Who is this fat man???

Another year, and another photo of Scrumpy trying to escape the clutches of Santa.  I do not think he understands the power Santa holds to provide him with all the chocolate milk, all the bi-i-cles, and all the Pabas his heart desires.  Maybe next year, although if history  has a say, he just does not trust the man in the red suit.  Baby brother seems to be much more relaxed about the whole thing.

Minivans...NO!...Double Strollers....well...

How far the mighty have fallen when you are excited about getting a double stroller.  This is Patrick's choice, the Double Bob.  While it turns on a dime, and it drives as smooth as silk, it still weighs 35lbs folded!  Yes, this stroller will primarily be used only when Patrick is around.  He LOVES it!!!  The boys seem to enjoy it as well.  (In case you were wondering, we don't normally dress in matchy match, but this happened to be BIG GAME day.  Note: the better team won. Go Bears!)

no one touch my cars!

What Comes Up....

Did you know that there are escalators every 50 yards at Valley Fair Mall?  We found out the hard way.  Scrumpy has all of a sudden become very fascinated with the escalator.  He is a little afraid of them, but is determined to master them!  It is also pretty amazing that his eyesight can spot each and every escalator within sight!  Thank goodness there are so many people willing to indulge this fascination and ride up and down, and up and down, and up and down again.

    

Trying to be brave

Getting ready for the dismount!

The shoe saga continues!

As we move into the colder months of the year, yes it gets cold in California, we have gracefully retired his crocs (thank goodness!)  However, that left us with the dilemma of finding easy to slip on shoes for him to wear around the house.  One weekend, we went through this exhaustive phase of buying any kind of toddler slipper from Elmo slipper socks to Cars, to what not.  None of which were up to snuff.  Frustrated, we decided, that socks were "good enough". 

After talking to Becca, I discovered that all the boys in school used slipper socks, Spiderman slipper socks to be exact.  This gave me great hope.  While Elmo slipper socks did not past muster, I was banking on herd mentality to get me through.  We then spent another weekend searching for blasted in Spiderman slipper socks!  In my muddled brain, I knew I had seen them somewhere recently.  I just couldn't remember where.  Hanging on the pegs at JC Pennys were the last pair in his size.  It was like finding the pot at the of the rainbow.  While I had a very small fear that he would still not be open to these, Becca allayed my fears.  Below is proof my hunt was successful!

Halloween Parade

Last week, Becca invited us to partake in this year's Halloween parade.  It was so much fun!  The best part being that Becca was able to get Scrumpy's costume on (note, we were not as successful the three attempts prior nor on the actual Halloween day).  Scrumpy hasn't really gotten the full concept of Halloween yet.  I think that is why he wasn't too keen on the costume.  The first time he put it on, he saw himself in the mirror and got a little freaked.  I think he could not comprehend how his face was in Pablo's body.

As we walked on parade, neighbors stopped us to say hello.  One neighbor asked what everyone was and the children replied,

"I'm a pirate."

"I'm a transformer".

And my little boy, " I'm Dano".

As I said, I don't think he has quite captured the concept, but I am sure that next year will be a different story!  Thanks Becca for a lovely memory!

Ready to go on parade!

Pablo and Optimus Prime

Little Brother got to tag along!

Annoyed that Mama wanted to take another photo

Egg Salad

Yet another entry on the battle of wills with food.  We tried feeding him good old fashion Filipino food.  Food as a one year old he would gobble up, but once again, our picky eater has reared its ugly head.

Becca says she has never seen a little boy who loved egg salad. In fact, Scrumpy is an equal opportunity egg lover, enjoying every form of it. He was eating an egg salad sammie for dinner and I could not resist capturing his joy.

Ballon boy

I was listening to the news and they said that the balloon boy was 37 pounds and six years old.  Scrumpy is 37 pounds and just over two years old.  I am still trying to figure out how that can be.

Terrible Twos

We are definitely experiencing the terrible twos! Its not so much terrible as much as it is a battle of wills. Never mind the fact that genetically we were bound to have a stubborn child based on his parents, we still find ourselves wondering at times where our sweet compliant little boy went. Of late, he has been very clear with us what he wants to eat and when. Usually that means he only wants cookies and chocolate milk. While we try to lay down the law it is hard to do so at Gramma's, especially with all his aunties around. He finds his allies quickly. At Grandpa's birthday, refusing to eat, Auntie Michelle patiently sat with him and "fed" his backyardigan friends so that he would eat along with them. I cannot wait for threes.........

