Kasen's Blog

Family Videos

2010-05-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

I've added a new link under 'My Favorite Sites' that goes right to our family youtube channel where you can see all of our videos.

Be sure to change the resolution in the lower right corner (right below the video) from 360p to 1080p so the video will show up in HD. Enjoy!

Swimming Lessons

2010-05-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

I started swimming lessons today! I was pretty excited to go until it was actually time to go...then I wanted to go "later". I reluctantly got into my new swim clothes and headed to the pool with Mommy. I had a total meltdown in the locker room and then again when it was time to get into the pool. It only took about two minutes for me to realize...I LOVE swimming lessons! I got to play with a ball, kick all over the pool, sing songs and splash around, and jump in off the edge! I was shrieking and laughing and having the most fun of anyone. I can't wait to go back on Wednesday!

Articulate

2010-05-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

I helped Mommy take Josslyn to her 6 month checkup today. There was a nice lady in the waiting room and I showed her my new car. We had a great conversation:

Kasen: See my new car?

Lady: Wow, that's really cool! Where'd you get that?

Kasen: My grandma gave it to me.

Lady: Oh, you must be pretty special. Are you special?

Kasen: Um no, I'm Kasen Lariz.

Then we went in and met with the doctor. I was just talking away telling her about my car and my new crocs. She told Mommy, "wow, he's really articulate." I replied, "I'm not articulate...I'm two!"

No More Naps

2010-05-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

Well, its official...I've outgrown my naps. Josslyn and I just got on the same nap schedule and that seemed like too easy of a schedule. Now I get to play with Mommy all day! It wasn't that I minded taking naps so much, but when I did I wouldn't go to sleep at night until after 11pm. Now I'm skipping my nap but actually sleeping more because I'm sound asleep by 8 o'clock most nights!

Its been a while...

2010-05-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been quite a while since I've posted. Things have been very busy the past 6 months! Adding my baby sister to the family has stepped up the pace around our house quite a bit. I've been a big help with everything from changing diapers to feedings. I've even learned a few things of my own and have breast fed my stuffed bear Pip quite a few times.

I love baby Joss (or Beej) and tell her so everyday. I give her lots of hugs and kisses too. She is starting to grab for my toys though and I'm not going to put up with that much!

My latest favorite things...
1. Driving toy cars. When I'm driving them I make them make the driving sound "worrrrm worrrrm"
2. Riding my tricycle (my "bike"). We ride to the park often and I climb up to the top of the slide and then say I'm "too tired" to slide down and go down the way I went up. I always fill the "trunk" of my bike with toys that I just might need when we're out for a walk.
3. Mommy's iPhone. I can navigate it easily and love to watch YouTube videos of tractors and cars.
4. Dancing. I love to listen to music and dance with Mommy and Daddy.
5. Talking on the phone. Now that I can carry on a conversation, I love to talk on the phone. When there isn't anybody on the real phone, I carry my toy phones around and talk to everyone I know.

Cutest thing I've done lately...
The other night we were sitting eating dinner and I reached over to Daddy, gave him a big hug and said "you're my best friend".
Daddy's best friend

My Height

2010-04-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've heard through the grapevine that if you measure the height of a boy when he's 2 1/2 years old his height in adulthood will be twice that. Mommy and Daddy measured me today and I'm 3'1"...we'll have to see if I end up 6'2"!

Baby Joss

2010-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Josslyn was sitting in her bouncy seat and started fussing a little. I ran into the other room yelling, "Just a minute baby Joss, I'm comin'!" I came back with her blanket, covered her up, and gave her a kiss. Then I ran and got my blanket and sat on the floor next to her and explained to her that there were flowers on her bouncy seat. She was laughing and talking to me too. We love eachother a lot :-)

Quote of the Day

2010-01-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

Kasen: "No nap today Mama, ok?"
Mom: "Um, yes, you're going to take a nap"
Kasen: "Ok, maybe later"

Check out my new videos!

2010-01-20T20:21:00.001-08:00

Dancing with Brobee

Sitting on the couch with Josslyn

Molars

2010-01-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

So Mommy discovered today that my rough sleeping habits and grumpiness as of late are probably related to my teeth. I've been chewing on my fingers a lot, which I don't usually do, and have had an excess of "drool on chin". I got my first 2-year molar a few months ago and Mommy looked in my mouth today and saw two more and swollen gums where the 4th one is on its way in. They gave me ibuprofen before bed last night and I only woke up once chewing on my fingers. Maybe once my teeth are all in I will sleep comfortably through the night again. I can't wait until I'm done with this teething business!

A Quick Update

2010-01-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty busy lately what with the arrival of my baby sister. I've done great with the adjustment...aside from sleeping...and really love being a big brother. Numerous times throughout the day I go up to Josslyn and say, "hi baby Joss!" and then give her a kiss and hug. I ask Mommy a lot if I can hold her, and then ask for her to take our picture. All the pictures we took trying to get one for our Xmas card made a big impression on me!

I try to help Mommy out with baby Joss whenever I can. The other day she was crying in her swing and I went and stood next to her and read her a book. It didn't calm her down but I at least I tried! I've also been known to pull my table and chairs over next to her to keep her company.

In other news, I'm sleeping in my own room and doing much better now. Mostly, I just have a hard time falling asleep unless somebody stays upstairs with me. I stll wake up in the middle of the night on occasion but for the most part, I'm sleeping much better.

I'm really talking up a storm now, speaking in full paragraphs and having conversations. I keep Mommy and Daddy laughing every day. The other day, I was watching Mommy play Farmville on Facebook. She was trying to put a chicken in her chicken coop (you probably have to know the game to understand) and it wasn't working right. Mommy said, "its not working for some reason" and I replied, "its not working cuz it prolly needs new batteries. Isn't that right?" I pretty much think anything that doesn't work properly needs new batteries. That's how it works, right?

New Bed

2009-11-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well Mommy and Daddy decided the family sleeping arrangement wasn't working too well and have been trying to encourage me to sleep in my own room again :-(. In an effort to get my excited about my room, Daddy convereted my crib into a toddler bed last night. I LOVE my new bed... to play in that is. When it comes to sleeping I want nothing to do with my room at all. Daddy has been sleeping on the floor next to my bed because its the only way I will stay in my room. We'll see how long he can keep this up...

Crowded Bed

2009-11-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Well, my baby sister is home and things are going really well. So far I'm liking being a big brother a lot. The only thing that has changed is my sleeping habit. I do not like being in my bed AT ALL. Josslyn won't sleep in her bed either so the whole family (including Isabelle) sleeps in Mommy and Daddy's bed. I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm sleeping great!

Welcome Josslyn!

2009-11-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

Announcing Josslyn Mary Lariz!

November 9, 2009, 11:26 am
7 lbs 6 ozs
20 in long

My baby sister arrived this morning! I can't wait to meet her! The hospital doesn't allow children to visit right now because of the H1N1 flu virus so I'm staying home with Grandma and Granddad.

Josslyn has her very own blog...click here to see it!

Click here to see more pictures!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

I had a great Halloween! This morning I spent some time watching a huge "cat-pee-o" (caterpillar) in the back yard.

After dinner we got ready to go trick-or-treating. I wasn't sure why I had to put on my lion outfit...

I was a little confused at the first house we went to. They let me pick my own candy and I just kept taking piece after piece. The next house made a little more sense and by the third house I had caught on to how this worked. Never letting go of Mommy's hand, I went up to the door, said "tick teat" and held out my hand for CANDY! When people tried to put it right into my "tick teat bucket" I stopped them and made sure they handed the candy to me so I could put it in my bucket on my own. The lady who answered the door at one house was a little scary so I just set my bucket on her door mat and backed away until she put candy in it. I always said "dank you" and then ran on to the next house....I knew what I was doing.

When I got home I went straight to the couch and started going through my candy. I've already organized it numerous times on each of the couches, on my Elmo table, and back into the bucket. I don't know exactly what candy is since I've never eaten any before. I'm pretty sure I just got a bucket of little wrappers to play with and its great!

Later in the evening Grandma and Trinity came over to see me trick-or-treat a little. I was really excited to go back out but wouldn't leave any of my candy behind. I put it all back in my bucket and ran out the door telling Daddy "tick teat again". It was getting pretty late and we had walked around a lot so after a few houses I told Mommy, "tired, home". Its a lot of work going to all those houses! Even though I was exhausted I still made time to sit on the couch and play with my candy some more before bed. I can't wait for Halloween next year!

Click here to see more Halloween pictures!

