December 2010

December has come and gone and boy was it fun! We made it to New Mexico after leaving California's wet, rainy weather and were greeted by a bunch of snow in Arizona. After some white-knuckled, quiet driving, we rolled into Grandma Laura's place tired but happy to have arrived and get out of the car.
It was all names, names and more names after that. Now, when I'm very curious to see who is who and learn names, I might ask, "What's that's names?" If I do this to you, please don't be offended--I'm still learning the difference between "Who is that?" and "What is that?"
Prior to that, we had our share of celebrations with friends locally and with the Swiss Club up north. I learned about the Samichlaus and was so scared when he called my name. Here's this big man in a red suit, who I've never seen before, and he knows my name! He told me of some nice things I did this year and then he gave me a small gunny sack full of nuts and fruit. That part was nice, but the rest was a bit too much and I had a good cry.
I think some of my favorite things were getting a real tree for Christmas and lighting it every morning. If my parents forgot, I was sure to remind them. It was also fun to bake lots and lots of cookies for our friends and family. Next year I'll try to help more and not eat as much. I also learned a bit about Advent as I received a calendar and got to open little goodies. That was a lot of fun--thanks Grossi & Opa! Then, of course, there were the actual presents. Thank you family for thinking of me and for the great gifts. I am insisting on carrying them with me in the car, to bed, and have them all over the living room, too. :)
I learned so much in 2010. Thank you. A'hee'hee. Merci.

That's me in front of our tree.

That's my gift from Samiclaus.

Wrapping presents is fun!

Isn't it also great to know someone thought of you and to open the present you received?

November 2010

Wow, things must be busy, because we're getting to November's blog well into December. The funny thing is we can't really remember what kept us so busy.
We hope you had a good Thanksgiving with your family and friends. We had a nice and small Thanksgiving celebration here in SoCal. We started our drive to New Mexico but my parents decided it was best to turn around after having to stop on the I-15 two times to clean me and my car seat up from...let's say, food that came back up and out. Between that, the cold weather, and the holiday traffic, it was a wise decision to turn around. We don't give up too easily, though, so we're going to try again in a couple of weeks. :)
My mom has been working hard to try to explain all these holidays to me and it's hard to keep up. It's hard to remember how turkeys and Thanksgiving go together, plus who Santa is, etc... She asked me what type of present I would like and I told her I wanted my "Uncle Chad." So, my mom's going to see if she can convince him to be wrapped up for me. I wonder what that's going to look like?
Well, since we're already pretty close, Seasons Greetings to you!

Trying out my "winter" gear in preparation for going to NM for Thanksgiving.

Dad and I making the crust for pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day. I was thankful to be feeling better!

We got to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific one evening and I loved it!

It's hard to see sea lions at night. Dad and I looked and looked. We finally saw them and even barked with them for awhile.

October 2010!!!!!

Happy Birthday!
This month, I turned 2 years old. It's been such a blast because my friends also have been turning 2. This means we've been attending each others' parties and singing "Happy Birthday to you..." over and over and over again! I think I'll finally know all the lyrics correctly by the time this last birthday party is done.
October is also when my Chei Harrison, passed away. My mom tells me stories about him and plays games with me like the ones he played with her and with my cousins. One of them is a "Spider" game. He used his fingers to imitate a spider crawling innocently along, and when you least expected it, he would pounce the spider on you and tickle you. I like this game so much that I ask for it by name and say, "Mommy? Spider?" and I motion my hands like I imagine my chei used to do.
It's October, so it's also Halloween. My mom found a good costume for me despite it not being her first choice. As a back up, I think it was the better outfit for me. My parents got into the spirit of Halloween towards the end of the evening when they whipped together their costumes within an hour.
Wow, so now that I'm 2, what can I tell you? I definitely can speak way more words than I could a year ago. I'm still learning Swiss German from my daddy and I speak solely with him in Swiss German--it just doesn't work when I try to with my mom. Sorry, mom. I can tell my my first name and last name, as well as the first and last names of my parents. I sometimes can tell you where my uncles, Gotti, and grandparents live. I say, "Switzasand" instead of "Switzerland." You get what I'm saying though--it's a long word. Overall, I'm learning so much. When I get excited, I yell, and when we're in the car, this doesn't go over so well with my parents. I can't help it, I just get so excited and have to point out what I see and make sure to ask if you see it, too.
Okay, that's enough. Please enjoy the pictures...

