Christmas in Pictures

Christmas Morning!

I think Monkey can say it all:


And then there's this one:


And here's some Christmas morning video (Christmas morning pictures to come next):

2 Year Stats

Monkey went in for his 2 year check up yesterday. He weighs a whopping 29.6 lbs., and is 34.5" tall. He was in the 50% for both. And I did the calculations for his height at 18. He's supposed to be somewhere between 5'10-6". So remember that, folks, 16 years from now ;)

Oh yeah, and it was my birthday yesterday too! We had a great time. Went on a family jog in the morning (Monkey LOVES going "running" in his jogging stroller - I think because he gets cookies and milk while Mommy and Daddy push). Had breakfast, then took him to the doctor. Daddy took Mommy to a delish steak dinner last night too. Yum-my!

Soon to come: a list of Monkey-isms so we don't forget all the funny things he says as he gets older. He already stopped saying "yea" and says "yes" now, even though his little "yea" was the cutest thing ever!! So sad, my little boy is growing up!

I'm Two!!

Spencer turned two yesterday! It amazes me that my little guy has grown up so fast! We had the best day a 2 year old could ask for! It started out with breakfast with Mommy and Daddy. Then went to his party at Enchanted Island. He had a ball riding the cars and horseys (carousel) and teacups. We topped the party off with some pizza and an Elmo cake (made my Mommy). As we headed home, Monkey went down for a nap and slept for a solid 3 hours!! He woke up in a fantastic mood, and we opened all his presents. This kid is so lucky, and we are blessed with such great friends! He loved every single thing he got and spent the rest of the night playing with his new toys.

As for me, I am so blessed to have such a great kid, and I can only hope this next one is as amazing and adorable and fills my life with such joy! Happy Birthday, Spencer. Mommy loves you like you couldn't even imagine!!




Oh, and this is him "jumping"

What to be thankful for...

Oh, there's certainly a ton. My wonderful husband, my fantastic son, my supportive family, my amazing friends.

But today, I'm thankful that we're expanding our family by one more sometime in May, 2011! Meet Baby Leach #2. Oh, and they're 95% sure she's a she!

Free Holiday Cards!

We just had our holiday pictures taken, and lucky us, Shutterfly is offering some beautiful cards for the holiday season, and you’re if you’re a blogger, it is giving away 50 free cards just for being a blogger. Sign up here!

I've already found the perfect card, and can't wait to place my order! They have such a wide-range of selections, from super cutesy cards, to elegant and classic. And if you're not into celebrating the holidays this season (shame on you!) they have a great selection of birthday invites, new years cards, and even just some plain stationary ideas!

Shutterfly also has some great gift ideas (I currently have a mousepad sitting on my desk of pictures from last year - and can't wait to update it and order a new one) and Travis has a calendar I made. I have also been eyeing the picture mugs for this year as little stocking stuffers for grandparents!

Miami...

Monkey and Mommy went to Miami last weekend to visit Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Scotty and Aunt Sam. Monkey was, as usual, an angel. He did wonderful on the plane ride both ways, and he had a ball with all of his family (including all 4 dogs at the Miller residence). We also saw his Nina, Cristy and her little ragamuffins, Roman and Emily. Monkey LOVED Roman's big boy room, and played for a solid hour with the train table in his room. We both had a wonderful time and hope to do it again soon!

Here are some videos, the pictures will be up next, as well as our holiday photos!

Halloween 2010

Here's our Halloween weekend in photos.

First, we started out Friday night with Pumpkins at the Peak. Please note, this is one of the only photos of Monkey with his full dragon suit on. Adorable! And ferocious!


At least one shot with Mommy and the dragon suit!


Bowling at the festival...

Yay...he knocked them over!

Friday night, Mommy and Daddy went to a costume party. They were Russell Brand and Katy Perry.

Sat. morning we went to the zoo to see the "a-moes."

Sunday afternoon we went on a hike...

And finally, time to trick or treat!

This little Monkey was EXHAUSTED by the time he made it home Sunday night! But he had a GREAT weekend! Thanks Nana and Poppy for coming to the Pumpkin festival with us. And a big thank you to Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bob for the dragon suit!!

Here we are...

I told ya I'd have some pictures soon...

Click here to see our recent photo session.

I know, I know...