My Birthday Party

2009-10-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Grandma and Uncle Gar came over and we celebrated my 2nd birthday! I got to open presents...lots of Yo Gabba Gabba stuff, a Thomas the Train set, my very own remote, a couple of trucks, and a new toy Jeep! Here I am opening presents and playing with my new toys...

Grandma made me a really cool train cake! Of course I loved it!

Look at how much I've changed since my first birthday!

Click here to see more of my 2nd birthday pictures!

I'm Two!!

2009-10-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

I'm two today!! We are going to celebrate tomorrow since it will be Saturday.

Today we went out to lunch with my great uncle Mike. He was in town from California. It was really good to see him since we don't get to very often!

My 2 Year Checkup

2009-10-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

I had my 2 year checkup with the doctor today and everything went great! I weigh 32 lbs 8 oz (92%) and am 36" tall (94%). I am right on track with all of my developmental milestones... I feed myself all of my meals, I can easily throw and kick balls, I jump with both feet off the floor, I love to draw and color, I go up and down steps by myself, and I'm putting whole strings of words together trying to make sentences!

A little update of what I've been up to...
"What happened?" is one of my favorite expressions and I ask what happened to things ALL the time. I really like Elmo and Thomas the Train but especially LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba. I also love helping clean and often ask for a paper towel or wipe and go around the house wiping things down and saying "nice and clean".

I'm becoming more and more silly and think its hilarious to say silly things. For example, the other day Daddy was asking me if different people were a girl or a boy. I got a little confused when Daddy asked what Isabelle was. He told me she was a girl but also a dog. Then he asked, "what is Daddy, a girl or a boy?" I thought about it for a minute then looked at Dad with a big smile and said "Dada's a dog!" I thought this was hilarious and laughed for a while then said, "nooooo, Dada's a boy." I'm so funny!

The Fireplace

2009-10-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today we lit the fireplace for the first time this year. It was making strange popping and sizzling sounds that we couldn't figure out. Then all of a sudden, it made a big POP and a little smoke came out. This is NOT supposed to happen since we have a gas fireplace. Of course, Mom and Dad turned it off right away. Once it cooled down Dad took the front apart and found the culprit...a toy I had stuffed in the top vent ages ago. I was wondering where that thing was! Dad says we were lucky it didn't do any damage other than ruining my toy....oops!!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

We went to the Plumper Pumpkin Patch today and I got to pick out my very own pumpkin! I was much more interested in all of the tractors driving around than I was with the pumpkins. We walked around through all of pumpkins and even went through a corn maze.

In the pumpkin patch I pointed out as many green pumpkins as I could find. I was very concerned with any pumpkins that were lying on their side and set to work setting them up straight. See pictures below...

There are more pictures from the pumpkin patch on our family website. There are also pictures of me coloring at my new Elmo table which I LOVE. I've created quite a few masterpieces there so far. I spend a lot of time coloring every day and often bring over an extra stool and firmly request that someone else color with me. I even pick out what color they get to use! Click here to see the pictures!

September Update

2009-10-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

I started off September with a trip to the hair salon...my first official haircut ever! I got to sit in an airplane and drive toy trains around the whole time. I was pretty much oblivious to what was going on on top of my head. I looked like such a big boy aftewards that Mommy cried the whole way home. Actually, she was a bit ridiculous and cried off and on the rest of the day. She said she was sad to see my curls go and that I looked so grown up that she felt like her little baby was gone and replaced by a toddler. News flash Mom, I am a toddler! :-)

Thanks to Dad, I'm officially becoming a 49ers fan. Whenever I see football on TV I yell "football, go Niners!" I have a 49ers t-shirt and if you ask me what's on it I'll tell you, "go Niners!"

We took another trip to Baker for Labor Day weekend and I got to spend lots of time with Mimi, Aunt "Dappy" (Kathy), Granddad, and Grandma Barbara. We probably won't get to see them for a few months since my baby sister will be born soon and then winter will be here. I wish they didn't all live so far away!

The next weekend we headed back to Spokane (with Daddy this time) to go to Mommy's friend Eric's wedding. We got to go to the rehearsal dinner at Pete and Sharon's the night before the wedding. They had a very nice dinner setup in their backyard. At some point Daddy let me eat an entire brownie all by myself and let me just say - delicious! About 10 minutes after I ate it Granddad, Mommy, and Daddy looked over in the yard and saw me standing by myself just wiggling every inch of my body. Woohooo sugar overload!!!

The next night we went to the wedding. I did very good during the ceremony and again announced "music off" every time the music stopped playing. During one quiet moment I tooted and said "excuse me" a little louder than Mommy and Daddy would've liked. I also asked, "Eric doing?" when they were taking their vows. Being vocal is so much fun!

Click here to see pictures from the wedding and the rest of our September photos on our family web album!

August Update

2009-09-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

August was a pretty calm month for us. We enjoyed being home between our Baker/Spokane trips and gearing up for doing the same thing again in September. We went to a company picnic at Dad's work which was a lot of fun. They handed out blow up animals and I fell in love with my blow up elephant. Click here to see pictures from August on our family web album.

July Update

2009-08-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, the past few months have been very busy! We went to Baker in July for Miner's Jubilee. I had a lot of fun watching the parade and strolling through the park.

The next weekend Mommy and I went to Spokane for Annie's wedding and to help Granddad clean out his house. Everyone said Mommy was pretty brave to take off for a six and a half hour drive by herself with a 2 year old but I did great! We stopped halfway and had a picnic lunch in a park and I got most of my energy out there and then slept for a couple of hours. I was ready to get out of the car by the end of the trip but overall I'm a very good traveller!

We saw lots of deer in the yard at Granddad's house and I asked about a hundred times, "deer doing?" I really like my cuddle time with Granddad, especially when I first wake up. It was even better when I got to bring a bunch of stuffed animals!

We went and visited Jan, Bob, JD, and Zack while we were there. I loved their dog Remi and had to know where she was at all times. Jan and I watched her float around in the pool for a while. It was so funny!

We also went next door to visit Pete and Sharon Ehrhardt and I got to help Granddad drive!

Lacey came with Mommy and I to Annie's wedding and it was a lot of fun. During the ceremony I tripped on a step and yelled "bonk!" and every time the music went off I'd announce "music off". I just wanted to make sure everyone knew what was going on. At the reception, Mommy shared a big piece of cake with me and 10-15 minutes later I was happily busting a move on the dance floor....actually, behind the head table :-) I danced and danced for over an hour and then let Mommy know I was ready to leave by repeating over and over "van, bye bye, night night". I was very tired by the time we got home but had a great time! Here I am all dressed up for the wedding...

Back at home, we got to go to the Wash Co fair. I saw LOTS of animals and was expecially fond of the goats, or "doats" as I like to call them.

Whew, July was a busy month! Be sure to visit joeandmarinda.com to see more pictures of me from the month! (There are three separate albums for July - Baker, Spokane, and Kasen - July 09.)

Jumping!!

2009-07-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

I really like to jump....even though I don't get any air at all. Most of the time I jump and only one leg comes off the ground.

Click here to watch my new jumping video!

4th of July & a NEW VIDEO!

2009-07-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

4th of July was a lot of fun. Grandma and Uncle Gar came over and hung out for the day. It was hot outside (in the 90s!) so I played in my "poo" (pool) for a while. We had a few fireworks to light off so I got to stay up late to watch them. We ended up lighting them before it was dark because I was getting very tired. Turns out, I'm pretty scared of fireworks...

Click here to visit our family website to see more 4th of July pictures!

On a different note, yesterday Isabelle was laying on her side giving herself a bath. I wasn't sure what she was doing so I watched her for a minute then went over and started licking her too. I only got one lick in before Mommy stopped me... I was only trying to help!

I'm becoming very polite and say please, thank you, and excuse me (which sounds more like "moo mee") often. Thank you is a new favorite saying and I use it all the time. I also say "yuh you" (love you) which melts everybody's heart.

This one's for you Granddad...click here to watch my new video!

20 Months!

2009-06-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm 20 months old today! Can you believe I'll be two in only four months?!

On a side note, I love to eat "banyas" (bananas) and "ass" (applesauce).

Bossy Bossy

2009-06-22T11:36:00.001-07:00

The more I start to talk the more I'm realizing I can boss people around. The other day Daddy and I were playing in the living room. He got up and walked away and I started yelling, "stop! Stop!" He turned around and looked at me and I told/yelled at him, "back!", meaning for him to go back to the living room. Daddy was in shock that I was demanding that he do something. I was impressed that it worked!

