Playroom

Life has been super busy lately and time has gotten away from us. James had been working crazy hours to get a submittal in but this week he's been on a normal schedule. Yay! We're really excited about him taking off this Friday to go do something fun!

We recently converted our study to a playroom. We painted and put all of Anderson's toys in it. He absolutely loves the room and so does his mommy! All of his toys used to be in our living room and I felt like I had to clean up when we left the house or when he took a nap. Now I just leave the room alone until the end of the day. It really was a wasted room before but now we all love it. This small project motivated us to do some more home improvements. We have done a lot of work on our yard and then my stepdad is coming at the end of May to help us update our bathrooms. Our master bedroom is currently covered in carpet so it will be nice to have tile.

That's about it for us. I can't believe it's April already!

Anderson even loved the room before the toys!

Tackling his new elephant.

The best toys!

I love that smile.

Reading a book by himself.

This is where a football belongs.

The Rest of Our Trip

We had a great time the next few days in California after Disney. We stayed in the L.A. area and went to the beaches. We enjoyed the beaches but didn't enjoy driving in L.A. Anywhere we went it seemed to take at least an hour (even to go 15 miles). The freeways were always stop and go and there were so many people anywhere. It made us appreciate CO so much more! We met a lady on the plane on our way home who said she has just learned not to leave her house during certain times of the day. Yuck!
Anderson really enjoyed the beaches, walking on the piers, and people watching. It was great people watching!

He LOVED the sand!

The water was cold!

Beautiful Laguna Beach.

Like I said, he LOVED the sand!

Of course we found a playground on the beach.

Yummy!

Anderson loves riding on daddy's shoulders.

Beautiful.

One of the many piers.

Anderson saw the Merry Go Round and had to

ride it.

Fire hydrants are fun.

Beautiful Redondo beach.

First Day in Cali

Our first day in California we decided to go to Disneyland. Our friends who love Disney said that their daughter could ride many of the rides at 1 so we thought we would give it a try. Anderson enjoyed looking at all the sights and people watching. He didn't really seem overly excited about the rides when he was on them but afterwards he squealed and smiled. We had a good time but one day was plenty of magic. Maybe it was the crowds and long lines, but we were completely exhausted! We decided that next time we go Anderson will be old enough to remember.

Can you tell how excited he was?

Riding the teacups with mommy.

Am I tall enough?

Zoom, zoom, zoom

Meeting one of the two characters we saw all day.

Heading back for a nap (this was the happiest he was

all day!)

Woo hoo!

Fun with Daddy.

Winnie the Pooh ride. This was Anderson's favorite.

The $13 dollar hat is better off.

Hi Mickey. We were lucky and were the last ones

to see Mickey in Toontown before it closed

for the parade.

18 Months Already

We've been in California but before I do some posts about our trip, I'll do quick 18 month post. Anderson turned 18 months on the 19th. *sniff* *sniff* It is amazing when I stop back to think about my toddler as a baby. In a way it is sad because he was such a sweet baby but things do get better and better. People always say that it goes so fast but you don't realize until it's your own baby growing up before your eyes.

Sleep has gotten better and better. Anderson sleeps 12+ hours a night and takes 2 to 3 hour naps daily. James and I were talking about how this past vacation actually felt like one because Anderson slept so well and even slept in most mornings.

Anderson continues to keep us on our toes but we love that little guy so much! He makes life so interesting and brings us so much joy. He has changed so much even since turning one year. You can tell that the wheels are always turning in his head because he seems to learn something new all the time. He uses gestures and tries to use words for what he wants and doesn't want. He is very adamant when it is something he doesn't want. For example, he will shake his head over and over if he doesn't want something on his tray during meals. Anderson's BIG personality has really developed. He laughs at himself all the time and is just plain silly. He loves music and dancing. If you ask him to dance he wills start bobbing his head. So funny! We have never really let me watch t.v. but recently he discovered the Baby Einstein dvd's in one of the baskets underneath the t.v. He will bring one over and will want to sit on our laps to watch his 10 minutes (that's about all he usually wants to watch). How can we resist his cute little face?
Anderson is a social little guy and it seems like his language is really developing. He has excellent receptive language and is constantly trying to say new words. It's funny because sometimes a word will just come out of the blue and then we won't hear it again. He can identify almost anything in his books and even colors, so hopefully he will start saying more words regularly.
That's about it. Here are a few pics of our busy little man. I'll get caught up in posts soon.

Enjoying some time at the park.

Outside fun.

Pointing to a no no.

Humm.. what did I find in the cabinet?

Yum!

Ha ha, you caught me mommy!

Our Little Helper

I'm such a great helper...

I love to help mommy with the flowers.

I help daddy relax once in awhile.

I help with the pots and pans.

I like to help brush Molly.

I love to help with work around the house.

I help wash my hair.

9:00 pm Baby Dance Party

Anderson woke up lastnight ( he usually doesn't) around 9:00 pm. I turned on his lamp to make sure that everything was okay and then he just let loose. He was so hyper and fun that I had to take him downstairs for a few minutes. We're so glad that we did because he was so funny and animated for 15 minutes. Then after all of that, we went through his bedtime routine again and he slept for the night. Funny!

What Have We Been Up To?

Skiing lessons in Steamboat Springs (I finally
went down a real run)

Beautiful drives in the mountains.

Yummy indulgences.

Beautiful Views

Watching skiers from the condo.

Enjoying our happy baby.

Playing with "toys"

Playing with electronics

Fun Times at a Children's Museum.

More fun.