That's me about to freak out when my parents tell me they have something important to tell me.

That's me all relieved when they tell me it's my birthday and I get to have a piece of cake, too!

Daddy made my birthday cake--it's a Swiss Carrot Cake.

I love books and got a great big one from my Gotti Monika for my birthday. Thanks, Gotti!!!

As it was my birthday, I could pretty much choose what I wanted to do, so I asked my mom if we could watch planes land and take off at LAX.

Mom took me on another day to watch this particular plane land at LAX. It's Air Force One.

Time for the Halloween Parties! That's me, Thomas the Tank Engineer.

Nearby where we live they had a street party and all the store vendors gave out candy. We saw this guy hanging out and I was all cozy next to him saying, "Cheese!" Then, from out of no where, I heard someone say "Candy, come this way." As you can tell, I got distracted for a bit.

That's me in my costume and my parents' in theirs. My mom is the Publishers Clearing House Winner and my dad is the Prize Patrol.

My chei Harrison with one of my cousins. Miss you.

September 2010

Fall is in the air! The days are starting to feel different and cooler. My mom says that's because the seasons are starting to change and it's soon going to be fall time. There seems to be a lot of excitement about school starting, school shopping and summer ending. It all looks the same to me since I don't go to school and because the weather has been really sunny and warm. Maybe the biggest difference I can see is that my toes are cold in the morning now, and they weren't like that before.
I'm also learning about the sun rising and setting. I seem to get it backwards when I try to show my mom with my hands that the sun is coming up, but it's actually going down and getting dark. All I know is when it's time to go to sleep my mom won't give me milk again until the sun comes up. Sometimes that seems like an eternity.
Guess what?! My dad had his birthday earlier this month! I have been going to birthday parties of some of my buddies and started to learn how to sing the "Happy Birthday to you.." song. I tried to sing "Happy Birthday, Daddy" a lot this month. My mom and dad also tell me that coming up will be my birthday. I'm going to be two years old. I guess those are some other things that we've been excited about at home, too.
My parents have been excited that we haven't had to drive anywhere too far lately. Just wait till they get antsy and we're on some 12 hour-plus drive to who-knows-where! I figure as long as they bring my "Wiggles" CD then I'll be okay. So, this months pics will show me on the local scene--at home. :)
I'm saying more sentences and asking more questions like: "What is that?" or "What happened?" Then there's my favorite question, "Watch planes with daddy?" I can also offer compliments provided you have a t-shirt on that I like. Just the other day I told my mom, "Nice shirt." I also surprised my mom by calling her "Shima." Which is "mom" in Navajo. I made her giggle when I altered it and called her "Shimama." I'm still working on dad--that one is a little harder to say so I'll stick with "dad" for now.
Happy September to you and Happy Birthday to my dad, Kara, and Kyra. Love you!

My 23 months old pic.

I found this flower in the back yard and offered it to mommy.

My favorite day of the week is Tuesday since I get to watch the trash trucks come and go.

Sporting a new hat like the train engineers.