A little sister!

2009-06-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

An ultrasound confirmed this morning...I'm going to have a little sister!!

Click here to see the latest pictures of her!

A few new things

2009-06-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I got a new lawn mower!! We like to go on walks around the neighborhood and usually take the stroller in case I get too tired of walking. Usually though I end up wanting to push the stroller which takes WAY too long but of course, I throw a tantrum otherwise. So I got a new mower to push around. Its more my size and much easier to push. I mowed all the sidewalks in our neighborhood this afternoon!

I've discovered that I LOVE to have my belly rubbed! I climb on the couch next to whoever happens to be sitting there, lay on their lap or on a pillow, lift up my shirt and say "beh-eee" (my way of saying belly). If you don't start rubbing right away I'll pat my tummy and keep telling you what I want, just in case you didn't catch on the first time.

The other day Grandma brought her dog Precious over to play with Isabelle. Precious wasn't feeling good and slept on the couch all day long. I was concerned about her and kept bringing her cheerios every now and then to cheer her up.

Speaking of cheerios, this is one of my most clearly pronounced words. Of course, its my favorite snack so I ask for them often and therefore get a lot of practice saying it.

Oh yeah, and I also say "bless" whenever somebody sneezes. :-)

Memorial Day Weekend in Baker City

2009-05-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Baker City. I got to see "Dad-dad" (Granddad) and Grandma Barbara, Aunt Lacey, Great Aunt Kathy, and my great grandma "mimi"!

I loved going to Mimi's house. She got me a new toy to play with when I'm there and had a really cool stool I liked to move around and sit on. Every time we'd walk in she'd offer me a cookie or a graham cracker. I have a new addiction to graham crackers now - thanks Mimi!!!

When we got home I really missed Mimi a lot. I kept asking where she was and even watched for her out the front window for a while. Mommy and Daddy finally showed me some pictures of her on the computer and then I felt better. I miss her a lot and can't wait to see her again in July!!

Click here to visit our family website to see pictures from the weekend...

My New Words

2009-05-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have a few new words that I've added to my vocabulary. "Wa-wai" which means water, "stuck" which I say for anything and everything that I can't move or get to, and "eat" which of course I say perfectly.

I have mastered the word "shoes" and following my obsession, talk about them all the time. I'm very particular about where people put their shoes once they take them off and will demand them to be moved if they're not in a location to my liking. I will try on anybody's shoes and walk around a little but mostly love slippers and flip flops. Shoes are definitely not allowed on the couch so when I sit there I ask to have mine taken off and then make sure anyone else on the couch takes theirs off too.

I also say "doo" (or cool) now too. The other day Mommy made a square out of some of my blocks. She held it up to me and said "cool" to which I replied, "doo". Now everytime somebody says something is cool I run and get my square of blocks. I'm pretty sure it's called a cool.

18 Month Checkup

2009-05-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

I had my 18 month checkup today. I weigh 28lbs and am 34.5 inches tall...almost 3 feet!

The doctor said everything looked great and I'm right on track with everything. I had to get shot, which was not fun! At least I don't have to do that again for 6 months!

Doopa-dah and More

2009-05-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

"All gone" has become on of my most used statements. I say this about anything and everything that disappears; food, toys, etc. I hold my hands up and say "all gone" over and over until someone notices. A new game I play is to hide my toys in the couch cushions and say "all gone" and then pull the toy out and laugh hysterically.

Speaking of the couch, I have figured out how to climb on it all by myself. I learned how to get down quite a while ago so I spend a lot of time climbing up and down. Luckily I'm very cautious so Mommy doesn't get too nervous watching me.

I've also started pretending. The other day Mommy let me play with an empty cracker box and I sat down and pretended to pull crackers out and eat them. I also pretend to eat the pictures of food in my books. Most of my pretending has to do with eating but I also walk around and talk on my cell phone all the time. I say "hi" and "bye bye" over and over again. Pretending is such a fun game!

I LOVE to push my toys with wheels around. I have a car that unfolds to be a walker....it was what I used to learn to walk....and Mommy and Daddy tried to put it away but I had a fit. I play with it every single day. I push it around and run into things on purpose and say "bonk!" I "bonk" my little cars too. Its hilarious!

Another word I use often is "burp". I announce this any time I burp or toot. I always say it loudly and am not afraid to make announcements in public. Oh yeah, and I'm not limited to my own bodily noises so watch out!

Those are a few of my latest words but my most favorite is one I made up, "doopa-dah." My parents are pretty sure its my version of singing because I started saying it whenever I heard someone else singing. I say it at least 10 times a day, usually when I'm excited, sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering, and sometimes singing. Now Mommy and I use it to communicate when we can't see eachother. If she has to run upstairs to throw a load of laundry in the washer I stand at the gate at the bottom of the stairs and yell "doopa-dah!" up to her until she says it back to me. We do this over and over until she comes down. She's not afraid to run upstairs for a minute because she knows I'll be "doopa-dah"-ing to her and will always be standing right there waiting for her when she comes down.

Did I mention I'm going to be a big brother? "DOOPA-DAH!!"

Easter

2009-04-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Easter egg hunt yesterday! The hunt was for kids under two and there were at least a hundred of us. I think some kids had help from their parents because the whole hunt only last about 20 seconds before all of the eggs were gone. I did get two eggs though!

I did an Easter egg hunt at home too...and I got all of the eggs all by myself!

After I found all of the eggs I cracked one open and found a chocolate bunny! I tried to eat it but most of it ended up on my face and clothes....I even got some on the wall :-)

A big trip

2009-03-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

I got to take my first airplane ride this week! Mommy, Daddy, and I flew down to visit Granddad and Grandma Barbara in Lake Havasu, AZ. It was a two hour flight from Portland to Las Vegas and I did great. We had a row of three seats to ourselves and I had fun standing on my seat peeking at the lady sitting behind me and standing on the floor using my seat as a table for all of my toys. I was very quiet almost the entire time....probably because I was eating for the majority of the trip :-) As soon as we landed I fell asleep on Mommy's shoulder and she got to carry me all the way through the airport. Granddad and Grandma Barbara were there to pick us up so we could make the 2.5 hour drive to their house in Havasu.

We spent most of the week relaxing at the house. I had a lot of fun walking in circles around the pool and playing with the rocks in the yard.

We spent one afternoon in Oatman, an old western mining town off of Route 66. We ate lunch at the old hotel, watched the gun fight show in the street, walked around the shops. I think I embarassed Daddy and Granddad at one point. We were standing outside one of the shops and a lady in a wheelchair was coming towards us and I kept pointing at her and yelling "ah oh, ah oh!" clear until she passed us. Hopefully I didn't offend her too much...I was just confused why a grown woman was in a stroller.

There are lots of wild burros walking around the streets of Oatman and every time I saw one I would point and announce, "dog!" Hey, the have four legs, a tail, and pointy ears...that's a dog right?

I did pretty well on the flight home too. I got a little grumpy towards the end though. I think a two hour flight is the max I can handle at this point. My ears were bothering me a little on the way into Portland. I kept pointing to my ears saying, "ah oh" until Mommy found a pacifier for me.

It was a great trip and we all had a lot of fun. Hopefully we can go back every year!

I also found out some big news this week...I'M GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER!!! I'm not sure what that means yet but everybody is making a big deal out of it so it must be something exciting!

The Latest

2009-02-24T19:57:00.001-08:00

I'm getting better and better at walking every day. All I do ALL day long is walk around and I love it! I rarely fall down now...mostly just when I'm tired. You'll rarely catch me walking empty handed. I usually carry a toy but can often be seen with Isabelle's ball. I run around saying "ball" and "dog" and I love to wave it in front of her face and take off so she'll chase me. On the flip side, I get VERY upset when she gets it out of my hand and runs off. One of these days I'll really be able to run and she won't be able to catch me!

With my walking also comes quite a few new bruises and my head takes most of the blows. I seem to run into the kitchen table on a daily basis, which inevitably adds a new bruise to my forehead.

I am suddenly very interested in my socks and say "ocks" a lot. Mommy used to have the hardest time keeping socks on my feet and now right when I wake up I point to my dresser, say "ocks" and stick my foot out. I've also learned what "night night" means and shake my head and run the other way when Mommy and Daddy say its time to go there.

The past couple of weeks I've taken a greater than ever interest in talking. I try to say everything I hear (watch out Mom and Dad) but I also talk a lot of gibberish. My latest understandable words are "mama", "dada", "socks", "bath" and "owww". And although "yes" is not yet in my vocabulary, to my parents delight (note the sarcasm here) I've mastered how to say "no".

