Stefan Reading

The slide!

This is the first slide that Stefan has really enjoyed going down. It must have been the perfect angle. He did over and over again. He'd slide down and then walk over to the steps climb up and slide again! Our little boy is growing up.

Fun, fun day!

Miriam's birthday started off with some donuts for breakfast. We then had a little birthday party at lunch. Can you believe the only thing she asked for was green beans? We added the chicken and rice to complement the green beans! She then opened her gifts and then we had an ice cream cake for dessert.

We finished off the day by heading into the Boston Children's Museum. It was so much fun. What would have normally been about a $75 dollar outing was only $7 thanks to the Target Friday night deal ($1 per person!) We definitely got our money's worth! There was lots to do. Micaiah and Miriam had a blast and we were pleasantly surprised that they had things even for Stefan's age group. We had a fun day. Here is a link to more pictures.

Valentine's Day

This was taken last night while we watched Micaiah and Miriam during their Mom and Dad's date. We had a fun story time as well as making cards for Mommy and Daddy.

Morning date! Today was our turn to go out. We had coffee and a donut and did some shopping while Tim and Ruth watched Stefan. It was so nice to go out together.

Pizza party for dinner tonight! Micaiah and Miriam did a great job helping decorate the table and the pizza. We even had PINK lemonade as our drink.

Clifford, the Big Red Dog

This is a video Uncle Tim took of Stefan.

Fun times

We are enjoying having Tim and Ruth and the family this week. Today we are babysitting Micaiah and Miriam so that their Mom and Dad can go on a date. Of course, we aren't lacking for things to do and Valentine's treats are a must!

Sledding

It's a balmy 39 degrees outside so we decided to go
outside and do some sledding!

Are you this talkative at 6 AM?

I thought I would let you in on a little of our normal morning sounds. Stefan is very talkative when he wakes up. And it is usually early. This morning he was telling Daddy a nice story so I thought I would share. (And if I'm blogging before 7 am you know he got up early!)

Friends

Here are some pictures of a few friends we got to see while on our trip down South at Christmas. I never posted these. Better late than never, right?


Adam, Kristi, and Aubrey Lee

Jim and Becky Rulapaugh

High five and Sea Lion

Mystic, CT

Okay, so here is the story. We are regular listeners of our classical radio station. They often give out prizes and my husband is very faithful at entering our names into drawings and things. Several months ago, I got a surprising call telling me our names had been selected for the Mystic, CT get-a-way prize. I was very surprised taking the call, because first of all, I had no idea Mystic, CT even existed, and secondly I didn't know we had entered our names to get the prize. When the prize came in the mail I was stunned.
A two night hotel stay
Gift certificate to a restaurant
Tickets to the aquarium
Gift certificate for the aquarium cafe
Tickets to the museum
Tickets for a carriage ride
All of these came in the mail with a complimentary classical CD.

Okay, now for our weekend. The town of Mystic is a typical quaint New England town. We'll enjoy going back in warmer weather. There was lots to do, but because of the cold we didn't stay outside for long periods of time. Here are some pictures of the old town.



We had a very relaxing time. We ate super well. We were able to eat both Thursday and Friday nights at the restaurant with the gift certificate we had. Stefan loved the king size bed in the hotel. He thought it was all for him, but have no fear he actually slept in the bathroom! The pack-n-play just fit!

The aquarium was very nice and we had a blast. It was so much fun introducing Stefan to the world of sea life. The aquarium itself was not that big but it did have a lot of nice extras. It was definitely a great place for kids. The outdoor exhibit was great. Even though it was cold, it was fun meandering through the "caves" and rocks as we visited the whales, dolphins, and penguins outside. Stefan loved the inside. He tried desperately to kiss the fish at times! We really enjoyed watching a sea lion show as well. They are quite the creatures. Pretty fascinating. The only thing we didn't get to do was the Deep Sea 3D show. They wouldn't let Stefan in!

We had a great time. We'll be going back this summer for a day trip to enjoy the carriage ride and museum. Didn't get it all in this time!

The artist himself

This was taken later on in the day yesterday when he was back at the drawing table to do some touch up work.

The 1st piece of artwork

Recently, Stefan has been showing an interest in pens, pencils, and paper so I thought maybe he was ready to try some crayons. We bought him some crayons (I love that they make them triangular so that they don't roll off the table!) and had our very first drawing time. I was too excited introducing him to it that I didn't take a picture, but he had the cutest look when he realized he was making those marks on the page! Atleast I have documented the very first piece of art!

Stefan's 1 year pictures