August 2010

Where has the summer gone? Actually, it's been nice and warm here lately, so it's feeling more like summer. Woo Hoo! And guess what? We had more visitors! This time, our visitors were my masani (Maternal Grandma) Laura, my cousin Wes, and my Godfather Harley and Uncle Chuck. It was nice having them here to check out the beach and Yosemite National Park.
I was also lucky to be able to steal my Grandma Laura for awhile longer from my cousins in New Mexico. She stayed another week and we had fun picking on each other and learning new words together. I taught her some Swiss German and she taught me some Navajo words. I learned how to call my mom "mom" in Navajo. It is "Shima." You should have seen my mom's smile when I called her this for the first time. She tried to teach me herself, but it took Grandma's touch to have me say it so easily.
Overall, it's been a month of driving here and there. We visited lots of friends so my mom and grandma could catch up and see how everyone's doing. From the south bay up to Santa Ynez we also made sure to stop for some playing and eating--two of my favorite things!
My parents are pretty shocked at some of the things I'm learning. It's mostly that I'm able to put into words things I've been thinking for a long time already. I describe a lot of things like, "Big truck going backwards....beep, beep, beep." I also surprised my mom by asking, "Are you okay?" while touching her arm. I like babies and anything small I refer to as a baby. For instance, I see a small car on the street, I yell "Baby car!" If I see a small plane, I call it a "Baby plane." Well, you get the idea...
P.S. Happy Birthday to my Godfather Harley and my cousin Tisha.

That's me and my favorite truck having a good time.

Playing away in the ball pit at a friend's birthday party.

Our view of Half Dome in Yosemite while waiting for daddy, my cousin, and my uncles to finish their hike. Not bad, huh?

After all that driving and visiting, sometimes you need a good ol' nap!

July 2010

Wow, my mom and I are freaking out because July is soon to be over and we're barely getting to our update! This month was so cool because my family from Switzerland came to visit. My naliis (paternal grandparents), my Gotti (Godmother), and her boyfriend were all here for a couple of weeks.
The time went so fast, and somewhere along the way (in Utah) I lost a pair of shoes. We started our time off together near where we live, then we went on to Vegas, and from there we went to Zion and Bryce National Parks. It was hot and I tried my best not to get too bored on the drives, but sometimes I just had to let a few screams out so the cars would stop and everyone could have a break.
After we got back we shared some of our daily things with the family like having play dates with our friends, visiting the beach and taking day drives to the nearby sites. Sometimes, though, it was just nice to stay home and play.
I learned so many new words in Swiss German. It was nice to hear it spoken around the house with more people--I wonder how different/similar it will sound when I next get to visit Switzerland? Hmmm... I also learned some new phrases thanks to my grandma, like "Hoi, Hoi!" She has a lot of neat phrases that I still want to learn.
Now our home is really quiet, but we're having fun looking at the different pictures from our time together. I look forward to doing it again soon!

I got some cool new books thanks to Gotti. Here, I am showing Grossi one.

Grossi taught me the importance of taking breaks and having ice cream.

At Zion near the Narrows trying to sneak back into the water.

Did I tell you I got some cool books? Here's Gotti and I looking at another one.

Opa and I were trying to devise a plan for me to sneak back with them. I told Opa he was too big to fit in the luggage.

June 2010

Ahh, it's summer...and I'm 20 months old. I wonder when I'll finally be 2? That is much simpler to say than "20 months." Do birthdays always arrive so slowly? My parents don't seem to understand this and are amazed that it's already June--my mom especially. She's wigging out because she will be turning another year older. Funny how I want to be 2 and my mom doesn't seem as excited to be one year older.
Despite the June Gloom here, we're keeping busy and taking advantage of any sunny weather. My parents keep me busy during the day so we all have a peaceful night.
My vocabulary continues to get bigger. I am using more two-word sentences these days. Some of my favorites are: "BIG Truck!, Love you, and Thank you." I say many more Swiss German words thanks to my dad's encouragement and patience in enunciating things for me. When I talk to Grandma Laura, she tries to teach me some Navajo words, too. Those are a little harder to say, but the ones I know I am good at are "Gah-gi" and "Doh-dah."
Well, I hope you are well and enjoy checking out some of the shenanigans I've been up to lately. Take care.
P.S. Happy Birthday to my mom, and my uncles Beau & Wes this month . Love you!

Taking a swig of some water after playing hard at the local park.

I love it when we Skype with my Gotti or my Grandparents in Switzerland.

Went to check out a soccer class and I was off to take a break with the ladies.

My buddy and I checking out the gorillas at the zoo. They are sooo big!

I take my coloring very seriously.