Well its time for me to go to that not-so-fun place they call "night night" but be sure to click here to watch my new walking video!

I Can Walk!!

2009-02-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

Yup, you read right...I finally figured out how to walk all by myself!

Tuesday afternoon I was walking along with my walker and Mommy had something on the couch across the room that I wanted. I forgot that I've been too scared to walk alone and just took off towards the couch. I made it the whole way...about 5 feet! Mommy was so excited and I had no idea why, I was just happy I'd gotten the toy I was going for. Then she started putting me in the middle of the room and having me walk to her. I made it all the way to her the very first time and then I understood what all the excitement was about. I shrieked and laughed the whole time! We did this a few more times but then I fell pretty hard and refused to walk the rest of the afternoon. When Daddy got home he and Mommy sat across the room from each other and I walked back and forth between them over and over until I was completely exhausted and had to go to bed.

Wednesday morning Mommy had me walk from her to the couch over and over. One time I was walking towards her and just turned and walked all over the whole house! I went clear to the front door, into the bathroom, and then turned around and walked all the way back to Mommy!

Now that a few days have gone by I'm getting more and more brave. Every now and then I just take off from the couch and go for a stroll. I'm not so worried about having somebody behind me anymore and have figured how to mostly fall on my tush instead of my face. I also try to run but really I'm just stomping my feet really fast but barely making any forward progess at all. I laugh really hard when I do this, which usually causes me to fall down.

Click here to watch the video of me walking!

I'm saying a few new words now too. "Unch" means lunch and "otts" means pants. Mom is constantly stopping me and saying she needs to roll up my pants so I don't walk on them. Now when she says that I look down at my pant legs and say "otts". "Ball" is one of my favorite words these days. I love to look through books and point to and announce each ball that I find. I've discovered that people think I'm really cute when I say "boo" so I try to use this word often. I say it when I'm putting on a shirt and my head pokes through and also when I hide behind things and peek out (sometimes I say "boo" before anybody can see me). I also like to say "bupp" whenever anybody burps, its funniest when its myself. I still say "dog" a lot. If Isabelle starts barking when she's outside I yell "DOG!" as loud as I can. I got this from Mom and Dad because they always yell out the door at her when she barks... they really need to be careful of the example they're setting for me because I pick up on everything!

15 Months

2009-01-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm officially 15 months old now. I weighed myself yesterday and I weigh 27.8 lbs. I'm growing like a weed!!

I got yet another tooth a couple days ago. This one is my top left cuspid. I think I'm up to 12 teeth total now. I'm working on both of my lower cuspids now and my gums are SO swollen! I can't wait until this teething business is over and done with.

I'm learning to feed myself with a spoon/fork now. The first few times I tried, most of the food ended up on my tray and the front of my bib. I've pretty much got it figred out now. As long as I open my mouth as wide as I possibly can the majority of the food makes it in.

I'm starting to talk more and more and randomly repeat things Mommy and Daddy say. They are learning very quickly to watch what they say! I have a few stuffed monkeys that I love and I often hand them to Mommy and say "beep-o". She'll ask me to say "monkey" over and over and "beep-o" is what comes out every time. Getting the right sounds to come out of my mouth is hard work! I'm figuring out how to communicate better each day though. I've added "no" to my head shake when I don't want something so I'm making some progress. Daddy also taught me to say "boo". When someone says "peek a" I say "boo"!

Of course, I still LOVE walking. I'm very particular about which finger I hold onto when I'm walking with someone. It has to be the pointer finger on their right hand, in my right hand. I will sit down and pout if you try to hold my hand any other way. We don't have to do that as often now though because...I've finally learned to walk with my walker!! Now that I've figured this out, I pretty much just walk and walk and walk ALL day. I occasionally stop to play with something but the walker is always by my side so I can grab it and go easily.

Sometimes I will stop walking and let go and just practice standing there. Mommy encourages this by getting me to stop and clap while I'm standing. Whenever I clap, I squat down to make sure I have my balance. Of course, I'm very proud of myself and always look around smiling to see if anyone was watching me. As shown in the picture to the left, I also squat when I need to turn the walker.

When I'm not walking, I still prefer to crawl with some type of footwear on my hands. Mom and Dad have noticed I am also particular about which hand the shoes are on... the left shoe MUST be on my left hand and the right on my right. If you put the shoes on the wrong hands I will stop, furrow my brow, and immediately change them to the correct hand. I can even instantly tell the difference with Mommy's slippers that she has to examine before putting on because they both look the same!

I have two new videos of my walking with my walker. Be sure to watch them both!

Click here to watch Day 1 of me walking with my walker!

Click here to watch Day 3 of me walking with my walker!

The past couple weeks...

2009-01-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm still not quite walking yet but am SO close. Walking is my absolute favorite thing to do, but I have to convince someone to hold my hands while I do it. The other day Mommy and I went to the park and walked around for an hour and a half straight! I can walk by myself but won't. Sometimes when Mommy is holding my hand she'll let go and I don't notice and keep walking anyway. As soon as I realize her hand is gone I just sit down. One of these days maybe I'll get brave and just walk off on my own.

I've got my third molar now and am working on the 4th, along with a cuspid... ouch!

Every now and then my Mom takes care of our neighhbors' twin babies. Because of them I have a new word. Whenever I see them I say "baby"! Actually, it sounds more like "bay-bay" but I know what I mean. I say "up" ALL the time now. Anyone who is standing around will most likely find me standing at their leg with my arms outstretched saying "up, up, up". Even though they may not want to pick me up, nobody can resist how cute I look and sound when I'm saying it :-)

One of my favorite things to do is play on the couch. Its another great way to put my "up" word to use. I love to climb and have figured out how to get up on the foot stool and then onto the couch by myself. Once I'm up there I like to go back and forth across the couch and sometimes just sit there next to whoever happens to be there. Its also my favorite place to have my afternoon snack. Daddy taught me how to get down safely which makes it much less stressful for Mommy.

I discovered a new hilarious activity today. I put a dishtowel on my head and crawl all over the house. I go really fast and laugh the whole time. I hope I don't bump into anything...

Be sure to go to http://www.joeandmarinda.com/ to see more new pictures of me!

My first haircut

2009-01-02T22:32:00.000-08:00

I got my first haircut on New Year's Eve. Even though she liked my curls, Mommy said my hair was too patchy and I had to cut it off so it can grow back even. Mommy cut off the curls above my ears for my baby book and then Dad buzzed my whole head. I brushed my teeth the whole time to keep myself distracted.

I look so grown up now!

In other news, my second molar broke through today! It's on my bottom left side. I thought maybe I'd get a little break but there are two more trying to come through on the other side. Teething is such hard work!

Christmas

2008-12-27T21:25:00.000-08:00

My second Christmas was a lot of fun! Granddad and Aunt Lacey came and stayed at our house for a few days. Grandma and Uncle Gar came over on Christmas day and we opened presents...I got so many new toys! Mom and Dad think the toys are going to completely take over our house any day now.

Check out http://www.joeandmarinda.com/ to see more Christmas pictures.

Arctic Blast '08

2008-12-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

We've been having a HUGE snowstorm the past few days. We've gone out in the snow a few different times and I really don't like it!

We had a foot of snow at the end of the storm!

The Latest...

2008-12-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post and I'm doing a few new things now. First of all, I pull myself up on everything. I like to put my toys up on the couch and stand there and play with them. I still love walking holding someone's hands and now like to walk with my walker too but I still haven't taken a step on my own.

My other new favorite thing... I LOVE to climb the stairs. As soon as the gate comes down I beeline for the stairs and climb right up. I'm very quick and think its hilarious, laughing the whole time.

I've added a few new words to my vocabulary. I say "'moo", "baa", and just yesterday started saying "quack". I say "yeah" a lot as well as "up", which I especially like to whisper. Of course, "ah oh" is still my favorite!

I'm also really into clapping, Anytime I hear someone say "yay" I start clapping :-)

I really like to read now too. I will sit and read a book by myself for a long time but especially like Mommy and Daddy to read to me. Moo, Baa, La La La was my favorite book for a long time (and the only one I would let anyone get through) but now there are a few different ones that I always choose. I have a favorite page in The Belly Button Book. Its a page with a song on it and now whenever we pick up that book I flip through to that page and start dancing. We have to sing that page 9 or 10 times each night before bed :-)

I have 8 teeth now! I have my 4 front top teeth, 3 bottom front, and 1 molar! Nobody even knew I was getting a molar and one day Mommy looked in my mouth and there it was! I'm working on another molar and my 4th bottom front as we speak. I chew on my fingers constantly and keep getting a rash around my mouth from all the drool. I can't wait till I'm done teething!

