Grifflog

7th birthday party

2012-02-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

We had to postpone Griffin's birthday for two weeks, due to the blizzard we had the week of his birthday. But the pirate party happened today and it was a big success, according to the kids who attended.

They played games in the gym for an hour with our fabulous gym teacher (who volunteered to come and even let Griffin choose the games).

Then they had presents and a pirate ship cake, which is when Griffin started to fade (he's been sick for a week or so).

One final activity was a treasure hunt, the kids had to read clues and follow the path around the school to find the treasure chest with goodies for everyone. Griffin came home and went straight to bed, but had a wonderful time despite his exhaustion.

Snowmageddon 2012

2012-01-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

Griffin the birthday boy - what better way to celebrate than with fresh snow!

Concentrating on the snowball fight

Trudging to the store on the fifth day of the snowpocalypse - we're out of milk!

Washington Husky Basketball Game

2011-11-19T18:16:00.001-08:00

At Hec Ed Pavilion for the women's basketball game, he had to have a UW sweatshirt!

Something's missing...

2011-10-25T18:16:00.001-07:00

Summer, 2011

2011-10-18T21:04:00.001-07:00

I was reminded this past weekend (thanks, Patty!) that this blog hadn't been updated in a while, and I'm sad to see that it was almost a year ago! I'll try to be better about that in the future. In the meantime, here are some photos of our fun summer. Griffin and I had an Adventure Week, where we did something new every day, we went up to Saturna Island in B.C. for a week (longer than our usual four-day weekend), and got ready for our school year.

Ft. Casey - Whidbey Island

Whidbey Island

Tiger Mountain hike to Big Tree

Woodland Park Zoo w/ cousins Eva and Malcolm from Massachusetts

Saturna Island w/ Grandpa

Saturna Island

Saturna Island (Grandpa & Tumbo)

Saturna Island

Saturna Island playing tennis w/ Grandma

Sunset from the hill on Saturna Island

Saturna Island (U.S. and Mt. Baker in the background)

Sunset at Saturna Island

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T21:37:00.001-07:00

Yoda!

Pea Patch Garden - September, 2010

2010-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very good at keeping the blog up to date about our garden this year. We have a slightly bigger plot, with the added bonus of a scarecrow made by a class last year. The weather has been less than helpful this summer, with many more cloudy and rainy days than sunny ones. So there are many green tomatoes still on the vine, waiting to ripen, while the pumpkin vine has already withered.

Here are some photos of the garden in its September glory.

The whole garden with the scarecrow. We had some fabulous lettuce in the left corner that lasted all summer.

Zucchini that never made it past the bloom stage, but the flowers are pretty! The basil, rosemary and sugar snap peas did well, though.

One green pepper!

We do have some red tomatoes, but there are more green ones than red.

Tomatoes on their way out, sadly.

I love weird looking carrots, and we have a bunch! (get it, a bunch???)

Griffin's lone pumpkin! We tried to grow more, but they never made it past the flower stage. I guess the bees were elsewhere, or maybe it was that bee shortage I read about?

First Day of Kindergarten!

2010-09-02T17:55:00.001-07:00

Raspberry picking

2010-07-27T20:34:00.001-07:00

We went berry picking a few weeks ago, including Griffin's impersonation of a horse, a ride in a tractor-driven ride out to the berry bushes, one ladybug rescued from the dirt before we could step on her (or him), and two flats of raspberries picked.

Art

2010-07-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Griffin took a fabulous art class a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share his art with you. The theme was "Safari Explorers" and they learned about a few artistic ideas, such as shadows, cool and warm colors, point of view, and had a great time in a small class with enthusiastic teachers at Thrive Art School in Ravenna.

Look closely at the elephant picture and see if you can find the mother elephant!

A giraffe with the light behind it (Griffin's description)

African masks

Rhinoceros

Baby elephant (do you see the mother?)

Griffin's brain

2010-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today we had an argument about leaving the park to get home in time to take a bath and get ready for bed, nothing too unusual. On the drive home I made a comment about how he was feeling or thinking (I can't remember too clearly because I've already blocked out the bad moments to save my sanity). Griffin said forcefully, "You don't know, you aren't inside my brain!" and I had to agree with him. Then a few minutes later he said, "I know everything!" and I just had to try not to laugh. Can't wait for the teenage years!

Summer vacation, Part 1

2010-06-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Griffin and I have been very busy the past week and a half, since school got out. He took a multi-sports class last week in the mornings (baseball, soccer, and basketball for three hours a day for 5-8 year olds), and decided he liked them all. He is going to take a baseball class next week just for fun!