If you look closely you will see Austin and Tyrone have pizza

The worse part is he tries to be charming while being difficult and it often works

Ardenwoon Pumpkin Patch

Every year, we try a new pumpkin patch.  This year, we ventured to Ardenwood and Perry's farms.  We weren't sure how much fun it would be, but that was just naive.  I think he shot out of the car and went barreling down the rows of pumpkins without a second thought to his family, much to his parents' chagrin.  The only thing that stopped him was the tractor that was hauling visitors around.  Of course, when you bring a Grandma with you to places like this, you are bound to do things that you wouldn't normally, hence the family went on a tractor ride.  Have no fear that Scrumpy would be startled by the rough ride, he actually tried to make the tractor pull bounce more!  All boy that Scrumpy!

After the tractor he climbed the hay pyramid and even took a stab at the kiddie corn maze.  If he had his say in the matter, I think he would have been there all day.  Alas, all good things must come to an end.  Here is another sucessful trip to the pumpkin patch.  I wonder where we will wind up next year.

Boys

I am still trying to figure out the mind of the male.  This morning Scrumpy repeatedly banged his eye into my knee.  After I told him to stop he kept telling me "ow" and pointing to his eye.  Then he kept wanting me to kiss his owie.  I mean, if he didn't bang his eye into my knee there would be no owie..right?  Boys are strange.

Weekend in Vegas for Two-Year Olds!

This past weekend, Scrumpy had the ulitmate indulgence, two birthday parties!  He played with sand, climbed playgrounds, rode slides, and basically ran until he could not run no more.  What could be top that?  Hmmmm...chips, peanut butter and jelly and then the contraband.  Party #1 -he honed in on a small kids table with several open juice boxes.  After he was done with his stealth operation, they were just open EMPTY juice boxes.  Party #2- after we broke down and gave him a juice box which he pounded, he found an unsuspecting Gramma (note, he had never seen her before in his life), batted his eyelashes and asked for "juice", which she proceeded to garner for him.  INCREDIBLE! 

After lunch and playing, came cake.  Cupcakes at party #1 and not only cupcakes at party #2 but a slice of chocolate cake on the side.  I think he thought he hit the motherlode, until he got his party favors...sidewalk chalk at party #1 and bubbles and jelly beans at party #2.  I have never seen him more happy, more stimulated and more exhausted that I did this last weekend. 

Oh and just in case anyone wondered or cared...the parents were dog dead tired too!  Thank you Josie, Owen, and Clara for inviting Scrumpy and Possum to celebrate your special days!

Vocab Update

We have had a vocabulary explosion since turning 2.  While he isn't completely clear, the number of words he says is growing leaps and bounds.  What is even more great is that he is actually making sentences.  For posterity sake, I am going to record a few of Scrump-isms:

Belly Button- Bell bell
Pillow- Hill bill
TV- Hee bee
Pablo-Baba
Motorcycle/Bicycle- Bi-i-cle
Daddy- Dah ee
Gilligan (or any dog for that matter) -Geegan
Ethan- Arsh ( WE HAVE NO IDEA WHY)

Time with the cousins

Labor day weekend, we were able to carve out some special time to spend with the cousins.  We spent the day at Casa Avila, playing soccer, blowing bubbles, riding razors and bi-i-cles.  When we tried to get ready to go home, we were given the hand ups..."NO".  Clearly, we are just not as fun as as a 7 year old and 9 year old, even thought both of us took our turn out in the soccer field.

Gilroy Gardens

On the adivce on some mommies, we took our brood to Gilroy Gardens.  This is a great place for toddlers!  Nestled in Gilroy, hidden amongst several micro-gardens are "thrill rides" for the yard apes, playgrounds, and more benches per square foot than I have ever seen at a theme park.  I saw more strollers than any baby store I've ever visited.  Perhaps the best attraction was the gigantic playground covered in the shade.  I think he would have spent hours there if he could have.

