Christmas Weekend - Round 2

We're Back!! - and home for a while (as far as we know!) I don't think that Alex will want to see his car seat for a while....we've spent a LOT of time in the car the past 10 days! :)

We traveled to Blue Springs, Missouri to spend a Christmas weekend with my family. Everyone was there - my two sisters -Elizabeth and Sarah - and Elly's husband, Neil, and their son, Noah and their BIG dog, Bob; my parents and my grandparents. It was a FULL house, but we had a great time!

Here is Great-Grandpa Frank swinging Alex while we opened gifts.....(Yes, he still thinks that he is 18).... :)


Alex had a great time playing with Noah - although they are 5 months apart - they are practically the same size! We determined (by passing babies back and forth) that Alex still has a couple of ounces on Noah, and is just a shade taller than him. We figure that this will be the last time that Alex is bigger than Noah - "tall" genetics aren't in Alex's favor, and they ARE in Noah's. (Neil is about 6'5'', Elly is about 5'8'')

Here are a couple shots of the boys playing together......



It was so funny, because when Alex and Noah would see the toy that the other was playing with, they would basically exchange toys - taking what the other had, and giving up what they had been playing with. It will be fun to watch the boys grow up together!

Here's a shot of Uncle Neil reading a book to Alexander (imagine that, Alex wanting to read a book?!?!?!!!)


Aunt Elly decided to make a "fort" in the middle of the living room - with all of the empty boxes and a chair. You had to crawl under the chair in order to enter the fort.....Alex really enjoyed crawling under, and KNOCKING the boxes down!! :)


Sorry one of the shots is a little fuzzy - I think that the batteries were dying - but you get the gist of it. :)

We had an awesome holiday season - we already know we are truly blessed, but it is such a nice reminder during this time of year to spend time with family and reconnect, and appreciate just how much we are loved, and how much we love our families.

Have a Blessed New Year, everyone! We pray that your 2008 will be happy, healthy, and full of fun! :)

Arranging the toys

Alex had quite a busy day today - there must be a weather change coming - because he didn't want to sleep AT ALL! He just wanted to play and eat. :)

One thing that I noticed was that Alex seemed to be grouping his toys - he would walk over to the toy box, pull out a toy, and then carry it to another part of the house. I snapped a few pictures while he was busy with another pile.

The new home for the "dragging" toys:

The entryway.

The new home for the shoes:

By the chair (Andy started this with his tennis shoes - Alex added his).
The new home for the balls:

Under the table.

The new home for the trucks and things with wheels:

The hallway.

He was a busy boy this afternoon - no time for sleep! There's work to be done! :) Andy and I truly understand what our parents meant when they said, "It looks like a tornado came through here...." because we now have our own tornado!!! :)

We will be leaving for Missouri tomorrow - so there many be no other posts until Monday, after we return. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

100th Post - and a broken spoon

Yeah! This is our 100th post! :) And I am so sorry to report that it will not be a happy post.....

For any of you that have seen Alexander in the past 4 months, you know that he has a fond affection for wooden cooking spoons. Well, we have a gap underneath our counter on the "breakfast nook" side - see the picture below.



Well, Alex decided that he wanted to stick his spoon up in this opening - and then try to pull it back out. Unfortunately, he didn't pull straight out, and the spoon broke in two. That resulted in this picture......

Yes, that was a full-fledged scream, cry, yelling.....I did think that the world was about to end! Lucky for us, the wooden spoons came in a package of two, so the world isn't going to end - tonight anyways. :)

Merry Christmas!

We hope that ALL of you have had a Blessed Christmas Day - and continued Blessings as you continue in the season, and look forward to the New Year!

