All Better!

First of all - let me thank all of you who have kept Alex in your prayers - especially these past few days. We went into the doctor last night, and he got a shot (yuck!), but is doing SO much better today! I was really worried for a while - but it looks like all will be well. :)

Tonight we went to visit Dad as the clinic was closing down for the day. I think that Alex was getting quite hungry, so he was in a very touchy mood. I think that he wanted to play with the paper shredder, which I was against (what am I thinking??), and he decided to throw a little tantrum.

We just so happened to get a picture of this little tantrum -


Then when I got down and tickled him, we became all smiley!


Then it was back to crying.

We also noticed (during this little tantrum) that Alex's TWO top teeth are beginning to poke through! What's this with getting two at once? I think that his little body was just so slammed with ALL of this stuff - I think I may have felt exactly as he did the past few days! So, it is on to more solid foods - and yay for more chewing! :) We're up to three now!

We've been Tylenol free for about 5 hours now - so I am thinking that we are in the clear. Alex has also NOT wanted to snuggle - which was all that he has done the last three days. He still seems a little tired - but SO much better compared to the last three days! Thanks again for all of you who have been thinking and praying for him (and us!).

Have a FANTASTIC Friday! :)

O Christmas Tree - - -

Yes, I know - - Advent doesn't technically start until Sunday, but we HAD to get the tree up! We have it in the corner of our living room, and it just seems to bring happy thoughts and feelings whenever I look at it. Christmas HAS to be my favorite time of year - not only because of the tree and the snowmen (which I LOVE), but because of all of the wonderful memories I have from Christmas throughout my childhood, and even as my own family has now grown, I look forward to sharing this wonderful holiday with our son.

Yes, some of my snowmen are donning the base of the tree - and my VeggieTales nativity set is on the left (the VeggieTales is the only nativity set that is "Alex-able" - where the pieces are fine for a 13-month-old to play with). Unfortunately, there aren't many of my other nativity sets - they will have to wait a year or two until the little man is able to contain himself just a little better. :)

So here is our tree - ready to celebrate the season! Now on to the shopping, Christmas cards, family get-togethers, holiday baking and goodies, but most importantly - the reason we celebrate any Christmas at all - Jesus.


We wish all of you a Blessed Christmas season - as you prepare everything, take time to truly remember what Christmas is all about, and share it with those you love.

Another 1st!

Today was probably the one of the most important "1st-s" that Alex will have - - his 1st Baptism Birthday! One year ago today Alex was welcomed into God's family. It's hard to believe how much has changed in one year. Not only the physical changes that Alex has gone through - from rolling over to walking, and nearly tripling his body weight - but also the emotional and family changes that have taken place from one year ago to today.

We celebrated his birthday by lighting his Baptism candle - - and letting him look at it from a safe distance. Here's Alex (and me) with his candle.



We then read a lot of the books that Alex got from many family members for his special day. The little man does love his books - and tonight he seemed to want to read them all quite a few times! That wasn't a problem - I LOVE that he loves to read!! :)


Then Andy and I spent quite a bit of time reminiscing. So many things have changed in just 365 days - and there are so many more changes yet to come! We thanked God for the gift of Alexander, and for the impact of so many loving people in our lives.

One of the books that Alex got has this line - and I think that it is fitting for the end of today's post: "Thank you God for this special day."

Thanksgiving Weekend!

This weekend we headed to Lincoln to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. We had a GREAT time - and ate about 173, 842 calories (I think that's how many Grandpa said......) - way too much food, but a great time with family.

Wednesday night we headed out - here's a shot of Alex helping me with the laundry (Actually, Andy put him in here - he seemed to enjoy it!) :)


Thursday - Turkey Day - Alex was going NON-STOP!! He didn't want to slow down for even a quick snooze! However, after a very filling lunch, Alex and Grandpa Dave took a nap in the recliner while watching football. It was so nice to see everyone.......


