These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

I think I can officially say Ezra's walking now. Yesterday he was up to about 8 steps and today he made it across the room.

Moving too fast to stay in focus... (I wasn't ready for that)

And down we go.

Ezra's 11 Month Report

Seven teeth and counting, and half of them look like they are coming in crooked. At his last appt. the doctor said it looks like he's even starting to get molars already. I believe we have the Hinman genes to thank for the crookedness. But he's still a cheeky little guy, only he's not so little anymore. I looked at him in the stroller this afternoon and he looked so big to me.

 He's still got his white-blonde patches of hair, which I love. He loves eating table foods, especially breads. Today I gave him some pasta noodles that Ava didn't finish for lunch and he loved them. He eats his veggies (sometimes he fusses through them but keeps opening his mouth, so I keep putting them in!) and then when I follow up with fruit he lights up and opens his mouth more excitedly for more. He still puts everything in his mouth, including bark chips and rocks at the park.

Today he waved as Ryan was leaving, and I can see several other rapid developments of late. He is standing on his own for longer periods of time, but still not walking. I can't believe it. I've thought he was so close for the last 2 months. But this week Ryan and I actually practiced having him try to walk between us (for the first time) and that seems to have triggered some progress. Some people don't like to encourage early walking, but I do. I love when they can walk, I don't care what anybody else says. Then I don't have to go pick them up and carry them everywhere they want to go. He can pull himself up on everything anyway, so he won't be getting into much more by walking solo. When Ava started walking (at 15 months) I was happy as can be.
Anyway, he also tried rock climbing at the park today. He's such a boy. He grunts with his raspy little voice and makes all kinds of boy-ish noises all the time. But he screams like a girl, and very loudly. He and Ava like to play the screaming game in the car (with a few intermittent giggles). The Momma is not so fond of that game.

That red spot on his forehead is courtesy of Ava and a headlamp. He's a tough kid. He's gonna have to be. And in a few more months Ava is gonna have to be too, 'cause he just might start hitting back and he's gonna be bigger than she is before long.

The Denim Duo

Actually it's Chambray, but that didn't sound as good. Anyway, we discovered that Ezra and his cousin Phineas had almost identical rompers, so of course we had to snap some photos. At first, they weren't too interested.

Then they were a little too interested in each other.

Then we finally got 'em. Holding still isn't exactly Ezra's forté.

What do you think? Do you see the resemblance? (They are 4 months apart in age, by the way).

My Second Century

Yesterday I completed my second ever Century Ride (100 miles). I wasn't able to train for it like I wanted to, but I was surprised and amazed that I felt really great all the way to the end. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. I felt good the whole way. In fact the first half was more challenging to me than the second half. I ate a good lunch and I think that made a huge difference. And I think after 57 miles my legs just gave up resisting and said, "fine, just do whatever you want." But I had plenty of energy and no real pain.
I also found a hidden gnome at the last rest station, which meant I won a prize! That was extra fun. And Ryan was so nice to let me go and do this on his birthday! What a great husband.

And yes, I have a photographer follow me around and take my picture, so here you go. (Thanks Todd!)

 Lacey and me. This is my brand new carbon bike that Ryan got for me the night before the race. I LOVE it. Cannondale Synapse, and it made all the difference on the hills I think!

 At the finish line.

Me and Sheri and Lacey. Great riding companions and good company.

California Vacay Part 3

After spending time with G&G Forbes we went down to the Bay area to hang out with sisters Tanya and Patti and their families. We went to the Exploratorium and the dinky Aquarium. We tried to get a picture of all the cousins together, but made the mistake of waiting until the end. So this is the best I got.

Of course every fish tank and every aquarium now has to have a Nemo and a Dory (Finding Nemo is currently Ava's favorite movie).

This picture is not upside down. The jellies were swimming down, not up.

 And the glow in the dark jelly fish were cool. They looked just like this.

Ava looooved touching the starfish and the anemone.

That's it for photos. We also went to the beach and to Santa Cruz and rode our bikes a little along the coast. Ava cried when she first had to walk on the sand. Then she cried when we had to leave the beach. All in all, it was a really fun trip with the kiddos and great to see the sisters/cousins and grandparents. Ava is used to mostly boy cousins around here, so playing with Tanya's girls was a real treat for her. She had a permanent smile on her face when we were with them.

California Vacay Part 2

Ava had a blast running around G&G Forbe's yard/land. They live in the mountains with lots of space. She got to pet some mules and feed them carrots, ride on the tractor with G'pa Forbes, ride her bike all over the place, see deer and bunnies and caterpillars and all sorts of other good stuff.

 And Ezra got to sit and walk and crawl.

Speaking of Ezra, he is 10 months old now. So here are a few stats on him. He's 20 lbs 8 oz, 30 inches. He loves to eat and play in the toilet (much to our dismay). Still puts everything in his mouth. He is getting better and better at walking and I think any day now he will be walking solo. He can reach tables and low counters now, so we have to keep things away from the edges or he will pull them off. He's a pretty happy little guy, and this stage is one of my favorites of infancy. They sleep, they eat, they play, their personalities start to show more, and they are generally pretty fun.

Family Vacation to California

Last week we took the kiddos to California. We visited Great Grandma and Grandpa Forbes in Volcano (in the east mtns) and my sisters Tanya and Patti in the Bay Area. We drove the 10 hours through the night so the kids could sleep through most of it (rather than crying through most of it). Worked pretty well, and with the help of G&G we were able to catch some naps and not absolutely die.
The first outing we made was just down the road to Daffodil Hill. We were glad they were still open and in bloom (last day).

I'm going to split this up into several posts or else it will never happen. This one has been sitting in draft mode for over a week already.