Karen's 29th Birthday

We celebrated my birthday on Super Bowl Sunday. It was a fun day, watching the game with my family! Dylan was great at helping me blow out my candles and he was very excited that cake was involved.

Dylan's first trip to the Aquarium

Today is my(Karen) birthday and we celebrated by going to the Aquarium. This was Dylan's first trip to the Aquarium and he really enjoyed it. He loved the touch pools, but I think he liked splashing around in the water better than the animals that were in the pools =). He kept us busy by running from exhibit to exhibit. He always seemed to come back to the seals and I definitely think they were a favorite. It was a great day!

The Pool

One of our favorite evening activities is going to the pool with Grandma and Grandpa. Dylan loves splashing around, playing with the kick boards and noddles and jumping into the water. He also loves hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and it is a special activity they do together.

One of the best parts of the evening is playing with Lady after we get out of the pool. Dylan loves to yell "Come 'er Lady" and throwing the ball to her. It is a win win for me because I don't have to take care of a dog, but Dylan gets the benefits of having one. I definitely want to get a dog in the future but for now taking care of a toddler is enough for me =)

Snowboard Gear

Dylan is obsessed with Bryan's snowboard gear. He always wants to try on his "gobbles" (aka - goggles), boots, helmet and gloves. Bryan is looking forward to taking him up on the moutains and teaching him how to ski. Dylan isn't a fan of the bulky snow gear so it will be interesting to see what he thinks of skiing.

Dylan's Funny Christmas Video

Christmas with Dylan was really fun this year. From feeding Santa and his reindeer to playing with some great new toys, Dylan definitely made the most of his second Christmas. Check out the video for some highlights. It's long but well worth the time.

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas! We had Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's with the whole family. Jeff was in town and he and Tracy got engaged a few days earlier. Nana and Papa stayed at our house that night so they could be with Dylan on Christmas morning. Before we went to bed Dylan put carrots outside in the snow for the reindeer and he put cookies and milk out for Santa. The next morning he got up and was very bothered that the cookies were gone. He had to set more out for Santa and Dylan ended up eating one first thing in the morning.

Grandma, Grandpa, Jeff, Lizzy and Gramps came over to spend Christmas morning. We had homemade cinnamon rolls and an egg casserole. I think the cinnamon rolls might become a tradition. Dylan really enjoyed opening presents and one of his favorites was the pool table from Auntie Lizzy. We had a lot of snow, which is unusual, but it was fun to have a white Christmas. The roads were getting pretty bad so Papa, Nana and Auntie Lizzy headed to Gig Harbor after breakfast and presents. Later in the day we went to Aunt Lana and Uncle Mike's. It was so fun to spend time with family and celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Day at the Farm

Today Dylan and I went with our friends Lindsey and Chloe to the South 47th Farm in Redmond. Feeding the goats was a big hit and Dylan would giggle every time they licked his hand to get the food. As usual, Dylan was running around from place to place and he would get frustrated with me when I tried to corral him into one area to do an activity. The bean stalk maze was a big hit. He enjoyed darting away from me and then was quick to yell, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" when I was out of sight. Luckily the maze was small enough that I could get to him quickly. We also took a hay ride but Dylan was tired and he wasn't very excited that I wouldn't let me him run around on the trailer while the tractor was moving. He also enjoyed doing a taste test of all the different veggies that they grew on the farm. He was chewing on potatoes, onions, squash and tomatos. The picture below shows how shocked he was at what came out when he bit into the tomato. The morning at the farm was definitely worth the $6, especially since we got to take some beans home that we picked off the stock.