We had a RELAXING day at home - we didn't even leave the house!!!! It was wonderful! :) We threw some food into the crock pot, so supper was easy, and we spent the day catching up on napping, cleaning, and laundry. We all really had a nice time as a family today. We did miss being with other people today - but it was also a nice time just to be at home - just us. :)

My living room certainly noticed having a toddler at home all day - WHAT A MESS!!!!! Here's a shot of tornado Alex after he passed through - - -

We did have a great time playing - messes can be cleaned up. :)

Alex did get quite a bit from us and Santa. :) He got a Little People Noah's Ark with animals, a Leap Frog animal magnet set (for when we are fixing supper, and he needs something to do), lots of books, and some DVD's (not too many, he's not too keen on the TV - these are for watching as he falls asleep). Santa also stopped by for Andy and I - lucky us! We think that Santa must have a garage door opener, because we don't have a fireplace for him to get inside - - that's the story we'll believe. :)

We did get a little bit of snow this afternoon, and it's just blowing around now. ;) I'd probably better get outside to brush it off - it'll be a little gift to Andy. :)

Here's a shot of Alex - did you really think that we'd leave a post without a shot of him?!?!?!


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!

Snow Village

We were lucky enough tonight to go to the "Hughes Haven" - - I work with Allen Hughes - - and he and his wife have a HUGE Snow Village display!

They have an entire room dedicated to this Snow Village - and it is amazing! There were working lights, trains (which Alex LOVED), figurines ice skating, and just more than you could take in!! Here are a few shots of this amazing place....


Every once in a while, they would turn down all of the lights and let the lights in the Village stay on - that was really cool. Here's a "night shot"......


Just wanted to share - we are all off to bed now - I hear that Santa's on his way, so we had better hurry up and go to sleep!! :)

Merry Christmas to Us!

Alex decided to give us an early Christmas gift.......



Yeah - can you hear my enthusiasm?? Just when we thought that we had it all "baby-proofed" - - thanks, little man.

On a related note - does anyone know of anyone who makes gates that cross 43"?? Or any other creative ways to block off the hallway? Or do we just need to buy stock in duct tape, and find an open wall to stick him to? :)

Christmas Weekend - Round 1

This past weekend we went to Colorado to celebrate with Andy's family. We had a nice time, and Alexander made out like a bandit - he's not spoiled AT ALL! :)

Saturday we had a nice lunch with Great-Grandma Marge - Alex got some blocks from her, and he LOVED them! Here's a video of his favorite game with the blocks:



He liked to dump the blocks onto his face - he did this at least a dozen times! He didn't want anyone to build anything with the blocks - he just liked putting them away and then dumping them out on himself again. Funny boy!

Uncle Dallas also read Alex a "story" from a cookbook that Grandma Annette got. Do you think that Alex is really excited about the recipe?? :)


Another one of the new favorite toys is a lawn mower that makes all sorts of noises. He really enjoyed pushing it all over the house - and even figured out how to start it on his own! What a smart little man!!!! :)


Sunday we went to the Wagner's (Andy's grandparents) home in Wray for the family Christmas. It was great to see everyone, and almost everyone couldn't believe how much Alex had changed since they saw him last - it's just amazing how quickly they do grow!! :)

Our little man was EXHAUSTED when we left -I think that he was asleep even before we left the driveway!! Here's a video of just how tired he was:



He slept most of the way home - just woke up for about 1 1/2 hours to eat, play in the car a little, and then we were back out for the night! He woke up at 6:45 this morning - so he slept for 14 1/2 of the past 16 hours!! Tired boy!!

We had a very nice time with all of Andy's family. We are now home for the week and will leave for Missouri on Friday afternoon sometime. I hear that Santa might be making a stop in Ord tonight, so we'll have to see what happens!! :)

We pray that all of you have a Blessed Christmas, safe travels, and joy in the true meaning of the season! Merry Christmas!! :)

Quick Update

Hello - I just wanted to post really quick and let everyone know that all is well - just BUSY!! We are headed out to Colorado tomorrow after Andy gets off of work for a quick Christmas weekend - back on Sunday so Andy can work on Monday. I will get some shots of family with Alexander this weekend - and hope to have updates on Monday! Merry Christmas, everyone! :)

Closer to Christmas!

