Caution: Kids at Play!

Yummy Toes! I think I'll just take a nibble!

Oh No, Dad, not the tummy!!







A little sweetness from the Daddy


It's fun to watch Ryan and Alex play together. Daddy's finally found someone who truly appreciates his sense of imagination!! And Alex loves to watch every move his Daddy makes. He also loves to feel his whiskers--he runs his hand back and forth over Ryan's face! This morning Daddy got to see Alex roll on his side again a few times. I think these pics are great, but I wish you could hear all the noise these two make--giggles, & coos, & sound effects galore! To tell you the truth, I'm not sure which kid is having more fun!! Heartfelt thanks to my hubby who is not only a loving husband, but a great Daddy!

Alex Turns 4 Months Old!

Well, happy birthday to my little man! Ryan teasingly says it's a miracle Alex has made it this far--considering my inability to keep plants and fish alive. But I told him I would definitely remember to feed something that makes noise! And look both Alex and Toby are alive and thriving!! Not to mention Ryan himself! Anyway, Here's the Alex news of late: I measured him last night and he's 27in. long. That is in the 97th percentile for 4 month olds (I looked it up). People are always amazed at how long he is, which I just don't understand---have they met Ryan??? His latest thing is to go on a sleep strike in the church nursery. He won't sleep and then gets so overtired and all worked up that I have to come calm him down and put him to sleep--which I don't mind, it would just be a lot less stressful to his little self if he would go to sleep for the nice ladies in the nursery! Oh, well, he'll learn! We've tried to get him to roll again since he did the other day, but no luck! Oh, and he loves cereal now. He smiles through every spoonful of oatmeal! Anyway, we are obviously in love with our little man and so glad that God put him into our lives.

Snuggly Sleeper

You know you can't avoid the fact that winter is cming any longer when you finally break down and pull out the flannel! Flannel sheets, flannel pj's, you pick your poison, but WINTER IS COMING! I know it's only Ocyober, but this is Michign, people!! For me, it's flammel sheets, love 'em! For Alex it's this great flannel sleeper-one of the many great hand-me-downs from CiCi! This little guy loves to be snugly warm when he's sleeping. Speaking of sleep, don't we get an extra hour tonight? Of course, what does daylight savings time do to a baby's schedule? I'm not thinking this bodes too well for the mummy! Oh, well, if he wakes me up early & I'm a little grumpy--me?? grumpy??--all I have to do is get a glimpse of my little guy in his flannel pj's and I can't help but smile!!

Way Down Yonder in the Pumpkin Patch

This morning Alex & I went with some other Moms and Babes on a field trip to a little pumpkin patch only a few miles down the road called Massad Acres. Most of the kids there were around 2-4yrs. old and enjoyed running around, but Alex does love to be outside and he must have enjoyed himself cuz he didn't fuss once!! In fact half way through he fell asleep! Guess his coat kept him pretty warm and snuggly--speaking of his coat it is adorable (thanks to Cindy Miller). A few sizes too big, but once he gets a sweater on underneath it's not too bad and he loves to be snuggly and toasty warm!! It was fun to watch all the moms chase their little ones around-though I know my day is coming! Alex was looking a little jealous that he had to be strapped in a stroller! Anyway, it was a beautiful fall day and Jenny and I especially had fun showing Daniel and Alex the pumpkins and corn and taking their pictures. We sure will have fun scrapbooking these pictures!!

Rock 'n' Roll Baby

Today Alex had a new "first"!! He rolled over onto his side! Isn't amazing how a small thing like that can turn your morning upside down! And can you believe that I actually had the camera right there and got a picture! Seriously this was not staged--I actually got this first on camera. Anyway, as cool as this new first is, I know I need to start thinking about some safety stuff in this house cuz once he starts really moving...watch out world!

And Then He Grew a Neck

It's so funny how once a baby learns to hold up his head all of the sudden you realize he has a neck! There are more than just lovely rolls holding that head up after all! Then his face starts to look different because you can actually see the shape of it up off those wonderful folds of skin! The sad part: he starts to look like a big boy and not so much like the newborn you brought home from the hospital--as one mom told me, it's all getting you ready for sending them off to college one day!!! But back to the point, that has been the case with Alex lately. Suddenly he is making little facial expressions that make him look like a totally different kid! Thankfully he has retained his smoochable cheeks. Oh, and he has learned how to make these cute bubble blowing noises to go along with the baby babble. Cute--but not so much when you are feeding him oatmeal. Can you say, "Who flung chow?"




"I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Tummy time is getting better and better. Especially now that I got out some toys that work well with tummy time. I can even tell that Alex's back & neck muscles are getting stronger because he is sitting up and holding his head up a lot better lately.

Our Little Pumpkin

My favorite nickname for Alex is "pumpkin" so it seemed very appropriate to have a "pumpkin patch" photo shoot! It took a little bit of manuevering and sweet-talking Alex, but we got some great pics! If nothing else it was a good laugh for our neighbors as they watched us try to get Alex to smile...oh well, his serious face is cute, too!

