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!!

Happy Birthday and Halloween!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXANDER JAMES!!!! Can you believe that he's ONE???

What a birthday - everyone celebrates along with you! They all dress up like funny things, and pass out candy and other fun stuff.

Now, for the drumroll - -

As most of you know, the mascot of Ord is the "Chanticleer" - which means "fighting chicken." Yeah, that's what I think too. We found an adorable costume at Target of all places --

So without further ado - -

Our little Chanticleer - - or just a chicken. :)

Tonight we went up to Burwell to see some of the Nursing Home patients that Andy has seen while working. They were all eating supper, so we were able to see most of them at the same time. He certainly seemed to light up many faces as he walked around.



Once we got to the tile floor however, walking became a much more difficult task......


Here is a picture of Alexander and Andy when we went to Cheryl's house.



And here's what Squiggles had to say about the chicken coming at her.....



All in all it was a wonderful day. Alex didn't mind his costume too much, he somewhat enjoyed licking the fur. He is very tired tonight, so it may be an early bedtime. :)

Childcare Birthday Party!

Alex had yet another birthday party today - at childcare. Julie had a cake brought in, all of the kids sang to him, and Alex had the first chance to "dig in." It was a beautiful chocolate cake - -


Unfortunately, Alex had other plans. Once was situated in his high chair - well, we'll let the pictures do the talking......

At first we were just unsure of the whole thing......

Then the tears started to roll. Alex didn't even TOUCH his cake!!! I put my finger in the icing and then in his mouth, hoping that it would encourage him to go for it - but nothing happened......



The tears didn't stop after he was out of the high chair, either....here is a picture of Alex and Julie.

We think that Alex was just a little unsure of having both Mom and Dad at childcare - thinking that we were going to leave him. He also was a bit tired, so that just made the problem worse. But, he did eat some ice cream while sitting on my lap, so it all turned out well.

Then it was off to Dr. Julie's office to have the 1-year checkup (and shots!). Alex LOVED the pumpkins in the waiting room. We had to take them away when he started throwing them, though. :)

We finally got in to see Dr. Julie - here's the vitals: 29 1/2 inches tall, 22 3/4 pounds, and his head is 47 cm. She was thrilled that Alex is walking so well - and that he finally has a tooth (and another soon to come). She thinks that he is doing well, and expects his language development to take off here in the next few months. Alex also was lucky enough to get a couple more shots! (He was THRILLED!!!) :)

While we waited for her, Andy kept Alex entertained by playing Bull Fighter with him.....this was the first time they played this game, and Alex LOVED it!! :)




If you happen to wake up at 3:24 AM (central time) on the 31st, think of us - - exactly one year ago that's when the little man finally decided to make his appearance - after 20 hours of labor! We are SO thankful that he's here with us now - so much has changed in just one year!!!

Alex Reading!

I know that many of you enjoyed the first video of Alexander reading his book - well, are you about to have your socks knocked off!!! Here is the sequel to that video. Tonight Alexander was sitting on the living room floor and reading his book. Granted, the book is still upside down, and the pages go back and forth, but this little man LOVES to read! The sound at the beginning is just adorable, so make sure your speakers work! :)



Right now our favorite book is "Pajama Time" by Sandra Boynton. Andy and I have the book MEMORIZED!! Right now, Andy's reading the book for the 7th time tonight - - but that's okay, whatever book Alex wants read, he'll get - - I am so happy that he loves books!! :)

Let the Partying Begin!

Well, I hope that you are ready to read - because this is going to be LONG!! :)

We had the first of many birthday parties this weekend - with my half of the family. We had a GREAT time - Mom, Dad, and Sarah were able to make it up from Missouri, and Grandpa and Grandma Frank came from Lincoln. My Uncle Jon, his wife Gina, and their two kids came up for the day on Saturday. Thinking about everything that happened this weekend makes me smile. :)

Here's a breakdown of the events:

The party began on Saturday with FOOD! We had a "buffet" style with Bulldogs (Sargent's famous hot-dogs), fruit and veggie trays, chips with dip, and cupcakes for dessert (more on that later)......Here's a picture of Grandpa Dave (my dad) and Great-Grandma Bobbie loading up their plates!


Alex with his birthday lunch - cut up hot dog, strawberries, grapes, pears, pineapple, peaches, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, and a little bread - he was a GOOD eater!!

