Our Scenic September

A recap of our September: Labor Day bowling, family time with cousins Chloe, Sierra, and Cayden, & Grandma Sue, Bachelorette party wknd for mama, two LA daytrips (to drop off and pick up dada from LAX), and the Disaster Preparedness Expo. Dada Brad traveled to Norway and UK for a very successful business trip, and this weekend he is in Arizona for a bachelor party. Taj had many "firsts" this month (bowling, saying "I Love You", peeing in the potty, and first haircut), and made his molar teething (2 on bottom, and 2 on top) look like a piece of cake!

We went on a lot of hikes and relished the nature we found. The difference between New York and California is that in NY the nature surrounds you in every direction. In California, you literally have to drive out to go look for it, unless you just want the beach. So while Brad was working or on his business trip overseas, Taj and I mapped out our adventures and explorers we became! We discovered some very serene secret spots in Orange County, ones that we will return to for more hiking and playing in. I love what my friend Nana wrote on her blog a while back, about seizing every moment with our little ones and getting out there and taking them to new places. It's so true! To think I grew up in Orange County and there is still so much to uncover! I love to take my "Curious George" on new adventures and field trips every week, its so much fun! Taj LOVES to walk, run, explore, and look for cool things (especially rocks!) so we are definitely doing a lot of that while I still have the energy during this pregnancy! He also LOVES to sweetly hold our hands while walking :) We have not only been active outdoors, but indoors as well! Our new hot spot is Open Play at Frogg's Bounce House (LOVE this place, lots of soft bouncy houses for Taj to jump in and slide on, I feel like a kid myself when I go!) We also started going to a Mommy & Me Tiny Tumblers gymnastics class every Monday morning (this week Taji learned how to do a somersault.... with mama's help!). Through our playground outings, walks, and gymnastic class we met new play buddies Nico, Nicholas, and Maddy, and had playdates with Princess Brooklyn and my sister's friend's little guy (who we are playing with for the first time this afternoon!) Here are the highlights of our September:

Strolling on the beach, hiking around Pirate's Cove in CDM:

Environmental Nature Center (Newport Beach): Various trees, plants, a creek with waterfalls, many hiking trails, and Taj was in rock heaven!

Fullerton Arboretum: various trees, plants, flowers, waterfalls, creeks, ducks, and cool maze-like paths!Will Rogers Historic State Park in Pacific Palisades (just off of Sunset Blvd, in LA): hiking, kite flying, horses, deer, and sunset with Auntie Brina :)

During our 2 LA day trips we visited with Kristen and her kiddos Ella & Will, had special time with Auntie Brina, and I had a wonderful reunion lunch with my dear high school best friend Iva who I haven't seen in 13 years!

We also visited the farm this month, one of Taji's favorite places. There were many new babies to see: newborn piglets, baby calf, and baby chicks! Taj loves pointing out all the animals and doing the animal sounds!

On Fridays, our babysitter and Taj's play buddy Samantha comes over to play and take Taji to the park, while I go to Pilates, run errands, and Brad & I go on our date nights! Since Taj turned One, we have fully taken advantage of our treasured date nights! We love to explore new restaurants, love our time to connect, and often times it feels like the old pre-marriage/pre-baby days :)

What I love about Sam is that she is super responsible and knows exactly what Taj likes and doesn't like. She feeds him, bathes him, and puts him to bed without a whine from him, and he sleeps like an angel. I'm glad he feels this comfortable with her! I also really like that she sends me text updates and snaps these adorable pics of him while playing:

And now, here is this month's Taj updates! We like to describe Taj as our Tajmanian devil and loverboy all-in-one. As our loverboy, he LOVES to give hugs and kisses, and cuddles with his favorite stuffed animal buddies:

As the Tajmanian devil, he makes big messes around the house and climbs furniture (we are trying work on his love for throwing things)!

He learned how to kick a ball, is a total Bookworm (we often find him sitting quietly reading through his books!), can complete his color and shapes puzzles pretty independently, and his new favorite words he loves to say are: hoop, rock, juice, "gogurt" (yogurt), butt paste, elephant, zebra, bear, fire truck, "mamoe"(lawnmower), potty, "nite nite", fishie, phone, "aminals" (animals), dinosaur, circle, square, and baby. Its like every month he picks up 10-20 new words! He loves the Old MacDonald/ Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes/ One, Two, Buckle My Shoe songs, and fills in the end words! Taj now knows where his mouth, arm, "boobies" (he loves to point out mine!), hair, and legs are. He does the animal sounds for elephant, horse, mouse, pig, and frog! As far as the Your Baby Can Read program goes, Taj's motivation goes up and down with the cards, although he can identify and read "hi", "eyes", "nose", "elephant", and "dog". It's hard to tell because he gets distracted and gets goofy. This month, Taj was a much better eater than a napper (he is irregular and prefers only 1 nap a day.) He loves smoothies, juices, and eats practically everything we are eat so its very easy these days (fingers crossed), and he really loves my healthy homecookin'!