Okay, it’s time to play catch up! The following are highlights of my Spring and Summer. It’s been a good year so far!

Easter 2009:

I received an Easter basket full of goodies from Grandma & Grandpa and couldn’t wait to open it up! My favorites were the car undies and shoes. Something for my head and feet!

Then, I got sick. It was terrible. I was miserable. I didn’t even want to get up off the sofa…I just laid there all day and watched TV or curled up and slept. I didn’t even want to run around or play with my toys.

But, I got well enough to open my Easter baskets and do a little Easter egg hunting at home. If I didn’t pick up after the Easter Bunny, who would?! Look at all the eggs I found!

Visiting Family:

We kicked off summer with a visit to my family. I saw my great grandma, grandpas, uncles, aunties, and cousins. I had a lot of fun on that visit. I miss them all so much.

Summer Fun!

Grandma & Grandpa got me this bounce house / waterslide combo to keep me active and cool this summer. I LOVE to jump and LOVE to play with water, so it’s perfect! I have been playing with it all summer long!

Bike Rides With Mommy & Daddy:

Mommy & Daddy have been taking me on bike rides now that the days are longer. Daddy finally fixed up the bikes and installed the bike seat Grandma got me a long time ago. I love feeling the wind in my face. There is a little hill at the turn of the trail and I love to raise my arms up high above my head, like I am on a roller coaster ride, and then I scream “Wheeeeeee” when we go downhill on the other side. Sometimes Daddy doesn’t ride fast enough, so I tell him “go more fast”. Sometimes he listens, but often he says that is his top moving speed.

The Next Picasso or Iron Chef?

Mommy tries to keep me busy and creative by letting me paint, play with stickers, play with play-doh, work on puzzles, do foam stamping, and cook! I love to paint- watercolor, tempura, acrylic, anything! This step stool was quite challenging because I only painted on paper before that. I think it turned out well, don’t you? My first edible work of art were chocolate chip cookies. I helped mommy mix and drop the cookies onto the cookie sheet. But the best part was eating it! Yum! I must be a natural cook because mommy trusts me enough to let me use a salad knife. I helped make the most delicious salad- even I had a bite of it!

I’m a Big Boy Now!

I officially graduated into a toddler bed! Yay! It would have happened sooner but the rail had to be special ordered and the people at the store didn’t tell us that it was back-ordered when we ordered it. What should have arrived in 6 weeks arrived in 12! Mommy and daddy were not too happy with that. I didn’t mind. It gave me extra time to practice climbing over the railing and landing on my futon mattress. Those were the good ol’ times!

WALL-E & Cars:

Mommy found this WALL-E toy with a front that opens up and comes with a “jo jo” (garbage) that I can take out and play with. I love playing with it! WALL-E is one of my favorite characters. So much so that I started to pretend that I am WALL-E. I bumped into things and pretended to gather up garbage and make it into a cube, just like WALL-E in the movie. Mommy and daddy doesn’t like when I pretend my eye is “broke” and try to fix it. I got punished for pretending to be WALL-E when I ran full force into the arm of the sofa and bounced off. I only hurt myself a little bit and cried for the attention. I don’t understand why I can’t watch the movie anymore. It’s a good thing I have another favorite movie- Cars! Lightning McQueen has a “broke wheel” in the movie, so this mechanic kit Uncle Barry sent me is perfect. I like to pretend that all my cars have “broke wheels” and now I have the proper tools to fix them! Thanks, Uncle Barry!

Youth Museum:

Mommy took me to the local youth museum and I had so much fun that she bought a year pass. This place is so awesome I had to bring daddy and show him all the cool things there is to play with here. I can get into a full-size police car and pretend to drive. There is a full size police motorcycle and ambulance too. The fire truck is only pretend though. I like trying to climb up the rock climbing wall. I can’t get as high as daddy can, but with practice, one day I may! One of my favorites is their pretend kitchen. I like to pretend to cook and bring food out for mommy and daddy to eat. They even have things for me to build with. It’s great! But, most of all, I love that I can touch anything and everything and not get in trouble for it!

Stay Tuned For More…

I’ve been keeping Mommy & Daddy so busy that they have been too exhausted to keep my blog updated! I’ve got to learn how to read & write so that I can tell you all of the fun (a.k.a. trouble ) I’ve been having myself!