It's been forever. And I don't even have any new pictures or videos to post. I apologize! October has been a little crazy for us. Monkey is just adding word after word to his vocabulary. He will pretty much repeat anything you say to him. His newest facinations are airplanes and buses. Everytime he sees one, he screams "Mommy, Daddy, BUSSSSS!!" or "Mommy, Daddy, llello bus" depending on its color. Or "Mommy, Daddy, airplane" (which sounds more like "hairpane"). He also says "bye" to anyone and anything (including cars, his rocking horse, you get the picture) and has putting 2 words or more together. He's just a blast at this age right now!

We had our holiday pictures taken this past weekend, so I promise some new photos soon. We also have Halloween coming up, and thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Miller, Monkey will be a dragon. Actually, he's going to be a headless dragon since he refuses to wear the hat part of the costume. Oh well. So we will have pictures of that soon too!

Next weekend Monkey and Mommy are headed to Miami to visit a bunch of friends and family. We are hoping for a hassle-free trip, and lots of good times! Can't wait!!

PS - Can you believe it's time to start planning for his 2nd Birthday already?! Stay tuned...

New Videos

I think I've been taking more videos than pictures lately because Monkey is doing funnier things these days. Case in point: wearing Mommy's shoes. Enjoy.


Also, I think I saw this act in a vaudeville show from the 1920's.

Jump Around

I forgot to add the video from the Wisconsin game. Gotta give mad props to their student section for having their sh*t together! They were the most well-organized student section I have ever witnessed.



Oh, and here's just a fun one of Monkey searching for Daddy...

Pictures and Updates

We have been busy lately! What with the start of football season and all, we just have no more time! So here's a brief recap of what we have been up to. First, Mommy and Daddy went to Vegas at the end of August. It was a last minute trip, and they had a blast!

Then we had a fun-filled Labor Day weekend hanging out with Daddy's friends and all their little monkeys who are right around my age!

The following weekend was my buddy Miles' 2nd Birthday. His Mommy and my Mommy work together. Here are some pictures from the party. Pardon my appearance, it was a little warm, and after my nap time.

Despite how it might look, I really did enjoy the "choo choo."



See, I was just tired and needed to nap. Grandpa was nice enough to cuddle with me.

Then Mommy and Daddy headed off to Madison, Wisconsin for the ASU football game with their tailgate buddies. That guy next to Daddy is "First-Down Guy," and his wife is next to Mommy.
They also met up with old friends Jeff and Kelly, who used to live in Phoenix, but recently moved back home to Minneapolis. Both of them when to UWisconsin.

Mommy and Daddy tailgated with a bunch of Wisconsin fans.

The entrance to the stadium was pretty cool!

As was the actual stadium!

They had fun for a while, but the game ended up going to the home team :(

Next up: this weekend Mommy and Daddy are hosting the ASU-Oregon tailgate and I get to go hang out with them! We are all looking forward to some nice, cool weather for the weekend so we can play outside. And we've got some more birthday parties on the horizon. I can't wait, I love those pointy hats!!

- the Monkey

New Words, New Class!

I will have pictures and a super cute video soon. In the meantime, here's what's been happening in the life of Monkey. When we got back from vacation, he moved to a new room at his school. He's in Ms. Sue's room, and he says her name. It sounds curiously like "shoe," but I know it's Sue because he says it when he's on his way to school. Come to think of it, it could be "school" too! He also has learned "yellow," but it's basically "lello." And everything is "lello," including his purple fish. He's a jokester - because he knows the purple fish isn't yellow! He also says "please," which sounds like "peas." He says "fish," and has graduated to Mommy and Daddy (not just Mama and Dada). I'm sure there's more, but those are just the ones I heard this morning.

Oh, and no more tears at all when we drop him off. Little man walks into Ms. Sue's room, puts his Elmo lunch pail in the fridge and says "Bye Mommy Daddy" while he busies himself with whatever Ms. Sue has planned for them that day. Today it was coloring. Yellow. Yesterday, he pulled the little chair out from the table, sat down, and asked for "wa-wa" (water). Ms. Sue gave it to him in a cup and he drank it without spilling a drop! Then he said "Bye Mommy Daddy."

And he's growing like crazy again. He's finally moved up in shoe size to a normal-ish size 6 for an almost 2 year old. And he's very close to having outgrown his 18month clothing. 2T here we come!!

