Fun Times

This last weekend, we joined family in AF canyon to celebrate our Aunt Karen's birthday. We took dutch ovens and chips and salsa to a picnic spot (which we were lucky to find) near the river -which was running very fast and high.

While the other boys enjoyed throwing rocks into the river, Michael preferred to bring them onto his blanket and occasionally taste them:

We had a lot of fun talking and watching kids. Michael's favorite thing was the big, red wagon the Mortensen's brought. He and his cousins (once removed) rode around in it as often as possible.

Michael was perfectly happy just hanging out in the wagon until someone was willing to take him for a ride:

Lately, when I point the camera at him, Michael has been giving me this squinty-eyed, goofy grin. It's hilarious:

He looks so weird...

I brought Michael's car seat in to be cleaned, and it immediately became the newest coolest toy ever. He would climb in it and stash toys in the cup holder:

Michael has also been enjoying getting into awkward places and then crying pathetically when he can't get out easily:

He's such a silly boy who constantly keeps me on my toes:

Happy Father's Birthday Day!

Michael and I had a lot to prepare for last week. We celebrated Jeff's birthday on Thursday and Father's Day on Sunday. We had a lot of fun. I think Jeff even enjoyed himself.

We are so lucky to have Jeff in our lives. He's a wonderful father and husband, who works so hard so we can live comfortably. He always takes the time to play with his boy who loves his Daddy so much. He's so supportive of his wife and randomly does nice things like unload the dishwasher to make her life a little easier. We love Jeff and couldn't imagine our lives without him.

Daddy and Michael:

They are so cute together and I love watching them play. Jeff is quickly becoming Michael's favorite. I'm still a necessity whenever Michael is injured or ready for bed, but Daddy is the "fun" parent. And, now that I'm no longer needed to feed him, Michael and Daddy can spend lots of quality time together. I find I'm very much okay with this. :)

Not a whole lot else is going on here. Michael is still adorable and practices going up and down stairs whenever we give him the chance. He also still thinks the kitchen is the coolest place to be and has the best toys. Sometimes I'll help him drag things, like my pots, out to the living room where we can have some fun while not sitting in the middle of the kitchen:

Boxes are pretty awesome play things, too:

I don't know why I bother spending money on those plastic, so-called "toys" when trash and dishes work just as well...

Growing Up

Michael is getting to be such a big boy. He's getting smarter and getting into more trouble every day. He's finally started to realize how much fun it is to empty drawers or move things from one drawer to the next:

If I forget to put the stairs gate up in the morning or after naps, I'll look up suddenly and find Michael has disappeared, or else I'll hear yelling and thumps from Michael climbing and hitting the stairs. I was hoping to get a video of his awesome climbing skills, but he decided to "talk" to me instead:

But it's not just stairs that Michael loves to climb. In fact, his favorite things to climb are Mommy and Daddy (especially Daddy). If we're sitting on a couch, he'll beg to be picked up and set next to us so he can make his way around and over us. It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but Michael is sitting on his Daddy's shoulder, leaning against his head. He looks so comfy:

He's also starting to master the art of the chicken dance:

But the biggest news right now is that Michael is finally walking! He's not too keen on doing it on his own yet, but he loves it if we make a game out of it and have him walk to one of us for a toy or his blankie:

Katie came over for dinner last night and got in on the action:

In closing, some cute pictures: