Gus Gus! You're eleven months old today?!?!

The cutie patootie

Well Gus, you're a pretty amazing almost one year old!  Wow.  You are as big as the 21 month old twins we saw at gymnastics today.  You are definitely walking on your own already...been doing that for the past few weeks now.  You are "talking" more and more, and even using baby signs!  You know "more," "drink," and either "thank you" or you're blowing kisses, or maybe both.  But you really have started to communicate with us in these past few weeks.

"I'll smile when I want to!"

You are most definitely expressing your own opinions!  Like what you want to eat, what you want to play with, and whether you want to be held or not.  You also are really into climbing on things, and for the most part do a pretty good job of safely getting where you want to go.  You've got at least five teeth now, and let me tell you...those things are sharp!  You have this habit of sinking them into my shoulder when I'm holding you.  Ouch!  Thank God it's just my shoulder at least, and not while you're nursing!  Unlike your brother at this age, you are not getting a baby sibling any time soon, so you and me still get to do the breastfeeding thing for a little while longer.  You have really started to show us just how smart you are too!  You understand where things go, and what they do, and you CLEARLY have been watching and listening to your brother.  The two of you "talk" to each other and match both the pitch and volume of your screeches.  I can't wait  until you can understand what I mean when I ask you to use your inside voice.  But my favorite sound is the two of you laughing with each other.  You can really get each other going!  I love hearing all the sounds you're experimenting with, and watching you discover all the things that intrigue you, and learning more and more about the amazing not-so-tiny human that you are!

"I'm eleven months old today!!!"

Moving, packing fun.

So, it's official. We are moving to Irvine! In February. Still working on finding a rental house, but, we are packing/organizing our storage units to get ready for a few trips south over the next weeks. More details to come as we get them, but today, just a couple of pics of the boys entertaining themselves during the process.

Proud mom moments

Arjen has really become a "big boy" recently...wanting to help with everything, do things on his own, and talking a ton!  It's really pretty cool.  But, this week (so far, with today being Tuesday and all), my proud mom moment came after breakfast this morning...

...he brought his empty bowl to the sink after finishing his breakfast!  I really only just yesterday, made a point of telling him about taking dishes to the sink when he's done, and we practiced it once.  Apparently it stuck!  The kid makes me proud...

...and even prouder with his skill for knocking over the Christmas tree.  He somehow managed to just miss the TV (on left) and the glass coffee table (on right), and also waited until all the lights and ornaments had been taken off.  Oh, and no, he didn't even suffer a scratch!  Phew.  Proud mom moments! 

Mother's helpers

Oh Christmas Tree!

In this age of everything digital, things often get posted for the sake of sharing almost immediately.  When something comes and goes without it's due chronological postage, I feel like I missed the opportunity, and it'll just have to be one for the good ol' memory banks.  This year's Christmas tree adventure however, cannot go without sharing, even if it is a month later!  Besides, Christmas with the Keane-Miller clan sorta got split in two this year anyways, so technically, we just finished it this past weekend! 

When I was a kid, we'd drive up to Apple Hill to cut down our Christmas tree every year.  Without fail, each year, the tree would look much larger inside the house, than it ever looked out in the tree farm.  This year, we decided to renew the tradition, and head up the hill in search of the perfect tree! In the spirit of Keane-Miller-Anderson-Griswold's...may this tree go down in history as "the-one-that-ate-the-house!"

"This one looks good for me Dad!"

After nearly an hour of searching, and almost giving up, we found the tree!

Gus and Baba lead the way back to the car

There's a lumberjack hiding in there somewhere

They're making it look easy!

We need a bigger tree-uh-truck!

And the special treat for after we've found our tree!

Arjen claimed the top of the tree as his own (and this was after we had been to WI and back, he remembered "his tree".  Unfortunately some of it's branches had been repurposed, but he didn't seem to notice)...

...And decided he needed to decorate it

The finished product!