Thursday, June 25, 2009

Some writing at least!


Hello All!

Amazingly, time seems to be going by even faster lately, and somehow it's been forever since we've posted some new details about Graham's life. He continues to grow and change so rapidly, it's hard to know where to start. Sometimes I wish we could freeze these moments in time, because it is such fun, and he is still so innocent and sweet, I can't believe some day he won't want to hug me and kiss me in front of his friends. I guess that's all part of growing up!

We've had our dear friend Mike here with us again for the last little while which has been great. Graham really loves him and thinks he's so much fun to climb on and play with. He is so much more aware now of what's going on in conversations and situations, he loves to watch the guys work on their computers, and of course tries to push all of the buttons (Jon is learning the hard way to SAVE OFTEN).

Graham's vocabulary also continues to expand--I couldn't count how many words he says now, and can locate an almost endless number of things on the pages of his books when asked. He still loves to read, and will sit for many minutes to do so; this is pretty much the only time he will sit for many minutes. He has recently learned how to run, so will zigzag back and forth across the room, arm swinging, head down for the thrill of it. He also likes to "hide" behind his hands now and then peek out at us--I think the concept still eludes him that just because he can't see us doesn't mean we can't see him.

Graham continues to relish long hugs and wet kisses, and we are fortunate to get lots of those each day. Every time he falls down now or drops something, he says a rather matter of fact "Uh-Oh", if warranted adds an equally stoic "Ow", picks himself up, and runs along his merry way, sometimes leaving us gasping behind him. Although today he did have a short cry; he is learning to throw things, so decided while we were outside to throw a rock as straight into the air as he could. You guessed it, it came right back down onto his nose, Poor Graham! We gave him lots of comfort, but it was a little hard not to laugh, too!

There are many favorite foods now, although in general he eats just about anything. Watermelon, tomatoes, and grilled sausages have been some summer faves so far. He has a sweet tooth like his mother, but also eats veggies like a pro.

It's getting harder to catch him on camera because he is so interested in the apparatus he stops what he is doing. He absolutely loves to dance and will turn on music himself and try to get us to join in, so hopefully Jon will get enough on video soon to share some.

We miss our dear family, and have also really been pining for our home in Washington lately. It feels so far away and we wish we could get back for a visit. Know that we are thinking of you and miss you!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Quick One

So, sorry for the lack of updates, but we're working on a music video starring Graham and he's been reticent to put his dancing shoes on when Dad pulls the camera out.

We'll get it one of these days, but here's one from a couple days ago while you wait:

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Puddles

Here's just a brief one from a few weeks ago when Graham found a puddle in our yard after a heavy rain. I went around the corner of the house to grab something and when I came back I found this scene:


Graham Puddles from Jonathan Shaw on Vimeo.



If you cant see a video above, click the word below:


Luckily I had my camera with me....

Monday, May 25, 2009

Wedding!

It's been ages since we updated this blog, and we're sorry. So to make up for it we have a photo extravaganza! We've been taking pictures this whole time, so we'll try to keep you updated more frequently in the next few weeks.

The big news is that Graham went on a long car trip with Mom and Dad up to Kate's cousin's wedding in Connecticut last weekend.

He loved seeing his family again, especially his Granna...














and Grandad...




















and Aunt Emily:














As you can see in a couple of those pictures, he was wearing his first ever tux, courtesy of the Moore family!

It took a little doing to get it on on the way to the wedding:














and he gave us his best James Bond look when we put on his bowtie...




















Half on now...




















There we go! What a cutie! But what's this weird thing on my jacket??




















Now I'm looking good:



























Graham's big job was to carry the ring down the aisle. He was PERFECT in practice:














and there you go!














But he got a little overwhelmed when it came to the big show, and threw the pillow across the room and lost a shoe before he made it to Mom. It was still very cute though, and he loved the attention.

Afterward, he was a little overwhelmed and needed a good snuggle and nosepick:














He loved seeing his Mom with her cousins and sister:















And when things got boring, Grandad was always good for a ride around:
















At the reception he learned a new word, "Dance" or as he says it, "Dahntzzz". His favorite dance partner was a college friend, Kwadwo:















He also loved playing peek-a-boo with his great-Grandmother (thanks for the great pictures, Emily):













He is very eager to share his boo-boos with all who will listen. Listen, and then, of course, kiss it better. Here he gets solace from his Auntie Johanna:














When we had to leave everyone was sad, but it made us all feel better to stop and smell the roses.
















Thanks for everything, family!














Sunday, May 3, 2009

Stacking Blocks Video

Now that Graham is officially 15 months old, he has a new absolute most favorite activity in the whole world:


(click the words to watch a video)

Sometimes it takes multiple tries to see the video; sorry, we're not sure what the problem is, so we'll keep working on it from this end! Jon suggests if you click the link and nothing happens, try refreshing your browser a couple of times.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Shosho and the Whites!

Graham got to see his cousin Conner, and was initially a little dubious...




















But as is usually the case with our sweet boy the uncertainty quickly turned into affection:















And some more affection:
















And one last piece of affection (on the ear no less):














He also got to see his wonderful Shosho and loved being with her again. He had all his new books to show her:




















And made sure there was plenty of time for snuggles too...















They just left a few hours ago and we miss them already!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Haircut

Graham got a haircut.














He still loved his mommy after it was all over.













He woke up very sleepy from his nap and gave me this withering look when I took his picture:














He is so much fun to be with. He says juice, ball, up, open, out, bath, hot, mom, dad, bike, light, hat, eyes and book.

Plus lots of other words, sort of.

He has a mild obsession with the vacuum cleaner. If we say "vacuum", no matter where we are in the house or what we are doing he takes us to the closet, makes us open it and has to examine the vacuum for a few moments before he is able to undertake any other task.

He's also gotten very into his book about machines. His favorite machines are: race car, hovercraft, motorcycle, tractor and fire truck.

Other than bike he can't say any of the machine names, so he has invented his own blanket term for any mechanical device: "Lllllllloooorpah". He loves saying this and will say it whenever he sees any construction equipment on a drive.