Mmm, Mmmm, Good?

Yesterday Alex had his first meal of cereal. I must admit, I almost felt bad feeding him that stuff--it looked so gross! But, he did a great job, he didn't cry and he actually swallowed several spoonfulls! It was at least good entertainment for us adults. So far I have had every reason to thank the Lord for a flexible and easy-going child! We're going to keep him going on the oatmeal for a week or so and then maybe start him on some veggies--mealtime is about to take on a whole new dimension!

When a Baby is Born, So Are Grandparents

We had a pretty relaxing day today, made some pies, watched some shows, took a walk, etc. Alex still managed to get off his schedule because when his grandparents give him his bottle he tends to play with them more than eat--I'm still trying to figure out who's fault that is, his or theirs! :-) Dad and Ryan really enjoyed the preachers' conference this year. We have a fun day planned today and Grandpa and Grams are looking forward to more play time with Alex!

Do you think he's having a good time?

Grandpa plays the silliest games!

We're So Glad Grandpa & Grams are Here!

Grandpa and Grams arrived here late Wednesday night. We all got to visit a few minutes before Alex got crabby and needed to go to bed! But we had a nice day yesterday driving up north to visit a few friends. The fall trees were so beautiful and we really enjoyed the drive. The grandparents are lovin' doting on Alex and acting like the sappiest grandparents ever!! (it's fun to watch!) :-)

The Revenge of the Bug

Just chillin', unaware of the lurking danger...

Moment of weakness: "Oh, no! Don't look now, but the Bug is right behind me!"

"Bring it on, Bug!"

Hey, Could Somebody Help a Brother Out Here???

When we got back from grocery shopping this afternoon I quickly plopped Alex down in his swing to play while I unloaded the goods cuz I thought some of the frozen stuff seemed soft already. I didn't pay much attention to him cuz he was making his happy playtime coos and noises. Well, when I finally looked over at him, here he had wiggled all the way to the edge of the swing--mostly because I had set him down on a blanket and a few toys! I figure he must have been pretty uncomfortable, but he didn't seem to care a bit, gotta love easy-going children!

Grandpa & Grams are Coming and I've got a Big Wet One For Them!!!

The (Attempted) Demise of the Bug

"Ha, I've got that Bug right where I want him! Who's the man now?"

"The jaws of death..."










"Ewww. ewww. ewww!!! Somebody could have told me that was going to be gross!"











"Ok, Bug, I've spared your life this time, but don't get in my way again!"

Splish, Splash, I was Takin' a Bath

Bathtime has become part of our nightly routine: we have a bottle, take a bath, read a book, and go to bed. It's great because by the time we get to the bed part Alex is good and ready to sleep. Well, the other day I was giving him a bath and all the sudden there was water all over my feet! You see we only have a shower in our bathroom, so I have an infant bathtub that I use on the kitchen counter (which is easier on my back, too). Well, Alex likes to put his hands down into the water and somehow he got his little finger under the plug and pulled it out!! Water was everywhere (except in the tub where it should be) and Ryan had to hurry for some towels while Toby enjoyed an extra-long drink! Aaah, as Ryan says, that is the exciting roller coaster that we call Alex!
Ya gotta love him!

I have one word for this look: YIKES!

Do you think he is using the hairbrush as a microphone or trying to eat it???

Caught Nappin'

Several of my friends told me that Sundays can be hard on little children and I've been finding out that they were so right! The poor kid is either having his nap interrupted to be wisked off to church or not taking a nap or his bottle because there are just too many new and exciting things to watch and do in the church nursery. Today on the way home from church I looked at Alex and he had fallen asleep in his carseat (a rare thing indeed) and even stayed asleep all the way into the house and slept there for an entire hour (a very rare thing)! I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, since when I peeked in the nursery between Sunday School and the Service he was in one of the swings "flirting" with the cute teenage girl who was pushing the swing. Guess he had a right to be tired!!
The stuffed animal that Alex is holding is his carseat buddy that goes with us to help him not be so sad in the car. It seems to help him to see a familiar face in the backseat!
Since Alex decided that he was going to eat his breakfast at 5:30am, we were all ready for church pretty early!!!

Havin' Fun in the Fall

This afternoon Alex and I braved the chilly fall day and went over to Jenny Leonard's to do some scrapbooking. The mommies had lots of fun scrapping and the boys enjoyed watching a Baby Einstein DVD! This is a pic of them in "stroller-jail" (as Sarah fondly calls it) so that we knew they were ok watching the DVD and we could get some concetrated scrapping done even with them being awake! We all had fun and can't wait to get together again!

I made a new dessert today that sounds really 'fallish': Apple Danish Cheesecake. Ryan said it looked so good I should take a picture, so I did!

Havin' fun with self-portaits