Here we are - only 8 days until Christmas! Are you ready? I have a Dulce de Leche Chocolate bar in the making - for school tomorrow. :) Our annual "Binge 'til you Bulge" - I love being a teacher! :)

Here is the promised Santa shot from the weekend - Santa looks awful lonely without someone on his lap! I tried to get Andy to sit on his lap, but he just looked at me funny. :)



Alex also came home with his very own gingerbread house today! I'm not sure how much of it he actually did - but it is cute anyway! Julie did say that she thinks he ate more than he put onto the house - -

It's the holidays, knock yourself out, kid!

Recovery Weekend!

The flu bug has hit central Nebraska - and we were all down with it at some point. Alex and I had it earlier in the week, and Andy came down with it towards the end of the week. But, as I post tonight, we are all feeling much better. Andy still has an upset stomach every now and then, but nothing like it was. We spent all weekend on the BRAT diet - it's bland, but it sure does work!! :)

Alex has really started to use his arms and hands when he is talking - they really add to his expressions! Here are a few photos of the weekend - as he was eating, he told us some really interesting stories!





Saturday we did venture out to see Santa - he was only about two blocks away, so we shot over quick to see him. Alex wasn't too sure - he didn't even want to give Santa five! So, Andy and I sat down, with Alex on my lap, next to Santa, and then the SCREAMING started! I think that he was ready for a nap, so that didn't help the situation. After a minute with his cork, he was ready for the picture. So this year we have a family shot with Santa - all 4 of us - Andy, Alex, Cork, and myself. :) We should get the picture back tomorrow, so I will post it tomorrow. :)

This morning we all went to church - and we found an outfit that Alex hadn't worn yet. He was ABSOLUTELY adorable!! Here we are - he's giving a little of that "Alex charm" to the camera (actually, I think that he YELLED right after this shot was taken!).....


Church was extra-long this morning - we had the choir cantata, communion, and a bunch of other things. It was a beautiful service, which I am certain I would have enjoyed more if the little 13-month-old knew how to use an "indoor voice" - he was certainly active, and didn't really feel like being confined to the pew! He did wear himself out - and after fellowship hour, we came home. Alex just looked beat - here's a shot of the little man as he walked back into his room, ready to change out of his church clothes and ready for a nap.

Yes, one shoe was off, the tie was gone, the sleeves were no longer buttoned, the shirt was untucked, his coat was falling off - and he had his beloved cork.

We had a nice Sunday - the sun came out and we did get the cars cleaned out a little - all of this snow and yuck is getting old (and it's not even winter yet!!!!) Ugh.

Stomp!

Sorry we haven't posted in a while - it seems that a stomach virus has swept over central Nebraska - and although we don't have it as bad as some, we have had quite a few diaper changes every hour (that poor red bottom!!), and some cruddy-feeling tummies. But I think that we are on the mend - just in time for another storm this weekend (yeah!) :) I'm kidding...Andy has to work this weekend, and I HATE when he has to drive in the yuck.

Tonight Alex had a sippy cup with water in it - we are trying to keep him away from the cups where he has to "suck" the liquid out - we are trying to see if this prevents the ear infections. Anyway, this new cup thing is quite interesting. When Alex is finished taking a drink, he usually places the cup down. However, tonight, he THREW his cup down, therefore knocking the lid off, and getting water all over the carpet.

Andy went to get a towel, and began to stomp on the towel to clean it up. (A few days ago this happened and Alex helped me stomp on the towel to clean it up - so we had the camera ready this time!) It took a minute, but Alex got the idea and stomped his little feet out on the towel. Granted, he didn't soak up too much water, but it was just adorable seeing him "stomp"!



Please excuse the "no pants" - they were leaked through earlier - and it's just easier to not have pants on when you are changing diapers so often!!

Another day - another tooth!

Yes, that's right - we have cut tooth number four! It wasn't too long ago that I was thinking that we were going to have the only two-year-old with dentures, and now we have two top teeth and two bottom teeth! Way to go, little man!!

We needed to go and finish up our Christmas shopping this weekend - Andy has to work next weekend, and the following weekend we are planning on being in Colorado celebrating - so we needed to get it done! The weather wasn't cooperating, though - the forecast was for snow, ice, and yuck - so we went down to Grand Island Friday night. We ate at Fazoli's - I haven't been there in FOREVER - it was so yummy - here's Alex eating one of the wonderful breadsticks!


