First Time at the Beach!

Felix had his first dose of the Oregon Coast! We went to Depoe Bay this weekend with some of my family. Felix wasn't so sure about the sand at first, but it didn't take him long to get into it. He ran all over chasing Walter and me. The ocean water took his breath away (it was freezing). The weather was beautiful and warm. We couldn't have picked a better time to go. 

 Digging in the sand

 Cutest foot print in the world!

 Loved walking hand in hand with Da Da

 Sandy Feet!

 Running to Da Da!

 Saved by Mama from the waves!

 Pretty sunset from the condo (Tim, Olin, Felix and Walter)

 Forgarty Creek (Olin said he was a "Shell Collector")

 I couldn't get a picture of it, but we did see a Sea Lion! 

Mor Mor and one of her babies!

We had such a great time! I didn't want to leave, but it was time to get back to reality! We will definitely be back! 

Exposure, Experience and Stimulation!

Felix has been going to Music Together classes since he was 5 months old and now LOVES music so much! He has also been attending library classes since he was 10 months....so we decided to add one more to his list...ART CLASS!

We enrolled him in a 4 week class at the East Community Center. The classes they offer there are inexpensive. It is such a great opportunity for children to be exposed to as many different experiences as possible.  I didn't know what to expect when I went in to sign Felix up, but it is a super nice facility and the staff was friendly.  

This past Wednesday was our first day. The class is led by a high school student that is volunteering at the community center over the Summer.  He was definitely the youngest child in there, but he did so well. The class is thirty minutes and we lasted about 20 to 25. Of course the classroom we are in is right next to the pool and that was more interesting for Felix.  We made fish out of paper plates and the kids were given different materials to use for decorating. 

I reminded Felix everyday leading up to the class, that he was going to make Mama something beautiful so she could hang it up.  And guess where this beautiful project is...Hanging on our mantel! We named this piece, Felix the Fish! 

Leaving art class I noticed a sign that offered an indoor play area for children up to 5, and it happened to be on Wednesdays (right after the art class)...and even better it was only $1.25! So of course we went! It was a gym loaded with play equipment for little kids.  Felix LOVED it! And totally against everything I ever thought I would do...I let him try jumping on a big trampoline! 

After his busy morning he was exhausted! We decided to go on a walk to Starbucks with Mor Mor and he was snoring by the time we got there. 

Moral of this post; EXPOSURE, EXPERIENCE and STIMULATION! 

My mom has taught my sisters and I that being exposed to as many different experiences in life helps broaden ones perspective.

Vacation!

Walter and I recently returned to work after a very nice week home. Our whole family was together and the kids LOVED it! We were constantly on the go and had many things planned. 


Cameron and Madison got their very first Multnomah County library card. They were so excited to check out books! We also signed all the kids up for the Summer Reading Program at the library. Signe, Satchel and Mor Mor also came along with us to the library. Satchel and Felix were able to go to the Tiny Tots class together, which was hilarious! 


We played at Washington Park, watched Transformers, lit fireworks, went to Blue Lake, swam with Tiffany, Layton and Riley, went to the zoo (where Felix fell and scraped his knee). In between all of that the kids ran through the sprinkler,  did the slip n slide and we had a few bbq's. 


We took Cameron and Madison to meet there grandma on Friday. By that time we started to get back into our normal weekly routine so we would be ready for work.

The best part of my week was seeing how happy all three of the kids were! There were a couple breakdowns, but they all had a great time. Felix was absolutely happier than happy that he was spending so much time with his brother and sister. 

 Washington Park Picnic

Tulips Galore!

We went to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn this weekend. I am obsessed with TULIPS! I love how simple they are.

 Crazy mama!

 He bent down to smell the tulips himself!

I always told Walter that when we got a house our flower beds would be filled with all colors of tulips...and daffodils! Thankfully he likes them almost as much as I do and is helping totally turn my dream into reality! Last year we went to the festival and ordered an assortment of 50 bulbs...This year we went a little more crazy and ordered 70.  Our flower beds are going to be TULIP CRAZY!

Easter Weekend

We had such a great weekend celebrating Easter with both sides of our families. It was so nice to have a sunny day on Saturday for a trip to Multnomah falls and to kick off the first of three egg hunts! The kids make out like bandits!

