Big News!

We had another big week at our house! It started last Tuesday, Groundhog Day, when we got almost all of winter's snow in one night. We went to bed with a clear driveway, and woke up to four foot drifts of snow. It was quite surreal.

Michael had to shovel us out of the house... really. The front door could not be opened unless we dug our way out. So we did. We dug, and hauled, and pushed, and piled snow all morning. Then we took a break for lunch. After we ate we were back at it... and five hours later we were done! (That is ten hours total of shoveling!!!) I am all for manual labor, fresh air, and reducing the use gasoline powered machines, but yikes, we spent our entire snow day WORKING - hard!

As Michael sat in a snow bank and admired the fruits of our labor.... we heard a distant rumbling... and watched in horror as the snowplow finally appeared on our street. It proceeded to plow in the end of the driveway with another three feet of snow. Uuugh, more work!

Miles was a great cheerleader as we shoveled. Though he may not really remember the blizzard of 2011, he has a photo to prove that the snow piles really were taller than he was!

We had to get the driveway clean because we were having a birthday party at our house! All of the Bradley Babies are officially one now, and the parents felt this was a perfect reason to get together and have a party!

I painted the windows again, and made cakes for the babies. (Yes, that is more apricot filling, and no I will not be adding cake decorating to my resume in this lifetime!)

We lined them up and Sarah brought little crowns for each baby. They stayed on just long enough for pictures ~ so cute! I must say I have entertained often through the years and this was the very first ever BYOHC party I have given (Bring Your Own High Chair :-).

A room full of very proud parents!

I thought that their little feet dangling and kicking in delight as they crammed cake into their mouths were just precious. SO here are their portraits, including feet.

And here is the group portrait. You may remember that we have been taking their photo with the map that Yia Yia Linda made throughout the year. The last time we managed to gather and get a picture was in October. This time they were all upright, and almost all walking. So we thought we would pen them in Miles' crib for the photo shoot. Well, there were mixed reviews. Sofia and Josie were all giggles, Miles seemed astounded that he had three girls in his bedroom, and sweet Chloe just was not having it!

We managed one shot (out of about 15) that was suitable for print. This after we wrangled away the toy hammer, that looked entirely too real, that Chloe was wielding! I am sure that one of them will always be in extreme discontent with this tradition that we have started. Any bets for next time?

When we gathered on Saturday Sofia and Josie were champion walkers. Sofia even seems confident with the "toddler run", and therefore her parents are also practicing their sprinting skills. Chloe and Miles were both taking "small trips" about five or six steps in length. Chloe seems to prefer climbing, a skill that she alone has mastered!

So on Sunday as we cleaned up the house and reminisced about all the fun we had I mentioned to Miles that he could start to walk any time he wanted now. The next day I heard Michael call from downstairs, "He's walking! Ten steps at least - all the way across the room!" That was it. Maybe watching his friends make it look so easy gave him that last little bump of confidence he needed. Who knows, but we officially have a walking/ toddling baby in our house.

So - almost 14 months later, this "new - new" chapter of parenting has begun. I am learning that as soon as you get used to something as a parent, it changes. This time I felt like we were anticipating the change though and it is especially exciting. Miles seems really proud of his new accomplishment and he is having fun cruising all around. It amazed me how fast it happened, and now there is no going back. It has only been five days so I am not quite accustomed to seeing him upright yet. He will let go of a chair and walk over to me and my heart just leaps out of my chest every time! (Wonder when that will stop?) It is hard to explain the strange pride you feel when your child accomplishes something new. All he is doing is walking, but to me it is as if the clouds have parted and a huge ray of sunshine explodes in my heart each time he takes a step! I guess that must be what love is.

Sledding at Sofia's

We had an impromptu sledding adventure at Sofia's house last weekend because she got a new sled for Christmas, and wanted to show it off. It was pretty funny shoving these little beings into their snowsuits. They look a bit like astronauts that have been dropped onto a snowy lunar landscape.

Sofia was content to sit and eat the snow!

Papas and winter babies.

While Michael, Monica, and Todd ran in circles creating the sledding track in the yard, I occupied myself making snow angels with Miles.

Mama and baby snow angel :-)

The parents quickly reached their weekly exercise quota by running the kids around the track a few time... it was exhausting. Sofia seemed to enjoy it the most, Miles was close to tears the entire time when he was in the sled.

