21 months

This little guy turned 21 months old on Saturday. I can't believe he's nearly two!

He is one very busy boy. Here are some of the things he's into these days:

Climbing

He climbs on anything and everything. The tops of our couches, along our heating units and sneaks onto the window sill, and recently he's surprised us by climbing out of his crib and onto his dresser. We found him on the dresser one night crying because he couldn't figure out how to get back in his crib. (While up there he managed to dismantle his stereo too.)

Hugging

This kid is a hugger. He hugs people of all ages but he really loves to hug babies. I think he's scared more than a few new mothers but he really is so sweet around kids smaller than himself. He also gives a little sigh when he hugs: ahhh. And if you're lucky he'll pat your back. Melts my heart.

Kissing

He'll give you a kiss if you ask for one but even cuter is him blowing you a kiss. He does this smacking with his lips that is just adorable. It's a nice sound effect that carries well over the phone (just ask his grandmothers).

Growing

We got back from less than two weeks in Idaho and Christian had stretched out significantly. All the sudden he can reach and turn all the door knobs in the house (instead of just the front door). We're not the only ones who've noticed he's lengthened a bit. People at church kept commenting on it too.

Talking

He's still got a long ways to go in the talking world but he's definitely made some huge improvements lately. In Idaho it seemed like he was pulling out a new word every few hours. He's been playing with a greater variety of sounds lately and is more willing to copy us. My favorite right now is probably: shoe. He's so cute making that "shhh" sound.

Shhhing

Speaking of the "shhh" sound, if Christian thinks you are sleeping, he's very quick to "shh" everyone around him. Funny thing is, he seemed to think the stuffed animals on our neighbor's Christmas wreath were sleeping, so every time we came into our apartment during the month of December we had to "shh." He cracks us up.

Brushing

He hurries into the bathroom and grabs his toothbrush out of the drawer as soon as I start to suggest we brush his teeth before bed. I think it helps that he now uses some kiddie tooth paste but still, it's nice to see him excited about it. He's not as excited about letting me help him brush so we're working on "sharing" the brushing responsibilities. He also loves to comb my hair and his hair.

Bathing

Nothing new here but he still loves his baths. He runs to the tub and often still has his clothes on when he crawls in. He's also decided he likes the shower again. It was really nice the other day when I was able to get out before him and work on my hair and make-up while he continued to peek-a-boo around the curtain at me.

Balling

This kid hasn't met a ball he doesn't like. He got a new mini football for Christmas and didn't care to open any more gifts. He also got a basketball hoop for here at the house from Santa and its the best idea we've ever had. It entertains him for hours at a time while I make dinner and do dishes and such. Best $35 we've ever spent. At the park he can watch people play tennis for 10 straight minutes and he loves to swing a bat or pitch a ball. It's also impossible to keep him off the court when he spies the youth playing basketball at the church on Wednesday nights.

Sharing

He's no pro but I'm told he's a pretty good sharer. His babysitter raves about his willingness to share and never pick a fight. I think he struggles a bit more on Sundays at nursery but if we mention the word share he immediately lets up if he and another kid are after the same item. Shane and I are sure glad to see him developing this skill. Especially since he's an only child at the moment.

Caring

Like I've been pointing out, Christian really has a gentle heart. He's very passionate at times but also quick to show love. If he thinks you've got an "owie" and especially if he's the one who may have hurt you he's so quick to show remorse it's almost painful. He reaches out immediately for the hug and tears up almost instantly and has to be reassured that everything is going to be okay. Too sweet, really. I think I'll keep him.

Laughing

Christian has a fabulous sense of humor. He's a showman. And he likes to make you laugh. He pops out to surprise you from behind a wall and is all giggles. Or he'll chase you around the house. He loves to wrestle and be tickled.

Playing

Like all kids his age, he's constantly playing. He loves trains, cars, balls, etc. But really, he doesn't need much stuff to be entertained. He loves to be swung around, hang upside down, fly in the air, climb on my back, ride on Shane's shoulders -- you name it. He's very physical. Very active. We love it. Most of time. ;)

Okay, I'm sure there's much I'm forgetting since I'm writing this past my bedtime but for now, I'll leave it at this.

to buy or not to buy

{For those of you on Twitter, or any hard-core Real Simple fans, you may already have seen this. But for the rest of the world, I thought this "Simple Tip" was worth sharing.}

Being that is definitely a good year for saving more and buying less (frugality is the new black, I guess you could say), it might help to ask yourself these four questions before buying an item and bringing it home:

1. Do you already own something that serves the same purpose?
2. If so, will you get rid of the older item and replace it with the newer one?
3. Will this make your life easier/fulfill a need/save time and money?
4. Have you researched to find the best product at the best price?

Maybe I'm the only one who will benefit from this tip but I'm thinking not. Way to often I find myself running into places like Target for a few listed items and I walk out with three times what I came in for.