This week he is taking an art class in the mornings, the theme is Safari Explorers. He is having an art show tomorrow and I'll post photos after that.

After each class last week we went exploring around Seattle, going to the zoo, the Pacific Science Center (they have animatronic dinosaurs!), and strawberry picking at a local farm. We also baked cookies, played some Super Mario Kart on the Wii, and basically forgot to relax.

This week we went to the Seattle Art Museum downtown, where Griffin was very interested in the Andy Warhol and Kurt Cobain exhibits, as well as the African masks and Native American art. I think he's ready for the Louvre!

Here are a few photos from the craziness the past week or so!

Photos taken by Griffin of exhibits at the Seattle Art Museum:

Aboriginal war shields from Australia:

Ladybug in our pea patch garden. We had lettuce from our garden as our dinner salad twice this week. We're going back to get the one ripe strawberry tomorrow.

Cookies! What's better than licking the beater?

Seven pounds of strawberries picked by Griffin and me. They were soon pureed, sliced or eaten. Strawberry jam to come soon.

Salmon release day

2010-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

My school has had a salmon tank this year, and after two sad episodes of the fish not surviving, the third batch was the charm. So on May 1st, the school community was invited to come to a park with a stream and help release the salmon into the wild. Griffin and I went, along with about 50 kids and parents from the school, and Griffin had a chance to release four of the fry into the stream.

Here he is waiting for his first fish.

He's very proud of his fish. He named it Freddy, in the 2 minutes or so that they got to know each other.

Here's Freddy the Fish!

Griffin walking down to the stream to release the salmon.

And there Freddy goes, to spend some time in the stream before he travels out to the ocean in a year or two.

Chef Griffin

2010-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

We baked an apple pie for a friend's dessert auction, and Griffin was a master chef. He insisted that I call him "Chef Griffin" when he was wearing the hat. He helped mix and taste-test the apples. Then he wouldn't eat any pie, go figure.

Museum of Flight

2010-05-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

We visited the Museum of Flight next to Boeing Field during our spring break. Griffin loved being up close to all the planes, and walking through Air Force One and the Concorde. When I asked him what his favorite part was, he said, "Everything!"

Self-portraits

2010-05-01T12:48:00.001-07:00

By the boy himself:

By the boy himself:

Goodnight

2010-04-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

As Doug was tucking Griffin into bed tonight, rubbing his back and getting him settled for the night, he forgot to turn on Griffin's music box (Griffin has heard this music every night since he was born). Griffin turned to him and said, "Music, Maestro" and pointed at the music box.

I think I would have fallen on the floor laughing if it had been me.

Where does he come up with this stuff?

Emerald City ComiCon

2010-03-14T17:44:00.001-07:00

We went to the Emerald City ComiCon this weekend, first on Saturday without Griffin because we knew it would be crowded and we had panels we wanted to attend. Then we went today, Sunday, with Griffin, because we thought he would have fun seeing all the costumes and comic book-related things. He even wore his red cape from his Cargoman Halloween costume to get into the mood!

We found out that Griffin is the same height as R2D2

He found the perfect t-shirt at my favorite library comic Unshelved's booth, so of course I bought it for him

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch (who knew there was a brand-new Hard Rock in Seattle? Not me!) and Griffin showed off his amazing face painting of a cheetah

On the ride home, Griffin was engrossed in his new comic books, so I think he is hooked!

Birthday

2010-03-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

Griffin and Doug helped me celebrate my birthday recently, after a fabulous 40th year where I did my first half-marathon and passed my National Boards. They know me so well, giving me a gift certificate to my favorite local independent bookstore, Third Place Books, and another to Olympus Spa, to spend the day luxuriating in heated rooms, pools, and saunas.

The highlight of the day was the cake, baked by Doug, but decorated by someone else. I'll give you two guesses who the artist was:

Santa!

2009-12-21T13:02:00.001-08:00

We rode the Santa Train last weekend, from North Bend to Snoqualmie and back, and Griffin had a chance to sit on Santa's lap and eat some yummy cookies while at the Snoqualmie Depot.

November art

2009-12-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent artworks by Griffin, just for fun. A person (with legs now!), a submarine, and a triceratops!

Halloween

2009-11-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

Griffin has been talking about "Cargoman" for months now, and decided he wanted to be this new superhero he created for Halloween. So he drew a picture of Cargoman's outfit for me and we pulled it off together! He had a great time trick or treating with Grandpa around their neighborhood. I have a feeling he may be wearing his red cape some in the near future!