Vacation Pictures!

If you haven't had enough of our vacation pictures, you're in for a treat. Here's some more...

Hanging at the beach...

Chillin' with Daddy

Yoga on the beach. I call this "downward dog."

Sitting pretty.

Day 1 on the sand and at the beach. Monkey ran straight for the "wa-wa" and did NOT want to leave. It was chilly, as it was only about 8:30am.

Looking at the sea lions/seals/whatever you want to call them with Mommy.

At Sea World checking out the Sea Lions/Seals/Whatever you want to call them.

At the zoo, excited about the Zebras. I swear we have Zebras at the Phoenix zoo. Who knew Monkey would like them so much!?

Fighter Pilot Monkey.

Family shot.

Cuddling with Grandpa, ready to watch the dolphin show.

Shamu!!

Last day there. :(

We are back at home, and hot as can be. Anxiously awaiting football season, and the cooler weather.

Lastly, Monkey would like to wish his Grandpa Bob and Uncle Gene a very special Happy Birthday! We love you both and miss you!!

Vacation Recap

We ALL had the most fabulous time in San Diego. Apparently, the weather there this summer has been hit or miss. Well, it was fantastic while we were there. We had cool mornings with a nice little haze that burned off by 9:30 or 10. Then it was just pure sunshine for the rest of the day!

Monkey was a champ in the car, of course. That kid can do no wrong (at least in my eyes!) He fell asleep immediately after lunch, woke up about an hour later, and watched Yo Gabba Gabba a few times. We also played with his Elmo sticker book for a bit, and he ate countless amounts of cheerios :)

The house we stayed at was PERFECT for us. It was a little 2 bedroom, 1 bath on the top of a hill in La Jolla Shores overlooking the ocean and the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. We were a 5 minute (downhill) walk to the beach and to La Jolla Shores (a super cute, quaint little beach community). And right at the beach was a playground meant for Monkey. The house had 2 patios, and seriously, it was ideal. The only non-ideal part was the uphill walk back each day...but honestly, with all the beer and wine we were drinking, the exercise was good. ;) Speaking of, I had some absolutely gorgeous jogs along the beach. It was exactly 3.3 miles roundtrip from the door of the house to the point where I couldn't run anymore along the beach due to the rocks and tidepools.

One of the patios...

The said playground...



What did we do while there, you might be asking?! We went to Sea World (2x), the San Diego Zoo, and the beach. Isn't that enough?! Our first full day, we just hit the beach. Monkey, by the way, LOVES the wa-wa. And the mee-mees (birds). He ran STRAIGHT for the water, and after the initial shock of cold wore off, he loves just running back and forth chasing the waves and his balls, etc.

The beach...





Day 1 of Sea World was rough. We went in the afternoon thinking we would have Monkey in a better mood because it would be after his nap. He was in a fine mood, but we had to wait in line for EVERYTHING. The place was ridiculously crowded! We saw the Sea Lions being fed (so cute!), saw the Sesame Street 4D show (so funny, but Monkey wouldn't wear the glasses, so it was a little lost on him), played in the Sesame Street playarea, watched Shamu, saw the dolphins, etc. I think we were all exhausted aftewards :) Day 2 of Sea World was MUCH better. We were there when they opened, and basically had the park to ourselves. We saw everything else - the dolphin show, the penguins, the arctic animals (polar bears, beluga whales, walruses), shamu again and the Sesame Street play area again (c'mon, we couldn't pass up Elmo).

Sea World play area...


The zoo was better for some reason when we went, even though we employed the same afternoon strategy. In any event, it didn't seem as crowded, and it was easier to navigate. We had a really fun time walking around and pointing out all the animals.

Zebras...


Polar Bear...


Grandpa George came out on Wed. night, so it was nice to have him around to give Mommy and Daddy a little bit of alone time. We went kayaking one afternoon, and had so.much.fun! The seals were swimming right around our kayak! They were so darn cute! Mommy got totally doused in the face with waves as we were heading out. Then she made Daddy row most of the time ;) And we also got to go out to dinner one night with some friends and have adult conversation. Good times!!

Oh, and we discovered a cute little breakfast joint in La Jolla Shores Village, where we went a few mornings before the park, and before the marine layer burned off. I discovered oatmeal pancakes. Delish! If you haven't had them before, you MUST give them a try!