Nathan’s Top 10 Activities of Spring 2009:

10. Watching Airplanes Fly: We went to the Riverside County Air Show this past weekend. I had a great time. My favorites were going into the US Air Force cargo plane and sitting on the seats and playing around, eating lunch in the airport cafe, and getting my airplane souvenir from Mommy & Daddy. I didn’t like the airplanes zooming by. It was too loud!

It’s too loud. Even in the airport cafe!

I’m grumpy. It’s too loud and I’m hungry.

I’m much better now that I’ve had a little snack.

There were also military vehicles at the show. I wanted to drive one home but they wouldn’t even let me near one!

9. Potty Training: Don’t worry, Mommy & Daddy said that they will not embarrass me by posting photos. They said something about saving it for when I’m much older. I wonder what that means. Anyhow, I’m a big boy now! I only wear diapers when I go to sleep and when we go out (though that isn’t necessary for the most part). I love flushing the toilet & receiving my lollipop or chocolate reward (it’s all about the food, ya know?). I’m such the pro that sometimes I don’t even ask for my reward.

8. Talking On The Phone: “Hello? Hello! Bye-Bye!” Mommy and Daddy say I’m a little jabbermouth now. I guess I just love hearing my own voice. It’s cute. What’s wrong with that?

7a. Trying To Fill Big Shoes: These are Daddy’s old sneakers. They go nicely with my outfit, don’t they?

7b. Trying To Fill Even Bigger Shoes…er…Slippers: Mommy’s slippers are so much softer than Daddy’s sneakers!

6. Doing Yard Work: The economy has been hard on everyone, so this is my way of pitching in. Daddy says we each have to do our part, so here I am sweeping up the weeds Daddy dug up.

5. Watching TV: Here I am watching a movie with my friends. This was a really good part…

4. Wishing For Warmer Weather: So that we could go to the beach and use real sand.

3. Saying “CHEESE!”: I love getting my photos taken. And, I always have to look at them afterwards. Mommy said something about me being lucky that digital cameras exist.

2. Having LOTS Of Fun: Here I am learning how to play T-Ball and making sure all my crayons are present and ready for some serious coloring fun. I love playing with play-doh and painting, too. There isn’t any pictures of that because Mommy is too busy making sure my creativity doesn’t travel to the walls of our house to take photos. (She’s a party-pooper, isn’t she?)

1. Having Had The BEST Christmas ever: Okay, so this didn’t happen in 2009, but Mommy said we didn’t get a chance to tell everyone about Christmas yet. So here it goes: I just had the best time opening all of my presents. I loved ripping the wrapping paper off and then whining louder and louder until mommy & daddy took it out of the package. They had to give me another package to open so that I was occupied while they rescued my toy from its packaging. It was so much fun (for me)! We did that on Christmas Eve because on Christmas Day, we went to my great auntie’s house & I spent the day playing w/ my cousins. Then we spent the rest of the weekend at my Grandpa & favorite Uncle’s place. We saw friends & more family (and I got more toys, of course)- so it was a very good visit.

This is the space train set Mommy & Daddy got me for Christmas!

This is all for me?! Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

There are toys in my stocking?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!!

Mommy’s turn to help me!

Daddy helping me open my presents

Opening the rest of my presents after a nap. Yes, I got so many I had to take a nap in between!

My favorite Uncle spoiling me. I LOVE it!

Me & my favorite Uncle!

Grandpa giving me a bear hug!

I LOVE going to the park. I love it so much that whenever we get into the car I say “pah?”. And, if mommy or daddy tells me that’s not where we’re going- well, I put up a stink. Here are some photos that will show you why I love the park so much.

When I’m at the park, I get to play with my friends, eat, and sometimes make things. I’m decorating & eating a gingerbread house here. At first, I just wanted to eat the frosting and candies by themselves. But, when I saw my friends use them as decoration for the house, I decided to give that a try. It wasn’t nearly as fun as just eating them! My friends didn’t even know the decorations and house were edible- I had to show them!!

And, after snack time (the important part), I get to run around and play on the swing & slides for as long as I want. Mommy calls it burning off all the sugar I ate. I call it having fun!

Can’t you see how fun the park is? Food, play, and more food! Why wouldn’t I always want to go?