If we had any doubt that Scrumpy was a thrill seeker, those days are over.  He loved the rides.  Even when we stopped at the top of the ferris wheel, he was completely thrilled.  He didn't really take to the concept of waiting in line very well.  When the exit gates opened, he wormed his way in.  I can't really blame him though, as to him, this seemed like the route of least congestion so why not take that path?  We just had to keep an extra careful eye on that.  He is also very much programmed to be a boy.  He kept trying to climb the railings, crawl between the railings, etc.  If I could have chased him around with antibacterial gel all I day I would have, but I think Patrick would have thought I was neurotic. 

I cannot wait to take him on his first roller coaster ride.

Two Year Old Stats

We went for our two-year old well baby visit. And we were very proud of the fact that we were only a month late!  August has been busy.  Here's the low down:

Weight- 32 lbs - 85th percentile
Length- 3 ft 2inches- 98th percentile
Weight for length ratio- 50th percentile
Head Circumference- 50.5 cm-90th percentile

Bottom line is that we have a BIG boy.  He is trending to be 6' 4" at final height, however, they told Patrick this as well when he was young and apparently he never hit it so he's a little skeptical.  The good news is that while he is a big boy, his isn't too chunky, yet, if you carry him I would bet my last dollar that you would say you were carrying a tons of bricks!

Some interesting things they ask at the two year mark include:

Does he scribble?  Uh yes
Does he know how to jump? Are you kidding me?!
Does he point to thing he wants you to look at? Too often
Do you feel he attempts to manipulate?  All the time!

So I guess at the end of the day, we are blessed to have a healthy, well developing child.  Thank goodness the next appointment is a year away!

HOT SUMMER DAYS!

Trying to stay hydrated

This Saturday was ridiculously hot! And what do smart people from Livermore do to escape the over 100 degree temperatures? They go to San Jose! In truth, we did think about going to the coast, however, we assumed everyone else was going, and well....we got a late start to the day.

He sees the tasty treat!

The weather was so hot, we decided to treat our big guy to some ice cream. Now if Mama bought the ice cream, it would be a small kid's cone with vanilla ice cream. Since Daddy bought the cone, it was a triple scoop of chocolate sinfulness in a waffle cone dipped in chocolate! Just what you want to see walk out the door when its 100 degrees outside. In any case, Scrumpy and Daddy enjoyed getting their faces all "chocolatized".

Parents of the Year!

We had the tv on the other day and Wheel of Fortune was on. Scrumpy started reciting the letters after the contestants guessed. He also began to identify letters of the puzzle. For a minute or so, I thought...wow maybe he could learn his alphabet this way....

Going to the dentist

Did you know that they would like children to have their first dental appointment at one year? Good thing we were only 12 months late! We took Scrumpy to his first dental appointment on Friday. Considering that he HATES opening his mouth for the pediatrician, we had a feeling that this was going to be a challenge. Thank goodness it was planned while Patrick was still on paternity leave!!!



The Calm Before the Storm

I do wonder why they make little ones come in. The actual appointment was maybe 15 minutes long. They attempted to take a photo of his face and then they check "counted" his teeth. He wasn't too fond of that. I forgot why Becca used to call him a "monkey" until we tried to lay him down so she could look at his mouth. He wrapped his arms and legs around me like a vice!!! For the most part, once he realized this was a no win situation for him, he let her examine his mouth. He was still unhappy, but allowed it.


Expressing his Discontent

Thank goodness his teeth were in really good shape! We were applauded for elminating the bottle early (even though it was more Scrumpy choosing to give up the bottle vs. us forcing the issue) and for no pacifiers (once again a Scrumpy choice). He has no weakening of the enamel so they gave us a sticker and told us to see them next year.

As a treat for being such a good boy, Daddy wanted to take him to MacDonald's. There was this huge play apparatus that was even too complicated for him to maneuver until Daddy participated. At least we know the play apparatus is structurally sound. Daddy made lots of little friends in the play thing, fielding an on site tag game and introducing Scrumpy to the cougars that abounded.


At the Top of the Playground- Thank Goodness he's not Claustrophobic


Hello Down There!

I was on Possum patrol...and let's be honest, what were the odds I was climbing in there??

