Getting Bigger!

Today, I weeded through T's things and yes, we are slim picking now when it comes to clothes!  I think he is hitting another growth spurt and well we have got to go clothes shopping pretty soon!  We will find how much T actually weighs even though we believe he is near 33 lbs. or something!  Now being 16 mo. he is quite a stinker!  He doesn't like to be scolded (mommy says to look in her eyes) and if I am not careful to hold his hands he swats my face!  Then it becomes no hit... well you get the picture!  Anyway, he is now taking the kitchen chairs and dragging them around the kitchen to climb onto them.  He likes to perch now on them and see what food is still on the table, or help with mommy to do dishes or to see where else he can access with the chair.  Here is a picture of T helping mommy with the dishes...

Now with T on the run... we would like to report that now there is no telling what sort of mischief we will discover!  We have found a whole role of toliet paper in the toliet, as well as a towel.  T found my earplugs and well, he walks around with them and tries to put them in his ears.  Disgusting!  Hope you all had a Great Christmas! 

December Nights

Good 'ol San Diego has such wonderful activities for the family, we love it!  Mid December, there is a festival complete with carnival rides, lights, LOADS of food from around the world, singing with Jr. theater companies and senior centers and such, lights and well we took T this year and had a ball!  We walked from our house, THANK GOODNESS!  The parking and the traffic was Too Crazy!!!  We ended up eating some Palestinian food which I rather liked and so did T!  Then we had some fish and chips before we left.  They had plenty of rides, but T was content to just watch the other screaming kiddos since he was still too young for any of them!  I guess we will have to be ready to shell out our money for these soon enough, right?!  This is what really started the season for us!  We loved it!  

Who needs toys when I got this?!

"Really, my life just revolves around food!  Looks like I can make use of this box, which I will see if there remains any crumbs... hmm, bummer... I think I will put this food box on my head!" says T.  He is quite a funny guy, with such an imagination!  Who would of thought that the boxes that were meant to be recycled can just be recycled right into the toy bin!  Amazing!  We ended up playing with this box all day!  Really, I think all boxes T likes to put on his head or sit in or hide in!  And, the best part is, we constantly have boxes around!  Really, who needs toys when we have these?  

Why don't friends with kids have time?

Just wanted to share a great, I mean GREAT read with all of you!  I thought it was pretty right on!  Hope you enjoy it!  Double click on the article to zoom in and read it.

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Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!  Just wanted you to know how much we love  you!  I wish I was there so I could bake you a cake!  Kisses and hugs!  

Look at this!

Found these pictures that were taken last February.  This was a cute little outfit that Grandma Kim bought for Valentines Day.  T was so big and round that we had to dress him in big clothes.  We still have to dress him in bigger clothes due to his big behind and thighs, but now he is getting taller and well just look for yourself at the difference.  Hope you like them!

What a big help!

Mommies little helper, he is!  We needed a play area for T, so we bought some gates and hosed off our front side patio.  Every time it rains it gets real muddy and the beds spill out onto the sidewalk.  We put up a patio shelving unit so that all of his trucks, cars and buckets could be put up.  We have a shopping cart and a radio flyer car parked on either side and well he has got all that any boy would love!  Well, you can imagine the thrill of all this can't you!  Instead, T doesn't want to play with it he would rather write in the mud with his fingers, sweep like mommy does, hold the dust pan and carry it everywhere, um...  well, you get the point.  I don't remember how it got all over his face though.  We have a mirror that we pegged up on the wall and he loved looking at himself muddy!  He always enjoys looking at himself, but this was truly funny!  We let him get so dirty that by the end of the afternoon he looked like "Pigpen" from Charlie Brown.  Luckily, he loves baths and spent a good amount of time in there soaking!  He is 100% boy and we love it!  Today, at the park he chased squirrels and carried his snack tray around sure to get every last morsel of pretzel that I crammed in the snack cup.  What I didn't realize was that he wasn't chasing the squirrel but trying to get acquainted with it!  Once I really watched the whole scene, he was walking after the creature waving at it!  I couldn't have laughed more!  He is so funny!  Just wanted to share the moment with you!  

Taylor likes mommy's boots!

Already a ham!  Just thought you might enjoy seeing these silly pictures!  If I leave these out anywhere, he will bring them to me and squeal until I help him put them on so he can walk or dance in them.  

This will surely make you laugh!

Click on the title of this post to see a short video called "THE DOG HOUSE" it is a link... it is hysterical!!!  

Late but Great!

