A Star is Born!

We all gathered in Portland for a post X-mas family get together. Aunt Terri has some great ideas for family involvement and this year she suggested that we all compose an original holiday rap song.  The highlight of the gathering was an impromptu rap song that Roland (just turned 3 on Nov 24) added at the end of the performances.  I could only do snippets of some songs but I added the full performances of Kasey (who won the votes) and of course Roland.  Starting off the rap is cousin Em, then mama Kasey, cousin Diana, Uncle Roman and Annie, myself (grandma) Aunt Terri and Roland.   We were able to get a few family photo's too in the studio before Roland gave up. 

Top L-R  Annie Lawrence, Uncle Roman, Cousin Emily, Aunt Terri, Cousin Diana, Papa Jak   Bottom L-R  Grandma Lynden, Mama Kasey, Roland and Dada Jake

Star of the Rap from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Its All About the Sweater!

I love to find great unique sweaters for Roland.  I love sweaters for little boys.  And its all about the stripes, but Hannah Andersson has a great snowflake sweater too that looks so cute.  This sweater was hand made and that's a big plus.  

Reindeer Ears!

This is what you would see in the afternoon at Grandma's: Roland and Papa looking at the iPad.  They usually look at funny cat video's or possibly a truck documentary as per Roland's request, but today they were watching a counting video.  Everything looked normal....well, except Ollie was wearing her Reindeer ears.  She is such a sweet dog and Roland loves her.

 

WALL-E

Last Christmas Roland spent the holidays in CA with Aunt Terri, cousin Emily, Uncle Roman and Mama.  I understand that he watched the movie WALL-E multiple times and my sister said that Roland would love any WALL-E toys.  I did get the movie recently and the small bot WALL-E.   Near the end of the video Roland is saying,"Wow, where did you get it?' Enjoy!


 
WALL-e from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

What a Cutie!

I try to take a photograph every couple of months just to see the changes.   I am so excited about the holidays again. If one ever loses the holiday spirit, bring a child into your life.   We have been watching the Disney Holiday Specials.  His Favorite is Donald Duck's Christmas Every Day Of The Year. He laughs every time Huey, Duey, and Luey burp at the Christmas table and they do that a lot.

   

Thanksgiving 2013

Roland had a great Thanksgiving this year.  Most of his Oregon family were there: Mama, Dada, Uncle Roman and Annie, Aunt Terri and cousin Diana and Joel, Papa and myself.   We all love seeing Roland grow and when he learned that cousin Diana had a birthday on Thanksgiving he exclaimed! Wow, that's amazing!

What a treat having Thanksgiving dinner on Dada's lap.

I had plenty of help in the kitchen this year.

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a rousing game of Kasey. Left to right: Annie, Uncle Roman, Dada Jake, Mama Kasey, Aunt Terri, Roland sitting on Papa's lap, Cousin Diana and Joel. 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving 2013 from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Roland's New Book Reading With Dad!

Roland got a new book for his birthday.  He enjoys his picture books and Richard Scary's Busytown. 

Roland's New Book Reading With Dad! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Sunny Fall Afternoon!

We had a beautiful Fall afternoon and Roland and I cleaned the ole' train tracks that were wet and dirty from the rain so he could roll his trains around.  He likes to hum a tune these days when he is playing.  And as always, his side kick Ollie was close by.  

Sunny Fall Afternoon from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Corn Dogs, iPhones and Bucket Trucks!

We had some excitement with Portland Gas & Electric working on the house.  We had a front row seat.   I wasn't sure how Roland was going to eat his corn dog but his mama says that he loves his soy corn dogs so he was a pro. I think  every surface of the house is a race track. Papa can't enter the room these days without Roland wanting his attention....he has all the good toys!!!!!!

Halloween Past and Present!

Roland had an early Halloween at Grandma's.  I wanted to compare his first Halloween in 2011 and now in 2013.   Roland has never liked anything on his head, even hats, so it was a glow In The Dark Mickey Mouse shirt and pants.  Worked for me.  

 

 Halloween 2013

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2013

Halloween 2011

iPad and Chicken Nuggets!