I really like all different kinds of music and LOVE to dance. Anytime I hear any music at all I start movin' and shakin'. Click this link to watch me dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9mNCWZzvVI&fmt=18

Slipper Hands

2008-11-21T00:33:00.000-08:00

My absolute favorite thing to do is crawl around with slippers or shoes on my hands. I do this ALL day long and have been for the last week or so. If I go to play with a toy I take the slippers with me, set them down by my toy, then put them back on my hands to crawl on to the next thing. I've always been fascinated with people's shoes and am constantly staring at feet when we are out and about. I am also very particular about keeping pairs together. If there is a big pile of different shoes/slippers together I always pick out a pair to crawl around with. I will sometimes carry only one around but never mix and match pairs. Slippers are my favorite but I'll try out anybody's shoes at least once!

Check out our family website to see me in action!
http://picasaweb.google.com/joelariz/KasenNov08#

Latest Stats

2008-11-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

I had my 12-month checkup today and here are my stats:

Height: 32.2" (96th percentile)
Weight: 25lb 8oz (80%)
Head Circ: 18.74" (78%)

I had to get shots, ouch! I cried REALLY hard for about 20 seconds and then I was fine :-) I have to go back for my second batch in a few weeks.

Everything checked out great. I'm right on track with my growth and development!

Our Trip

2008-11-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

Mommy and I had so much fun in Baker. We spent a few nights with Great Aunt Kathy. I took a bunch of toys and made a huge mess in Kathy's living room.

Great Grandma came over every afternoon and we got to spend lots of time together. We played pat-a-cake and she taught me how to crazily wave my arms around in the air. I loved standing at her walker because it had a bar that was the perfect height for me.

Granddad came over and visited in the evenings and we got to read bedtime stories together.

After we spent a few nights in Baker we headed out to the ranch for a couple days. Of course, I had to get a good nap in on Granddad's chest.... it's still my favorite place to sleep!

I got to see almost the whole Lewis clan. Teagan and I crawled around and played together a little. Mostly we just stared at eachother :-)

On our way home we stopped to say goodbye to Great G-ma and G-aunt Kathy. I love my great g-ma so much I leaned over and pressed my face against hers (my version of a kiss) for a long time before we left. I'm going to miss her a lot but hopefully we'll make another trip to Baker again soon!

It was a lot of fun visiting with everyone but man, was I exhausted! I fell asleep just outside of Baker (holding my socks) and slept for 4 hours...almost all the way to Portland!

Be sure to visit our family website to see more pictures from our trip!
http://picasaweb.google.com/joelariz/BakerCity110308

Baker City

2008-11-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

We wanted to make sure we got to see everybody before the snow comes so Mommy and I made a quick decision to leave Daddy and Isabelle behind and come to Baker for the week.

I've adjusted to the new routine pretty well considering I'm switching from formula to milk AND cutting my 6th tooth! I'm very happy during the day but a little unsure at night. That's ok though, I just get to play until I can hardly keep my eyes open and then I go right to sleep :-)

We've been taking quite a few pictures so watch for them to be posted soon!

Halloween

2008-10-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Halloween and I got to wear my scarecrow costume again.

We went to Nike and trick-or-treated around Mommy's old office. Then we went home, had dinner, and went out trick-or treating around our neighborhood. I didn't actually go up to any doors; just walked around with Mommy, but it was fun to see the zillions of kids running around and I smiled and laughed at everyone walking by.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch today.

I do NOT like pumpkins...

Well, if Sydney's not scared...

maybe they're not so bad.

I guess I don't mind pumpkins after all!

My 1st birthday party!

2008-10-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today was my 1st birthday party. It was so much fun! We had a whole house full of people and I played and played and PLAYED with all the kids.

I figured out really quickly how opening presents work. I knew there was something fun under that wrapping paper and was ripping it off and lifting it up and sticking my head inside the present to see what was in there. I loved every present!!

Then we had lego cake that Mommy and Grandma made.

I got my own cake with a candle...

but the candle scared me and then I didn't want anything to do with my cake.

Then Daddy fed me cake on his lap and I realized how much I like it.

So I got back in my chair and had a green lego.

After everyone went home I was on a sugar high and was crawling around the house as fast as I could and playing with all of my new toys. By the time bedtime rolled around I was so exhausted I fell asleep reading a story with Mommy... I never do that!

I love birthdays!

Halloween Party

2008-10-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Halloween party today! I'm a scarecrow this year.

I got to decorate my own cupcake and go trick-or-treating.

I was worn out by the time we went home!

I'm 1 today!

2008-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today is my 1st birthday! Can you believe a whole year has gone by already? My birthday party isn't until Sunday so Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Uncle Gar and I went out to dinner at Red Robin to celebrate.

The waiters tied balloons to my ears and sang to me. Then I got to try ice cream for the first time. I wasn't expecting it to be SO cold but after a bite or two I LOVED it!

I also took a picture with Red. He scared me and I did NOT want to take my picture with him!

After dinner we went home and I got to open a present....more blocks!

Turning 1 is so much fun! I can't wait for my party on Sunday!h

The latest...

2008-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm so mobile, I've figured out how to easily sit up in my bed. I even do it when I'm half asleep. The unfortunate part of this is I then fall back to sleep sitting up and someone has to keep checking on me throughout the night to lay me back down. I'll figure out how to lay back down on my own one of these days...I hope.

I'm getting more and more interactive with my toys every day. I love to play with blocks, trucks, trains, and any other interactive toy I can find. I also like to put smaller toys on bigger ones to see what I can get to balance. Another favorite activity is to take the smaller toys and see what nook and cranny I can fit them in. Lately, I've been secretly putting stuff under the couch...shhhh...

Grandma taught me how to play catch! We were sitting on the floor a few feet apart and she tossed a ball to me and encouraged me to throw it back. After only a couple tosses I had it figured out and threw it back to her every time after that! Who knew there was such a fun game out there!

I'm pulling myself up a lot now. I get on my knees easily but haven't quite figured out how to get my feet under me after that. I'm very strong though and with a little foot placement from Mommy I can stand up on my own. I practice walking holding somebody's hands a lot and still smile and laugh the whole time. This is definitely one of my favorite things to do.

I'm really starting to figure out how things work. Yesterday Daddy was going to put my shoes on me and he set them down next to me for a minute. I reached right over and grabbed one and set it on my foot! Daddy thought I might've just dropped it there or something so he waited a minute and set my shoe down and I put it back on my foot again! I also like to put hats on my head, then take it off, then put it on, etc. At this rate, I'll be dressing myself in no time!

I figured out a new way to entertain myself when I'm eating. Check out this video to see what I mean...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_he94ff9Dc

Now that I can crawl, one of my favorite things to do is play with Isabelle. Watch this clip to see me in action...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMWqEpa-S0

Be sure to watch them in high quality: they look so much better!

My birthday is one week from today. Can you believe I'm going to be 1 already?!

Another Tooth

2008-10-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

I got my 5th tooth yesterday! Another top left. I'm working on a top right tooth and have been exceptionally grumpy the past two days. I can't wait for this teething business to be over! My two top front have almost grown in enough so you can see them when I smile. I'm going to look so different then!

I've been crawling a whole week now and I'm into EVERYTHING. I get told "no" a LOT throughout the day and everytime I stop what I'm doing and break out into tears. I don't like these new rules! I'm figuring out how to pull myself up on stuff, which I think is fun but Mommy thinks is dangerous. So much for her getting things done around the house... she gets to follow me around instead!

Look at this silly picture... there was a scarecrow in the cart behind me but it looks like I'm wearing a little hat :-)

Watch me crawl!

2008-10-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Watch me crawl!

I can CRAWL!

2008-10-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

I finally learned how to crawl!!! Last night I crawled a few feet, stopped to take a break, and crawled a few feet more. Today I'm all over the house! There's so much to explore. Unfortunately, I'm learning what "no" means too... I keep crawling over to Daddy's computer cords :-(

Daddy taught me a new game.... we growl at each other like monsters! I love this game and will growl at anyone who will play with me. Here I am growling at the camera and riding my car at the same time -->

I've discovered that I really like to dance. Every time I hear music, especially a song with a good beat, I start dancing. I can dance sitting down and standing up (when someone's holding on to me of course). I've also learned a couple of new words. I say "yuck" and "up" now :-)

Sandy Snail, etc.