He did seem to enjoy cheering his buddy Sofia on when it was her turn!

Fun times filled with laughter and friends!

Don't you just wonder what they are chatting about? Probably their crazy parents!

Photo Shoot

Directly after nap time the lighting was perfect and the photo shoot that I have had on my list of things to do for weeks finally happened. I imagined a picture of our feet lined up at the end of the bed. Not until we sat in a row did I realize you would see Miles looking back at the camera too. I think it worked... especially with his soft sweet, still hazy from sleep expressions.

My boys.

Our sweet little boy is growing so fast! Just trying to capture some images along the way.

January Update

January has flown by, that is really all I can say. I can hardly believe it is 2011. Where does time go? This month has been marked by some of the beautiful snowy (cold) days that make you love all four of the seasons! We have spent some good quality time out of doors, but we have also been working a ton too! I have been back in the classroom and it feels great to be teaching again. Michael has been busy with work and also with music. On the weekends we have been blessed by visits from friends from afar (both in and out of the state) and as always we cherish these moments - we just wish they were more frequent.

One Saturday we went to visit Yia Yia Liz. I am not sure who enjoyed the visit more, Miles or Yia Yia. He loves to crawl all over her house and play with her pretty things, but his favorite by far is the piano! Since he was little he has loved to sit with her and make music. I do hope that some of her talents have been passed on to him, or at least the appreciation and love for music that she has.

While they played Michael and I ate koulouria (delicious Greek butter cookies sprinkled with sesame seeds) and drank coffee in the kitchen. When they came in she asked if Miles could have one. I was not going to say no, but it occurred to me that this was a very special treat for him! It seemed fitting that Yia Yia Liz should deliver something so tasty to his lips. Miles was thrilled to be gumming on a cookie, and we all smiled at his delight. As we laughed I looked over to see a needlepoint on the kitchen shelf that was made by Yia Yia Linda. It says "If mom says no, ask Yia Yia Liz". Perfect! And so true. What else are Yia Yia's for? I adore the fact that at 90 years old she is so active and so willing to spoil my son all the time.

So here is a collection of photos so you can see what we have been up to this January!

Miles is growing so fast it is hard to believe! Lately he has been starting to identify objects when you ask him to find them. If you say "Go play your piano" or "Go find Little Bear" he will turn and diligently head off to complete the task. Most of the time he is successful, but sometimes he gets sidetracked and finds something else to do.

Here he is reading leisurely as we get ready for another outdoor adventure. As he waited for us to load the car he brushed up on some tractor knowledge :-)

Hanging out with "Sila" and her dog Barkley - who by the way was precious enough to stop passers by on numerous occasions so they could pet the pooch. Miles seemed a bit bewildered as he is used to being the cutest thing around!

Healthy meals make healthy babies! Miles loves to eat his greens. This meal was green beans and peas with a heaping scoop of spirulina. I liked the different colors together in the pan. Miles patiently waited as I took the opportunity to grab a photo of him and his dinner.

Miles has been mastering the art of the sippy cup, and as of late it is a love-hate relationship. He will drink juice out of his sippy cup, milk out of a bottle, and water out of a cup with a straw. It must be "first child syndrome" and I know we are to blame - because I can't imagine giving this many options in the future :-)

Another "accomplishment" lately has been his amazing ability to imitate. The best example has been the fact that he loves to pull out Michael's thumb pick, place it on his right thumb, and then go strum the guitar!

Another example is when I am in the office and he is "helping" me, he will grab a piece of paper and crawl over to the shredder with it. Really a good reminder that baby is always watching... and not to leave the shredder plugged in!!

This weekend "Uncle Joel" came over with his bass guitar. He rehearsed with Michael for a few hours. When Miles woke up from his nap he did not cry... I found him rocking back and forth in his crib listening to the music. When he got up Joel let him try his hand playing. On cue Miles grabbed his thumb pick and started strumming this new instrument with four strings instead of six.

He really liked the sounds of the music coming out of the amp next to him. At first it seemed to puzzle him, then he just grinned when he realized he was making all that great noise!

So that is the news around here. Miles is thirteen months old. He is on the cusp of walking, he loves playing with other children, and he is literally growing before our eyes! I am madly in love with this little inquisitive ball of energy and each day is a new treasure to explore through his eyes.