A new boy

I have recently learned something new about my son: along with growing up comes new thought processes. Let me explain. We went to WalMart the other day and Alex found a tractor toy he really wanted. We didn't get it, but for the first time, Alex did NOT forget about it. A couple days later, I mentioned it to Patrick and Alex started whining and asking for it again! I'm not used to a child who remembers things like that. This brings on a whole new way of life and thought on my part. My baby is growing up in more ways than size!

The Bike

And off he goes!!!

What little boy could resist riding a bike through a big mud puddle and splashing along the way?

Christmas Difficulties

Oh the strain of keeping secrets is so hard! For those of you who know me well, I don't keep secrets because I physically can't. I always end up giving away the secret because I get so excited to see the other person so happy (or at least pretending to be) and have a hard time trying not to lie in the process. My brother knew this and got me to tell him his presents year after year, each time getting upset that I really told him. Thirty years later and I am still telling secrets.

So what happened? UPS came to deliver some packages which ended up containing Alex's great big present (a really cool Strider Bike). Patrick was home for lunch and I didn't want him to see the gift I got him-the store would have given it away. So I stopped reading Alex his nap time story and ran to the door with the little boy right behind me. Of all the gifts we ordered, his was the only box that showed a picture of what was on the inside instead of the traditional brown. My little boy loves bikes and kept repeating, "bike! bike!" and pushed the box into our room so we could open it for him.

We caved.

I got Alex to sleep after many tears and two books, then I put his bike together. Good thing I got him other things (smaller and less exciting) for him to open on Christmas.

A week in review

Last weekend we went to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco with some friends from Patrick's job. With all the cool animals around and neat things to look at my son decides the best thing at the zoo is (of all things) the water wheel. It is right beside the otters where there is a clear slide that goes through the otter tank. Other kids there were having a blast going down the slide, but Alex just stood watching the water wheel and getting sprinkled by the over splash. Hmmmm. As soon as the others showed up, Alex enjoyed being led along by a big 10 year old boy and playing with the others around the Orangutan China playground.

Thanksgiving-My very first Thanksgiving at my home. Everything turned out really well with plenty of leftovers. Unfortunately, we finished it all off within just 36 hours. (I really liked the leftover sandwiches) My mother-in-law spent the night as our very first house guest in this apartment. Alex loved having her here and enjoyed the extra attention only Grandmas can give.

With a huge blessing only God could manage-we were able to pay off a majority of our debt leaving only one student loan! We also now are able to buy Christmas presents! I love giving gifts and this year I am so ecstatic that I can shop for everyone. I even got to go out on Black Friday and then online shop during the weekend. So happy I am!

Will try to post some pix soon.

Cutie Pie

Grandma Franklin just got Alex a new trike. We got to put it to use Saturday afternoon during our visit. He has a Spiderman helmet that came to good use as well as the seat belt. Her driveway is a bit steep and I almost toppled him over. Oops! He doesn't know how to pedal so I pushed and steered from behind. Lots of fun!
What do you do on a sprinkling afternoon? Play in the dirt! The rain never really got the ground wet so this was still dirt, not mud. He got plenty dirty and was very upset when it was time to go inside.

Counting

Today as I was taking Patrick to work, I decided to continue counting practice with Alex. We have been working on making it to 5. He does not like saying "one" but loves "two" and "five." I held up one finger and asked him "How many?" He said "one!" He made it all the way to five on his own with just my fingers as help!!! He did it a few times in a row, then just started repeating two and five. I was so excited Patrick was able to hear it himself. Alex thought it was awesome that we cheered for him.

Of course, he won't count any more for me today, but that's okay. I heard him and I am one proud momma!

Pumpkin Patch

Alex had a great time at the pumpkin patch this past Saturday. There were many things to do, but since he was a little fussy when we got there he wanted nothing more than to be held and just watch from a distance. That got me a bit worried until I noticed the haystack. Patrick put him down on it and after seeing that it could be fun, Alex decided to run around and bounce in the hay. And what did they have right next to it but two tether ball games. He didn't really play much, but he loved watching the other kids whack the ball around the pole. This got his spirits up to enjoy the rest of the fun.