Cargoman before going to Grandma and Grandpa's

Pumpkins in jail. The big one is Griffin's (if you look at last week's post with photos of the pumpkin patch, you'll begin to recognize his love of big pumpkins.)

Happy Cargoman after trick or treating!

He says he wants to be a witch next Halloween, but I think I'll wait before making the costume, since it might just be possible that he changes his mind in the next 364 days.

Pre-Halloween Weekend Craziness

2009-10-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

We had an amazingly busy but fun time this past weekend. Evidence below:

Griffin's first tennis class, courtesy of Grandma's great suggestion!

Griffin's first bumper car ride at the Seattle Center, courtesy of his friend Quin's birthday.

A muddy trip to the South 47 pumpkin patch (Griffin got a pumpkin about the size of the one he is standing next to, and Doug and I are arguing over who has to scoop it out - I vote for Grandpa!)

Griffin is contemplating all the pumpkins he didn't pick, that are feeling lonely and left out. (Or he's looking for the boot he lost in the mud for a few minutes.)

Memories of Summer

2009-10-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to finish scanning some of Griffin's amazing artwork he has produced lately, but until I do that, here are some photos of Griffin's first swim since he was a baby. Hopefully this will all make us think of summer and how warm we were then! The life vest makes a huge difference in his comfort level!

Garden happenings

2009-08-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

We will post photos from our fabulous trip to Saturna Island, BC, soon, but Griffin and I had a gardening day yesterday that we wanted to share. We went to the South 47 Farm in Redmond where we learned about spiders, had a hayride, and picked carrots, which Griffin immediately washed and ate!

We then visited our garden after a few days away and found lots of tomatoes ready to pick and eat. Our lettuce is growing well, too!

Griffin enjoyed one of the tomatoes straight from the garden when we got home.

Midsummer's Garden

2009-08-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of our pea patch garden, much changed since last May!

One cherry tomato, ready to be picked!

One tomato picker, ready to eat his long-awaited tomato!

Another tomato almost ready for us!

Lettuce is starting to show up and the sugar snap peas are holding themselves up in the background.

Corn and sugar snap peas.

The sugar snap peas were pulled up this week, and we have planted more lettuce, radishes, and carrots, hoping we can get a crop in by early fall. We'll see. This whole garden is one big experiment for Griffin and me, and we're really enjoying it, no matter what thrives and what fails.

California Trip, Part 2

2009-07-19T14:43:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more photos taken by Griffin, or taken of Griffin, during our trip.

Cousins Nadja, Lisa and Emma and Aunt Jan on the train at Traintown in Sonoma.

Griffin and Emma on the train

Griffin and Emma playing bocce at Nadja and Greg's house.

Griffin at the NASA/Snoopy exhibit at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa

Charlie Brown and Griffin

Griffin's photo of the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge

Daddy and Griffin playing happy tourists at Fisherman's Wharf

Griffin and a cable car!

Daddy and Griffin on the Powell & Hyde cable car

The artist at work

Griffin's first California trip pictures

2009-07-09T16:22:00.001-07:00

Griffin has taken over 200 photos on his camera so far, approximately 167 of them are from his seat in the car, trying to catch a passing truck going the other way. Needless to say, that is not very successful. However, he has captured a few nice shots and many of the scenery beyond the freeway. Here is the first set!

Mommy and Daddy at the Mt. St. Helens Visitors Center

flowers at Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center

Mt. St. Helens (in the clouds between the trees - see it?)

lilypads

tractor-trailer

cows (in the lower left corner)

three-trailer big rig

Some recent events

2009-07-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

With the end of school for both Griffin and me, I haven't been great about updating our blog. What I really need to do is take a photo of our garden, which looks very different from the May photo! We harvested fava beans and sugar snap peas last week, and have a few green tomatoes which should be waiting for us when we return from California!

Recent events in Griffin's life:

Hugging an elephant at the Woodland Park Zoo

Feeding a horse!

Making sure the grass is cut just right, while being supervised by the horse.

The Gorge!

Pea Patch Garden

2009-05-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

We are lucky to have a half of a garden space at Griffin's school this year, along with other parents, classrooms and community members who have plots alongside. The students have fun seeing the garden spaces as they move around the school grounds. Griffin and I stop by after school to water and weed at least three times a week.