Cousin Lovin'

Olin so proud of his Golden Egg!

Egg hunting!

Easter Sunday!

 2nd Egg Hunt

Jackpot!

Baby cousins watching the big kids.

Goodnight Moon

We read Goodnight Moon to Felix every night. We have the book right next to the bed. Ever since he was a tiny little guy he has LOVED the book...and when I say LOVE, I mean squeals, claps and smiles through the entire thing!


Last night while we were downstairs playing, Felix had crawled over to our bookshelf (which he does all the time). After a couple minutes of no noise, I hear him start whimpering...I look over and see him looking at a book...He had found the copy of Goodnight Moon that I had grown up with and was trying to read it.  He usually rips pages out of books, but for some reason he was being very careful with this one.


It melted my heart, I just had to share this!

Family

This has been a busy month. One of my very good friends had a baby boy, we celebrated Valentines Day, went to the Children's Museum two times, attended a "Special Friend Tea" at Olin's School, Felix's first snow, took Felix to his 1st dentist appointment, witnessed Satchel walk, celebrated Courtney's birthday and of course Music Together.

Riley Mark Steele was born on February 7th. I was so excited to meet him. I couldn't wait, but I remembered how tired I was the day I had Felix and wanted to respect Tiffany. Tiffany and Eric make some cute babies!  Tears filled my eyes when I received the text message from Tiffany's mom that Riley had made his debut.  I was so happy and glad that they were healthy and doing well. Riley was PERFECT!  I met him the next morning, he was so content and peaceful.

Our Valentines weekend celebration began with the Children's Museum. We had never taken the kids there. Walter and I weren't sure if Cameron was going to have a good time because we thought it was more centered towards younger kids...Boy were we wrong! He was smiling ear to ear! It was so fun to see all the kids really happy. There was something for all of them. Felix crawled and climbed all over in the baby section. Madison loved the store/kitchen area. Cameron LOVED the clay area and the theater. We met Olin and Mor Mor there. Olin loves the whole place, but most of all he LOVES being with his family! He is so happy being with his cousins. The next morning the kids woke up to Valentine presents and a yummy breakfast.  Walter and I decorated the dining room with Valentine decorations. Our Valentines weekend was very fun and festive!

Erika invited Felix and me to a "Special Friend Tea" at Olin's school. Olin had no idea we would be coming, so we surprised him. I was so happy to see him on stage singing with his classmates.  It was fun to be able to see his school and meet his teacher. And of course Felix and Olin were happy to see each other...Like always!

Olin is in the front with the blue vest on

Felix had is first dose of snow! Immediately when Walter got home from work we put Felix in his snow suit and took him outside. It was so fun to see his reaction. He seemed to like it, he even tasted it! We took his mittens off so he could actually feel the cold and be able to touch the snow, he even liked that part. I was wanting more snow this year, but I am just happy he was able to experience it! Maybe next year will be more???

The dentist appointment was great! He did such a good job. It was very quick and to the point. The hygienist was able to look in his mouth and assess all 5 teeth. Once the dentist actually came in, he was getting a little more restless, but did well. She could tell a couple more teeth were getting ready to pop up and that his teeth look GREAT! They said we won't have to come back for a year...

Just last weekend I was able to witness my baby nephew walk! It was another proud moment for Auntie Greta! The best part is that he is so happy walking and so curious.  I love when Felix is able to spend time with his 2 older cousins. I never lived close to any of my cousins and I always wished I had, but I want these three boys to be as close as siblings.  I'm excited to see their relationship with each other as they grow up!

Last weekend we also celebrated Walter's niece's 6th birthday. We were able to see all of Walter's family. Felix was able to spend time with more cousins, aunts and uncle, and his grandma and grandpa Adam's.  Felix was drawn to his oldest cousin, Maryssa. They had a lot of fun playing together, I think she probably reminded him of his big sister.

Happy Birthday Courtney!

I love our family time! I couldn't imagine life without our families.  It would make it even better if Ada, Johannes and the whole Garcia family lived closer.  Felix still needs to personally meet Uncle Johannes and Auntie Ada...and he misses his abuelito! We love you all and hope to see you soon!