Elijah and Sophie eating at the table - -

Next it was time for PRESENTS!! We had to stash the gifts up and away because little fingers kept tearing the paper....pretty inventive, eh?

For wanting to tear the paper before the party, Alex sure wasn't much help in opening his presents - he didn't do anything with the paper!!!




Here are a few more shots of us opening gifts:


Alex seemed to have more fun with the boxes than he did with the gifts - but that wasn't for long - he LOVED everything that he got!



Next it was time for the ceremonial "get dirty" - - Alex pointed to a cupcake with green frosting, so after singing "Happy Birthday" and (trying to) blow out the candle, Alex was ready to dig in. When I put the cupcake on his tray, he just looked at it! It took him a while to figure out that it would break apart when he poked at it - - -but he DID get messy!!


After the party, we all went out to dinner. Right before we left, Alex played with his new toy - - (he's STILL doing this same thing as I post now.....)



After all of that work, you need a refreshing beverage, right?

Don't worry - the box was on the floor and Alex insisted on pulling cans out of it - it was NOT opened, and he even has the wrong end at his mouth! 20 more years, little man - then you can have it for your birthday party!! :)

After all of that partying, we sure were tired! Alex slept the better part of this afternoon - because napping was NOT on his schedule this weekend!!


Again, we had a GREAT time - thanks to everyone who traveled to share in this special day with us. We enjoyed sharing this special day with you.

Getting Better!

Alex and I had a pretty good day at home today. His eyes looked pretty good this morning - he was able to open them on his own without needing the warm rag to loosen the crud. He's still not a fan of the eye drops, but we can see that they are really helping. We are now over the 24-hour contagious mark, so everyone will be back to their normal routine tomorrow.

Alex took 3-extra long naps today - up from his normal two. But I guess if I was feeling bad, I would want to sleep, too. I snapped a couple of shots of him ready to settle down for a snooze.

I did also take a closer up shot of his eyes - yesterday they were so swollen - today they are a little puffy, but SO much better than before!


I don't know why the "sickness bug" seems to be catching all of us this fall - but I think that it's time for this bug to go somewhere else! We are busy preparing for Alex's birthday party (his first of three) this weekend - so we are glad that everyone is well on the road to recovery! :)

Human Taco Baby!

This past weekend we had guests from Lincoln -Kyle and Amy - some college friends of Andy and I. They are expecting in mid-March, so it was good to chat with them and share all of the fun things that parenting brings. They really enjoyed spending time with Alex - and Andy and Kyle even had time to go turkey hunting! Central Nebraska is without 5 birds today - I think that the ecosystem will be able to survive. :)

When Kyle and Amy were out, we had tacos for lunch. Alex enjoyed feeding himself, but I think that more of it ended up ON him than IN him. He really enjoyed the beef and tomatoes, but passed on the cheese and lettuce. He did quite a bit of his "power-squeezing" - where he squeezes the food AS HARD as he can before he puts it into his mouth. He had taco seasoning running down his arm, his shirt was a mess, and the high chair needed a hosing off.....but he had a fun time feeding himself, so that's what was worth it. :) Here are a couple of shots of the human taco baby - -



On a sadder note, we got a phone call today from Alex's childcare lady, Julie, that when Alex woke up with "cruddies" in his eyes, and his eyes were very pink. She asked us to pick him up and take him to the doctor. When we were able to see Dr. Dan this afternoon, sure enough - pink eye. He also said that Alex's left ear was very red and swollen, so he gave us an antibiotic for a possible ear infection. SO, I will be home tomorrow with Alex, as he will still be contagious. Thankfully, he seems happy otherwise, just red puffy eyes that are constantly crudding up. When he wakes up from a nap, he can't open his eyes - which I feel so sorry for him!! Here's a picture of the happy-red-puffy-eyes-baby! :)

Dentures!

I have long been saying that Alex is going to be the only two-year old with dentures. He just doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to grow any teeth.....but here we are, 12 days before the little man's first birthday, and he has to prove me wrong once again. :)

ALEX HAS A TOOTH!!

Yes, you read right - the little man has a little white protrusion from his lower gum.