Happy late Halloween!  Just wanted to post these funny pictures!  Yes there are more, but I have still got to edit them!  We had a blast at the pumpkin patch but we left without a pumpkin due to the fact that we don't have tricker treaters and well, what was T going to do with a huge pumpkin at his age?  He did get to see some ducks, geese, ostrich, pigs, goats and the like!  He loved all of that!  We took a hay ride, T had his first snow cone.  Oh we had a gooooood time!  Fun memories!  

Hollywood Siting's here in San Diego!

Barry Williams with costar.

Today, Grandpa Tibbs came into town on the way home from working out in the desert.  Since everyone was in the mood for relaxed atmosphere and football games, we went out to the Carl Strauss Brewery downtown.  Great timing on our part!  As soon as we ordered in walked the Brady clan!  Greg and Peter Brady with their women!  Okay, so I googled and found their real names: Barry Williams was Greg Brady; Christopher Knight was Peter Brady and then Christophers wife is Adrianne Curry the winner of the first season of America's Next Top Model. 

Adrianne Curry from America's Next Top Model with her hubby Christopher Knight from the Brady Bunch.

Seize the day!

So much is always going on here, but I digress-  There is a poor little hummingbird stuck in my kitchen and I don't know what to do.  All of the windows and doors are open and well, the thing is scared to death.  Any ideas?  I don't think I own anything that would lure the thing out.  Again, HELP!  Thank goodness T is asleep and is no longer running around grunting at the bird.  I think just being in there spooked him (the bird).

Tonight is going to be a great night, I am making ribs and they are slow cooking in the crockpot and well you know how when you walk in and you are hungry to eat whatever it is that is cooking because the smell leads you to believe it is done and ready to be eaten even though it has a couple more hours.  (Breath)  I will have to do nothing tonight really for dinner!  Sweet!  Then I go for moms night out.  We are doing this with our Stroller Strides group and they are bringing venders so if we want to do Christmas shopping.  Or there is wine or we can just socialize oh and eat!  We will also be getting crafty this time and apparently one of the ladies is bringing beads and things so we can make our own wine charms or so I heard.  The idea was we could bring crafts to make for Christmas.  I am not very crafty, sigh- we shall see.  Anyway, you all have a good day where ever you are

15 Months Today!

If only he could hold a peace sign up or say 'peace out dude'-  This was actually taken yesterday morning before we went out to Del Mar for a day of surfing and sand.  No wait, it was Saturday.  I must be really tired.  Anyway, T loves to wear his dad's hat and he loves to sport his sunglasses if he knows you are checking him out!  Already soaking up the attention!  If he hadn't seen that we were going to snap a picture he would have bolted down the walkway toward the front house to see if the cat or dog were out to play.  (Play meaning:  T chasing the animals who are scared to death of people!)  If you can't tell, it is still nice and sunny here in San Diego.  It doesn't really feel like November.  We are lucky though that we have not been hit by fires.  We are good and safe here.  Happy and healthy.  

Mommy hang out at the Science Center

Seated from left to right:  Christina, Jessica, Brianne, & me

We always are looking for great places to hang out and let the kids go wild.  We love going here because it is air-conditioned and the kids have everything from blocks to shopping carts to phone booths to learning toys.  Oh and lest I forget computer stations.  We got a season pass and go pretty frequently so that T can meet other kids and get out of the house away from his toys since his toys are only interesting if someone else is playing with them.  We haven't been to the zoo in a while and have been targeting places where T can explore and walk and climb since that is what he likes to do best.  I hope to get some pics of T at the park soon.   Stay tuned.

Trying to keep everyone updated!

Hello all,

  Seems like the time goes by so fast and I am behind, behind, behind in getting pictures and updates out!  Lately, I haven't been at the computer much because well, first we got this nasty virus on the computer which had a major impact on most of our software.  Warning!!!  We got this virus through Facebook.  Caution to all of you Facebook users.  Anyway, we were out a computer for a couple of days and miserable so we went out and bought a brand new Mac computer.  Now all of our problems are solved!  It is great!  We are getting schooled on how to use some of the programs that we are unfamiliar with by all of our friends.  It is great with blogging and email and keeping Casey and I organized!  I hope to put together better blog entries and well, I am still playing with the applications so give me time.  Anywho, with the new Mac, we are anxious to start chatting with friends and family using our web-cam.  If you have an AOL account I think we can chat with you so hopefully we will get that going soon too.  

