Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Spring Fever.



It's February and we all have spring fever. We took advantage of the "warm" weather today (41 degrees) and set out for a stroller ride. The street is a a total mess full of sand and puddles, but it was worth it. Cullen loves riding in his Bob stoller and we all love getting fresh air. It's rough to think that March is actually the snowiest (is that a word?!) month. Therefore, Cullen will need to trade the stroller in for the sled. Either way, he's happy!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Watch out Michael Phelps and I'm not referring to your stash.



For the past few weeks we have been taking Cullen to swim lessons. While Dad has found that he still doesn't have a singing voice (Singing such hits as "Ring around the Rosie" and "Here We Are Together" are an integral part of the class) Cullen has shown that he is quite the natural and seems to love the water. While he doesn't quite have any strokes down, he is comfortable going under the water and has no problem flailing his arms and legs all around. Splashing seems to be his favorite part.

In addition to his love of the water, the little man is also hitting some pretty big milestones. He has recently begun giving kisses. While they are open mouthed and you need to be careful of him locking down on your face, as Mom found out, he still comes right into you when you pucker your lips. He has also began pointing at things and waving hello and good bye. As the saying goes, they grow up fast. It's hard to fathom that Cullen is 11 months old. We just loving waking up in the morning, listening to Cullen blabber...da,da,da, dit, dit, da.... and seeing what the little one has in store for us next.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Cousins

The new addition.



We welcomed a new addition to the Swanson side of the family on January 28th: Jameson Austin Clark. Proud parents Tracy and Jason brought a 9 lb. 10 oz. baby into the world. We couldn't be more thrilled and are so excited to meet him. Grandma and Grandpa Swanson spent a few weeks in Texas helping the new parents. Cullen missed them dearly and we are all glad to have them home for awhile.

We decided to embark on a hike in Perrot State Park on an unusually warm Saturday afternoon. The original plan was to rent snowshoes. However, they were all gone when we arrived. We were determined to make the most of the day so we set out on foot. The sun had melted away some of the snow and conditions were quite slick. It made for kind of a treacherous hike. It was a bit nerve wrecking to walk on slushy ice while carrying a baby. But the views were great and the fresh air was fabulous. We bought Cullen a pair of baby-sized sunglasses. He protested at first, but after we reassured him that they were cool - he kept them on. I think he realized that wearing the sunglasses was better than squinting.

Many Moods