Alex has had a runny nose off and on for the last two months. It's always been clear, so I haven't been worried about an infection or anything. He hasn't been abnormally fussy, and hasn't been running a temp. So, a tooth was the last thing on our minds - -

So how did oblivious Mom realize that this tooth was coming in? Well, I DID notice this morning that Alex had a little fuzzy thing on his lip. As I grabbed the fuzz ball, I felt something hard in his mouth. I immediately thought that he had a rock or something in his mouth, so I pried the jaws open and began the massive manhunt (er, rockhunt in this instance). Nothing under the tongue, along the sides, it was nowhere to be found. I was about to give up, when my finger again swiped the hard object. I knew I had it this time.....until I realized that it was a TOOTH!! I hollered for Andy, and he came bolting in - he didn't believe me, so he had to feel the gum for himself. Sure enough, our little guy is teething........

Here are a couple of shots of the happy-tooth-man :)

I know that it's been a while since I posted last, and we have been busy with some home improvements.....

First, our new TV and entertainment center (along with Alex's toys):



Our new dining room light:


We are SO happy that we don't have to buy dentures anymore. :) I hope that ALL of Alex's teeth are able to "sneak in" on us - what a character! So for those of you planning on contributing to the denture fund for his birthday, you'll need to find something else to get him. :) Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Rainy Day Sunday

I don't know what the weather was like in your part of the world today, but in Nebraska, it RAINED!! We had hopes of going outside and getting some yard work done today, but it didn't happen. So we had to resort to watching football all day and taking naps (Andy was brokenhearted!) :)

Once we got home from church, Alex found his new football. He's really enjoying playing with this new one, only he seems to get frustrated when he throws it in one direction and the ball bounces in another. He'll get it figured out one of these days. :)

Here are a couple of cute shots with Alex and his football.


Today was also the perfect day for cuddly-napping. Andy snuck a shot of Alex and I. (How can he sleep in that position?) :)

And for those of you keeping track, Alex was due one year ago today. Little did we know that we still had a LONG ways to go before the little guy would arrive! :) To think of how much has changed in just one year!!

We're Alive!

Hello friends and family! We have returned to the land of the living - and hope to stay there for a while! :)

We have a few pictures from the last few days - here are a couple of Alex under the dining room table, trying to get to the computer cords. Needless to say, the table and cords have been moved! :)


I don't know why he has his cork in - it must've been almost bedtime. I really can't remember and Andy took those pictures. :)

Here are a couple of Alex and his buddy Louis rolling around on the floor together. He had his juice close by because wrestling wears you out!



Thanks to everyone for the phone calls and well-wishes while I was ill. I am feeling SO much better - still a little cough, but I'll take it compared to what I had been feeling. We'll try to keep up to date with the posts more, sorry we've been so few and far between. Volleyball is over now, so I won't have any more late nights. We did have a good season, though....I'll miss the girls, but will enjoy the extra time with my boys. :)

Update

Sorry it's been so long folks - -

I've been sick the past week or so, and think that I have the worst behind me now. I missed school last week and went to the doctor - bronchitis. I've taken most of the antibiotics, so am on the mend.

Andy hurt his foot (LONG story) and thinks that he may have a toe broken on his foot - so he's been hobbling around...but, he too, is feeling better.

Alex has been just wonderful! He hasn't come down with anything, and has just been his adorable self the past week. I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures, the camera batteries died and I just didn't have the energy to change them (I know, it's real "labor-intensive" - - )

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get some pictures for you - until then, just know that we are all fine. :)

Use What God Gave Ya!

I know that I've posted before on Alex carrying things in his mouth - and noticed that he isn't the only kid who does this....but tonight was just too cute not to share these pics!

Alex has a frog-rattle (from our friends in Alaska - thanks Jason and Anne!) that he just LOVES! Tonight, the frog needed to go everywhere Alex went....


As you can see, there is a little rope with a bead attached to the end, and that seems to be the best place to put this in your mouth!


He's so talented that he can even smile while he has this in his mouth! :)


I know that some of the safety-minded folks out there have a little red flag with this toy - but don't worry - - both Andy and I have tugged on those beads, and on the rope, and it's durable! I don't know how they made it so strong, but it holds up! Now, once Alex has teeth, the toy may need to go away - - we'll have to wait and see! :) Okay, enough of my "safety speech" :) Happy October everyone!