even talk about how much that I hate that he knows who Caillou is... why does that show air??  He is sooo whiny it's not even funny!  Despite the fact that I hate the show, it is pretty darn cute how he says that word.  I guess the five minutes before Elmo comes on will get a kid addicted to Caillou.  Beware parents.).

Some of his first phrases have been: he-go (here you go), elp peas (help please- it gets me every time), tank to (thank you), bye-bye daddy, mum on (come on) and night night.

Over Christmas break he also started singing Silent Night on his own.  Out of the blue one day we heard him sing "All calm, All bwight" with the right tune and everything.  He also has been singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with me as I sing it to him before bedtime.  He loves to whisper "winkle, winkle."  So cute!

2.  He's fairly picky with what he eats although I'm finally finding some meals I cook for dinner that he will gobble up as well including, beef enchiladas (the boy has good taste I guess), and poppyseed chicken.  Like I said, he's pretty picky.  He rarely will try new foods and has some pretty intense locked lips when he doesn't want to eat something.  My go to foods for him lately have been grilled cheese, meatballs, fish sticks, yogurt, occasionally a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, quesadilla, and chicken.  He will eat any kind of crackers you offer him.  He's not a huge fan of sweets and won't really eat too much in one sitting but his favorites are plain m&m's, cookies, and marshmallows.

3.  He knows about 20 body parts.  My favorite is that every time we ask him where his nose is, he sticks his finger up his nose.  He's not a nose picker (at least not yet) which makes it even more funny.

4.  Colby leads us everywhere around the house by pulling our finger and saying "mum on" (come on).  He especially loves to pull our finger to follow him galloping around the house.  That's the closest we've gotten to having him hold our hand - he hates it.

5.  He loves playing with the hot wheels and car ramp that he got for Christmas this year.  He also is addicted to the movie Cars.  He asks to watch it everyday. 

6.  If I say "one," he follows up with "two, swee."  He also loves the sunbeam song and knows just when to pop up.

7.  Pretty good at brushing his teeth

8.  Learning to love stories.  His current favorite is "Humpty Dumpty" by Daniel Kirk which is a more modern version of the traditional story we all grew up with.  I actually love the book and don't mind reading it to him over and over again.  He also loves "Freight Train" which is also a cute little book.

9. He can climb out of his crib - as of late, he will actually fall asleep during nap time 4/7 days a week.

10. Loves to be outside, especially to walk in the front yard - kicking the ball and getting the mail.

11.  He asks where his Dad is all day long.  They are best friends and it is the cutest.  As of late he has become pretty clingy to us (especially his mama).  He still is pretty social it just takes him a little bit more time to warm up.

Grilled Cheese Grill and Voodoo Donuts

Every vacation to Oregon requires a trip to the Grilled Cheese Grill.  Seriously, this place is one of my favorite stops in downtown Portland.  The menu is killer (at least I think so), and everything I've had there is delicious.  Also, you get to eat in a retro double decker bus... so fun!  

I mean seriously, those tables.

The next stop was Voodoo Donuts.  I can't believe that for as long as I lived in Portland, I had never been there before.  It's such a weird donut shop, but I loved trying the different flavors of donuts that they had.

Apparently 2 pm is a busy time at the Voodoo.  We had to wait in line for 15 minutes before we could order our dozen.

Surprisingly, the captain crunch donut was my favorite.  The rest were super delicious too, though.

We swung by Paul and Lindsay's on the way home to drop off some treats.  It was fun to see their new house now that they are actually moved in!  The last time I saw it was clear back in October (over a year ago), and I only saw it through the back window. :)  They were closing on the house (it was vacant)... I was not a stalker.

Christmas Day 2012

First is stockings.

Then on to breakfast.  Donuts of course.

Then it is time to unveil the sheets for the kiddos.

 Colby's was all about Elmo this year.  He is OBSESSED with all things Elmo.

Then of course it is present time!! I gave Spencer a few seasons of the office, new headphones, tickets to go cart racing, socks and new undies (of course - he's the logical one in our marriage), and a remote control helicopter.  Spencer spoiled me and gave me a new apron, all ten seasons of friends, a sewing machine case, and a new attachment for my kitchen aid.  Love that man.  Colby got tons of cars, toys, stickers, clothes and shoes.

Christmas was a great day full of love and giving, and it was even better that we got to stay in our jammies all the day long.  The day pretty much wore Colby out!

 Love my boy.

Christmas Eve

This year we started the tradition of opening a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve.  We had some new pajamas for Colby already from Black Friday shopping so I thought Spence and I should join the fun as well.  Following we played NOEL and opened gifts.

 Then the evening continued with hot chocolate and donuts around the table by candlelight.  Grandpa read the Christmas story as well as The Night Before Christmas.

I love Christmas in Oregon.  There's something so comforting about enjoying the holiday traditions.  I hope Spencer and I can create the same feeling for holiday traditions for our children.

Gingerbread Trains

Oh Christmas Tree

 These three were the cutest little playmates

And I had to include this picture... they had so much fun together!