T-minus 24 hours...

And counting. That is, until we head out of 115 degree heat to nice, sunny (I hope, but it's OK if it's not), cool, refreshing, San Deigo!! We will be gone for 1 whole week, and I for one, cannot WAIT! Even Monkey has agreed he is ready for California. When we ask him if he wants to go, we get a Monkey yes, which is "ahh ahh."

We are driving, and we are prepared. We have 2 Elmo videos, a Yo Gabba Gabba video, a Curious George movie, an Elmo sticker book, and plenty o' snacks. We are leaving at lunch time for Monkey, which should mean some food and then a nice little 2 hour Monkey nap to eat up the 5-6 hour drive. Then we'll stop somewhere along the way (IS there anything along the way?) for a quick stretch of the legs, change of the diaper, and hopefully expend some of that toddler energy. Then it's back on the road for the last leg of the journey, which hopefully won't be too long. I think we can put Yo Gabba Gabba on several repeats and Monkey would be totally content! Wish us luck!!

Update Day 2: Double Yay!

Tonight was a success as well. I think we turned a corner on the sleep issues.

And...here's some fun videos to see what we've been up to these days:

UPDATE: YAY!

Last night might have been a fluke, or we may have turned a corner. Monkey went down and was out within 5 minutes. Woo hoo!!

Also, he did the CUTEST thing last night when I picked him up from Nana and Poppy's. I asked him if he wanted to go home and see Daddy, Baxter (the cat) and Crockett (the dog). He said "bye-bye" to Nana and Poppy and then said "Dada, meow, arff arff." I assume that meant that yes, he did want to see Daddy, the cat and the dog. They don't get names, they get acknowledged by the noises they make ;)

Oh, and we're working towards sentences too. The other day it was "Mama, up." Translation: "get me outta here." And "Mama, Dada, night night."

It has started...

I think. We are moving into the world of the terrible 2's. I think. How would I know? This is my first rodeo. But here's what we've got so far that's leading me to conclude they have arrived:

• Fighting bedtime. We used to have a little guy who would actually walk himself to his crib, say "night night," and ask to be placed in his crib. We now have a little guy who cries as soon as you mention "night night" and continues to cry for about an hour after we put him in the crib (we do go in and console him every 5-10 minutes for that hour).
• Opinionated Re: Clothing Choices. This morning he spotted his Elmo bathing suit. Not sure how/why, but he insisted on carrying it around and attempting to put it on (and following over in the process - that part was funny). When I pulled out real clothes for him to wear, he tried to pull everything off as I got it on him. Not fun. Fast forward to the shoes. He has a new pair of water shoes for our upcoming trip to San Diego (more on that later). He refused his regular sneakers, dragged me to his water shoes, and asked [read: demanded] that I put the water shoes on him.
• Uncontrollable Temper. You have about .5 seconds to comply with the Monkey's demands, or the temper rears its ugly head.

Ahhh, guess it's just time to settle in and enjoy the ride. Unless anyone has any advice on how to deal with the above?

As for San Diego - we are headed out there Aug. 7-14th for a much-needed family vacay! Looking forward to visiting Sea World, the Zoo, the beaches, parks and enjoying the cooler weather :) I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to post afterwards, but we will probably be noticeably absent from the 'net that week!

Teething!

Ugh, at least I hope that's what it is. This little monkey has been a real pill lately. He does NOT want to go to sleep, and is waking up in the middle of the night. I feel like we have a newborn again! The only thing I can think of at this point is teeth - specifically, his canines. Look at this face - you think he's an angel, don't you?

But he is not. And this is all just when Mommy and Daddy really need some rest and some time to themselves. Ugh, Monkey! :) But we love you. How can you not love this little guy? PS - thank you Uncle Lou Lou for my silk jammies.

Happy July!

I would say Happy 4th of July, but I'm a little late on that front. We had a nice, long weekend and went up to Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Perry's cabin in the woods. It was nice to escape the heat, and the whole family had a blast exploring the outdoors.

Monkey and Daddy played Horseshoes.

Monkey got a new swing. He kept saying "weeee" the whole time he was on it!

"please, Mommy"

Going for a ride.

Shooting hoops with Dad.