P.S. Real Simple has announced it will be posting a new "Simple Tip" everyday for 2011. Yay!

sending christmas cheer

We didn't send out Christmas cards this year.

I thought we'd do them after we returned from Mexico but between Shane's law finals and both of our very busy work schedules, the first three weeks of December flew by before we got a chance to think about them.

And by then it was a little too late.

Shane accused me of being a grinch. And then I reminded them that he could have worked on them too.

He didn't have a response to that.

I then thought about trying for New Year's wishes but once we boarded the plane to Idaho that dream sailed too.

Still, I really hope to mail one out next year. Only because I really enjoyed all those we received from friends and family and I don't want to get dropped off your mailing lists!

Thanks for keeping us in the loop and sending pictures of your beautiful, smiling faces. With all that was going on, it really made a difference to get some Christmas cheer through the mail. You truly made our days (and weeks!).

Love you guys. XO

the 'new' nienie

How many of you read The NieNie Dialogues? If you don't, you should.

She is one inspiring woman, wife and mother.

I just happily read a new magazine article about her during my lunch break.

Here's a link if you want to do the same. Or if you prefer, here's a link to e-mag so you can see the layout.

our mexican thanksgiving

Okay, I'm finally getting my act together and posting some pictures of our Thanksgiving trip to Mexico. Good thing, since Christmas and New Years have already come and gone too. (Sad!)

Weather was perfect. The pool was cooler than the ocean, believe it or not. Which meant the ocean made for perfect night swimming in the moonlit waves. So fun. Sharks and minnows is more fun in the pool at night too.

Of course, we ate more than our share of delicious Mexican food and downed plenty of piña coladas.

We snorkeled, scuba dived, zip lined, cliff jumped to our hearts content.

Christian was fascinated by all the iguanas -- and the parrots, lemurs, dolphins, manatees, geckos, etc.

A small group of us made the trip to Chichen Itza. Unfortunately you can no longer climb the pyramid. They've finally decided to protect one of the world's Seven Wonders. Lucky for me I did that years ago but Shane was definitely disappointed he didn't get a view from the top.

The whole family minus our missionary, Chad.

inspiration for 2011

"True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes. In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny."

This quote from Elder D. Todd Christopherson is a fabulous guideline for me as I ponder what I want 2011 to mean for me and my family and where we plan to focus our priorities. Looking forward to a fresh, new year with no mistakes in it (yet!).

chalkboard paint

I feel like chalkboard paint is all the rage these days. And it's definitely caught my eye. There's just something about being able to draw on your walls, y'know? (Or on your dresser or table or...) I've been half-tempted to do something in Christian's room with it but not knowing where we'll be after next summer has kept me at bay. However, I look forward to using it wherever we settle down for the next stage in life.

Till today I foolishly thought you really only had one option: black. But this new line from Hudson paint proves how wrong I was. For me, I'd almost go with the vivid purple, but something green or orange would probably be more appropriate for Christian. What do you think? Weird or fun?

(While you're at it, check out this sweet chalkboard-painted car.)

back to reality

Well, we made it back from Mexico, safe and sound, and somewhat bronzed. ;) I'm excited to share photos and a details but unfortunately I haven't had time to download all the photos yet and sift through them (we took WAY TOO MANY so it's going to be a process).
In the meantime, here's a funny picture of my brother, Chad, who is serving a mission for the LDS Church in Juarez, Mexico. It's pretty obvious in the picture that he is working under FREEZING COLD conditions while riding a bike between pueblos. His Mexico experience couldn't be more opposite than ours, that's for sure.

fall on the east coast

We've been enjoying some gorgeous fall weather here in Northern Virginia, which means we've spent a lot of time outdoors -- either playing outside the apartment building with friends or rotating our time at several of the local parks. The tree leaves are currently a rainbow of colors and the sunshine feels so good on a crisp autumn day. So perfect takes your breath away. My dad was right: nothing really beats fall on the East Coast.

That said, we definitely won't mind trading in our fabulous fall weather for some true summertime sunshine when we leave for Mexico this Friday. We're meeting up with my entire family, minus my brother Chad who is valiantly serving a mission in Mexico (sadly, we won't get to see him) for the LDS Church. That means my parents, eight "kids," three spouses, and four grandkids will be celebrating Thanksgiving on the beaches of Playa del Carmen.

Let the craziness begin.

christian's room so far

This post is for Auntie Megs. She asked recently if we had finally decorated Christian's room. The answer is yes and no. We started putting it together after Meri left in July (Christian slept in our room for his first year, since we had sweet "naunties" living with us to help care for him). These pics were taken back when we first got things organized. The mirror is now actually hanging on the wall but we still haven't put together the Dr. Seuss picture wall over the crib so I don't have anything more to show just yet.

Christian's favorite part of getting his room set up was officially inheriting Shane's old Kermit the Frog. As you can see, he's obsessed with Kermit's mouth.