Christmas Parades

We are out to watch the Arcadia Christmas Parade!waiting for things to get started

then once it did it was too late for any more pictures. But I did stay awake for the entire parade - the bands were my favorite!

Our awesome spot at Marina Jacks for the Boat Parade

In Emma's food

about gifts

Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas:

This is for those of you who have asked what (we want for) the kids for Christmas so here goes:Please help us in raising children who know what this holiday is really about. Help us to balance the wants with the needs and present them with what will help them to grow in a way we would want them to go. Let’s bring in toys that are responsible – even in this small way our monies will shape their future, both in where the money goes and what it brings home to them.

General Ideas:Cotton clothes, practical for playing in, Luke in sizes 18M and up and Kelsea in size 4T.
Books! Or Magazines like “Ladybug”, “Wild Animal Baby” or “Little Kids National Geographic”
Memberships to places we can take them to visit year round, like an Annual State Park Pass, Selby Gardens or the Children's Garden.
Waldorf or Montessori style toys – toys that are real things (musical instruments, gardening tools, art supplies) or that encourage creative play (play food/dishes, cloth baby doll, wooden blocks and cars).

Stocking ideas: Lara bars, Aura Cacia or California Baby soaps, boiron care kits, toothbrushes, poufs/washclothes.

A few things Kelsea specifically would like: a tea set (oompa has some nice ones), a family for her doll house, produce for her kitchen, and wooden beads to make her own necklaces.

Luke would like additions to the band (particularly things to blow on - harmonica, recorder) more wooden vehicles, and his first Brio train set.

These websites are great for ideas: http://oompa.com/, http://www.willowtreetoys.com/, www.threesisterstoys.com, www.earthchildonline.com. Locally Toy Lab, Funtoysia, and Learning Express all carry these types of toys.

And to avoid as much as possible: Plastic, Batteries, Magnets, Characters, “Made in China”!

Thank you so much for asking, and Thank you again for respecting our wishes.

Much Love and Wishes for a Merry Christmas!

The Adams Family

playground

It might seem a little daring, but I can climb all the way to the top

and go down the big slide all by myself

Month 13

I am already 13 months old! This morning we are playing with paint as you can clearly see. I am walking, carrying things with me while I walk, and making sure to fully experience everything I can get my hands on. I've started pointing at things that interest me, and making up my own little words for the important things in the world. If you pay careful attention you can tell I'm communicating with you - "th" with a head nod, for thank you, EmAH! with a thigh pat for any creature doglike, open hands and ma ma ma for Mommy. Interesting accomplishments of the last month: can climb to the top of the playground and go down the spiral slide all by myself at Bee Ridge Park, can now get close enough to chickens to pet them, can climb up the dining room chairs and onto the dining room table, and I popped out two top molars in two days.

Even though I'm getting bigger and doing all of these crazy independent adventurous things I'm still very snuggly, wanting Mom and Dad throughout the night. I still hangout in the Mei Tai too, when we're out and about, or just when I'm needing a cuddle.

and I can feed myself with a spoon and enjoy eating most everything. Taco Soup, Chicken Fresca, salads, green smoothies, yogurt and fresh fruit are my favorites.

It should probably be noted that at my one year checkup not everyone had such a rosy view of my development - my pediatrician is concerned that I'm a little behind on my communication skills (at that point I wasn't pointing yet and my only word was "EmAH") but Mom told his it was just because I was working so hard on learning to walk. We also checked this out with Early Steps (to confirm Mommy instincts) and they think I'm doing fine too. He was also concerned that my iron levels were a little low and prescribed a supplement, but Mom tried it and decided it was too yucky tasting to possibly be good for anything. And after researching more about what an iron supplement would do to my gut flora and immune system, that's probably a good thing. So instead we're going to work on correcting it with diet, and we'll see how our test results go with that.

chicken chicken laying eggs in our kitchen!

This is our silly chicken, the only one who is presently laying eggs, who insists on laying them in the house. She'll say "brock, brock!" until Mom lets her out, then she runs to the sliding glass door, and then as soon as it's open she walks right to her box and hops in! She doesn't seem to mind at all that I push her around, or that Emma and Jacob stick their noses in her business. When she's hops back our and proclaims "brawk brawk BRAWK!", then we tell her Thank You and let her back outside.

First Trip to the Zoo!

Today was my first trip to the zoo! I had the most wonderful view, and comfortable ride...

I'm going to touch a ray!

and everything was so interesting I kept my eyes open, even when I got sleepy

very sleepy

Celebrate!

It's my party! We celebrated out at Siesta Beach, since that is one of my very favorite places! I started laughing as soon as I saw the sand, picnic tables and playground. GrandMinna was there

Mike, Moriah & Evangeline Grandpa, Benjamin and Kelsea
Aunt Angi, Jonathan and Gaga...Uncle Joe is over by the playground with Benjamin Stephanie and Conlan (Justin is there too!)
And of course Mommy and Daddy! Here is my special first birthday treat, yogurt with my favorite fruits (strawberry, banana, apple and red grapes), granola and a candle!

And there were presents too!

Thank You to Everyone who helped to make this day so special!

I'm walking!

Daddy took this video of me playing and beginning to walk at the beach before my birthday celebration!

Luke's Tree

In honor of me taking me taking my first trip around the sun we are planting the placenta that nourished me while I grew in Mommy's belly, so that it can have new purpose in helping to grow my tree. Mom and Dad chose an Lulu Avocado tree, since it is one of my favorite fruits and in season in my birth month. My favorite part was the dirt. Amazing soft black dirt!
Daddy placing the placenta where the tree will go.

There it is!Can you see how it looks like a tree itself, with the umbilical cord being the trunk, and the veins reaching upwards and outwards like limbs?And here is my tree! I climbed into the hole to helpby squishing around in the mud. Surely there will be no air pockets around the roots now!
A final drink and then we are done with our planting!