2008-09-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

I got a new toy... a Sandy Snail rocker! I figured out how to rock it as soon as I sat on it the first time. I'm getting pretty brave and I stand up and rock and sometimes lean clear forward to look at Sandy's face. I giggle and laugh the whole time I'm on it. It's so much fun!

I'm getting more and more mobile now. I scoot all around the house backwards but haven't quite got the crawling forward thing down yet. I'll crawl forward a step or two but always have to make sure I can sit back up.

I've figured out how to say "ah oh" really well now and say it ALL the time. Mommy even heard me over the monitor say this right when I woke up this morning...right after I turned on my gloworm :-) I only have a few words but this is definitely my favorite one.

I keep forgetting to mention my latest eating habit. As soon as I have a tray of food I pick out a bite of whatever is my favorite and hold it tight in my left hand for the entire meal. I eat everything else with my right hand and throughout my meal I'll periodically check to make sure my special bite is still there. When I'm done with everything else then I eat the bite out of my left hand. I've been doing this a few weeks now at every meal!

11 months!

2008-09-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm 11 months old today! Only one more month until my 1st birthday!!

I'm going to crawl!

2008-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'm SO close to crawling I can taste it! I kind of hop around on my hands and knees and tend to go backwards when I try to go forwards. I actually crawled a couple steps forward today though!

We're finally home!

2008-09-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

We took two days to make our way back home. Uncle Gar came down to San Jose for work and decided to make the trip home with us. We left yesterday and stopped in Shasta to visit Jack for dinner. We decided to stay the night in Medford last night and went to see Darcie this morning. The trip home felt a lot longer but we finally made it about 5:00 tonight!

As expected, I was very good on the way home. I spent a lot of the trip throwing my toys down between the seat and the door where nobody could reach them. Of course I thought this was hilarious and I'm learning how to say "ah-oh".

I also got a new tooth today! My top front right tooth poked through sometime this afternoon. Hopefully I'll get a little relief from teething for a while. Can you believe I have four teeth now?!

Monterey Bay Aquarium and Aunt Elaine's

2008-09-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I had so much fun!! I loved watching the big fish swim around. Every time one would swim by I would watch it intently and then shriek and laugh. Turns out I love aquariums!

<-- Here I am with a bunch of HUGE jelly fish.

After the aquarium, we went to my great aunt Elaine's house. We stayed there for lunch and dinner and I got to meet even more cousins!

My new chair

2008-09-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon with Aunt Sherry and Uncle Carlos today. Guess what Uncle Carlos made me... my very own chair! I sat in it and played for a very long time. I love my new chair!!

San Francisco

2008-09-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

We had a busy day yesterday visiting with people. We spent some time at uncle Mike's and then headed over to uncle Mondy's for dinner.

Today we went to San Francisco and walked along Pier 39. I spent most of the afternoon snoozing in my stroller again. It sure is comfy in there!

We went to lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.....yummmmmy!

Then I dozed off again on the way home. All this sight seeing is really wearing me out!

Monterey Bay

2008-09-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Monterey for a mini family reunion. I got to meet my great aunt Elaine, my great uncle Les and great aunt Sue, and lots of cousins for the first time. First we went to a park and had a picnic lunch. Here I am with my cousin Ava. She's a few months older than me and yup, I'm bigger than she is. I guess my arm tastes yummy.

After lunch we went and walked down Fisherman's Wharf. I slept most of the time but woke up just long enough for a family photo.

My Great Aunt Sherry

2008-09-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

I got to meet my great aunt Sherry and great uncle Carlos for the first time today. Aunt Sherry had a bunch of new toys for me and she sat on the floor with me and played and played.

It was so nice to finally meet them in person. I wish they lived closer!

Just before bed we stopped by great uncle Mike's house and then made a quick stop to see my great uncle Mondy and his wife Shelly and their daughter Zoe. So many people to visit!

Off to California!

2008-09-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

We drove all the way to San Jose today. It took us 12 1/2 hours! Mom, Dad, Grandma, me, Isabelle, and Precious rented a minivan which made the journey a lot more comfortable. I was very good in the car. I did a lot of sleeping and spent the rest of the time playing with my toys and jabbering away. I learned how to say "that" and said it over and over again and laughed every time. I still say "dog" a lot too!

I spent all day in the car and am still in a good mood. I'm a very good traveller!

Pics of my new teeth!

2008-09-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Mommy finally got a couple pictures of my new bottom teeth. She tried to get a picture of the top one but its not out far enough to get a good picture. We'll try for that shot again in a few days.

We've been going on family bike rides this summer. I had to wear my cousin Trinity's helmet because I don't have one yet. Every time we go on a ride I fall asleep leaning against Mommy.

Another Tooth

2008-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

I got my third tooth today! My top front left tooth has been trying to break through for a few days and finally made it today. My other top front is close behind, as is another top one :-)

I'm making definite progress towards crawling but insist on doing it the hard way... I still hate to be on my tummy and am going to crawl right from the sitting position. I only sit still for a minute or so and then I go right into the crawling position. I move my hands a few steps but haven't figured out how to make my legs follow so I end up on my tummy and just scoot all over the living room until I start crying uncontrollably, mommy sits my back up and I go through the process all over again. Oh well, I'll figure it out soon enough!

Almost crawling!

2008-09-04T22:01:00.001-07:00

Today I figured out how to get on my hands and knees from a sitting position. I'm really close to crawling now. I kind of hop along on my hands and knees to get where I'm going. I'm also getting really good at walking while holding Mommy's hands. Today at the park I was trying to follow my friend Sydney around and was walking really well by the time we left.

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Baker City last weekend...

This is me riding the bouncing zebra with my Granddad making sure I didn't fall off. I loved this thing! When we first got there only my toes could touch the ground. When we left four days later my feet were flat on the ground and I was riding the zebra all by myself!

Here I am sitting with my Great Grandma Marcelle. I have a lot of fun with her. She always lets me play with her jewelry :-) I wish we lived closer so we could see eachother more often.

And here I am playing with my new tractor. My great aunt Kathy got this for me for my birthday and decided to let me play with it while I was visiting. I played with it pretty much all day every day so she let me take it home. It's my new favorite toy and I still play with it ALL the time :-)

My Second Tooth

2008-08-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

My second tooth came in today! It's my lower left front and my top two are close behind!

I'm waving bye-bye like crazy now. I don't even have to watch anybody to do it; I just start waving when someone says "say bye bye".

I've been really trying to crawl the last few days. I think I'm going to crawl right from a sitting position since I still hate to be on my tummy. When I'm sitting, I just lean forward and get on my hands and knees. I haven't figured out how to get moving yet though. Every time I try I tip over on my face. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon cuz my nose is getting sore :-)

Waving and a Mohawk

2008-08-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

I learned something new last night: I can wave bye-bye! I only do it when I'm copying someone but soon I'll be waving on my own!

I finally have enough hair for a mohawk! Here I am in the bath this morning...

Great Great Aunt Arr

2008-08-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

We're in Baker City, OR this weekend for my great great Aunt Arr's memorial. Of course Mom, Dad, Granddad, aunt Lacey, great grandma Marcelle, and great aunt Kathy were there but I also got to meet quite a few other relatives for the first time. I met my great great aunt Wilrose, great great uncle LB, and quite a few of my double cousins.

Arr passed away in May but she would've been 100 years old today. She was an amazing woman who will truly be missed.

"dog"

2008-08-25T23:16:00.001-07:00

Today when I was trying to pet Isabelle, Mommy and Daddy kept saying "dog". Every time they would say it I would repeat it perfectly. Sometimes I said "doooooooooooooooooG" and sometimes I'd just say "dog" really fast. We did this over and over about 20 times. We tried to call Grandma but I wouldn't do it with her on the phone. As soon as we hung up I started saying it again. Maybe "dog" is my first word... we'll see if I can still say it tomorrow!

A couple new things...

2008-08-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I was eating, Grandma asked if she could have a bite and I put my green bean right in her mouth! I've shared my food a few times since then and will let you know if I don't feel like it by pushing your face away ;-)

I'm also learning to walk! A grown up holds my hands and I walk around and shriek and laugh because I'm so proud of myself. Every now and then I look down at my feet cuz I can't believe what I'm doing. I still couldn't care less about crawling but love to stand and play at my activity table.

I'm still playing a lot of peek-a-boo. No matter what I'm holding (blanket, stuffed animal, teething ring, etc.), I lift it up over my head and smile until somebody notices. Then I pull it down and laugh. Unless it's a blanket, you can see my face the whole time, but I still think its hilarious :-)

This just in...

