Watch out world....We have a WALKER!!

All these months Halen has been hanging out watching his big sister run around him... 

He's been itching to get up and run along side her... 

Nothing was going to hold him back! 

He kept trying and trying and it finally paid off! 

At 10.5 mths old Halen got it all figured out! 

Check out some of his first steps!! 

(Running is not going to be far behind! There are a lot of kids around here he's got to keep up with!)

Go! Halen! Go!

Happy Halloween!

We were all VERY excited about the coming of Halloween this year.... Miss Madi had checked out a Halloween costume catalog a couple months ahead of time and FELL IN TOTAL COMPLETE LOVE with one particular costume.... We had already had her costume *sort* of planned ( Liz scored some great costumes right after Halloween the year before for 90% off! Surely one of those would work... right?....)so, Madi looking at the catalog was really just supposed to be for fun. That is... until... she saw.....

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!!

One look and that was that! She WOULD be Strawberry Shortcake, there was no doubt in her mind! When Brendan came home from work that evening she immediately brought him the picture she had found & told him "I'm GOING to be STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, Daddy!!!"

How can you possibly say no to this?.... looking at the price tag... Liz was pretty ready to say no.... but luckily we happened to find a good deal on one just Madi's size!!! It was meant to be after all!! ;0)

Madi's dream of being Strawberry came true....

She was completely head over heels IN LOVE with her costume! The day it arrived in the mail she tried it on, to make sure it would fit ok, and didn't want to take it off!! In fact she got quite upset with Mommy when she was told it was bedtime and she would have to put her pj's on! Then each day after, instead of waking up with a "Good Morning!" it was "Can I be Strawberry now?" (Which meant she wanted to put her costume on).

 This went on for quite a few days... until.... 

She was wearing it one afternoon.... 

She decided she needed to go potty on the "big girl" potty...

 Grandma took her in, sat her down to do her business...

 Well...

 She was heartbroken with what happened next...

(Plus I think she might hate me when she is 16 for telling everyone!!)

 She decided she was done, stood up, picked up her potty seat & handed it to grandma... then for whatever reason immediately decided no, I think I'll try again & SAT DOWN...

 Grandma couldn't get the potty seat back in place in time 

(Since Madi moved so fast!) 

So...

Madi fell in! :0( 

While wearing her beloved costume!

The tears were enormous!

She didn't want to wear her dress again for awhile... 

Because it was now "Yucky!"

But, Mommy washed it (Hand washed by the way, oh yay!) 

So life as Madi knew it was ok once again!

It was perfectly perfect for her to wear in time for a Halloween party with our play group friends

 And Halen was super duper happy (Ok so maybe he didn't realize so much) to be the cutest DINOSAUR ever!!!

 Or as Madi called him a 

DIAMONDSAUR!!

 We brought a treat to share with our playgroup.... however I should have thought this over a bit more before deciding on what our treat would be... yes it was YUMMY... but boy, oh, boy was it MESSY!! 

(Chocolate covered graham crackers w/ oooey-gooey marshmallow creme in the middle!) 

We ended up covering ALL of Madi w/paper towels before she dove into one!

(Because her Mommy is CRAZY like that!) 

Here's our little diamondsaur in action! Trying to catch Daddy's camera!

On Halloween night we decided since the kiddos looked so extra special adorable we would let them trick or treat at a few houses (We usually just go to a couple neighbors that we know & of course Grandpa's house, just down the street! Once the kids are older and get more into it I'm sure we'll hit the whole neighborhood, but for now the few we end up at is more than enough!) 

This year, Brendan had a special surprise for our little Strawberry Shortcake...

He decided to dress up as one of her best friends...

Blueberry Muffin!

 Madi was in Strawberry Heaven! :0) 

The kiddos (And Brendan!) Had a blast trick or treating! The neighborhood kids got a kick out of Blueberry Muffin ( I overheard some of the pre-teens saying "Oh how cool, he dressed up for his little girl!" as they walked past us...awwww... ) I'm not sure how we can top this years costumes next year! We'll have to start planning now!! 

The Zoo! The Zoo!!

This October (Yep! I said October! Oregon + October usually = Brr!! But luckily the sun held out long enough to make for a beautiful day!) We had a chance to take a trip to the Zoo! One of Madi (& her Mommy's) favorite places to visit! We got a great deal for tickets (Yay Groupon!) so we were able to invite Aunt Dawn & the girls ( Payton & Isabella) to come along with us! 

Here's Madi & her "Girls" ready to go check out some animals!

Isabella & Payton in the Eagle nest... doing their best eagle impression

Halen had a great time too! 

We took a small break from the animal exhibits to play a little

Madi wasn't too sure about sitting on the mouse statue... she was much happier with the bench

The Giraffe's Mom! The Giraffe's!!

I think I see a ZEEEEEEBRA!! (Madi's fave!)