So far we have tomatoes, corn, lettuce, fava beans, sugar snap peas, pumpkins, basil and flowers we planted last fall that have been blooming over the past month. Crops that have failed (so far): rosemary, radishes and rhubarb (strange, they all start with the letter R!). We have five tomato plants, three of which we started from seeds, so it will be an interesting experiment to see how all of them do.

Here are some less-than-perfect photos for now (I had to use my phone's camera, which is not up-to-date with the latest technology). More to come as our plants bloom and grow!

sign by the garden

fava beans, garlic, and tomatoes in back

pumpkin

our HUGE tulip, almost three feet tall!

University StreetFair

2009-05-23T16:12:00.001-07:00

Is there anything else to say?

Early morning conversation

2009-05-09T07:24:00.001-07:00

Griffin: Mommy, do you know something really important? When we eat strawberries at school for snack we have to have our tummies up against the table, because if you drop the strawberries they can sting your shirt. You have to be really brave to eat strawberries.

Mommy: I think your teachers meant that the strawberries can STAIN your shirt, not sting you.

Griffin: Oh.

4-year-old art

2009-04-24T20:11:00.001-07:00

an upside down pear

Griffin's first written alphabet

Griffin self-portrait

Easter with Cousin Thad

2009-04-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

Checking out Thad's toys:

Playing ball:

Playing boats:Enjoying brunch:

And, of course, finding lots of eggs!

(Thad says: "This one's ticking!")

Seattle!

2009-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break we also visited Seattle Center. Griffin's favorite thing to do was ride the monorail. He was a little hesitant about going up in the Space Needle at first, but was glad that he did. (Me, too. I hadn't ever gone up there.)

A little video of Griffin on the monorail...
PS: the answer to his question at the end of this clip is "The Experience Music Project"

And we of course had to visit the Fun Forest while we were there...

Good times!

"I'm Griffin" by Blues Harpin' Griff

2009-04-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Spring Break! Imagine Children's Museum

2009-04-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

We started in the farm area, where Griffin got to drive a tractor and milk a cow!The we moved on to the "water area", where Griffin had a lot of fun giving toy whales and dolphins a bath.

We then made our way to the roof, where Griffin dug for dinosaur bones and played a little chess (and we caught a great view of Sully's office, the Abraham Lincoln!)

Finally, we were both tired and hungry, so Griffin commandeered a bus and drove us home.

The incredible shrinking otter

2009-04-01T15:12:00.001-07:00

Griffin Woods

2009-03-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Quotes!

2009-03-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Two gems for this week:

Griffin: "I don't want patience! I want it NOW!!!"

and!

Daddy: "Mommy and I have been married for seven years."
Griffin: "Why?"

Griffin being mad

2008-11-19T17:53:00.001-08:00

"Say you're sorry, Mommy. If you don't say you're sorry, I won't be anybody's friend. I'll just be alive by myself."

Home sick

2008-10-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Griffin and I have been home together for three days, with Griffin having an early version of the flu (I think), and though we're a little tired of each other, there have been a few funny moments.

Griffin loves to play games on my laptop, preschool-level games for counting, alphabet practice, animal sounds, etc., and he's now generalizing that to other things. He's playing a game right now where he has several cars and trucks on his table and he says, "Click on the car that is different from the other cars." or "Click on the car that is tired." A whole new language for this generation!

His favorite word right now is "Sure!" when you ask him to do something or if he is all right. It's even more cute because his voice is very hoarse right now.

We've had little sleep this week because Griffin is having nightmares due to his fever. We (well, Griffin) slept in three places last night: the living room floor in a sleeping bag, the bed in the master bedroom, and the couch (together, that was interesting). I'm hopeful that things will get better so we can go to school at least one more day this week.

More language fun

2008-09-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Griffin talking about a teacher at his new school:

"And she's my favoritest teacher I ever knew in the whole world!"

Deep Thoughts With Griffin

2008-09-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today at Griffin's PreK class, the theme was "What Do You Want to Be?"

The teacher (wonderful, fabulous Mrs. L) asked all the kids what they wanted to be. I'm sure many said firefighter, doctor and teacher.

Three and a half year old Griffin said, "Four."

At least he sets attainable goals for himself so he can feel good when he achieves them!

End of Summer

2008-08-24T20:48:00.001-07:00

We've had a fun summer with lots of adventures. Taking a three-year-old around is definitely easier than a two-year-old! We took a lot of field trips and explored Seattle and the surrounding area. Some of the fun places we went:

A farm
The zoo
Many parks (City Park in Edmonds is a favorite, but there are lots of others)
Saturna Island in Canada
Spokane (twice!)
Odyssey Maritime Museum
The aquarium
The waterfront
Mommy's school
Foster Island

We did more, but we just can't remember because there were so many things to do! We still have some things on our list for the fall, including the Pacific Science Center, the Imagine Children's Museum, Jetty Island, taking a ferry to Kingston, and the Ballard locks. There's never enough time to do it all! We'll post some photos of Saturna Island very soon.