On Safari

Last week, family from Chicago came in as a surprise to Gramma. Scrumpy got to spend a lot of quality time with some aunts, uncles, lolos and lolas. It was sheer madness. One of the special treats they got to do was go on safari. Yes, I did say safari. Safari West in Santa Rosa provides tours as if you were actually roaming through Africa (sort of). I was unable to attend, but Patrick said Scrumpy had an amazing time. He was pointing at all the animals and was not the least bit frightened of the rough and tumble ride of the jeep....figures. I think we have a budding explorer!

Walk Like a Man

It's wrong to post, however, Scrumpy's fascination with shoes has gone to an all new high, or low, depending on your point of view.

I'm Two!

It is hard to believe that Scrumpy is two years olds! My how time really does fly! Due to....well...the impending due date of baby brother, this year's birthday party was a low key. We went to Gramma's house, had his favorite foods (pizza, chicken tenders, dogs, and cupcakes) and intended to open up presents. Unfortunately, he found Auntie Michelle's gift early and had no desire to open any of his presents after that. Auntie Michelle got him a Harley Big Wheel and in no time he was zooming all over the place! Inside and outside...everywhere! So as the days go by we will open a present here and there.

He hasn't really figured out what birthdays are as evidenced by not knowing to blow candles or get excited by the songs, but all in all it was a good day!

How quickly the diet turns!

When Scrumpy was little, or I guess little-er, he LOVED fruits and vegetables. He would eat strawberries like they were going out of season. He loved carrots, squash, sweet potatoes! And then something happened. I believe it is called the chicken nugget. Now, it is very difficult to get him to relish those tasty fruits and vegetables as he has become a true carnivore, stealing whole sausage links from Daddy's plate!

This strawberry is super sour!

MacDonald's...now that's more like it!

Tiger Woods- Watch Out!

Last Christmas, Scrumpy received golf clubs and much to our amazement, he seemed to pick up on the concept fairly quickly. He understood very early on that the ball is to be hit by the club on the ground and not in the air, etc... In fact, he connected the club with the ball at a very early age. Last week, he started putting the ball on a "tee". I don't know where he is learning this stuff considering that none of our are golfers. Perhaps, I will be able to retire soon as my kid becomes the new face of Nike. Cross your fingers!

Mother's Day Dance Off

Okay...so it's a few months late, but this was taken at Mother's day lunch immediately after he took a nap. Too much energy in one little body.

My kid is insane!

This was taken a few months ago. I know this because he can no longer wear these shoes. Often times, when he sleeps over at Gramma's with the aunties, bedtime rules are out the window. This is him one night...probably waaaaay past his bedtime.

American Idol here I come!

It is a shame he is so shy. He really needs to work on getting his personality to come through.

Young Man....

Am I the only one who hears YMCA playing in my head when I look at this picture????

Do the crime....do the time

Is this my third blog on biting? I believe so. Scrumpy once again has bitten ANOTHER kid at school. As Becca says, he always feels remorseful, but nevertheless, he still bites. Apparently, after the inicident, he placed himself in Time Out. At least he understands, if he is wrong, he needs to be punished. One would argue though that he doesn't look very sorry about the crime in this photo.....

Chocolate Milk

Last week, Scrumpy had chocolate milk for the first time. Becca bought a gallon of chocolate milk for the school and apparently...HE LOVED IT! This week she didn't buy a gallon because she didn't want to overindulge the children. Apparently, he's been asking for it all week.

We opened our fridge and on the shelf was a bottle of Hershey's syrup. He took it out and gave it to us. Did you know there is a half a photo of a glass of chocolate milk on the front of the bottle? I have never noticed it before. He figured out that this could possibly lead to chocolate milk and low and behold, it did.

I am a little scared how quickly my child's brain works........

Shoe addiction out of control

Yesterday, Scrumpy bit a fellow classmate. As Becca conveys, they were fighting over a toy and this was his form of defense. She spoke to him and apparently, they made peace. However, he left a nice little bite mark on Aidan's upper arm. Note: Aidan is 3 and Scrumpy is not yet 2. Of course, as parents we expressed shock and embarassment. Becca explained that it was a Monday and he was having a hard time. It was 95 degrees so they were in the backyard most of the day. As such, none of the children were wearing shoes, including Scrumpy! He apparently was having a difficult time adjusting to bare feet, indicating "shoes, shoes" for a while. Becca actually had to hide his shoes so he couldn't find them! Needless to say, when they went back in the house and he found his shoes he was a happy camper.

