Pre-Christmas

We're working on images and video from Xmas with the Biciunas clan, but here are some shots from our preparation days earlier in December....

TJ was rightly confused but nonetheless enthralled by the tree-hunting process.



Textbook toddling stance.


Going for a hike around the living room.


TJ was immediately introduced to the wonders that are playing with wrapping paper cores. His father is more a fan of sword fighting, but with only one available, he found his own way.



Sydney and TJ perform a duet on a recently unpacked hand-me-down piano.

TJ loves Olive

Spider and Olive have become the target of (aggressive) affection from TJ. Here are some of the sweeter moments for the latter.



We've had some substantial technical challenges, which have delayed the bi-weekly updates, but you'll still get all of the content, it just may come in bursts rather than a smooth flow. We're now a month from TJ's first birthday, and we're excited for the conclusion of his weekly couch video series as well as new goodness as he toddles into year two.

Enjoy,
shiv

Olive-induced Giggles

A short and sweet bit from our evening cooking time a few weeks ago...




enjoy,
TJ, Ra, Shiv, Olive and Oz

November Highlights

This installment of TJ's blog is a random assortment of items from November. Enjoy!

TJ samples the appetizer tray at Catie & Bryan's wedding.


Raminta and Erin have been taking TJ and the pups to Sauvie Island, but the day they hit the nude beach left few photos that can be shared publicly.

TJ heads out for a skinny dip.



I'll give you one guess which of our two cats and two dogs is TJ's favorite....

TJ followed Spider to one of the few safe locations in the house.


There is no escape from this Kung Fu grip


...and eventually, Spider just gives up trying to escape.



It has taken some time for TJ to come to appreciate his jumper.



TJ rarely will sit in his exersaucer, but exploring it from non-designed approaches is quite popular.



We officially have a little cruiser. He's not walking, but we're certainly close.



TJ gears up for a hike.



Cruising around the coffee table.



We've childproofed several cabinets in the kitchen, but we left this (and a few others) for his constant need to clean out stuff. He's making me rethink our methods. I'm really not sure anymore why we had everything tucked away so nicely in the first place.

Hal O Ween

Ra found a great costume at Goodwill, so we made ourselves a little themed family for TJ's first Halloween...



Chicken, egg and farmer rallied for a Saturday night party.



Smiles were not available from our chicken, as we departed for the party after his bedtime, so we did a number of photo shoots on Sunday afternoon.



Ra and TJ started their photo shoot under a neighbor's tree.
The leaves could have kept him entertained for hours.



Touchdown!



TJ practices ducky cannibalism while Syd-bee observes in horror.



Strike a pose.



Taste test.



Upon closer inspection, this thing is kinda weird.



Shocked at the dropping of the pumpkin lid.



JT arrives home during the photo shoot and enables some happy-faced shots.



Spider is subjected to the Iron Grip.



TJ hasn't yet grasped the idea that the goodness is INSIDE the bag, not the bag itself.
Maybe next year, kiddo.

Pumpkin Patch

Between rain squalls, we made our way around the Sauvie Island pumpkin patch this morning. Sadly, we were not rugged enough to withstand the mud and wind and rain to continue our annual adventure in the corn maze this year. :(

The obligatory silly family photo kicked off our day at the pumpkin patch.



TJ meets his first pumpkin.
Neither he nor the pumpkin seemed especially impressed.

TJ inspecting the finalists.



Pumpkins as far as the eye can see.

No pumpkin chucker was available at this site, but we have a mobile TJ launching system available at all times.

TJ did not enjoy the wind but appreciated the rain as an opportunity to lick water off his face.

Baby Shaking and Giggles

We have a bit of a backlog of little vids that Ra has taken recently, so the next few blog updates will be shortie clips. Enjoy!

TJ Evolution (8 Months)

Every week, we've been taking a short video of TJ on our living room couch. Here is the collected goodness of those efforts: eight months of development in under two minutes.

Enjoy,
Jeff, Ra and TJ

River Tripping

The Flotilla of Folly is a big group rafting trip that some friends of ours have been running on the Descutes River for a few years. We were happy to be invited, and after some encouragement from veterans with kids, we decided to bring along the little guy for a serious adventure. Despite nearly constant rain and a bit of a fever for TJ, we had a blast and are excited to take him again next year when he's more aware of what's happening (and has grown into his life jacket a bit more).


TJ and JT preparing to hit the river.


TJ and Auntie Sara.


TJ performing a safety check on the assorted PFDs during our Sunday lunch break.


TJ checking out JT's rescue vest.


TJ napped through his first class III, Buckskin Mary.


Responsible rafting starts with riding the oar raft, freeing babysitting aunts to relax and enjoy the ride.


Tree, TJ and JT.


Family photo op during a scouting break at the biggest rapid on the river.



...and a few bonus pix from around the house:


Our kitchen could use a touch of babyproofing.
Until then, he explores under close supervision.


TJ sporting a hat knitted by a friend.

Mt St Helens and Adventures in Eating

TJ kicks back in his tube while hanging at the Sandy River.




TJ is well into his phase of pulling himself into a standing position on tables. He's just starting to try free standing, but mostly he is getting good at sitting quickly when a fall is inevitable.



The highlight of August has been the visit from TJ's G-Ma and Aunts from Denver, Carrie and Amanda. On the Monday of their extended weekend vacation, we drove up to Mt St Helens for some sightseeing and a light hike.


Family photo permutation #1


Our nuclear family


Bro and Sis


JT hauls a napper


Shiv demonstrates a scaled-down version of the power of the volcano's blast.


TJ sits on the porch between photo ops.


TJ, Carrie and Amanda commemorate their meet-and-greet weekend.


TJ and G-Ma


The Fam.


Generational transition initiated.


The other big development is that TJ is regularly eating non-milk foods.


Tabletop teething at BK & Tree's.


Banana in a bag


TJ and Ra share some big smiles before an eating episode.


TJ vs Rice Cereal




...and now that Shiv has started playing Starcraft2, TJ has to come to terms with being a member of a single parent household.


Also worth mentioning is that we built a preview of TJ's 8 month couch video. It's pretty wonderful. We will share it when we officially cross over the 8 month milestone and add the last few clips in three weeks. :)