Capitol Hill Christmas Tree

This afternoon we ventured downtown to show Henry where the lame-duck Congress recently drafted and passed the historic bipartisan tax legislation. More importantly, there's a gigantic Christmas tree from Wyoming that's bedecked with all types of ornaments made by young Wyomingites. Given that our little man stands less than two feet tall, it was difficult to capture a perfect shot of him near the enormous tree. Nevertheless we documented the occasion as well as we could:


The wind was fierce, and H's hair shows that.





The sign indicated that the tree was 68 years young and had traveled thousands of miles from the Bridger-Teton Forest in Wyoming.

After braving the cold weather for twenty minutes on the Hill, we rewarded ourselves with Mexican food:

Merry Christmas, Ducklings!

Today was the Duckling's Christmas Party. As you can see, they partied hard by eating a variety of snacks and stealing food from one another. I didn't realize until I looked at the pictures that Sabine, the lovely girl to Henry's left in the pictures, stole Henry's brownie! Not to brag but they were dang good brownies. I guess you can tell that they were my (Lori) contribution to the party. A good time was had by all.

Bed Time

I snapped a few random shots of Henry right before he went to sleep this evening. Eight days separate H man from spending a week of quality time with all of our family in the first state that let women vote. If Wyoming could have pushed fast-forward to witness Nancy Pelosi, I think they would have reconsidered the decision to let chicks near the polls. Politics aside, we're getting excited for a guaranteed white mogul-filled Christmas.







Hands-free device:

He picked this up in Oklahoma:

He was clapping here:

Riveting Footage

Ready for Turkey

Henry was sporting his turkey shirt last weekend in preparation for Turkey Day. I'm not exactly sure how he is going to fit turkey and all the fixins into that belly but I'm sure he'll manage. The top picture is of a proud Henry after he drank OJ out of a "big boy cup" for the first time.

13 months and counting

Henry had his seventy-eighth doctor's visit recently, and he's right on track in all major growth and development categories. The doctor must have been too busy to notice what is apparent in the pictures that follow. Most human beings with stomachs like this have a hard time avoiding constant face-plants, but Henry defies gravity, while holding shoes.


All ready for school pictures:

Hween

The above picture shows Henry near the playhouse in the basement of his daycare.

Mr. Giraffe and mother:

The view from lori's office window:

Field Trip

Last Friday, Henry's "school" enjoyed a field trip to a northern Virginia petting zoo, where the kids (and parents) braved the brisk fall weather to view pigs, ducks and a boatload of pumpkins. The kids capped the day off with a hay ride, the evidence of which is still scattered around our house... a full four days after the event. I'm in the process of convincing Henry that the vacuum is really just a very loud toy. We think this strategy will aid the clean-up effort.

Speaking of our vacuum, I need to brag for a second. Right now I'm using what I believe to be the last Hoover vacuum bag from a package of three that I purchased in Winston-Salem circa 2001. When the bag has filled over the years, I've simply detached it from the machine, removed the dust and lint by hand, and replaced the bag. Unfortunately the bags tend to deteriorate after ten or twelve cycles, but by doing this, I've managed to save probably $3.98 over the last nine year period. That's almost one Starbucks vanilla latte in today's money. Stay tuned for other money saving tips.


He's got exactly 3 and 3/8 teeth as of 10/25/10:



The caboose shot cracks me up. He looks like he doesn't know where to begin.

And...He's Off

Henry is officially walking. And by walking I mean, walking a few steps and falling down and repeating that scenario over and over and over and over and you get my drift. Here are some action shots of him walking and tackling the stairs. Watch out, World!

Henry and the Alligators

Happy Birthday Henry!

It's hard to believe it's been a year since our baby boy was born. What a crazy and wonderful year it has been. Today we celebrated Henry's birthday a bit early with a small get-together. As you can see, blowing out the candles was lost on him but he enjoyed the cake especially smearing blue icing all over his face.


Henry loves his birthday gift from his Mom and Dad, an alligator walker.

Aunt Kathleen Comes to Town

Aunt Kathleen came to DC for a visit this weekend and we had loads of fun. Henry had another set of hands to help him practice his walking skills. Also he got to show her our new house. Come visit soon. No more sleeping on the fold-out couch or rooming with the little guy.

Okay, that's not our new house. We wish. That house belonged to Marjorie Merriweather Post and is now a museum with a ton of French and Russian art.

Linden and Front Royal, VA

This weekend Henry visited his first winery, saw his first deer, and topped off the weekend with the Beekman Place fall picnic. Here's a shot from Linden:


Henry at Linden:



Back at the cabin after touring Linden:

Check out Bambi in the background:


Moose pajamas from Oma:

Pseudo-mullet and moose pajamas from the back:

Pooped after the drive home from Virginia:

Beekman picnic:

Great Day at Great Falls

Jeffrey, Henry, Nana and I went to Great Falls, VA yesterday for a picnic and to check out the falls. As you can see, Henry loves to walk around (with assistance) but he is oh so close to walking on his own. In fact, he took his first few steps this weekend so it won't be long!