Greetings from California!

Well, for the past few days Tommy, Nanna and I have been in California for Aaron's baptism! It's been jolly good fun, and nice to see the family. I'm going to post some pictures and (hopefully) a video of Tommy getting to touch the Pacific ocean!

The first day we went to the LA Zoo, and got to see lots of fun animals. Tommy's favorites were the flamingos (I think because they were so brightly colored). We had to buy a "leash" for him (a backpack with an attachment to help control where the kid goes), but Tommy actually liked it because then he could be on the ground--he was just limited as to how far away he could roam!

We spent a lot of time just hangin' out with the cousins, but on Saturday we went to the beach, where Tommy got to touch the pacific ocean for the first time. He really liked it! If his Daddy had been there he would have been able to go a lot farther into the ocean, but sadly his Daddy had school :( (We missed him so much!)

Tommy also got his first basket from the Easter bunny (which had eggs filled with fruit snacks). Mostly he was just excited to get the eggs, or "balls" as he refers to them.

We fly home on Monday, and it'll be nice to be home! Vacations are great, but they can be exhausting.

At the Ocean!

Riding a scooter w/his cousin Kara

With his cousins

Playing with sand

Dancing in the car

So, on our trip to Yorktown I finally caught on film Tommy's tendancy to "dance" when he hears music. Now, the film shown on this blog is a very mild example--Tommy has been known to do some outrageous moves, and to dance for a very long time! It's so funny to watch. I hope you think it's as funny as I do...
The voice you hear singing is that of Nanna (my mom), singing along with a CD of "The Name Game."

Spring Break

This week was spring break for Southern Virginia, but since I'm a staff member I really didn't have the week "off." However, Logan had wrestling nationals in Hampton, VA, which is about 30 minutes from my Aunt Connie's house, so on Thursday afternoon Tommy, Nanna, Papa and I packed ourselves into a car and drove 3 1/2 hours to Newport News. Tommy was actually really great on the ride up, preferring to sleep most of the way there. On Friday morning we went and saw Logan's last wrestling match (he's now completely finished with college wrestling). Unfortunately, he lost the match, but he took it really well. We then went to a little German Restaurant for lunch, and after dropping Logan back off at his hotel Nanna, Papa, Tommy and I went for a drive to some shopping areas of Williamsburg. Our shopping trip was highly unsuccessful, but considering the weather it was an appropriate use of our time. On Saturday we went to Yorktown, and had a great time touring the museum and the battlefields. We also ate at an adorable little eatery located in an historic house on Main Street. He was called the Carrott something...I can't remember. I always want to say "Top", but I don't think that's right. I took lots of pictures of Tommy on cannons and in the redoubts, and even though the weather was dreary we had a good time. I picked Logan up that night at the NCWA Tournament banquet, where two of SVU's wrestlers received awards. The majority of the team had to drive back that night to BV (the banquet got over close to eleven pm), but luckily for Logan and I we only had to drive twenty minutes and then we were able to sleep!!! We came home this morning, and I must say I'm kind of tired from my "vacation"!
Now, I don't have any photos to prove it, but this weekend I suddenly looked pregnant. I mean, seriously. Even mom noticed that I had a tummy! After eating lunch, I felt really full, like I'm going to explode kind of full, a feeling I haven't felt since I was pregnant with Tommy. I forgot how much space babies take up! Someday I'll post photos to prove my theory, but for now I hope you'll be contented with some cute pictures of Tommy :-)

One Week, Two Climates

Sorry, I just uploaded all the photos from the camera, and noticed something very amusing.

On Monday I took pictures of Tommy playing in the first real snowfall of 2009.

On Saturday I took photos of Tommy playing outside with his friend Josh Cooper, when it was 70+ degrees outside.

This weather is insane! But I must admit, I liked the warmer half of the week a lot better than the colder half.

Just Say "No"

Last Sunday Logan decided that Tommy's wardrobe needed some attitude, so he got...creative. When I saw how he was dressing our child, my closest comparison was John Cusack in his glory days in the 80s. It was goofy, but cute on a 17 month old.

Tommy's getting so much personality! This week his focus has been on the word "no." He keeps testing the waters to see what happens when he says it, and it's quite entertaining. When it was time to read stories before bed tonight, we decided to give Tommy the option of picking his book, so we held them up one by one.

"Do you want to read Brown Bear?"

(short pause)

"No." So we put the book away.

"Do you want to read Go Dog Go?"

"No." (a little faster)

"Do you want to read Eyes Nose Fingers To--"

"No!"

He actually started laughing towards the end. We eventually did get to read to him, but it took a while for him to agree on anything. It's just too much fun saying "No!"

Excuse You

So, last night as Logan and I were putting Tommy to sleep, Logan turned a way for a moment to burp. A moment later, Tommy suddenly burped. He looked very proud of himself.

I think my child is attempting to belch.

Strange milestone.

Tommy's World, vol. II

I finished Tommy's second book! I began it around Christmas, and I just got around to completing it. I really like Heritage Makers--when that little book comes in the mail it is so exciting! And the quality is great, too.
Here's the link if you'd like to see it:
http://www.heritagemakers.com/?event=projectBrowse&projectId=9eb1ff3c-3048-322b-c08a-26ffa6a12d21&productId=1&projectSponsor=318864