New favorite question

2008-08-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Do cars have bones?"

Griffin's Morning at a Farm

2008-07-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

Bedtime conversation

2008-06-06T21:08:00.001-07:00

Griffin (coming to say goodnight on his way to bed): Mommy, why I am always hugging Mommy? (yes, "I" and "am" were in that exact order)

Mommy: I don't know, because you love me? Why am I always hugging Griffin?

Griffin: Because I'm here!

Preschool photos

2008-05-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Griffin loves his co-op preschool one night a week. We love to watch him interact with the other children and all the creative things they can do. There are sensory tables, dress-up clothes, a turtle and guinea pigs to watch, a kitchen area, doctor paraphernalia, an exercise room, cars and bikes to ride, trains and cars to play with, etc. The fun never stops! He is sad when we leave every week and gives his teacher Cathy a big hug before he goes home.

Here is Griffin playing in the sensory tub with flax seeds and lots of fun things, including sharks, grinders, bulldozers, etc.:

Griffin likes to dress up as a firefighter and pretend to put out fires with the rope hose. There's a North City Fire Dept. firetruck to drive to the fire, too!

Recent photos

2008-04-09T20:33:00.001-07:00

Look what the Easter Bunny brought me!

Griffin and puppy composing their first novel.

The next great writer, look out Shakespeare!

Third Year Stats

2008-03-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Griffin had his three-year-old appointment with the pediatrician last week (only one shot needed, thank goodness!) and the stats are impressive:

39 inches tall (85th percentile)
35.8 pounds (85th percentile)

The doctor said he's nothing if not consistent!

Speaking of doctors, today seems to be the impending birthday of Griffin's new cousin, so keep your eyes peeled for photos of the newest family member soon!

Piles of snow in Spokane!

2008-02-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

They weren't kidding when they said Spokane was under multiple feet of snow. It has been melting for days, evidently, and still 2+ feet exists in the yards. Griffin had a lot of fun, but couldn't make a snowman because it was so packed down, so he and Daddy pretended to make a snowman.

Also, here is Griffin standing in a hole in the snow:

Spokane-bound commentary

2008-02-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Scene: Sitting in a McDonald's in Ellensburg, Washington, where we are just glad to have made it out of Seattle at rush hour in something less than two hours.

Griffin: Mommy, do you have a booger?
Mommy: What?!?!? (thinking he has learned a new word at preschool, but also thinking it could be worse.)
Griffin: Do you have a booger?
Mommy: (thinking a bit before answering) A booger?
Griffin: (looking at Mommy's food) Yes, do you have a cheesebooger?
Mommy: (relieved) Why, yes, yes I do have a cheesebooger!

The fun never stops.

3 or 13?

2008-02-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

Griffin is playing with his motorcycles with Daddy and having a wonderful time, but suddenly starts doing the "potty dance." We ask if he needs to go, but he's having so much fun that he keeps saying, "I don't want to go potty!" over and over.

Finally he picks up his puppy and says, in a very sarcastic voice,"Fine," and walks off downstairs, where instead of going to the bathroom he goes into his room and closes the door. When Doug goes to check on him, Griffin repeats, "Fine," and folds his arms and turns his back on Doug.

If this is 3 years old, what are we in for in 2017?

Griffin's 3rd Birthday

2008-01-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from Griffin's birthday, both his party at Grandma and Grandpa's house a few days before and from his birthday itself.

Shopaholic

2008-01-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Griffin is such a great shopper! He loves to push the little cart around at our neighborhood grocery store, and the people there know him by his long eyelashes. When I noted what he had in this cart, a friend kindly said that she knew he was just comparing the national brand of chips to locally grown, organic chips.

Rough winter again

2007-12-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

Here's another photo from our last snowfall, and then it snowed again today! I'm not sure what's going on, but this is not the Seattle weather I remember. We've lost our power twice in one week, too. Griffin doesn't seem to care, he gets to carry around a light stick or a flashlight when the lights go out. Cheap fun!

Inspired by Griffin's new cousin

2007-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Since Jen has started a blog for the new baby (who hasn't arrived yet but already has a blog!) I feel like we should update the Grifflog to keep up. To start, here's a photo of him from a month or so ago. He just looks so much older in this particular photo!

