Spring is in the Air!

Happy Easter to Everyone!  We are so glad we made it this far.  Tyson is now finished with school until September of this year, and we are all settling in for a nice long spring/summer break.  Tyson will be working at Home Depot during his hiatus, while Otto and I will be spending more quality time with each other at home.  We are hoping, weather permitting, that a good portion of that time will be spent out doors.  We bought Otto his first bathing suit and sandals this past week, and hope that he will be able to use them frequently this summer.  Otto is quite fond of the water.  (See evidence below)

Also, I have included a few shots from Otto's Easter Photo Shoot for your pleasure and entertainment: (click pictures to see larger images)

Leaps and Bounds

While Otto is not quite ready to do any leaping or bounding in the literal sense, he has been growing and reaching milestones at an exciting rate.  At eight months old, Otto now has six teeth, is exploring a variety of new foods, and using his new found mobility to get into all kinds of trouble.  Otto loves sharpening his teeth on his toys, as well as any fingers that venture to close to his mouth.  Also, his favorite new food is strawberry yogurt.

After mastering the roll early this year, Otto soon began training for the big leagues.  At first content to get around via an army crawl, Otto quickly realized that a combination of hands and knees was much more effective in gaining ground.  He is now quite mobile, crawling back and forth between the living room and the bedrooms.  His occasional trips into the kitchen and bathroom have generally lead to encounters with trash cans and various other unmentionable and terribly dirty objects.  Doors are now being left closed to prevent future free-for-alls.

In addition to overcoming obstacles of the developmental variety, Otto, as well as the whole family, exhibited an unparalleled level of resilience and tenacity as he battle a severe bout of the flu this past month. Suffering longer than the rest of us, Otto struggled with rather horrendous vomiting and diarrhea for about two weeks.  Never the less, he came off conqueror, and is not stronger than ever.

Below are some pictures and videos for your entertainment:

December 2010

Busy Month! So we are just going to summarize with a few words and lots of pictures.  First off, the end of the Fall 2010 semester brought relief from a heavy work load for Tyson and graduation for me.  Graduating with honors, as well as the Larry Thompson Outstanding English Major award, I was asked to return later this year to teach a freshman English class or two.  Though I am excited to be done with school, I am going to miss the structure, and yes, even the assignments.  I am currently trying to compile a list of projects to keep me busy while Tyson is away with school and work.

After graduation, we enjoyed a quick visit with Aunt Heidie, Uncle Neal, and my parents, and then prepared to leave for Christmas in Hailey, Idaho after their departure.  Arriving Tuesday afternoon and leaving the following Sunday, we had loads of fun with cousins, siblings, and parents/grandparents.  Though Otto was not quite ready to interact on his cousins' levels, he enjoyed watching their escapades and adventures. We can't wait until they can all play together.

Thanksgiving and a Trip to L.A.

Rather then traveling to Medford this year for Thanksgiving, we decided to drive down to Southern California to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Leishman.  Though the trip was well worth our visit with family, we have since decided that we will not be taking any long car trips like that in the near future.  I think Otto still has nightmares about being stuck in his car seat.

Otto's First Experience with Rice Cereal

 

We experimented with rice cereal this past Sunday.  Otto is nearing five months old and is a supported sitter, so we thought we would give it a try.  You can see the results for yourself.  I think this is going to take a little practice for all of us.

Happy Halloween!

October has come and gone quickly, and Halloween is finally upon us.  In celebration of this happy holiday we attended a ward Halloween party on Friday dressed as a Celtic family.  The best part of the whole ensemble: Tyson and Otto got  to wear skirts.  The party was a blast, and our family won third place for best adult costumes.  As booty, we carted home our candy prizes, all of the cupcakes we had contributed to the party (there was way too much food), Tyson's own personal stock of donuts, and a pumpkin which is currently in the oven in preparation for our Sunday night dinner.