Friday - Andy had to work, so it was just the gals and Alex for the day. We did a little bit of shopping - not too much because of the crowds. We did find quite a few good bargains. We did watch the Husker game (and all of the "firing" drama that ensued), and we are anxiously anticipating next season and our new coaching staff!!

Saturday - We did a bit more shopping (including getting me a BEAUTIFUL new wedding ring!!) and went out to lunch with Grandpa and Grandma Frank. That night we watched the Kansas/Missouri game. All but two of us fell asleep. So, Andy and Grandpa filled us in the next morning. :)

Sunday - we went to church with Grandpa and Grandma and then took them out for brunch. Then we headed home for the MOUNDS of laundry and unpacking.

We will leave you with this adorable video of Alex "dancing" - I'm not quite sure what he was thinking, but he was doing this for a SOLID 5 minutes - when he decided to go to bed (which was shortly thereafter), he CRASHED!!! It's just a funny video, hopefully it gives you a chuckle.



We hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend as well - Happy Thanksgiving!

Broncos!

One of the things that Andy looked forward to most about having a son is that he will be able to share his love of sports (right now, football) with our son. Tonight was one of those nights. Although Alexander didn't spend too much time on the couch watching football, they did get a little "snuggle time" and even celebrated the Broncos' touchdown! Alex clapped and even put both of his arms up for just a second! :)


Alex also enjoyed having Puddles, the family "dog" on the couch with them. Alex seems to really enjoy cuddling with Puddles.....maybe he wants a dog? (Yeah, right!) :)

Another Great Weekend!

It's hard to believe that the weekend is over already, but we had another great weekend together. Friday night we went down to Grand Island for our weekly run of "needed" items. Cheryl (Andy's aide) had recommended a great Chinese buffet, so we had to try it out. It was outstanding! Our Chinese place here in town is "closed indefinitely," so we had to get our fix.

Here are a few shots of Alex enjoying some broccoli, chicken, cantaloupe, pineapple, beef, and sweet roll. As you can see, it wasn't a clean meal!! :)


You may not be able to see it because the picture is dark, but the table was a grimy MESS! That's the wonderful thing about eating out - I don't have to clean up!! :)


Yesterday Andy had to work down in Broken Bow, so Alex and I spent the morning out and about. When Dad got home, we had lunch, and then Alex hurt his toe. He pulled one of our barstools over on top of his foot, landing squarely on his big toenail....I think that it looks terribly painful, but he doesn't seem to bothered by it anymore. I guess I'm a bigger woos than Alex - I think the nail's gonna fall off, but Andy doesn't think so. I hope he's right. Here are a couple of shots, it looks better on camera than it does in person.


Saturday night we went up to Burwell and watched the "Harlem Ambassadors." It was a great show, and Alex really enjoyed watching the basketball game and dancing to the music. Once he got a little too into it and bonked his head on the railing in front of us. After a little popcorn and water, we were fine.

That's the latest update - we did do more snowman decorating this weekend...sorry, Dad. :) I'll have to post pictures later - -

Invasion!!

Yes, you read it right - invasion.

But let me start this post with my own waiver - I LOVE SNOWMEN!! Christmastime is the only time that they are able to come out of storage and cheer up any room. I feel sad that they sit in the dark boxes for 11 months of the year.......so I decided to get some of them out. Note that I said some. Andy hangs his head in shame as this is only a small portion of my snowman collection. I am an addict.


I know that some of you are shaking your heads in disgust (sorry, Dad), because it's not even Thanksgiving yet and here I am breaking out Christmas.....oh, well....I am guilty as charged. I don't have the tree up yet (maybe this weekend??), and there are still quite a few decorations that won't make it out for quite some time. But I have a few out, and they will find homes around this house for a little longer this year.

On a different non-snowman note, Alexander had fish sticks for the second time tonight. We were a little skeptical about this experience, since his first time didn't go over so well. Tonight he loved them! In fact, we couldn't cut them up fast enough for him! A little applesauce and milk, and we had a very full (and VERY messy) boy!