To the train we go! All Aboard!!

Halen was pretty excited to get to hang out in the Choo Choo Train!!

Time for some lunch! (And a little bit of lemonade too!)

Another of Madi's favorites...the Elephants!!

We had a great time checking out all the animals. We were really glad to be able to go before the weather turned yucky! Now at least once a week Madi asks if we can go back yet... she's getting a little impatient! Can't wait for summer to be here so we can do it all again! 

Check out our NINE month old!!

Halen is now 9 months old! He's growing and changing & learning new things EVERY day! It's amazing!

(I try and try to think of a different word to describe my growing kiddos... and yet...

 the only thing that seems to fit the best is AMAZING!! lol) 

On October 4th 2011 we took him in for his 9mth well child check-up, he is now

27 inches tall (12.33%... yes, I made my kids short apparently!) 19 lbs 3.5 oz (28.92%) and his head is 96.32% ( So, I make them short, with GIANT heads....I'm sorry Halen!! Hee-Hee)

(On a side note... Madi came along with us to Halen's appointment, I told her she was coming along to help Halen not be scared, ect. She was to be the "Big Girl Helper".... she was cool with this role. It wasn't until I got there and was told " Halen doesn't need any shots this time around, unless you want to have him get the flu shot.?" I thought about it and decided, yes, we'll do that. Then I thought, Hey.. why not have Madi get hers too while we are at it?... Seems easy enough to me... and the Dr agreed... Madi on the other hand, was not impressed! As the nurse came in with her shot she began to yell/scream "It's NOT MY TURN!" ... I officially felt like the worst mother in the world! I had told her many times as we were going in that it was Halen's turn at the Dr and that she was just going along for the ride... then I pulled this on her... Bad Mommy!!  So, Halen had his flu shot, cried about 60 seconds. Madi got her flu shot next, ended up wailing for roughly 45 mins! I stopped on our way home and got her a yummy strawberry smoothie ( totally Mommy guilt gift! I felt so bad I would have gotten her just about anything she wanted! Luckily, all she wanted was a smoothie!) which ended up helping to make it all better for her. By the time we got to her Auntie Jen's house (Where she was going to hang out & play for a little bit) she was good to go. She was even overheard telling the other kids while she was there, that " Halen cried when he got the 'Pokey' because he is a baby, but I didn't cry at all, because I am a BIG girl!".... hahah...Madi you silly girl!) 

He is just handsome as can be! Halen is crawling everywhere, he loves to chase his big sister, Madi, around the house. They have SO much fun playing together! Madi really loves being a big sister. She takes such good care of him! She gets his toys out for him, tells us when she thinks he needs something, gives him his blanket & binky when he is sad and will even share her own things with him! The cutest thing though has got to be.... she insists on giving him a kiss before each nap he takes and before he goes to bed at night! It's too super adorable! And, of course, Halen just thinks the world of Madi! Whenever he sees her he is nothing but big smiles. She can make him laugh like no one else! It's awesome to see them love each other SO much!! 

Mr Halen can CRAWL!!

Yes, there's nothing this kid can't do!
 (Well, except for maybe... walk, talk & eat food that requires much chewing... but you get the idea... oh and taxes... he doesn't really know how to do taxes yet either...but give him time & he'll conquer it all!!..but for now...back to his latest accomplishment...... )

HALEN CAN CRAWL!!! 

Yes folks, that's right... he can now go from the living room to the kitchen to the dining room and back in about 5 seconds! He is totally AMAZING! 


Check out his "pre-crawl" moves here:

Then just a couple days later (9/15/2011).... Here he is his making his full on crawling debut!!

Halen is already pulling himself up on any piece of furniture he can get his hands on... which means... I think he'll be WALKING in no time! 

GO HALEN GO!

Our First Family Camping Trip!

This August we were super excited to take Halen on his very FIRST camping trip!

 Madi couldn't wait to get out there and show Halen how it's done!

    

Here she is about 5 minutes after arrival :

It's amazing to me how fast she can go from a little No-I-don't-want-to-get-dirty-Princess to this dust ball! But she loves it, so I do my best to not follow her around with a wipe trying to clean her up every five minutes! 

The kids were VERY excited that this year we got to camp along with Grandpa & Allison, Aunt Ashley, Uncle Jon & Aunt Dawn AND the girls, Payton & Isabella!! It was great to have all our families there to hang out & relax with. We spent a lot of time chatting by the fire, roasted some marshmallows, did some stargazing, took walks down by the river, and even had the chance to raft down the river a few times as well! The only down side we had was the fact that Halen was not too impressed with the great outdoors! I think Madi would camp all year round if we let her ( She just LOVES it!!), Halen on the other hand... was NOT a happy camper!! During the day he would do ok. He would act pretty much like his usual happy self but once night time came it was like he was a completely different baby!! He had the hardest time falling asleep and was just cranky as can be! This made it a bit tough on us... we ended up deciding to head on home a night early. We were ALL very happy to be back in our normal beds & back to our regular routines. (Madi's first stop  after getting home... the BATHTUB!! Wow!! was she a dirty bird!) We are hoping that by next year Halen will be a better sleeper & be up for another outdoor adventure!! 