If you're a little boy like Roland,  the combination of chicken nuggets and a burping bear, make the perfect lunch hour.   iPad has a case that is almost indestructible so its made for little greasy forceful toddler hands.   

iPad and Chicken Nuggets from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

A Boys Best Friend!

I have posted before that Ollie and Roland will grow up together and are already best pals, but Ollie proved her loyalty today by being Roland's sticker buddy. 

Big Boy Hair Style!

Roland loves the big bathtub at Grandma's.  I love it too!  After his bath I tried a new hair style.  I got a glimpse of what this beautiful little boy might look like in a few years.  I love the Big Boy style.  

 

New Hair Style from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Roland moves in and out of his favorite toys and movies.  We are now back into Toy Story and his favorite opening scene of Toy Story 3.  "Hand It Over One Eyed Bart." and "Run Like the Wind Bulls-eye." I try to take some candid shots as Roland knows how the camera works and will not pose, just wants to see whats on the screen.   I think we have lost Woody's hat for good.  

Kasey and Roland

I was able to grab this quick shot of Kasey and Roland last week before he went home and I wanted to compare it to another photo I took in the summer of 2011.   WOW! How time flies. 

End of Summer School.

Toddler Montessori is over for Roland, and now we move on to the next big adventure, wherever that takes him. (mama and dada are exploring some options).  We have enjoyed our after school activities and just hanging out.   I have seen him grow so much this past year.   Today we used our airplane fan to cool off and used the slide as a great truck ramp.  I was at the other end catching the cars. We learned Ready, Set, Go!!!

 

End of Summer School! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Roland had a lot of fun shaking and rolling his new CARS cars around the house.   Summer is winding down and he has 1 week left in summer school.   After playing with his cars he was ready to chill and watch some Toy Story.   His teacher wanted me to work with Roland on taking turns with toys and using the words "My turn," but we have a way to go with the Toddler Bill of Rights....everything is mine!...at age 2. 

 

Shake, Rattle and Roll! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

My Turn!

Roland has discovered how much fun it is to have control over the faucet and sprinkler.  We had an active day playing in the "rain" as Roland described it.  I have realized that in documenting Roland's life I have also included his trusty side-kick Ollie as well;  although she wasn't that fond of the sprinkler game.  Roland is definitely not a toddler toddling any longer.  That boy can run!

 

My Turn! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

I know my cars and colors!

Its amazing to see how much Roland has learned these past few months. He is truly a boy now with his expressions and 3-6 word statements about life.  I sometimes get these small bags of cars and he gets to find out what they are. Its always a surprise, but I was surprised when he found a car without wheels and announced, "Broken car. "   WOW.  We have a lot of fun just talking these days about cars, vans, school buses, trains, and other modes of transportation. . 



I know my cars and colors! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Big Truck!

Roland is back in summer school and he loved his new big truck that I found for him.  School also tuckers him out sometimes.  And I wanted to update a portrait of him to show how much he is growing.  Roland now knows what a camera is and wants to see what is on the screen. 

Big Truck! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Sand, Mud and Play-dough!

It was a week of rain and sun. Roland has some time off from Montessori so we had plenty of time to explore the sand pile, play-dough, and I put his train tracks outside. Roland definitely knows what mud is and how much fun it can be.  As Miss Frizzle on The Magic School Bus would say. "Get Messy." Now that Roland is putting together 3 and 4 word sentences its a whole new world.   What magic to see him grow into a little boy.  

Sand, Mud, and Playdough! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Yea! Summer

We finally had some nice sunny weather and were able to play outside in the back yard.  Rolands' favorite spot is his truck lot with a hill of sand, gravel, dirt and a hot wheels track.  We also broke out the sprinkler.  Roland is finished with regular Montessori and will start summer school at the end of the month.  Until then we will have fun with the car lot, sprinkler and an upcoming Stomp Rocket outing. 

 

Yea! Summer from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Uncle Roman Is Fun!

We all had another rainy week at Grandma's but Roland is good at entertaining himself.  He has a favorite game of bugging Ollie.  In the photo Roland touches Ollie and Ollie touches back. Roland also has started to enjoy his books, especially the car books.   But once Uncle Roman showed up it was all about the Cool Cars!