When people say "You have big shoes to fill" they aren't joking around.

May 2010

It's May and I'm now over a year and a half--19 months to be exact. We thought Spring would have sprung, but we still were getting snow in New Mexico when we visited my Grandma Laura earlier this month! Talk about "In-law Weather"--one minute it was nice and sunny, then the wind would pick up, then it would rain, then it would hail, then it would snow, and THEN the sun would come out and melt all the snow to make mud. Ahhh, New Mexico. :)
Before we left, my dad wanted to make sure I had some fun, so we went bike riding and went to see some trains at Griffith Park. Afterwords, my mom and I were off to New Mexico to see my Grandma Laura, my uncles, aunties, and cousins. I kept in touch with my dad by phone and even got to play with a Blackberry.
I'm learning more words and have grown some as well. My dad can attest to these changes since he didn't see me for a couple of weeks. I can say two word sentences like: "More, please." "No more." "All done." and "Bye, Gamda (Grandma)." I'm pretty much a 19 month old human parrot. I mimic what my mom and dad say all the time, so there are a lot of English, Swiss German and some Navajo words flying around our household. Mom is amused by this and dad is just plain fascinated by my eagerness to try to say new things.
Anywho, have a good May...and before I forget, here are some pictures of our latest adventures:

That's me enjoying a bike ride with my dad.

I got to see all kinds of trains. I wasn't sure if this was moving yet, so I was standing very still.

Chatting away with my daddy while at Grandma's house. And, yes, that is barbecue sauce on my shirt.

It was all fun and games until I started calling strangers on the phone.

April Fools 2010

Hello peeps! It's April and spring hasn't quite sprung yet. On April Fools Day it snowed hard when we were visiting my grandma in New Mexico. I guess the joke was on us.
As you can see, my parents got the digital camera back. We took it for a spin at Borrego Anza Park and guess what happened? My mom dropped it in a small stream of water. Not to worry though, it is still working. She said she and that camera just don't get along.
This month I'm a year and a half old. I spent the end of March into this month visiting my Grandma Laura and all my uncles and their families. It was a lot of fun. I learned many new words like, "Uncle, Cool Man, Doo'dah, Elephant, Hi Baby and Knee." I also repeated some words that I probably shouldn't have when they were yelled out in frustration. I'm very energetic and run just about everywhere I go now. My mom says I did well on our road trip. We both credit "The Wiggles" for this.
We got back to SoCal just in time to have Easter with Auntie Kara and her family up north. Aunt Loretta said the Easter Bunny visited and boy did s/he! I got a big bag of grass, lots of bubbles and candy. I even got to hunt for my first eggs. It was so much fun. Thank you!
So, here are some pics. Enjoy:

That's me on our hike at Borrego Anza. It was hot.

All the traveling we did wiped me out. I was even falling asleep at mealtimes!

I got permission to tag at my Auntie Michelle's house.

I'm a year and a half old!

Snow on April 1st.

I love my Easter goodies.

At a play date trying to show kids how my grandma makes tortillas.

March 2010

This month we're looking even more lean in the picture department. My dad's camera has pretty much gone kaput. In fact, it's on a trip to a factory to see if they can revive it for us. So, my mom had the bright idea of running a comparison picture of me from a year ago to me today. See a difference?
Meanwhile, I'm still a babbling fool. I think my Swiss German is about to exceed my English. I like calling out "BUSES!" when we're driving down the street when I see actual buses, garbage trucks, or diesels. I also yell "NO!" quite a bit. My mom tries to teach me "No, thank you" but that doesn't quite fit into my vocabulary yet. (wink, wink) My mom also keeps saying she needs to write down the new words I'm learning, but that's going about as well as my dad buying a new camera. End of story. ;)
Have a good month and we'll work on getting some more pictures or video soon.

That's me at 5 months old fascinated that I can reach my toes.

That's me at almost 17 months old doing some yoga at the local botanical garden. Only kidding! I was just sitting at an awkward angle.

P.S. This month is my Grossi's birthday. Happy Birthday, Grossi!