January - Happy New Year!

Edison loves this new scooter that he got from Uncle Floyd and Aunt Kathie for Christmas. I love it, too. It folds down to a very small size (key for bringing it back on the airplane) and moves around really easily in any direction (kind of like a rolling office chair). Not to mention, it is very cute!

Edison visited his friend, Colin, over Christmas vacation. They are one week apart in age and as you can see they have both grown like weeds over the past 18 months. Colin has Edison beat in vocabulary, but Edison has better balance on the train.


Something else Colin excels at is giving hugs - what a sweetheart!


Just look at those chubby cheeks!

Christmas

My mom hosted a wonderful Christmas celebration for our family. Here she is with her favorite (only) grandson, Edison.





She even showed him how to use his camera so that he could take family photos. (just kidding, he's not quite taking pictures yet, but is super interested in anything with buttons and switches).













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Edison loved the Little People Delivery Truck he received from Aunt Kirstie & Uncle Peter.

Aunt Kathie spent some good one-on-one time with Edison, showing him how to play with his toy.

This picture was from the day Edison stayed with Uncle Floyd & Aunt Kathie in Bellingham while mom & dad went skiing at Mt. Baker. Edison had a blast (and so did we!).

Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a very nice Christmas Eve with my father, Herbert. After a delicious lunch, we stopped at a playground in Mill Creek. It was chilly, but dry. Edison loved the slide.


Edison was very into playing peek-a-boo through a port hole in the big toy. Granddad was a fantastic playmate for him.






Check out how the static electricity from the slide makes Edison's hair stand on end. Looks like he's ready for another haircut.

Visiting Seattle - Matt & Lisa's Place

During our trip to Seattle, we split our time between my cousin Pete & his fiancee Jennie's house in Mukilteo and Matt & Lisa's house in Monroe. Edison loved stayin with Matt & Lisa because they have FIVE kittens! (A stray kitten Matt rescued from a truck stop in Wyoming was actually pregnant and gave birth to seven kittens a couple months ago - four kittens plus mama are still left at home.) Edison was ecstatic about being around cats who are not yet able to outrun him. He learned a lot about proper cat petting technique, but we did catch him trying to carry the kittens around - not a good idea!









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Lisa and I enjoyed going hiking on a sunny day at Wallace Falls State Park. Edison seemed unimpressed and decided that sleep was more exciting than the waterfall. I've hiked a lot at Wallace Falls as its property borders that of Camp Huston - the summer camp I worked at for four years. Everything seemed FRESH and ALIVE up there.
We were able to do a lot of skiing while in town. We skied three days at Stevens Pass and another day at Mt. Baker. We love skiing and have been in withdrawal out here in Connecticut. Here are Lisa and I at the lodge.
We went with a big crowd for New Year's Eve skiing. Eben & I shared one ski pass and split time watching Edison in the lodge.


Matt & Lisa gave Edison a pair for skis for Christmas - they strap on to snow boots like snowshoes. Despite his grin, he is not yet a fan of the snow, so we couldn't even try to get him up on the skis yet.

December 2009 - The Holiday Spirit

Sorry it has been a few weeks since my last post. I just can't seem to get any good photos of Edison lately as he is always on the move and thus out of focus and not looking at the camera. But I suppose that is what being one-and-a-half is all about.

He went to his first "big kids" birthday party last weekend. It was the birthday party for his friend Tomer's older sister, Yuvali and was held at a farm near where we live. They had a lot of great activities for the kids, including pony rides, but most were a little beyond Edison. However, Edison really liked being able to hold and pet this guinea pig. I used to have a guinea pig while growing up and it brought back fond memories of my beloved Cotton Ball.




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As party favors, my friend gave out cowboy hats. Looks like Edison is a natural!


We attended the Coast Guard Christmas Party on Friday. I was looking forward to getting a great photo of Edison with Santa Claus. Here is what happened when reality took over.... I suppose I should be sympathetic with Edison because I was afraid of (and thus abhorred) all people dressed in costume (Santa, Mickey Mouse, etc.) when I was a kid - even now if I am being honest.



They had a big Christmas tree set up and Edison admired it.



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This picture was taken at our local mall, Crystal Mall in Waterford. There is a ride - right next to the indoor playground of course - that is basically a merry go round with cool things to ride in. Go figure, Edison always goes for the boat over the playground. We never actually turn it on because Edison gets really scared when it moves. So this is a good compromise.

Happy Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Eben's brother Dean's house. His wife Carolyn made THE BEST mashed potatoes (sorry Grandma)! Edison had a good time playing with his older cousin Will who is just about to be 3. I think Will was happy to have a little buddy for once rather than always tagging along with two older sisters.



Eben & I didn't get to spend much time at the dinner table. Edison was constantly on the move and we had to track his every move to make sure he didn't fall down stairs, climb up stairs, fall into the fire, eat a tray of cupcakes, etc... We found it much easier to play outside even though it was a little chilly. I think Edison liked being on the motorcycle a lot.

We spent the night at Eben's dad's house. Edison loved taking his bath in the big jacuzzi tub with dad. I mean come on - does it get any better than a bath with dad and lots of buttons?!

On Friday while it POURED rain, we went to the Boston Children's Museum. It is amazing. It probably is most suited for kids around 5-10, but there was plenty for Edison to do there. This picture of him at the helm of a treehouse was taken in a special area for kids 0-3. I love how cautious he is being with his steering.

Another room at the museum was a take off of the Boston Commons. Among other activities, it had a giant chess set. Here, Edison has just captured the opponent's pawn and is on the run. Edison was more interested in moving the big pieces around than learning the game, but you never know where this might lead.

A Few More Sunny Days

We visited our favorite playground on an unseasonably warm Friday last week. Edison had a blast. He loves to "drive" with the steering wheel.












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I had a busy weekend coaching swim meets all day Saturday and Sunday. Eben was a peach and took Edison up to visit Aunt Marleigh and his cousins. They went for a nice hike in the conservation area woods behind Marleigh's house.


This photo of the cousins was taken on the top of Sweatt Hill, on a rock that has lent itself to many family photos.


At the end of the hike they stopped at a playground and Edison loved riding on the bulldozer.




So did dad, apparently!