2008-08-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

Guess what I got today... my first tooth! At approximately 5:30pm my bottom right front tooth made its debut. Mommy could see it in there and had been feeling my gums non-stop all day long and finally it was there! The bottom left front is close behind and will hopefully poke through tomorrow. It's about time...they've only been visible and trying to come in for two months! Last night Mommy and Daddy noticed my top front two are almost in too! We'll see how long it takes them to actually poke through though.

My latest new trick is to play peek-a-boo all on my own. I hold my blanket up until somebody asks where I am then I pull it down and laugh. This game is so much more fun now that I can do my part on my own!

I'm talking up a storm now and making all kinds of new sounds. "bah bah bah" and a whispered "p p p" are my favorite but just ask Daddy, I've also been known to say "da da da da". :-) As hard as Mommy works with me I still haven't said "mama"... she's convinced I'm just holding out to make that my official first word :-)

I'm also still into the "pfhpfh" sound only now I've added my tongue and a lot more slobber to the mix. In addition to my non-stop jabbers, I make this noise constantly. It's especially fun when I'm eating. To see me in action earlier today, check out this video...

Click Here for my Eating and Laughing Video
(To watch the video in high quality, once in youtube click "watch in high quality" located below Views just under the right corner of the video. It may take longer to load but the video is much clearer.)

OMSI

2008-08-18T11:57:00.001-07:00

I took my first trip to OMSI on Saturday. There's so much to look at there! We had a pretty big group: me, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Uncle Garland, Aunt Angela, Trinity, Domonic, and Tamorah...whew!

We walked through all of the exhibits and tried the different hands-on activities. Trinity even held a HUGE millipede! I'm not quite old enough to do all of the stuff so I just sat in my stroller and watched everything. I got pretty tired after lunch and fell asleep for the last hour we were there.

We didn't have our camera so Mommy just took a couple pictures with her phone. Here I am being cute eating my lunch :-)

My First Time Swimming

2008-08-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Mommy and I went swimming with Leah and Sydney today. It was my first time in water other than the tub. At first Mommy just held me while I got used to the water. Then I went in my "boat" and floated around.

Once I got used to that, I just leaned back and lounged while Mommy pushed me around the pool.

I can't wait to go swimming again!

My Sock Trick

2008-08-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to get my socks off all on my own! If I don't have shoes on I pull my socks off the second I sit down. Then they go straight into my mouth and I chew and chew and chew on them till they're soaking wet.

In other news...

Last week we went and watched one of Daddy's softball games. It was pretty chilly out but I had fun anyway.

We went to the Washington County Fair with the Vernon family last weekend. We walked around and looked at all of the animals. I was very good and just sat there quietly and looked around the whole time.

Dear Kasen

2008-07-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Kasen,

You are teething right now and the nights seem to bother you the most. Last night you woke up crying in the middle of the night so I sat and rocked you for the longest time. You were sleeping in my arms but every now and then you would stir a little, then reach up and touch my face just to make sure I was still there. It completely melted my heart.

You bring so much joy to our lives every day and I hope you always know how much you are loved.

Love,
Mom

9 Months

2008-07-26T20:17:00.001-07:00

Well, this past week I officially turned 9 months old! I had my 9 month checkup and I am 29 1/2 inches tall and weigh 21lbs 6 0zs. I'm in the 60th percentile for weight and head circumference and the 90th percentile for height!

I went and got my pictures taken too so be sure to visit the July album on our website to see them all! http://www.joeandmarinda.com/

It's been a while...

2008-07-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

Whew, it's been quite a while since I've posted! There has been a lot going on the past few weeks.

I got to experience my first 4th of July. Well, I sort of experienced it. We just hung out during the day and I fell asleep hours before everyone lit off fireworks. The loud fireworks in our neighborhood woke me up about 11:00pm though. I was wide awake then and watched almost a whole movie sitting on Daddy's lap.

My biggest news.... Mommy's last day of work was July 3rd! Now we get to be with eachother every day and I don't have to go to daycare anymore! We've been keeping very busy going to playgroups almost every day. We went to one playgroup last week that was all babies. We just sat around and laughed at eachother and tried to steal eachother's sippee cups. It was so much fun!

Last weekend I had my first flu :-( I woke up in the middle of the night and threw up ALL over my crib. Mommy and Daddy had to wash everything and give me a bath. Then about 20 minutes later I threw up again all over Mommy. Throwing up made me cry and I decided I don't like it at all. I had a tummy ache for a couple days but I'm all better now.

Last but not least, I finally got a new high chair!! I've just been sitting in my stroller to eat but I was definitely ready for a high chair with a big tray. I eat even better on my own now! I'm getting really good at feeding myself and drinking out of my sippee cup. My favorite thing to eat is Gerber Graduates stars. I grab them in my fist then wiggle my hand around until the star makes its between my thumb and pointer and then put it right into my mouth. I could probably eat a whole container of them but Mommy always ends up taking them away after a while and I throw a mini tantrum every time. I'm starting to eat little bites of grown-up food too, which I love! I always want what everyone else is eating. I can't wait until I have teeth so I have more options!

Oh yeah, one more thing, I can "give 5" now! :-)

8 Months Old

2008-06-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

I'm 8 months old today and guess what... my teeth are starting to come in! Even though none of them have made their official debut, you can see the outline of the front bottom two in my gums. As a result, I'm slobbering everywhere and have to have something to chew on at all times.

I'm also getting really close to crawling. I get on my hands and knees, rock there a minute, then look up to smile at anybody who's watching me and topple over on my face. I can't wait to crawl!

"Pfhpfhpfh"

2008-06-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I love making the "pfhpfhpfhpfh" sound. That's what I'm doing in that picture --->
I do it ALL the time. It's especially funny to do it when I'm eating because I spray food everywhere!

Here's a video my grandma took of me making my favorite sound... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xViT0-FQpy8

I had my first teething biscuit today. It was delicious! Mommy said I made the biggest mess she's ever seen. I got it on my face, hands, arms, legs, hair, clothes, and ALL over my stroller. See Mommy, I really need a high chair!

This video is from about a month ago but its pretty funny. I'm eating green beans...which I hate! I literally gag when I eat them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slinb3yrL5U

Just a reminder...I keep links to all of my videos in the "Kasen's Favorite Sites" menu on the left!

And don't forget to visit http://www.joeandmarinda.com/ to see even more pictures of me!

Granddad's Visit

2008-06-15T21:49:00.001-07:00

Granddad came and visited last week. It was kind of bad timing because I had another bad cold. I was really happy Granddad was here though because I didn't have to go to daycare sick and he just held me ALL day for two whole days. It's a lot of fun when he holds me because I get to play with his mustache. I did that a LOT. I was happy just as long as I was sitting on his lap or right next to him on the couch.

Big Bites & New Shoes

2008-06-08T20:04:00.001-07:00

I really love baby food. All of the fruit kinds are delicious but my
favorite is bananas. Whenever I eat them I say "mmmmm" with every bite. I don't like the veggies as much but for the most part, they're ok. I really don't like green beans though. They literally
make me gag every few bites...yuk! Mommy and Daddy say I'm a really good eater because I open my mouth as wide as I can so they know I'm ready for the next bite.

Mommy got me my first pair of Nike shoes!! I like them a lot and really feel like a big boy when I'm wearing them. They feel different than my other shoes so I like to touch them a lot. They are a size 3c and they fit just perfect but I think Mommy might exchange them for a 4c so i can wear them longer.

I also really liked the box my shoes came in. I played with it for almost an hour :-)

My Big Boy Car Seat

2008-06-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

I got a new car seat this weekend and got to ride in it for the first time today! I could see out the window really well. We were sitting at a stop light and every time a car would drive by in the next lane I would jump... I'm not used to being able to see other cars!

In my old car seat, I used to fall asleep the minute we started moving. Now I can see so much stuff that I stay wide awake the whole time. I love my new car seat!!

Back to Baker

2008-05-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Memorial Day and we went to Baker again. We drove over Friday, went out to the ranch Saturday, hung around Baker Sunday, and drove back home yesterday. I got to see my Great Grandma Marcelle, my Great Aunt Kathy, my Aunt Lacey, my Granddad and my Grandma Barbara. I showed everyone how I can sit up all by myself for a long time. I just sat there and played and played with my toys. They said I've changed a lot just in the last 3 weeks since they saw me last!
I really like riding in the car so the 5 1/2 hour trip was a breeze. Both there and back I slept about halfway and then just played with my toys, jabbered, and shrieked. The car ride will be even better next time when I have my new car seat!

