Grandpa Knox & Cindy

Grandpa Knox and Cindy came to shower Connor with gifts and attention last weekend.  Connor showed-off by using all of his new words and by finally spending most of his time walking instead of crawling. 

Things I learn at daycare

It's hard to not give him whatever he wants him when he can say "more" and "please" in sign language. 

Happy Halloween!!

Oh, the thrill of being pulled around the living room in a Lego's container with a bucket over your head.  Good times.

Our little skunk

Our pumpkins:  first 2 are creations of our neighbors, 3rd (aka:  the winner) is Mindy's and far right is Chad's.

His shirt says it all..."so cute it's scary"

A visit from Grandma & Auntie Stacy

Grandma K and Auntie Stacy came to visit from the Midwest right before Halloween.   Mommy didn't take many pictures, so Grandma & Auntie are going to have to send us some from their cameras...



Fun at the park

He walks

...but he still prefers crawling, its quicker.

Water Baby

Connor's first experience with a sprinkler...Daddy was kinking the hose to mess with the water pressure.

NEWSFLASH!

Last week was Connor's first fulltime week at daycare.
It went something like this:
-screaming
-crying
-holding onto Mommy for dear life
-dramatic handover of child
-Mommy walks out the door crying

This week, Connor shocked us by not crying at all and even getting excited to be dropped off in the morning!  In fact, this morning, he starting waving goodbye to me before I was really even ready to leave. 

Ahhh...success...

Here is picture that our daycare provider sent to me yesterday.  Naturally, he's a ladies man...

Hello Seattle!

We ended-up booking a last minute trip to Seattle last weekend to see Great Grandma (GG) and Auntie Tam and Sus.  Since our first flight to MN wasn't a success, we decided to buy Connor his own seat to see if it would be easier on us...and it was!!
We brought his booster seat on board and he did really well.  He didn't exactly sleep, but he didn't scream for 2-1/2 hours, so it was a wash.

Just killing time on the way to GG's...

We spent a lot of time at the park across the street from GG's.

Connor got to meet his 2nd cousins from New York who were also in town; Mara and Parker.  Here are Mara and Connor holding hands (it looks sweet, but it only lasted about 60 seconds).

We tried to get all of the great grandkids together for a picture.  Not that easy...

As a special treat, GG took us to the river where Chad's family went while he was growing up.  It was beautiful and peaceful - a nice change from Los Angeles.  Hopefully, we will camp there with Connor one day.

Cousin Bryson

 We were happy to have Bryson come from Seattle this summer to meet Connor.  It was a gorgeous weekend, but extremely windy.  Not ideal conditions for paddleboarding down at the beach, but we all gave it a go.

Connor and Grandma:

Summer Things

I've been falling behind on my blogging this summer!  Connor is a mover and a shaker now and so downtime doesn't come as easy as it used to.

Chad and Connor went to parent/toddler swimming lessons at the YMCA this summer.  The first session was great, but he cried through the last 4 sessions.  I would post those pictures, but they are just of the two of them in the corner while the rest of the class is having fun.  So, here's a shot of Connor swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool instead.

Our little shark at the beach:

Connor LOVES his stand-up splashing table (thank you Auntie Tam)...a guaranteed way to entertain him for a few hours.

He does have a little hair (very blonde and hard to see unless it's wet)...we still have our fingers crossed that it will be thick and curly like Daddy's was when he was little! 

Tall enough to reach door handles already...

Lots of teeth - 12 total!

Connor's favorite words right now are "dada," "mama," "water," "bubbles," and "more."  We hear "more" at least a hundred times a day. 

We finally made the leap from nanny to daycare.  It was emotional for all of us.  We were really sad to say goodbye to Blanca - she has been wonderful with him and is responsible for teaching him so many things.  We look forward to keeping in contact with her so that she can see our beautiful baby grow.

The first week of daycare was brutal (mostly on Mommy), but we are so happy with our selection and we know that Connor will flourish being around other kids.

Connor's 1st Birthday!!!

Where did the time go?  It's hard to believe that our baby is already 1 year old!  I want him to stay a baby forever, yet each new stage is fun and exciting.  Connor is the funniest little boy - he makes us smile and laugh all day long.  He's also pretty easy on the eyes...
We threw a "small" party for Connor on his birthday at our new house.  We had about 50 guests who enjoyed a taco cart, margaritas and fun in the sun!  Thanks to all who came to celebrate this milestone (for both Connor and Mommy/Daddy)!
Here are some pictures of the big day for those of you who couldn't make it.