Mommy & Daddy dressed me as a little dragon this year. I had fun going trick or treating down our street- once I realized people were just giving away candy! At the first house, I wouldn’t walk to the door because it was so dark. Then, the nice lady came out and gave me a lollipop. It was my first lollipop and it was so yummy (mommy and daddy were holding out on me!). That’s when I realized I would get candy for knocking on the door. But knowing that didn’t stop me from being scared when we got to the door. I’m just glad Mommy & Daddy were there to knock on the doors (and say “trick or treat!”) for me! I really liked being a dragon for Halloween. I didn’t want to get out of my costume even though I was sweating in it! I can’t wait for next Halloween!

The Little Dragon enjoying his “pop”

“Trick or Treat!” (Treat, please)

To The Next House

Even The Gals Dig My Costume

Trying On My Costume

I’m ready to fill my “pun” (pumkin).

I’m TWO years old now! Yay me! My Grandma came all the way from Wisconsin to celebrate with me. She spoiled me silly for the whole week she was here!

I started the day by opening my birthday presents from Mommy & Daddy and Grandma. I just love my magna doodle, toy cars & all my Lightning McQueen gear!

Afterwards, we went to the park. I rode in my new wagon and on Daddy’s shoulders there!

There was no one at the park- I had the playground to myself!

My favorite were the slides. Can you believe there are 8 of them?! It was so much fun!

After my lunch, Mommy & Daddy got me an ice cream cake! I still love it when “Happy Birthday To You” is sung to me. (Mommy, Daddy & Grandma sang it twice for me- once for each year!)

The ice cream cake was D-E-licious! Yum!

Here are some of the fun things my Grandma and I did while she was here. She loves to play with bubbles too, who knew?!

And, she’s a great catcher- she caught the balls I tossed at her with a handful of cars! Now, that’s talent!

These are the cars & big rig (it can hold all my cars) my Grandma got me. We had fun playing with them too. She’s good at rolling cars back to me.

And, this is me, after a long week of play with Grandma. I fell asleep on our way home from our night time walk. I was so exhausted I barely stirred when Mommy got me out of my wagon and into my crib. It was a good week.

Yay! Happy Birthday to me!

I had a GREAT time at my birthday party this past weekend. Thank you to all my friends & family who came to help me celebrate!

I loved running around, playing with my friends, blowing bubbles and coloring with sidewalk chalk. But, most of all, I loved eating my birthday cake!

This is my birthday cake:

When everyone started to sing “Happy Birthday” to me, I didn’t know what was going on. Once I realized that everyone was singing to ME, I had the biggest, silliest, happiest smile on my face:

I got the piece with the blue balloon. It was yummy!

Here I am having a BLAST with my friends:

It was so much fun, I can’t wait for next year!

I hope everyone’s summer has been as fun and exciting as mine has been! I’ve done a lot of growing, learned a lot of new things, kept mommy and daddy on their toes and had lots of fun in the process! There’s so much that’s happened that these are just a few of the highlights of my summer:

“Nathan The Builder”

In the beginning of summer, I learned how to stack things. First it was blocks:

Next, I moved onto cars. And, to make it a tad more challenging, I stacked them while strapped in my highchair, one-handed, while watching TV.

Then, by the end of summer, I knew I mastered stacking when I could do this:

Learning To Ride

Mommy and Daddy thought it would be a good idea if I learned how to ride a tricycle. It would’ve been a good idea if my legs were long enough to pedal! Maybe after a couple of growth spurts I’ll be able to, but in the meantime, I’ve been pretending to ride the tricycle with daddy’s help and I’ve learned to be a really good bell dinger!

Splashing Around

No summer is complete without splashing around in a pool. Grandma & Grandpa got this for me in time for summer. I love to sit and pour water from one container into the next. It’s so much fun!

Weekend Getaway

Mommy, Daddy & I went to Las Vegas for a couple of days over Labor Day. Here I am getting ready to go. Mommy bought me a swimsuit with built-in floaties. I’m also trying out the sunglasses mommy bought me when I was an infant- they didn’t fit me back then because my head wasn’t big enough! Am I ready or what?

I didn’t understand why it took so long to get where we were going. It was a long drive! It was a good thing mommy & daddy brought the dvd player. Once we got checked in, I saw that our room had floor to ceiling windows and I immediately ran over to it and looked outside. I did that every morning. I didn’t understand why that made mommy a little nervous. We were only on the 28th floor! I just loved watching people go swimming (we had a pool view) and the airplanes land. My favorite was watching the helicopters. I would say “cop-ter” whenever I saw them.

