The rest of Week 47

Here are the pictures from the rest of the week.  I guess we got on camera overload this week!  But he's so cute, I can't not share!

Random pictures of Brian with Mama ...

With Papa Chuck before Church

Part of the computer generation for sure.  He knows just what to do with a mouse!

Playing at the playground with Gram and Mama

Going down the twisty slide with Gram!

Out on the path where we go walking in the morning there is a park with baby swings.  We stopped this time (and had the camera) and he loved it!  He sure likes to swing!

We finally finished watching all of Star Trek: the Next Generation.  So we started watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which has new intro music.  Brian was fascinated!  His love of all things Trekkie continues.  :)

Playing in the pool at our apartment complex.

Baby Blues ... they never get old!

Playing with Daddy ... Brian got the hang of throwing the ball back really quick.  Most times it actually made it back to Cory!

These are fuzzy, but cute.  Brian crawled over and gave Daddy a hug.

Listening to Pandora - Brian kept trying to push the pause button!

Eating real green beans.  :)

He decided he wanted a drink ...

Just random cute pictures ...

Shopping at Sprouts, the local healthy food market

This was from the trip up to Carlsbad but it got lost.  

We went to check out the park where we're having Brian's first birthday party, and had lots of fun playing!  This playground and swingset are in the shade in the mornings, so it's a perfect place to play.  I'm looking forward to everyone getting to play with Brian when they come out for his party!

Notice the feet ...

There is also a skate park with lots of ramps and stuff for the skateboarders.  Brian decided to climb up the ramp, and did an amazing job.  He got almost vertical.  (This is also his weekly picture for this week.)

Crawling around the skate park.  We tried to convince him that if he walked, it wouldn't hurt his knees, but he still likes the speed of crawling!  Soon!

Week 47

This week was quiet.  With Julie and her crew heading home on Monday, it seemed like we were rattling around here in our tiny apartment. We miss everyone so much!

I'll split this post into two different ones.  First, the pictures from Monday and Tuesday with family ...

From the trip up to Carlsbad Caverns on Monday ...

First, sharing a morning smoothie with Gram.  

The bottle - good for so much entertainment!

With Sarah at one of our pit stops along the way...

With Meghan on the small carousel at the turnoff for the caverns.

Talking to us in the car.

At lunch, with Meghan

The ride home - with a sleepy boy.  Gram was wonderful to entertain him for the ride home.  Here, playing peekaboo!

Sleepy boy!

At Carlsbad Caverns.  We all decided to walk in the "natural entrance" which is about 1.25 miles in, and about 700 feet in elevation lost.  It was rather intense with a 25 pound addition strapped to my front!  Brian was amazingly excited for the first part of the walk - screeching in joy and waving his arms.  Then he lost it on the sleepy front and he screamed at me and struggled for the next year (or so it seemed, probably like 10 minutes).  Then he passed out and slept for quite a while.  At the bottom he woke up again and enjoyed it.  The life cycle of the Boppli!

Tyler and Brian as park rangers.

Andrew and Sarah at the entrance

Miscellaneous pictures of the walk down to the bottom.

 Finally at the bottom.  From here on out, it was "mostly level."  You can avoid the initial walk in and take the elevator down to this point, but what's the fun in that?

 Sleepin' Boppli  

(In case I never explained, Boppli is a nickname that Brian has ended up with.  It means baby in Amish.)

And awake Boppli

 I have lots of cool pictures (thanks, Papa Chuck) that I'm not putting in here for space. If you're interested, I'll show them to you anytime.  But this one was just too cool not to post.  I love the way the water looks!

 

 At the park sign, outside the visitor's center.

At dinner, with Julie.  Everyone was tired, and she came up with a very funny game with the Monchichi monkey.  Brian was cackling every time!  Check out this video of them playing together!

(You have to click on this one to play the video ...)

Tuesday morning, at IHOP with everyone before they left for the airport.

Playing with Andrew and Tyler

With Tyler

With Andrew

With Sarah and Andrew

Gram and Meghan

Prepping for the big picture ...

The amazingly successful picture - thanks to the IHOP staff.  Wish Cory could have been here with us for this one (and everything else).  It would have made it perfect.  Thanks so much for coming to visit!