The Walkin' Man Walks!

Well folks, as you know, I took my first steps about a month ago.

I decided a few days ago that I would crawl no more!

I have been toddling around ever since. I can now walk wherever I want. Oh sure, I fall down sometimes, but it is so much fun! Every so often, I even take off on a run!

Mom and Dad say that the world will never be the same for us again!

Oddity is the Best Commodity!

In case you were wondering,

this is what I would look like if I grew big and tall,

but still had a baby head.

Yep, it's funny and a little frightening at the same time.

This One's for You, Grandpa!

" What's the problem?"

Hole in One!

Yesterday I played in the snow and today I played golf!

Isn't life great?

Dad was trying to help me with my form, but...

I was happy to just chew on the ball!

Snow!

It snowed! A lot! About 10 inches!

This meant... snow angels!

This is my very first one. (Mom had to help me a little.)

My buddy, Smokey the cat, was very interested in our outdoor activities.

I let him ride in the sled with me for a little while.

Dad got jealous of Smokey, so I had to let him ride too!

I had loads of fun in the snow!

My Newest Challenge...

is learning to feed myself with a spoon.

I am quite adept at drinking from a cup and picking up finger foods, but that darn spoon has been giving me lots of troubles!

Mom and Dad decided that the only way for me to get practice was to get messy!

Mom says that I shouldn't worry because oatmeal makes a good facial!

Wanna Get Together?

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you are all doing well today!

Other than a leaky diaper now and then, I can't complain.

I am starting to get pretty excited about my trip to the Midwest for my first birthday.

I would love to see you all when I am in town.

If you get a chance, get a hold of my Mom and Dad and we can schedule a little rendezvous.

Take care!

I hope to see you soon!

Oliver Twist?

Here I am, feeling quite dapper in my euro-duds!

Smashing! Just, smashing!

It wasn't Flashdance!

Mr. Bear and I were just reminiscing about the past couple of days.

As always, each day is an adventure.

We had a few laughs, a couple of tears

and some excitement along the way.

One of the funniest memories of the recent past involves...

me in Dad's wool socks. They were significantly larger than my feet! Feeling a little goofy, Dad started to pull me around the room by the socks. More silliness ensued when he put on some funny leg warmers and, before we knew it, the legwarmers...

Were on our heads!

Oh yes! I remember that moment well. It was a silly, goofy, funny and wonderful day!

The Aasen Family Photo Booth!

Chillin' !

Here I am lounging in my toy box.

It's a pretty cool place to hang out, have a drink, and play with my 'buddies'.

I love crawling in here!

Have a great day, everybody!

So Big!

I am growing and changing so fast these days!

I have been learning some ASL (American Sign Language)

and have started to make some rough first signs. (Milk, Eat, Water etc.)

Mom and Dad say that it never hurts to be multi-lingual!

I am taking more and more steps on my own.

(I have taken five steps and travelled about 3.5 feet now!)

I am climbing more and more (onto chairs and ottomans),

and I have a pretty long reach too!

(I can grab things off from the kitchen table and counters.

I'm getting really, really tall!)

My hair is growing really fast, too!

(It hangs over my ears and Mom and Dad debate about whether to cut it yet.)

I make lots and lots of sounds!

Sometimes Mom and Dad think it sounds like sentences!

I understand lots of words, too! When Dad says, "It's time for your bath!"

I go right to the stairs and start climbing up to the bathroom saying "Ba! Ba!".

If Mom asks, "Where's your baby?" I crawl right to him!

I also know just what I want!

If Mom and Dad don't let me have what I want, I get pretty upset.

(I know that sometimes it's for my own good, like wanting to chew on electrical cords,

but I still have to cry about it sometimes.)

We watched some video of me from when I was just a little baby.

Mom got tears in her eyes (and so did Dad), because I am growing up so fast.

Leaps and Bounds!

Everyday Good Times!

Me and my Dad are playing in the tunnel Grandma W. bought me for Christmas.

(It's 12 feet long and tons of fun!)

I crawl through it much more easily than Dad,

but at least he doesn't get stuck squirming through like Mom did!

Who said that you can't wear just a diaper with hats and mittens?

Gee, I really wish that I had a dimple right... here!

I sure love being a baby!

Make like a Tree and...

Leaf!

Leaves actually!

Dad piled the leaves high around me. I had a great time playing outside.

As you can see, I loved the leaves!

Calf Creek Fun!

We took a little hike today in the Grand Staircase (6 miles round trip). We saw a lot of interesting things en route to our ultimate destination; for instance, shaded patches with frozen sand and lots of frost.

There were droves of cacti! I wanted to hop out of the pack and explore, but Dad didn't want me to get into a 'prickly' situation.

We also saw pictographs! These three guys are huge ancient paintings on the canyon walls, done by the Freemont people. Archaeologists aren't sure if they were a celebration, a record, or a warning; but, from the size of them, they seemed like a warning to me!

Ahhh! At last we reached our destination - Lower Calf Creek Falls. It is a 126 foot waterfall, and it was as cold as Minnesota! Mom and Dad said that we will have to come back when it is warmer so that we can splash in the pool at the base of the falls.

Needless to say, the return trip required a little shut-eye!

Until the next adventure...

Peek-A-Boo!

I think my Mom and Dad are a little crazy. They took me to a gulch called 'Peek-a-Boo'. It is a very narrow slot canyon in the Grand Staircase. We had to scramble a 15' wall to get in and some places in the gulch were only 18" wide. It's a good thing I lost my milk gut!
We met a couple guys who helped us up the wall. They hooked a rope onto my backpack and hoisted me up. It was really fun! When we caught up with them further in, they took our picture.
When we got out, we took a break because I was a little thirsty. Mom thought that this chunk of slick rock was a great place for a scenic meal. I hope that you can come see this place sometime!

Off Roadin'!

Yesterday I turned 11 months old! Time goes by so quickly!

Here I am riding my new ATV (Power Wheels, of course!) over the rugged Utah landscape.

(It was an early birthday prezzie from my Dad.)

Soon I won't be a baby anymore, I'll be a toddler.

Look out world!

Bye, Bye!

We took Grandma W. to the airport yesterday. (I was really happy that she was able to spend the holidays with us.) We had some really neat adventures! I just can't wait to have more visitors to show around Utah!

While we were a little sad when she went to board the plane, we all felt better knowing that we would see each other again soon. (We are flying back to Minnesota to spend time with all of our family for my first birthday! It's gonna be swell!)