Playing in the rain

We've been in the house so much over this rainy holiday season, we tried to venture out to OMSI. I think everyone in Portland had the same idea! Instead of staying with the crowds, we came home and played in puddles!

This is better than OMSI!

Touching the water

All bundled up in his rain gear

Merry Christmas!

Stanley had such a wonderful Christmas! He opened presents from family, friends, and Santa, ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and spent a relaxing day with his mom and dad. This was the second of many magical Christmas days to come.

Discovering his many new toys

Pacers basketballs: Stanley's favorite present

Wow! Look at this!

What's in here?

Watching Daddy open a present

Play kitchen

Stanley and I went to play at the house of a student I had in my kindergarten class two years ago. While we were there, Stanley loved playing with her toy kitchen. After we left, that little girl told her dad she wanted to give Stanley her kitchen! What a sweet, generous 8-year old! We were going to save it for Christmas, but Stanley wanted to play with it so much. When I gave it to him, he played for over an hour with it by himself! He was stirring and tasting and mixing...maybe a future chef!?

Cooking on the stove

Is it ready to eat?

Trying to fit a cucumber in a small pot

Stanley loves having his own pots, pans, spoons, and measuring cups!

Christmas Shopping

Stanley and I went to Hawthorne, a Portland street lined with funky little shops, to do some Christmas shopping. Along the way, we stopped at a coffee shop for some yummy treats.

Swinging

We got a break from rain, so Stanley and his friend, Olin, could play in the park. They had so much fun on the swings!

Happy Birthday, Violet!

Stanley went to his friend Violet's first birthday party. He played with a lot of kids and ate chocolate cake. Happy birthday to Violet (and her mommy)!

Fancy Violet covered in cake

Not crazy about the party hat

Eating cake and getting a drink

Santa Claus

Stanley has been getting ready to meet Santa for a while now. If you ask him, "What does Santa say?" He says, "Ho, ho!" He loves looking at Santa ornaments on the tree and pictures of Santa in books. We went down the street to watch Santa arrive by fire truck. It was very exciting! While we waited in line to meet Santa, Stanley kept saying, "Ho, ho!" When it was our turn, Stanley ran up to him, took one look, turned around and started crying! So much for meeting Santa!

Waiting for Santa

Stanley could see the lights of the fire truck Santa was riding.

Santa was on the back of this fire truck.

Checking out the fire hoses

Worst Santa picture ever! Oh well. There's always next year!

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at our house with our friends, The Houstons. We ate a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, and Stanley loved every bit of it!

Stanley getting started with his turkey and all the trimmings.

Covered in beets and cranberry sauce!

The Houstons

Thanksgiving drumming

First Haircut

Stanley got his first haircut on November 24.

This is the beginning of the haircut. Notice the long hair hanging over his ear.

Tammy, the hair stylist, did a great job of doing a fast haircut on a little active guy.

It did help that Stanley was able to watch Tom and Jerry cartoons during the process!

15-Month Doctor Visit

Stanley went to the doctor today for his 15-month visit. He's in the 75th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight, which means he's definitely a Wooten! He is also above average with his language development. What a smart cookie! He got some shots today, so he's taking a nap now. By the way, sorry for the delay in blog posts! My computer is full from loading too many pictures, so I have to clean it up so I can post some more pictures. There's been a haircut, Thanksgiving, and more! Hopefully those pictures will be up soon!

15-Month Stats

Height: 32 in.

Weight: 23 lbs.

Indiana Part II

We're back in Portland after our one-week trip to Indiana. The plane ride back went surprisingly great! Stanley is now adjusting to the 3-hour time difference. He's so happy to see his daddy! But we definitely miss Indiana Grandma and Grandpa. What a memorable and meaningful trip!

Stanley learned how to play pool from Grandpa.

He even got to try it out for himself!

Our flight left at 6 a.m., so we were up early!

Stanley met a friend, Ella, on the airplane. She is also 14 months old. They played together over the seat. He shared his toys with her and even gave her a hug.

Indiana Part I

Stanley is on his first trip to Indiana visiting his Grandma and Grandpa. We're a little more than half-way done with our trip, and here's what's happened so far!

Stanley was really good on the plane rides out to Indiana. He loved playing with the pretzel bags!

Stanley with his Grandma and Grandpa

Stanley with Otis, the cat

Stanley with Ruby, the dog

Grandma and Grandpa had a bunch of toys ready for Stanley, including my old Little People that I played with when I was his age.

Stanley finally got to meet his Uncle Matt, and he really like listening to him play guitar. He even signed, "more," when Matt stopped playing.

We went to McCloud Nature Park in North Salem for a hike. It was 75 degrees!

Stanley and his Grandpa by the bridge over Walnut Creek

Stanley had so much fun playing in the piles of dry crisp leaves.

Walking through a beautiful Indiana prairie

Stanley ate his first White Castle (and he ate the whole thing)!

We visited Conseco Fieldhouse where the Indiana Pacers play and went to the Home Court gift shop.

We got to see the court.

Since there wasn't a game going on, Stanley was running through the lobby where it was wide-open.

Stanley thought the pictures of Boomer, the Pacers mascot, were really funny. He saw a Boomer stuffed animal in the gift shop and gave it a hug.

It's Fall at OMSI

We went to OMSI today, and Stanley had a blast playing in the leaves in front the museum.