Uncle Roman Is Fun! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Another Week At Grandma's!

Roland spends three afternoons at my house and here is a spinet of what Roland enjoyed while we were stuck inside because of Spring rains.   He learned a new task of pushing the car to make it move forward.  Roland and Ollie (the dog) have a special relationship: you chase me, I'll chase you, you bug me, I'll bug you. Roland really enjoyed making fart sounds with his Papa too. Not quite sure where he picked that one up from but I guess its a rite of passage when you're a little boy to be able to make certain sounds.  His favorite new question these days is. "What is that"?

Another Week At Grandma's from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

A Boys World!

Finally the weather has warmed up so Roland and I can enjoy some outdoor play.  I have a corner of the back yard that I am making into a truck and car play area. I started with some sand as a test  and Roland gave it a good trial run. Since then I have doubled the amount of sand and will be adding a hot wheels track, a water station, and his train tracks.     The eventual goal is Roland's Hideaway with a small fort and napping loft but that's for another summer.  For now its Stuck in the Sand and Oh No What Happened!

A Boys World! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Little Boy!

I looked at these 2 photos that I took today and I could really see Jake's family in him.  Some times he looks like Kasey but as he grows into a boy he is leaning toward his dads looks.  His favorite expression these days is "Oh No, What Happened!"  His favorite DVD's are The Magic School Bus.

Afternoon Fun!

Uncle Roman was visiting this afternoon so we all watched a few minutes of Finding Nemo before we headed back to Rolands house.  We skip over the scary shark scenes.  Its amazing that after not watching this for a few months that Roland knows what is going to happen before it happens, like "the boat," and in the next scene a boat appears.   Hummm. We were also having a bit of fun. I call it chaotic fun when Roland and Ollie egg each other on in a game of chase. 

Afternoon Fun from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Toy Box

Roland thought that today he would have more fun sitting in the toy box while he examined his car collection.  I think that we have most of Disney Cars collection and Thomas and Friends.  He has also found a new favorite DVD The Magic School Bus. The big black leather chair is his favorite spot to watch a video.  

The Ride Home!

This is what it looks like in the car when Roland and I head back to his home after spending some time at Grandma's.  Roland is laughing with Papa who is being silly and waving Bye Bye.  The other day I asked Roland where we were when we pulled into the driveway and he said Papa's.  

Soccer Tryouts!

Roland loves Ollie our Goldendoodle.  She can be a bit pushy but Roland has learned to roll with the moves.  It looks as if Ollie could be the team stand out.  She certainly has the body moves. 

Soccer Tryouts from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Rolands Corner and Hula-hoop Chase!

Roland has his own corner in the living room where he can play with his toys and watch his 20 minute video too if he wants. I think boys need their own little man cave. He has his own space to play too at his house behind the loveseat.   He also has a Papa who loves to play chase and Roland has the run of the house with his trusted hula-hoop.

 

Hulahoop Chase! from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Papa's Funny!

After a morning at Montessori, play time at the house, and a snack, Roland gets 20 minutes of screen time to wind down before for his nap. On this day we were watching VegiTales Madame Blueberry.  Papa was bugging him with this ball on a string. Hummmm, the TV or the ball?

Papa's Funny from lynden tanenbaum on Vimeo.

Baby Blue Eyes

Just wanted a photo that showed those beautiful blue eyes.

Haircut

Roland got a hair cut on Thursday. I took a bit off the front and sides. It might be hard to see, but thoes who are around him, saw it right away.   It was hard to keep a Tootsie pop out of his hair (a reward for a good day at school. I pick him up 3 days a week. He never finishes one before we arrive at my house. He hands it to me half licked and says, "ALL DONE"! There are so many other fun things to do besides lick a Tootsie pop at Grandma's).  I love to see his beautiful blue eyes.   He got a new train, Stanley, and was totally focused on his track.

The Park

Papa, Ollie, Roland and I ventured out on this chilly afternoon to go see the ducks and take Ollie and Roland for a walk.   There wasn't a lot going on in the playground so we went and looked at the trucks across the road.