Yet, even as I type tonight, the weatherman is forecasting a light dusting of snow early next week.....bring on the snowmen! :)

Wonderful Weekend!!

We had a WONDERFUL weekend - we stayed at home and had fun just being together. We have had company for the past month, and while we love to see friends and family, it's nice for it to be "just us" once in a while.

I realized that Squiggles the cat hadn't been on the blog in quite a while - so here is a picture of Alex sharing one of his toys with her. She liked how it "crunched" whenever she moved.....Alex didn't seem to bother her too much, they must have come to an understanding. :)



Alex has been expressing quite a bit of interest in utensils - so tonight we let him try and feed himself his veggies with a spoon. Although most of the veggies ended up getting into his mouth via the hand (not the spoon), he had the right idea. It'll be another couple of days before we're ready for soup - well, maybe a bit longer. :)

Alex also got away from us the other night after his bath - Andy shot this video, which is quite funny......it's just too cute to see those little baby butt cheeks running away! Luckily we were able to catch him before any "accidents" happened. :) Enjoy!

5th haircut!

Yes, you read the title correctly - we finally broke down and gave Alex his fifth haircut. I've always been careful, because I don't want Alexander to have one of those "butchered" pictures like some kids have - so I've always been a little wary that it might be too short......

Well, we decided to get the clippers out, because I had been cutting his hair while someone held him as he napped. So, this time he was awake - and he wasn't particularly happy about having his hair trimmed. He didn't mind the noise, because when it was out in front of him, he was okay with it. I guess it felt weird on his head. So, Andy was on "keep him still" patrol while I did the deed. It didn't turn out too badly, I guess it's just a LOT shorter than I expected. You can really tell that his hair is lightening......so I guess he won't be an "Andy clone" after all! :)

Here's a picture of the handsome man post-cut: (the shirt is off because it was COVERED in hair!)
Then it was off to the bath for a good rinsing. :)

Another one of the toys that Alex received for his birthday was a little singing machine -- it plays songs, does shapes, numbers, colors, animal sounds, the works - plus it has a little microphone that projects your voice when you talk or sing into it. Alex LOVES this! Although you can't make out what the words are because he practically swallows the microphone, he does want to "sing" along! I'm curious how he figured out that the microphone was to go to his mouth - - I guess some of this college/Master's degree psychology is starting to drift back into my head - - - anyways, I just thought that it was interesting.....and entertaining! Enjoy! :)



Sing away little man - we have stock in batteries!!! :)

Last of the Partying!

Well, this weekend marked the end of the week-long celebrations of Alexander's first birthday. Andy's parents and grandparents came out on Friday night, and Andy's brother and grandma came out early Saturday afternoon.

Here is a picture of the happy boy ready to get the party started!!


Everyone feasted and had dessert of cupcakes and ice cream. Here's a picture of the crowd watching Alex eat his dessert.


And here's what the little man looked like once he was done with his cupcake.....(that's red frosting on his nose - just so no one thinks that it's a big booger or anything) :)
Alex enjoyed the tricycle that his Uncle Dallas gave him. Although it's a little big for him to ride now, he did enjoy pushing it around for a while. We just need to teach him how to steer now!



Another one of Alex's favorites is the musical mat from Grandma Marge. Here he was just figuring out how to use it - and had a HUGE smile as he walked around. In the middle of the video, Alex falls and the stands back up WITHOUT holding onto anything - this was the FIRST time that he had done this! We are lucky enough to have it on tape (well, digital - you know what I mean!)!!



One favorite that will most likely show up soon is the singing machine that Alex got from Grandma and Grandpa Wagner - it has a little microphone, and Alex just has a blast with it!! Soon we'll have video, we promise!

Enough of the partying for this year - we had a great time this last week - reminiscing on how our lives have changed, and how our love for this little man grows more and more each day. We are so blessed to have him in our lives.....

Thanks to everyone who has been there for us this past year and has shared in his growth with us. We enjoyed celebrating his birthday with all of you and look forward to sharing many more birthdays with you!!