A few photos

Mom was taking photos of Esther a few weeks ago and I shocked her by saying I wanted to have my photo taken too. Normally I shy away from the camera, but I was in an ultra good mood and wanted to show off my great smile. :)

Love for me is Family

February hosts Valentines day so I thought I'd post a few photos of myself with the people I love most. It's been a fun month. Lots of rain, yes, but also quite a few sunny days too. Can't wait to get outside even more now!

Mom has taken quite a few photos of me with my sister. Esther just lights up whenever she sees me. She also loves to get hugs and kisses. Here I am playing with her and her fancy floor gym.

Here I am with my Dad on his 28th birthday. I adore my Dad and often say, "When I grow up, I want to be just like Danny (that's how I say "Daddy") and work in the city."

Allie and I like to cuddle. Mom caught one of these moments with her camera the other day. We are so lucky to have the sweetest kitty. She puts up with a lot from us kids.

And just in case you didn't know, Esther has her own blog at estherdyk.com. She posts on there, like me, from time to time. Here is a photo Mom took of her at 5 months. She's getting so big! We all love our baby girl!

Got Cabin Fever?

We had one day of snow last month, but for the most part it's just been another cold and rainy winter season here in the Pacific NW. Although I do miss playing in the outdoors, I have found a few fun ways to pass the time while stuck inside. Here are a few of my favorite wintertime activities.

I love to help Mom cook, but baking is really my thing. We have made many, many batches of cookies this winter season. Putting the sprinkes on the cookies is my favorite part!

My new favorite activity is camping. I have always loved playing in my Thomas tent, but one night Dad and I brought all my blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals in my tent, grabbed a flashlight, turned off all the lights, turned on the fire, grabbed a marshmallow and called it "camping." It has been a daily tradition ever since. Mom got tired of bringing all my bedding downstairs so Nana made a sleeping bag for me to keep downstairs and I also now have a special "camping" pillow reserved for this fun activity. Often times I want Esther to join me in the camping fun.

I still love to play trains too. It's always fun when I have a friend to play with, so just be forewarned that if you ever visit, I will probably ask if you'd like to play trains with me.

The last few weeks have given us a few dry and warmer days so we've ventured outside to our favorite local park a few times. I even got to ride a tricycle a few times. Yes, I am definitely ready for spring.

Our Happy Holiday

This Christmas business just keeps getting better and better each year. I loved it last year, but I REALLY loved it this year. I loved all the family I got to see, all the cookie making, all the lights, and of course, all the presents. Ever since that wondrous day passed, I have been asking for Christmas to happen all over again. Mom keeps telling me to look forward to my birthday because it will come again sooner, but I really would prefer Christmas and all the festivities that go with it. Oh well, guess I will join her in the pre-planning of my birthday party (do you think she may only be trying to distract me from my constant requests for another Christmas?). At this point in time, I would like a superhero themed party. We'll see if that idea sticks around come June.

My family has a tradition of opening up stockings and one present on Christmas Eve. So, here I am finally able to open a few presents! Can you guess I was a little excited?



Esther had a fun time too. Here she is with Uncle Bill.



She got a cabbage patch doll for Christmas. Looks kind of like her, doesn't it?



The morning of Christmas. I asked Santa for Murdoch the train and was so incredibly excited to see him that morning!



Here I am making cookies with my aunt Carrie. She and Uncle Mike came to visit a week before Christmas and it was so much fun having them here. I LOVE to bake/cook and I really, really love my aunt Carrie. She and I had a blast during our most recent visit and I can't wait to see her and Uncle Mike again! I also can't wait to meet my new cousin!



Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Happy Late Thanksgiving!

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving this year. We ended up spending Thanksgiving day with Mom's family and a few friends without family nearby, but we also got to see my grandma and grandpa Dyk that same week. We were able to do some fun stuff with them during their stay. Everyone knows I love the zoo, but there's one thing that can make the zoo even better... lights! Yep, we did Zoo Lights with Grandma and Grandpa and even though it was pretty cold, we had fun seeing the lights and animals that were still up.





Esther was a trooper all through the evening and eventually fell asleep in the stroller.



We also went to see the tree in downtown Portland one night during their stay.



We stopped off at Starbucks for a tasty beverage to warm us all up!



Here we are goofing around at a super yummy Ethiopian restaurant.





It was a great way to spend the holiday! Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma and
Grandpa Dyk!

Happy Halloween

This year we trick-or-treated in Bodhi's neighborhood and I had a great time! Kate, Bodhi and I got the hang of it real quick and hit up quite a few houses.

Bodhi had some cool Halloween decorations at his house!



In case you can't tell, I was Woody (okay, really I just look like a cowboy sheriff) from Toy Story. Kate was a cowgirl so we looked pretty cute together. :)





Esther was given a hand-me-down chili pepper costume. She was so cozy in it, she fell asleep just after we started trick-or-treating.



Even though this photo turned out kind of blurry, it shows our whole family together this Halloween. We had a great time!



Mom also took these photos of us in our costumes.



Esther was pretty tired so we had a hard time getting one of us together. Oh well.



Happy Halloween!

Mom Turns 30

Mom turned 30 this past week and her friends threw a surprise 80's roller skating party for her. My friends and I had a blast learning to skate and Mom had a ton of fun hanging out with her friends and family.


Esther didn't skate, but she was there and did a good job of being cute.

Mom felt very loved and I think may have even gone a bit overboard with the whole feeling young again thing.

She says the only thing she wishes she had done differently in these 30 years is to have already gone to Hawaii. Ha! Just kidding. Mom says she feels she has been very, very blessed in life. She has many things to be thankful for: a wonderful loving husband, two beautiful children and many wonderful friends and family who have loved her over her lifetime. Thanks to everyone who helped pull off a wonderful surprise birthday party for my mom!