We did get all of our shopping done - thankfully! We did make it home safely, it took us about 1 1/2 hours - only an extra half hour to get back home. We have about 6 inches on the ground - so we'll have to see about school tomorrow! :)

Now that the shopping is done - now the wrapping! Alex was a little help tonight - he seemed to really love my snowman bag! As I wrapped, Alex played - my living room was a DISASTER after it was all said and done. He can certainly make a mess when he wants to!



All of the wrapping is done (provided Alex isn't alone with my tree for too long), so we are READY!! (I know, go ahead and groan - YES, I am DONE!!!!) :) :) :)

Open House!

Thursday night Andy had an Open House in Burwell to kick off the Christmas season. Alex and I joined them, and although there wasn't a huge amount of people, we did have a nice time visiting with Angie and Jeff - two of the other therapists who Andy works with.

Here is a picture of Alexander and Jeff - Alex wasn't too sure about having his picture taken!

Here are Alex and I - playing on the floor (as usual! - I've come to really enjoy sitting on the floor!)


Here are the boys - towards the end of the night - ready for BED!!


Alex also entertained us quite a bit, he found a new way to use the total gym. Most people do squats on them - to work out their leg muscles, but Alex has found a new - noisy - way to use it!!



On to the weekend! :)

Books, anyone?

As a reading teacher, in the back of my mind I always had a fear that my children would have some difficulty with reading.....not love to read, have trouble decoding, comprehension, fluency, etc. My mind has been put to rest with Alexander.

Case in point: (check out the careful observer in the background - behind the snowman)


Some of his books are kept on the lower shelf of the television stand - only tonight, he took them off - one by one - to read. He turned pages on each and every one, and even "read" most of the pages. Some books he read for longer than others, but he did read all of them that were on the floor. The most hilarious part was that he has a "touch and learn" book about Creation where he can feel the turtle, tiger, flamingo, a comet, a tree trunk, and zebra fur. He decided that he wanted to feel all of these textures with his tongue.....

I almost wonder what goes through his mind before he does something like that...."Hey, I bet I can stick that in my mouth!" He is definitely in his "oral" stage right now!!

What else can fit in his mouth, you ask? Well, here are some of my VeggieTales nativity characters....(no, Sarah, not the ones you and I discussed the other night). His favorite is Larry the Cucumber (seen below) - followed closely by Junior Asparagus and Laura Carrot.


He also seems to like to carry his toys and play in our entryway. Here he has Laura Carrot, Junior Asparagus, and his baseball in the doorway. He then proceeded to pull many more toys across the living room. Now to only be able to have him put them away......



Now time for our funny video. Last night Alex figured out the game of tag. He would "chase" me back into the hallway, and I would then chase him back out into the living room and tickle him. He would fall down dozens of times while I was chasing him - because his head would go faster than his feet......but he was laughing and having such a great time! I'll bet we chased each other for at least half an hour! Then it was time for a milk break and a few stories - and then he crashed HARD! Hope you enjoy the video!!





On a sadder note, Snickers, my family's dog, passed away earlier today. She had been in quite a bit of pain for quite some time, and this morning she was having trouble walking, so the vet thought it best to put her down. Although we will miss her patience and companionship, we will always have fond memories of her making messes (and Mom then cursing because of those messes), and all of the fun times we had with her (like when she got into the 5-pound candy cane, and made the S-T-I-C-K-Y mess ALL over the floor!!) She was great around everyone, and never snapped at anyone (that I know of, at least). I can remember when we got her - I was in high school - she was even in my Senior pictures!! She was a great dog, and will be missed.



Maybe Mom and Dad will want another puppy for Christmas........ :)

All Done!

Tonight, as Alex was eating supper, I asked him if he was "all done." He repeated my sounds - almost perfectly! I did this a few more times before I remembered to grab the camera.

Not only did he say the "all done" - he did a few more adorable things. :) Bonus footage!! :)



It's just amazing to see this little man grow - and how his language is developing! Now he just needs to learn what "all done" means!! :)