Zoli's first cognizant Christmas

It was a sweet Christmas. It really is magical to get to see and experience Christmas through my child's eyes. A cliche, but a true one. The lights, the tree, the treats, parties, and presents. Zoli's favorite gifts were the tractor, the transporter, the garage (with elevator!), and the At the Market book. Thanks everyone!

Family Photo Shoot with Toddler

We needed a family photo for our holiday card and our neighbors Joe + Meg were kind enough to help us out with the effort. Just to illustrate how challenging it is to get a decent photo with a very energetic, wiggly, and willful toddler, I'm sharing the whole lot with you. Which do you think is the best?

December, assorted

Holiday Express

Toot toot! As part of the birthday + holiday adventures, we took a trip on the Holiday Express - a genuine steam locomotive that takes a short trip through town, along the river. Overall it was a fun ride, though Zoli wasn't crazy about seeing Santa. It was the first time he had seen the "man in red suit" and he was pretty freaked out. But a taste of his first candy cane sweetened the experience, as well as getting to ride by and watch the cement trucks along the way!

Zoli turns 2!

Zoli is 2 years old. We can hardly believe it. This age is truly amazing and fun and wild. His big birthday gift was a Strider bike. He's a little wary of it but he's slowly warming up to it. Here he is taking his first outing with it.

Marta visits!

Our sweet friend Marta visited, and brought along her fancy new camera. The following photos are the result. Thanks Marta!

Thanksgiving!

We have spent several Thanksgivings with our fun friends Jeff, Jennifer, Cleo, and May. Usually we go camping (crazy, I know!) but this year we went to Long Beach, WA to stay in a funky motel and go clamming - at night (crazy, I know!). It was fun. I learned how to dig clams and then I made a delicious clam chowder. Yum.