  Casey, has a new job.  He is so super busy that he comes home later and is surprisingly more tired than when he was training physically for the Paralympics!  He loves what he is doing to so that is wonderful to hear updates from him about all of the things he is doing.  Officially, he is the go-to-guy at the hospital for the Disabled Warrior Athlete Program.  He leaves the house every morning while it is still dark and rides his bike to work.  He is always setting up meetings with and coordinating field activities with the guys at the hospital.  He routinely participates in some of the activities set up for the veterans like surfing, spin class, kayaking, golf, running, wheel chair basketball and so on.  He loves all of that!  He will be participating in a 5K this week with the hospital and hopefully T and I will be participating too!  Casey is really networking and meeting a lot of people in the disabled world/adaptive sports arena.  I will update you more as I come to a greater understanding of Casey's role in the program.  

  T is 15 months on Monday.  He is walking and wants so much independence it is funny!  We laugh at our Stroller Strides exercise class about not being a blanket mom anymore.  I am now required to have my cell phone or a walkie-talkie in order to have any conversations since I have to chase after T and tell him not to get to close to that squirrel or don't climb on that or here go climb on that but give mommy your hand...  T is still in cloth diapers and so there is more of an effort now days with trying to keep him dry at night since he drinks so much bath water at night right before bed.  We have recently purchased a kid seat for him to sit on the potty right before bed.  He doesn't pee every time on it but if he pees, great and it is less pee in the diaper.  He signs to Casey and I and loves it when we understand what he is saying.  He now signs:  Please, thank you, water, juice, hungry, eat, bath, cracker, all done, up, down, more, daddy, brush teeth, airplane, home, car, drive, muscles "guns", milk, and play.  He can say cracker but only if we have said it first because he has signed it.  We love it as do all of the other moms because now we can socialize with the kids and they are less frustrated.   

Happy Halloween

Yes, just a little late, but we had a computer malfunction and our computer died.  Not an easy thing to live with, considering we live for our computer-sad but true- but check out the picture of T in his costume.  Let's see if you can guess what he is?  

Monterey

This was the second family photo, but while we posed for the first, T was on my back and I hadn't realized that I was blocking him, oops!
T had a blast! They had great viewing areas where he could just stand for hours. We of course wanted to see everything and let T get the whole experience so we took him to the exhibits where you feel everything. The water was so super cold but T didn't mind! They even had costumes and slides and a toddler water bed thing to experience the wave of the water.
After the Aquarium, we rode our bikes for a while since T was so tired. Once he woke up, we took him to see the sea lions. He could have hung out here for a long time, so could mommy, but we had to change and figure out what we were going to do for dinner. I can't remember if this was the evening we had wonderful calamari or chowder bowls. Whichever was accompanied by wine and wonderful family time again!
We took T to experience a little of Carmel. Beaches here are incredible! In the distance you could see Pebble Beach and of course Case started dreaming of golf! We also wished we had a dog to let T chase and throw balls to, since we don't have a dog, T admired another family close by who had boys wrestling with their dog and throwing a ball back and forth. Too cute!

Trip to Universal Studios

Oh boy! Curious George! He posed with Casey and T too as did Marilyn Monroe and some other figures parading through our group. I could have probably added more pictures of all the various things here but I have decided to just give the highlights.
Olympians and Paralympians were invited to celebrate their accomplishments with a gathering here at Universal Studios with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here Casey is called to the stage and stands in front of an enormous flag while the remaining athletes come to be honored with a speech given to congratulate them on their tremendous accomplishments.
Here T is staring down the hole of a water spout, eventually he gets it right in the face! He already played with his dad on the slide and in the dry play area. Before we left, we just had to let him cool off here, it was SO HOT! The rest of the Curious George play area was a mass of water fun for older kids so either way, he was bound to get wet. Most of the kids were in this area in their bathing suits... We didn't know.
T is sick at this point, unbeknownst to us. He posed with Dora and immediatly after we walked out of the park and he was crying. We just thought he was tired from a long day, but no sooner did I buckle him into the carseat did he ralph everywhere. That was our first puke experience and unfortunately not our last. We stayed at a great hotel nearby so it was perfect and we had some great pina coladas at a nearby resturant that evening. T recovered obviously and acted fine after he napped. We had so much fun in Los Angelas! Really, even though it was hot, we had great times and were relaxing as a family!

It is a steal!

Casey Tibbs, Jerome Singleton Jr., Brian Frasure, and Jim Bob Bizzell show they are the strongest! Can I get this one framed? Wow!
Here are some of the latest photos from Beijing. The men's 4x100 meter relay team secures Gold setting a World Record at 42.75 seconds. They were followed by Brazil 2nd (45.25) and Australia 3rd (45.80). Congratulations team! We can't wait for you to come home!

Here are some great photos of Casey!