Snow Again!

2007-01-11T11:39:00.001-08:00

Can we just get a break from this weather already? No school again today, our fourth day this year between the last snowstorm and the windstorm.

100_2115.JPG
Originally uploaded by joannacf.

Christmas Night

2007-01-11T11:38:00.001-08:00

This is where we spent Christmas night - if you can't tell, we're in a hospital room at Children's Hospital. Griffin tripped and hit his head and needed to be checked out.

After a couple of hours and some glue, his head was almost as good as new. The bottom photo is one from a day ago, showing the mark that remains for now. We'll hope it will fade, but it will always be a reminder of Griffin's second Christmas!

2006-12-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

Griffin shows Beppa how to find the Grifflog.

Snow!

2006-11-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

Griffin went out to experience snow for the first time on Sunday. He liked it!

Cornucopia of Veggies

2006-11-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

We are thankful for so much this holiday season, but most of all for Griffin, who constantly amuses, amazes, enlightens, and frustrates us. He painted the wonderful vegetables in the cornucopia at daycare last week.

He will undoubtedly eat only mashed potatoes and bread on Thanksgiving, avoiding the meat and stuffing and cranberries. But he will have fun with his "Bapa" and Grandma and "Bear" the Bernese Mountain Dog, while missing his Beppa and Papa, Aunt B, and Brayden, along with everyone else who won't be with us this holiday.

We'll look forward to seeing as many of our friends and relatives as possible over the Christmas holidays. Plus, it's only 54 days until Griffin's 2nd birthday!

Griffin's Lego explorations

2006-11-22T13:33:00.000-08:00

Griffin loves his Legos. He builds towers (as seen below), lines them up neatly, names the colors, and then stacks them on top of each other - lengthwise! When they fall he says, "Oh nooooooo!" and laughs.

Griffin's Tower

2006-11-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

I think Griffin's going to be an architect in the Frank Gehry mold.

Chalk Art

2006-11-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

At Griffin's preschool they do all kinds of art, not just painting and gluing. This is chalk art, where Griffin had a piece of paper with glue on it and then he rubbed chalk on a screen just above the paper so the chalk sifted down in patterns.

Owl Art

2006-11-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Another art masterpiece, with the eyes almost in the right place, done at preschool a few weeks ago. Notice that his name, near the bottom on the left side, is painted over. Griffin usually colors or paints over his name if you write it on while he's working. He doesn't want anything to interfere with his artistic endeavors!

This is another example of his stabbing technique with the paintbrush. Look out Seurat!

Pumpkin Art

2006-11-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

Some more recent artwork from the enthusiastic artist. Enjoy his Halloween pumpkin painted at preschool a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure if he had more paint on the paper or on his shirt. His technique is one of pointillism, or poking at the paper.

Look what my Aunt B taught me to do!

2006-11-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

Griffin and Aunt Brenda had a blast balancing spoons on their faces at a wedding we attended recently. You'd never know there was any age difference at all between them.

She also taught him the sign for "football" so be sure to ask him the next time you see him!

A list of things Griffin says before bed.

2006-11-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

"Bye-Bye Mommy...
Bye-Bye Daddy...
Bye-Bye Ella...
Bye-Bye Es...
Bye-Bye Gun... (this is what he calls our cat "Gwen"... we don't own a gun)
Bye-Bye Pooh...
Bye-Bye Colors... (his crayons)
Bye-Bye Bear...
Bye-Bye Puppy...
Bye-Bye Water...
Bye-Bye Bath..."

"Ok Griffin, it's bedtime."

"No."

Every week is different!

2006-11-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

Griffin had a busy week. It takes a lot of energy to refuse to wear your Halloween costume multiple times! So, we don't have any photos of Griffin the Lion to share with you, though he will say "Rrrraahhh!" if you ask him what a lion says. I guess that's enough. Maybe he'll wear it in February and we can show him off then.

He's taking a nap now because he's sick. He even asks for a "Nap!" when he's tired. It's just the times when he isn't tired and you say, "Bed?" and he says "Noooo..." in his cute little voice that drive everyone nuts.

Since it's raining today, we'll have to find something inside to do. Maybe we'll go visit Ba-pa and Grandma and Little Bear and Griffin can count the wooden coasters for 15 minutes.

Alphabet Bus

2006-10-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

ABCs

2006-10-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

At the Playground

2006-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

The first post

2006-10-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Events and milestones happen so quickly in Griffin's life, we wanted to document them for friends and family to see.