Life Is The Pits

Uncle Schulte and the munchkin pose in front of one stinky pit!

The tar pits, that is! Mama and Uncle Schulte took me to see where all the dinosaurs used to get stuck in the muck. It was really cool seeing all that gunk bubble up, I was dying to go and put my little tiny mucky hands in it. Too bad there are fences all around. They are still digging up dinosaur bones today! You can actually watch the geeky little scientists work in their fishbowl offices while you make faces at them through the glass. What a fun job! After the tar pits, we all went to lunch at Toast, a swanky Hollywood cafe where Mama was hoping to see a celebrity or two. I was by far the hottest ticket around, everyone kept smiling at me and waving, I would have given them my autograph if I knew how to write (or what an autograph was).

When the duck is swimming in the lake, quack quack is the sound he'll make! Mama took me to the Wilderness Park, which oddly enough, is not too far up the street. There were some really agressive ducks there, they kept nipping at my little munchkin fingers. I really wanted to get in the water and look for turtles and fish. We collected pine cones, breathed in the fresh pine air, prentended we were in Colorado without the snow and cold, played with sticks and had a pretty rocking time.

Lessons Learned in 2006

Tyler takes on the Mighty Pacific

As the first full calendar year of our being first-time parents ends, I look back and marvel at what an incredible year it has been. We have experienced such incredible joy, had a few frustrating moments, learned so much from this precious little person who has graced our lives. Here, off the top of my head, are a few things I've discovered this past year.

- You get rock star treatment when accompanied by a baby. Complete strangers will smile, make conversation, coo, giggle, play peek-a-boo, let you cut in line, offer to carry your bag onto an airplane or help you with your stroller, all because you have a smiling little munchkin with you (who inevitably reminds them of their munchkins).

- Our home will never again be truly clean. Maybe once they all go off to college, and then I'll miss the dirt and mess, so the trick is to appreciate the pasta on the floor, the toys scattered about, and the cookies you find under the cushions of the couch.

- It is never too early to go outside or ask for a piggy back ride. Never. Get up at 5:30am and it's still dark outside? Who wouldn't want to go outside? Mom says "no," then she can just give you a piggy back ride around the house until the sun comes up.

I have all the toys in the world, but this rock is all I want to play with.

- If the next child is a bad sleeper, he/she will be crying it out a whole lot sooner than Tyler. 8 months of not sleeping through the night made mom slightly neurotic.

- Little footsteps really do make a "pitter-patter" noise. It's so much fun to hear it all over the house, sometimes with a toy, golf club, or some other mystery being dragged behind.

- The shower door can occupy a little guy for 45 minutes, just going in and out. Who knew?

- It's okay to leave the house with spit-up on your shirt and peas on your pants as long as your child is clean and happy.

- Rediscovering the way the world works, and seeing it through your child's eyes, is the most precious gift. Watching Tyler get excited about how the hose or a water fountain or the buttons on the car work is just awesome.

- Turn off those buttons on the car, especially the dome light, or your battery will drain and dad will have to buy jumper cables.

- Little boys are made of moonlight and stardust and wind and sunshine. Their smiles will take your breath away and make your heart beam!

Wow, check out this froggy go down the slide!

Doozy Days of December

Poor Santa, scaring the children all day long

Wow, are the holidays already over? How did they go so fast when they started so early? We had unseasonably warm weather here in Hermosa - we're talking beach days, lots and lots of beach days (it's 85 degrees now as I write). I guess that made up for what Nana, Papa, Grandpa and Kookie had to endure in Colorado this winter!

My toddler super-hero powers could destroy this tree in less than two minutes!

For John's birthday, we took Tyler to Las Vegas where we met up with Grandma and Cousin Katie. Tyler loved looking at all the lights and craziness, especially with it all decked out in holiday style. It's funny how the simple stuff can keep him entertained for so long, like running under the ropes at the reception counter or pulling the fake presents out from the tree at the Paris Hotel. Did you know that toddlers aren't allowed to gamble? Put them at a table or a slot machine and wham! within 2 seconds someone is there to wave their finger in the air at you. Tyler certainly got to partake of some of the sinful habits of Las Vegas, like eating french fries with practically every meal and even tasting his first doughnut (so sinful, so good). He loved playing with Cousin Katie because she's so silly. We almost made it through the trip without a problem until we were packing and T tripped over his own two feet and landed with his face right on the sharp edges of the coffee table. Needless to say, he became a little black-eyed raccoon for the rest of December and even today still has a little scar. John and I still haven't healed and are ordering him the helmet and padded suit that he will be wearing every day for the rest of his life.

Cousin Katie smiling because she wasn't on duty when the big trip happened
John, Tyler and Grandma outside the wild animals habitat at the Flamingo hotel (FYI, don't plan a safari to this wild animal reserve, you'll only see ducks and flamingos)


Yes Tyler, everything in Las Vegas is artificial. Everything.

Once we were back home, Tyler really got on a work kick. He loves to walk around the outside of the house with his bucket and broom with mom cracking the whip the entire time. He likes climbing foot ladders and all of our neighbor's steps. He's really starting to look like a little boy, which just totally floors me since it was just yesterday that he practically fit into my hand. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in 2007!

Come on, mom, let's go sweep up some rocks and sticks!

Tyler contemplates the slide and the monkey bars at Valley Park.
Dude, have your people call my people an we'll do snacks over a few sippy cups.