Brendan chillin' at the campsite

Madi & Mommy 

Halen & Daddy our first morning there 

( Halen sure looks like a happy guy doesn't he?)

Mr Blue Eyes

Grandpa working hard at the grill, making breakfast for us all, YUM! 

Day 2.... Madi ran thru the parking lot a little too fast & tripped... landing on her cheek, poor girl! 

(Some "Hot Chocolate Milk" from Grandpa helped make it feel better in no time though! Not to mention, right after it happened, her buddy Avalee, who we were visiting w/at their camp at the time, shared some yummy fishy crackers to help make it better too! What a good friend!)

Madi & Daddy goofing around

HALEN!

Daddy & Halen

Going for a walk 

Relaxing in his stroller, ready to take a walk

Payton!

As soon as Madi saw Isabella at the campsite she HAD to have her sit WITH her... they are such good buddies!

Morning time at the campsite again! Halen & Mommy!

We gave him his own toys to play with ... but he thought Mommy's water bottle was tons more fun!! It was pretty hot outside so I think he liked that the bottle was super cold! 

The whole group hanging out by the river, going for a nice cool swim! (I think it was about 93 that day! Way too hot for me!!!)  

Overall we had a FABULOUS vacation & can't wait for our next adventure!

Halen is SIX months old!!

I find myself yet again wondering how time flies by so quickly, it seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital to welcome Halen into the world....but here we are...he's 6 months old already! Amazing!

We took him in for his 6mth check up on 7/5/2011 ... he is now...
26in (34.17%) & 16 lb 6 oz (29.49%)!!
He is still our happy little guy! From the second he wakes up in the morning he is smiling! He has also now added 'talking' to the list as well.... well... maybe more like happy screeching sounds...and boy oh boy is he LOUD! I guess since he's found his voice he is just trying to make sure everyone hears him loud and clear! He has two teeth now as well! (Bottom front) They started to poke through right around the time he turned 4mths old, one right after the other... looks like all that drooling paid off for him!
(He's still drooling like crazy so I'm sure we'll be seeing more teeth poke thru any day now!)
Halen is now working on sitting up on his own (He's SO close!! He can hold himself up for a while but is still working on catching himself when he starts to tip) Crawling shouldn't be too far away either! (He's kinda got an inchworm technique going right now... soon he'll be up off his belly crawling everywhere & getting into lots of trouble with his big sister I'm sure!)

Birthday Parties, Playdates, New tricks & More!...

May has been a pretty busy month for the Dillon clan...

We started off the month celebrating Paige's 8th birthday
Here's the Birthday Girl showing off the handmade paper flower she made herself
(Madi is SO obsessed w/her cousin Paige!)

Then since the sun had decided to show up once again we made a few trips to the park to soak up some vitamin D and breathe in some fresh air!

Madi going for a ride w/ Daddy at the Riverfront park, she LOVES her pink car!

Madi was so excited it was nice enough out to go play on the SLIDE!

Getting some pointers from her buddy Avalee.

Happy little Halen hanging out while the girls play.

Madi also has had some recent encounters with her favorite neighborhood animals....

"Cow Kitty!"

Giving Tubby a pat on the back

Halen was a pretty busy guy and learned to ROLL OVER! He's also quite the ladies man these days....

Of course we had to post Halen's new accomplishment for all to see when they came to visit!

This is a typical day in the life of Halen... Madi & Isa fighting over who gets to play with him!

He has also found something new to play with.... his feet!
(This has made changing his diaper & getting him dressed a bit challenging! Combine the foot constantly in his mouth with the rolling over & it's like wrestling a bear!)

Next we helped Isabella celebrate her 4th birthday...

(How is it possible that she is 4 already!?)


Halen was pretty excited to get to try solids for the first time...ok maybe excited isn't the word for it... He wasn't too sure what to think of it at first...

Turns out, he really wasn't too impressed with it....

...at all...
(*update: He has improved his opinion on this solid food stuff... at first it was just weird to him...but w/ each meal he's become happier & happier to see that spoon coming towards him! He even *thinks* that he's ready to go ahead & just use the spoon himself! haha!)


Here our little rocker is with the super awesome blanket his Grandma Pat made him

Miss Madi-Annie was extremely proud of herself... she learned how to draw hearts! Here she is showing them off

Looking forward to a very busy, busy summer filled with more park playdates, visits from family , lots of sunshine & playing in the swimming pool! Not to mention lots of GROWING for Mr Halen