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!

February 2010

My mom tells me that my grandpa Harrison had a hard time saying "February" and would say "Fefuary." I like it when she tells me stories about him. I wonder if I'll be able to say "February" when I get bigger?
This month I turned 16 months old. That sounds like a lot, but I'm still not even two. I guess the biggest difference between this month and last month is that I can say and sign more words. My parents are glad to see that I can sign "please." What they don't know yet is how easy it is to get them to do anything I want when I make this simple gesture. They are like putty in my dough-like hands.
As for the words, I learned "elbow" and can now say my own name, "Ah-yex." I'm also saying more words in Swiss-German, like: Hund, Augä, and Vogel. I say more, but my dad doesn't quite understand my pronunciation and my mom plain doesn't understand. :)
There weren't that many pictures to select from for this month. My dad hasn't quite given up on his camera that--although is digital--is even older than me and needs to be retired. Sometimes no display comes on at all, or when it does, it looks like a colorful zebra invaded the picture.
So, from the ones my parents took that came out half-way decent, here they are:

This was Superbowl Sunday. Dad and I were wrestling about which band is better--AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. I think my t-shirt says it all.

I was explaining to my mom that the dense leaves make the lavender drought resistant so she need not worry about killing it too quickly.

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day

Happy New Year! Jan. 2010

January 1st marks the beginning of a New Year--2010. Coincidentally, it also marks me turning 15 months old. We started the year off with a nice road trip down to San Diego where we walked around tide pools and Balboa Park. It was a pretty day with so much to see. I was pooped!
My parents are also quite excited that I'm beginning to use my own fork and spoon while eating. I don't know what the big deal is? You scoop, or stab, and aim for your mouth...then you hope for the best. How easy!

Happy 2010!

My dad and me talking about waves.

I can do it myself!

What do you mean I have something on my mouth?