My Kisses

2008-05-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

I give kisses now! I've been giving them to Mommy for a couple weeks. I grab both sides of her face with my hands and plant my mouth wide open on her cheek or her mouth and then I lean back and smile. Sometimes I do it over again a few times. Last night I gave Grandma a kiss and today I gave one to Granddad. I love giving kisses!

By the way... I'm 7 months old today!

Sitting and Playing

2008-05-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy lately working on getting stronger. I do tummy time quite a bit but I don't like it at all. I usually play on my tummy for a minute or two and then roll over to my back and stay there. I'd much rather be upright so I've been spending a lot of time perfecting sitting up on my own. I can sit there for a long time but sometimes I get really excited, straighten out my body, and tip over backwards. Mommy puts a pillow behind me to make sure I don't get hurt. Here I am sitting and playing with my toys.

The other thing I've been doing a lot lately is trying to suck on my toes! I love playing with my feet and am really happy when I can get my foot in my mouth :-)

My 6-month Checkup

2008-05-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

I had my 6 month checkup yesterday. I weigh 20 lbs 5.5 oz and am 28 inches long! I'm in the 75% for height weight and head circumference - still perfectly proportioned! I'm right on track for all my milestones like recognizing and talking to people, laughing and squealing, and sitting up on my own.

I had to get three shots in my thighs and that was not fun. I cried pretty hard but then the nurse gave me an oral vaccine that tasted yummy and I was fine. I didn't have a reaction like I did with my very first vaccines which I was happy about.

All in all, my doctor says I am a very happy and healthy boy! :-)

My First Sippee Cup

2008-05-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Grandma was giving me some water out of my bottle and I started holding it all on my own! It was really exciting and I was really proud of myself. Since I was being such a big boy Mommy decided to go get me a sippe cup. I got to drink out of it all by myself last night!

Baker City

2008-05-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Gar and I went to Baker City last weekend. It was my second trip over there. I went for Christmas but, being only two months old then, I slept the whole time and don't remember any of it. I was awake most of this trip and I had a lot of fun!

We went out to the ranch and I got to spend some time with Granddad. I sure missed him and was really excited to do "boy stuff" with him. He took me and Mommy for a ride on the Prowler to find Daddy and Uncle Gar when they were out squirrel hunting.

Then Daddy let me sit on the 4-wheeler with him. I can't wait until I can ride one on my own!

Granddad was being so silly.

Then we went back to the house and I jumped and jumped.

All this activity made me and Granddad really tired so we snoozed for a while.

Back in town, I got to see my Great Grandma. I sat with her on the couch and played and laughed for a long time. She was tickling me and making me giggle a lot. I talked and talked to her. I love her a lot and I can't wait to see her again.

You can see a few more pictures from our fun weekend on our family website, joeandmarinda.com. Click on this link to go right to our Baker City pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/joelariz/BakerCity050308

Laughing and Laughing

2008-04-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I went out to dinner with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Uncle Gar. Uncle Gar was popping his hand up over the back of my seat...it was SO funny! He kept doing it for a long time and I was just laughing and laughing. The people at the table next to us were watching me and laughing too. Grandma remembered she had video on her phone and they recorded the end of us playing. I was laughing harder in the beginning but the video is still pretty funny. Here it is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h7-6tSwgbo

A lot going on...

2008-04-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

I went and got my 6 month pictures taken! I was happy and smiley when Mommy was holding me but as soon as she set me down to get my pictures taken I'd get grumpy. We had to take a break and let another kid go so I could calm down. I had a different photographer when I got back and I started having fun. I was sitting by myself but only for a little while. I kept tipping over and Mommy would catch me. I can't wait until I can sit up by myself for a long time! Here's a couple of my pictures...

I'm feeling better again....I think my ear infection is gone. I still have the sniffles a little bit so I'm going to sleep in my bouncy seat another night. Hopefully that will help keep the fluid from settling in my ears.

Last night, instead of sleeping my usual 10-11 hours, I woke up at 3am crying. Mommy and Daddy thought it was my ear bothering me but I was really just very hungry. They finally figured it out and gave me a bottle and I went right to sleep the rest of the night. They should've known because I've been eating a lot during the day too. I think I'm getting ready for a growth spurt and just need to eat more food.

Today I ate baby food for the first time! I've been having rice cereal for a week or two but it doesn't taste very good. I've been wanting a little more flavor so Mommy put a little bit of applesauce in my cereal and I loved it!

This afternoon I went on a walk with Mommy, Grandma, and Trinity. We walked up to the park and back. It was very exciting because it was my first stroller ride without my car seat! I sat in the stroller facing forward and looked around the whole time. Well, almost the whole time...I fell asleep about the last 10 minutes. Here I am at the end of our walk...

Well I'm off to bed!

My Half Birthday

2008-04-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today's my half birthday...I'm officially .5 years old!!! I can't believe how fast these 6 months have gone by and how much I've changed since I was born.

Here I am on my birthday (7lbs 13 oz)...

And here I am about a week ago (18lbs 13 oz)...

I look completely different and I've gained 11 lbs in 6 months, can you believe it?!

I've been feeling pretty rotten again the last few days. Mommy took me to the doctor today and guess what....I have another ear infection. It's only in one ear this time so Dr. Snyder thinks it will probably go away on its own in a few days. I'm going to sleep in my bouncy seat tonight so I'll be propped up and my ear won't hurt as bad. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep through the night cuz I know I'm wearing Mommy and Daddy out waking up every half hour. The last couple nights they've let me sleep in their bed and that's helped a little :-)

By the way, today I weighed 19 lbs even!!

My First Solid Food

2008-04-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Guess what I did today........I ate rice cereal!! It was my first time eating solid food and I loved it! Dr. Snyder told Mommy I might only want a bite or two at first but I ate almost the whole bowl! I was really hungry when I woke up from my nap so I had 4oz from my bottle and then I got to eat my cereal. It was so good I could hardly wait for each bite.

Mommy put a lot of milk in it so it wouldn't be too thick and it was really runny. I ended up with food all over the place but that just made it more fun :-) It was even on my legs by the time I was done!

Back to the Doctor

2008-04-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

I went to see Dr. Snyder again yesterday and my ear infections are all cleared up. He said my ears look beautiful :-)

They weighed me again and I've gained 11 oz in two weeks. I weigh 18 lbs 13 oz!! Dr. Snyder also said I can start eating rice cereal any day now. I can't wait! I watch mommy and daddy very intently when they eat. I wonder what food tastes like....

I Rolled Over!

2008-04-10T21:50:00.001-07:00

Guess what I did today.... I rolled over!! I've been working so hard at it the last few days but haven't been able to do it on my own. Today Mommy put me on my tummy and I just rolled right over! Then she put me back on my tummy and turned around to get the camera and I rolled over again before she even came back! Now rolling over is a piece of cake and I'm not on my tummy for more than a few seconds :-) Its so much fun - I just smile and laugh every time! Here's me about to roll over...

Great Uncle Mike Visits

2008-04-05T21:18:00.001-07:00

Well the antibiotics really helped...I'm back to my normal self :-)

My great uncle Mike was here visiting a few days ago. It was my first time meeting him and we had a lot of fun. Here we are...

The first night he was here we had dinner at Grandma's house with Uncle Gar, my 4 cousins and their mom, my Aunt Angela. Here's me with my cousins (Trinity-8, Kailynn-3mos, Domonic-almost 4, and Tamorah-almost 2)

The next night Great Uncle Mike, Grandma and Uncle Gar came over to our house and we played and played.

That's Grandma's dog Precious in the picture with us :-)

I don't get to see Great Uncle Mike very often because he lives in California, along with most of my family from Daddy's side. We had a lot of fun when he was here though and hopefully he will come back soon!

Under the Weather

2008-03-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty rough weekend. I have had a cold for about 5 days now but the last couple days I wasn't feeling good at all. I just wanted to be held all the time and I cried a lot. Mommy and Daddy gave me Tylenol and that helped for a while. This morning I had a fever so we went to the doctor and guess what... I have a double ear infection! Yup, an infection in BOTH ears! No wonder I've been so miserable the last few days. I'm on antibiotics now so hopefully I'll start feeling better by tomorrow night. Mommy and Daddy also put a humidifier in my room to help with my congestion so I think I'll sleep a lot better tonight. Well, off to get some rest. G'nite!

P.S. The doctor said I weigh 18 lbs 2 oz!!!