Kai is Almost 2 Years Old!
At 22 months old, Kai has settled into his new Durango, Colorado home quite easily. Lots of space to run around, tons of rocks, to throw, and new friends to play with (though we do miss our old ones). At any given time, Kai can be found in workmens' overalls, big stick in hand, walking on our property like he owns the place...which he pretty much does.
Kai Statistics :
Weight: 26 lbs
Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, COOKIES!
Favorite Sport: Running
Favorite Book:
Thomas the Train Series
Favorite Singer: Raffi
Favorite Song: "Joshua Giraffes"
The cool thing about moving to a fun place is that you get lots of visitors! We've had Kai's cousin Kaydn and her family, Auntie Sara and Uncle Bryce, both sets of grandparents, a a set of great-grandparents to stay with us! We also got to see Kai's great Aunt, Uncle, and second cousin, who flew here in his own airplane from Texas, and let Kai be a pilot! Thanks Cousin Jim! Kai is not lacking attention or love, to say the least, though when certain relatives get back from a year in Australia, he will be even happier (you know who you are and what you need to do). He's been to Telluride several times now, and enjoys riding the Gondola ("Gaunna!") to the Mountain Village over and over. Also in Telluride, he has helped Daddy fly-fish in the San Miguel River. He has been on numerous hikes, during which he both rides in the backpack and hikes himself (with a big stick in hand, of course.) He seems to be happiest when he is outside, dirty, and in the presence of his dogs River ("Fur-fur") and Sam ("Doggy"...Sam still hasn't gotten his own name yet).
Kai turns out to be a very verbal little guy. Who knew?! He is constantly talking, whether it is to his parents, the dogs, or his toys. He has countless words, and speaks in sentences, most of which we understand, but some we still cannot decipher. He is very clear about his favorite things: trucks, cars, busses, bulldozers ("diggys"), airplanes, and trains. We have watched the Durango Narrow Gauge Steam Engine leave the station so many times in the morning that the conductors and railway workers know Kai by name and also call him "their future conductor". He worships them with feverish intensity.
We have made some great friends since moving. Somehow, even though we live in an area where no two houses are very close together, we lucked into having some of the world's greatest neighbors, with kids Kai's age! Hannah, Nellie, Hatch, Ivy, Bennett, and Izzy are among his little baby gang. We've had some great adventures with them: playdates, hikes, climbing trips, pumpkin carving, library runs, swimming, hot springs trips, birthday parties, and a weekly music class, at which Kai (and Jen) have met even more buddies. Because Durango seems to have the friendliest people in the world, even when we get out to the park or river, we usually either see someone we know or meet some new cool folks! We feel freakishly lucky to have moved to such a welcoming, awesome place to raise Kai. He is one happy little dude.