I cannot believe his need for shoes left him so uncomfortable it has produce ugly behavior. I am hoping that a couple more days of bare feet will adjust his obessive complusive disorder!

Peanut Butter and Jelly

This sammie is awesome!

Actually, its almond butter and jelly. We have yet to brave the test to see if he is allergic to peanuts. We do know that almonds and cashews are all good and HE LOVES THEM! This is officially his first almond butter and jelly sandwhich. We weren't sure he would like it but we think its a winner. I mean, its sweet starch, what's not to love?


What? Do I have something on my face?



Food coma......

Growing up so fast!

He is developing faster than I can snap photos or blog about it! Just a quick update on some of the cute things he does.

• If he sees someone sleeping, he will put his finger to his lips and shhh you.


• He thinks all dogs are Gee-gans, including Pluto on Daddy's sweatshirt.


• He loves to brush his teeth (read suck the toothpaste off his toothbrush).


• He has this horrible obssession with shoes and will not go anywhere without shoes or slippers on.


• He has this new obssession of making sure everyone wears shoes so he will bring your shoes to you and make you wear them even if you don't want to.


• His first official sentence was "I see shoes". (I guess he really is my child)


• His most common sentence, "gotta go!".


• The belly button, well I will save it for another post.


• He is ALL boy, loves climbing everything! Including Mama! Check him out on the slide at school....

(No, that is not a pacifier in his mouth. He thinks all sunglasses are worn around the mouth and not the eyes. These happen to be Mr. Potato Head's)

18 month stats

He now recognizes that the doctor's office is where you get shots, so he wasn't so amenable this time. The ironic part is, he didn't get shot this time. Of course, he is progressing very well with his cognitive and physical development. Below are his current stats.

Height 34 inches- 85th percentile

Weight 27 lbs. 8 oz -70th percentile

Weight to Length ratio- 75th percentil

Head Circumference 49.5 cm- 90th percentile

Its been a busy few months!

So Sorry it has been months since I last blogged. The holidays were truly a blur and I am ashamed to admit, I don't have very many pictures to remember them by! In fact, Crossett family didn't even take a group photo. We will strive to be better in 2009!

Superbowl Sunday

Someone didn't tell them that Payton Manning wasn't playing in the Super Bowl this year. Scrumpy looks bored, but then again this was taken before the last two minutes of the 4th quarter.

Trip to the Arctic Tundra

In January, we were crazy enough to leave 70 degree weather and head out to Chicago ( I think we actually experienced negative 20!). Uncle Nestor was having a surprise party and there was no way we could miss it. My goodness it was cold!

We took Scrumpy to the Shedd Aquarium that had a Philippine Reef display. He loved it! It was almost as if he understood that these were "his people".

Hanging out with a turtle from the Islands


We also took this opportunity to visit his newest cousin, Makai. We played with cousin Blake and had breakfast as the snow poured and poured. If we weren't concerned we wouldn't make it back home in time for the party 6 hours later, we would have gone sledding, but we were seriously worried!


Scrumpy and Blake

I think if we turn this knob here, we can escape

Can you hear me now?

Vince, Makai, Mama, Scrumpy, Brian, and Blake

Unfortunately, the excitement of the surprise party was all so stressful, and we didn't take any good photos. Rest assured, Scrumpy had a good time. As soon as he scanned the room and realized that the majority of the guests were Filipino, he was off and running. He never sat still. And much to my chagrin! He actually enjoys line dancing. He was out there with all the aunties trying to do the moves. It was pretty insane. We left around 11:30 and I think he was actually upset we took him home. Of course, he immediately crashed when he got in his car seat.

The next day, we could not resist taking photos of him out in the snow. Do not comment on the pink snow suit. We borrowed it from one of his cousins as we weren't going to buy a suit for 10 minutes of fun.

Auntie Mila and Scrumpy trying to walk

I don't think he liked being bundled up

Playing with Auntie Em and Auntie Lizoe

I don't know why they are smiling, its cold!

We had a great time, but really enjoyed coming home and taking off our winter jackets! Scrumpy is really becoming a seasoned traveler!