Mommy & Daddy took me swimming in the hotel’s Lazy River Pool- they put me in my swimsuit-floatie and an inflatable ring and we just bobbed along in the pool. It was fun! There was a waterfall along the way, too- I didn’t like it because it was loud and I was afraid I would get splashed, but daddy did a good job helping me avoid it. I even tried to teach myself how to swim by kicking and flapping my arms around, but I think I just ended up splashing mommy and daddy in the face with water (which was pretty fun, too). We spent hours at a time in the pool while we were there. Even though I was all pruney, I didn’t want to get out! Mommy had to entice me with cookies before I’d get out. Because I was having such a good time, mommy made sure we could check-out later so that I could go swimming one last time before we left for home. I was having so much fun I didn’t want it to end.

Here I am all tuckered out after spending 2 hours in the pool. Then, mommy & daddy took me to the pool again for another hour. It was fun, but I was so tired I slept through the night! Hey…was that their plan all along!?

We also went to see the Bellagio Fountains. I was so mesmerized by the water “dancing” on the lake. Every time the water went shooting up in the air, I would say “boom”. Sometimes the music got loud and it scared me a little bit. But, daddy was holding me so I was safe. I liked it so much that we watched it 4 times!

Here are some more photos from our vacation:

Mommy & me at Paris!

Daddy & me at Excalibur- we were going to pretend to be knights and slay the dragon, but it never came out.

Here we are at the elephant fountain near the entrance of the beach/swimming area. Every time we pass by it I had to stop by and say “hello” and then wave “good-bye”. I had so much fun there that I didn’t want to go home. I put up a really good fight when mommy and daddy tried to buckle me into my car seat, but they’re surprisingly strong. Once we were on the road, I fell asleep and woke up when we were about an hour away from home. Hmm…is that why they took me swimming that morning!?

*Note from mommy & daddy: While on vacation, Nathan said some new words: “cop-ter” for helicopter, “po-po” which is Chinese for “carry me”, and “no more” for when he runs out of something (like cookies) or he’ll say it like a question to find out if there’s any more of something (like cookies). We had been trying to teach him to say “po po” for awhile and he chose to say it while on vacation! That’s great that he says it, but because we wanted to reinforce it, we had to pick him up and carry him every time. He said it every time we went from our room to the elevator or vice versa (and of course we were in the furthest room from the elevator!) and when we were walking around the hotel/strip. He’s no light-weight either! Our legs & hips were very sore afterwards!

Mommy, Daddy, and I went to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park in Escondido on Sunday. It was hot that day, but I had lots of fun riding on the tram and watching all the different birds. When we first got there, mommy and daddy showed me these funny pink birds that look like they’re standing on one leg. Flamingos, I think that’s what they called them. Mommy and daddy seem to always be in a rush because I didn’t want to leave them. I could have watched them for hours. Then they showed me some meercats, deer-like animals, gorillas, cheetahs, and lions. I don’t know what the big deal is. The birds were much more interesting to watch! Anytime we left a bird exhibit, I let them (and the rest of the park) know that I wasn’t happy about that. Mommy and daddy said something about my shrieking being some new type of bird call. I guess I should practice some more for the next time we go.

Yo Daddy Yo… Jus’ playin’ witcha cap!

I know you ain’t got no prob’m wit dat!

Barely a week has gone by since I got my first boo boo when the second one happened. My first boo boo was healed and the scab has fallen off and then this happened. I didn’t have as much fun getting this boo boo as I did the first one. I was trying to get a toy I dropped next to the TV stand when I slipped off the pillows blocking the way (yes, I was climbing on them when I wasn’t supposed to) and hit the edge of the stand. That hurt a lot! My tears didn’t help my boo boo any either. It stung a lot and I didn’t understand so I kept rubbing and grabbing at my face. Mommy was worried that I hurt my eye, but I can see out of it just fine (as far as Mommy and Daddy can tell). I was walking straight afterwards-straight back to what I was trying to get at. I’m stubborn, you know. I still wanted my toy, but this time, I tried to get to it from the other side. When mommy asked what I wanted I decided to let her get it for me- I didn’t want a matching owwie on the other side. (I’m smart, too.) I pointed to what I was trying to get at and mommy got it for me instead. That made me feel better. Nothing like a good toy to soothe my hurt.