Happy Halloween

Deek and the dogs are playing together!

Last night we had a first: Derek and the dogs were playing together! Lucky brought Mike a toy to throw for her but Derek went for it first. Lucky sat to wait for Derek to throw it. He didn't but she still sat patiently. Then Derek started waving it. Lucky thought it would be fun to play tug with Derek. Derek was giggling and so excited. Lucky was surprisingly gentle with him. Even Alex came over and played too! It was such a sweet interaction. We were both so mesmerized that we forgot to take pictures until a few minutes in. Mike went to get video of it but it was too late. I love the look of sheer joy and fun on Derek's face. I am so proud of our dogs and how they are doing adapting to Derek. Derek is just a fun-loving, social, and crazy little boy who think the dogs exist to make him laugh.

As a reward(hah hah she did some real treats) Lucky got a bath last night. Sorry Lucky but you now smell like a very clean little doggie. She of course had to go outside and rub some dirt and smell back into her.

The doggies nalgene is a fun toy

It does not matter how many toys (educational or not) a child has, he will still play with anything. Derek loves wooden spoons, measuring cups, Mike's wooden clogs from the Netherlands, and now the nalgene (which has BPA in it so it became a dog bottle). He of course used it to bang on things. He still has the "I just woke up and have no expression" face. We love our little boy so much. Derek has brought so much joy, wonder, fun, and lots and lots of fun noises to our already full lives.

Can you find Derek?

Halloween Party

Today we had the first of our Halloween parties this week at BAM. The babies all looked adorable. Derek is not a fan of his hat or his penguin feet and kept pulling them off. I think our little penguin is adorable! All the babies are so cute. It was such a riot watching them all totally lose it as we took pictures. Poor little babies just needed love from their mommies.

Play table

I have been looking for a play table for Derek. I found a great deal for one on Craigslist. Derek loves it. He really likes standing, playing, and walking around the table.

A new toy... but the box is fun too.

Mike bought Derek a new toy: a baby walker with blocks in it I think the blocks will encourage his creativity like legos do. Derek tried to walk behind it- he took 2 steps and then got bored. Then he spied the box. He started to bang on it of course. Then he discovered how to crawl up on it and stand on it. Then he stood up on it and crawled up on the couch. Watch out doggies- her safe haven has been discovered! He was so proud of himself and just laughed. I can't believe he figured it out. Hopefully he will find the actual toy fun as well as the box- or the box will be rather expensive!

More park pictures

Park

We headed over to the park today to enjoy the seventy degree weather. We have been saying for the last 3 weekends that we were going to enjoy it because it will be the last one. It has been a great October. Derek laughed with glee on the swings.

Seen on the way to the park- 8 year olds riding segways around the neighborhood...mmmm segways at 8? I am thinking it will be porsches at 16.

Tualatin Giant Pumpkin Regatta

Today we went to a great fall event: the Tualatin Giant Pumpkin Regatta. They carve out the giant pumpkins and people race in them around "Lake Tualatin". They also had trying to hit a golf ball into a pumpkin which was in the "lake." It was a great fall day and the festival was fun. It was nice to be outside and spend time as a family.

Fun fall pictures

We met a few friends and took some great fall pictures of our boys. It was a great day. Derek is wearing a sweater knit for him by one of our friends.

Derek is 10 months old

Mike gave Derek a mohawk last night during his bath. Well at least he now has a few hairs for a mohawk.

Derek is 10 months old today. He is happy, walking along all the furniture, chasing the dogs (they still don't know what to do about it), and babbling a lot. He says umm, mama, dada, and baba a lot. I like to think he is identifying things with his words but I am not so sure. His favorite toys lately are the coasters. He loves to pull them out of the basket and play with them. He still loves to bang on everything and has just discovered the keyboard and mouse. The mouse has a cool light that fascinates him. The keyboard buttons are fun too. He gets quite agitated when I try to redirect him to real toys!

Happy boy

Evergreen Aviation

On Sunday we went to the Evergreen Aviation Museum home of the Spruce Goose. The Spruce Goose is the largest air and sea wood plane ever built seen here in the top picture. It is huge- bigger than a 747. Howard Hughes had it built (before he became OCD and just plain crazy). The museum also had tons of other old planes. There was also a space museum there that we went to. It is an amazing museum and in a small city. We had lots of fun. I think I enjoyed the children's museum more than Derek did, but he did enjoy the small airplanes he could ride on. We were amazed at how small one plane was. I barely fit. As you can see, Frank did not fit. Evergreen also has a vineyard on the property and has begun making wine. We did a tasting. On the way home we stopped at a great BBQ place. We all (including Derek) enjoyed BBQ pork, turkey, and ribs. Yummy. Then we stopped next door at another winery for a tasting. We discovered that BBQ and wine go great together.

It was a good day and part of a great weekend with Frank. Come back soon Frank- we miss you already.

The Coast

We took Frank to Cannon Beach today. We took a nice long walk on the beach until Derek got a bit cold in his carrier. We saw the a hysterical dog show. I think even Lucky and Alex could have been in it but they were at home. Dogs raced to get a tennis bell and there were awards for the fastest. I guess they had other events as well. Some dogs went the wrong way, some didn't go at all, and some were just slow. We had a good time laughing at it all. We then had a yummy lunch of fish and chips. Derek ate a ton of fish. It was a great day! Here is a picture of Frank as a cone head.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Lee Farms Pumpkin Patch on Friday. Our friend Frank is visiting us this weekend. We had a great time finding a pumpkin, eating a caramel apple, and looking at the animals there (chickens, baby pigs, baby cows, and goats). Derek was not quite sure what to think of the baby pigs when they started squealing. He was quite intrigued with the day.