Wow! You have got to check out these photos of Casey, they are fantastic! To bad there is a copyright on all of this material! Bummer! Okay folks, here is another link to watch some Paralympic footage. http://www.paralympicsport.tv/ Apparently, at GMT plus 8 hours equals 11am somewhere and that is the time that they will be airing track and field LIVE. Today I watched some great wheelchair tennis! It was good watching!
If anyone is confused on how to view the pictures, click on the title of this posting.

Casey gets a Personal Record

Casey sets a Personal Record for himself in the Men's Long Jump during the Pentathlon event. He jumped 6 feet .76 meters. He jumped furthest out of all the other competitors. Way to go babe!

Hi Daddy, we miss you!

Hi daddy! This is meant for you! Taylor can't tell you on the phone that he loves and misses you, but I wanted you to know that he knows who you are and gives you kisses! That's your big boy! We love you babe! Taylor and I both wish you the best of luck! Go for the Gold!

-In other news, Taylor's one year old Dr. visit went well! He weighs 28 lbs. 6 oz. (almost 30 lbs.) this is only 97% so that is encouraging! He is not off the charts anymore! He only measured 30 inches or so she says and that is in the 75%. We proudly say our kid is just right! He got some shots today and screamed while I held him in my lap. But everything was fine after the nurse who administered them left the room. Before the visit Taylor made a friend with a 6 year old boy, sadly I already misplaced his name. But Taylor first wanted to play just with his Incredible hulk doll. Then, to my surprise, Taylor was trying to climb into this boys arms. He wanted the boy to hold him in his lap. The mother of the little boy was so moved at how cute and cuddly Taylor was and how affecionate Taylor was being with one of her sons. She and I both giggled. I think the 6 year old was over the moon! Anyway, once Taylor was finished getting his shot and the nurse left the door opened, the little boy came to the door and asked me if it was Taylor whom he had heard crying. I answered yes (with Taylor in my arms, with tears running down his cheeks) and as soon as Taylor saw that same little boy he leaned out of my arms and tried so desperately to have that 6 year old boy hold him. The mother was there at the door watching her son and well, again, it was the cutest thing! It made for a great Dr.'s visit! The only thing that the Dr. said about Taylor was that we should start to put shoes on his feet but put the Left shoe on the right foot and so on. This would help to correct his feet a little bit for now. In time, since he is still not walking they should correct themselves. But we will have to wait until that time that he is walking for the bones and weight that he bears down on the ankle and foot bones. We go in for another appointment at 15 months.

To catch live coverage of the Paralympic games, go to this website: http://www.universalsports.com/

Tomorrow morning, at 8am will be the opening ceremonies... I think that it said coverage for Track and Field events begins Sept. 9. Stay tuned! Thanks all of you for your support.

Check out Casey's blog!

I just want to give a shout-out to my amazing hubby! He is in Beijing now, as most of you know and Opening Ceremonies start this Saturday for the Paralympic Games. Casey is participating in the Pentathlon (shot-put, discus, long jump, 100m, and 400m sprints) as well as the individual events and quiet possibly some relay runs. I partially wish I could be there to support him! I miss him very much! Check out his blog and photos as well as stats at: http://casey-tibbs.com/

This picture is from Athen's, Greece 2004 at his first Paralympics. He took silver in the Pentathlon and missed gold by a couple 100ths of a second. Bummer...

Good luck, Casey!

In Grandma's water fountain

Today, well, first we got wet at the lake, which meant we got sand everywhere! Now, in the back yard we got wet and potting soil got everywhere. My mom was watering her plants and well, Taylor got hosed off and loved everybit of it, but we still ended up in the bath later, so it was just fun fun fun for Taylor!

Bass Lake

We had so much fun up here at the lake! My dad had a job to do so he dropped us off to play down by the water. We snuck into a resort and asked where beach access was and a lady told me to spread my blanket next to the fire-pit, where there were some lounge chairs to boot! Taylor really didn't stay much on the blanket and I didn't lounge much but we played in the water none the less (yes, in a regular diaper... it absorbed all of the lake water! I should've had him naked!) Taylor loved when a boat crossed then we would jump the wake and splash! He just loves the water!

What will I do when he breaks the tusk?

Hey this is cool! I love the view from up here! It is awesome! What is this thing?

Oh, I get it you hang from these! I love it! Am I supposed to get down? I don't want to get down! NOOOOOO! I don't want to get down! (It was a bit difficult pulling him off!)

Birthday-Anniversary Dinner

Mom says they planned it, but anyway, I was born on my grandparents anniversary! What a special day for us all!
Taylor wanted to be held! Of course, so for the time being, up on top had to work!
A little more flattering of me, I guess!
Taylor loves being up high! He later turned around and grabbed the elephant tusk and wouldn't let go. Check out the later post.