The train ride was his favorite by far. He rode it three times in a row! The conductor even did an extra circle during the last trip to mix it up a bit for him. He didn't really smile or talk, but his little tush was firmly planted and was not going to move until he had finished his ride. When the tickets ran out, I had to do some clever redirecting to the haystack and tether ball games to get him off. We were so proud of him since it is not like him to ride something like that without being on one of our laps and there wasn't even a slight hint of anxiety in him. He is such a big, independent boy now!

So for only $9, and a 20 minute car ride our little man got a full morning of fun. Needless to say he scarfed down his lunch and was more than willing to take a nap when we got home. Grandma Franklin was there when he woke up so his fun didn't end at the Pumpkin Patch either.

Ahh, I love autumn!

The growing boy

Assume the position. . . One, two, three, Go!!!
Alex had a wonderful time last weekend at his cousin Clementine's second birthday party at the children's museum in Austin. Not sure what is up with my son's "smile." You'll notice the same face in almost every picture now.
Sweet Clementine enjoying her monkey cake.
He has decided that the buckle on his stroller, as well as the grocery store carts, is way more fun than the regular old ride. Good thing kids have flexible bones still!

Rain, Rain, Come Our Way!

Oh the desperation for rain! Today, Alex decided he wanted to play in the tan yellow grass in front of our apartment. As he was running underneath the management sign, he tripped and fell face first into the "grass." As he got up, I noticed that it looked as if he had sawdust all over him. The grass was so dry it crumbled into a poof of yellow dust upon impact! Now that is dry grass.

Double Bubble

We were babysitting my downstairs neighbor, Alex, and decided to give the boys a bath. Aren't they adorable? Alex loved showing Baby Alex all the toys and things you can do in the bathtub.

Bored at Home

What does Alex do when it is 106 degrees outside and Mommy has him cooped up inside?

1. Play with pinto beans and pour them into mommy's coffee cup.
2. Play with trains just long enough to make a big mess, then leave it for Mommy to clean up.
3. Watch Nemo constantly throughout the day.
4. Look like you are helping Mommy make bread and eat the dough when she isn't looking.
5. Scrub the deck outside with mommy then lay down in the soapy water left on the floor.
6. Blow bubbles in the living room.
7. Find everything in the house that is breakable and bring to mommy to put back.
8. Jump around so much that the neighbor downstairs's ceiling fan shakes.
9. Scream loudly.
10. Watch more Nemo!

New pictures of my growing boy

Notice the colors on his nose. He got a hold of the purple marker and colored his nose and hairline.


Little Chef in the making. He's making eggs for mommy and daddy. (Mommy really does most of the work, but he likes practicing flipping the eggs over.)

I just love this face.

Preciousness

This past weekend, we were blessed with the fun of cousins visiting. Notice the sweet innocent faces of the girls and the macho grumble from my son. He has been doing this a lot lately. Not sure why.

Alex and Cosette got along like 2 peas in a pod. It was adorable. So much jumping and running!

Wanting Another

My arms are so empty. My big boy walks by himself, plays on the floor, and is getting quite independent. Most of you know that I have always wanted a large family of six kids. (Yes, I know that monetarily, that is not too smart of me.) I am also getting older and am terrified of being an old mom to a little kid.

I want a baby now, no, not now. Yesterday. Last month. Last year.

Argh. I pray for God to allow us to be the family He wants for us to be. That is really hard since it means giving up on my desires for the dream family. God knows us better than we do and He will provide what and when. I know that. (In my mind.) My heart is aching and my arms are constantly reaching for my neighbor's little boy or any baby within reach.

Alex is so perfect. Don't get me wrong. I love him dearly. But he needs a sibling to wrestle with and yell at on occasion. Homeschooling will be near impossible with only one kid. Alex will be way too spoiled by the grandparents unless he learns to share with a brother or sister.

Please be in prayer for us as we are getting a little impatient now and need God's peace.

Love You

I finally got Alex to say it. This morning as we dropped Patrick off at work, Alex gave him a kiss and said, "Bye. Love you, too!" Oh, how precious that was!

Then at the park this morning Twice he leaned over and gave me a kiss on the lips then a real one on my cheek. (He usually just juts out his chin to get/give a kiss, but for the real one he actually made the smooch sound!

Ahhhh, I love this kid!!!

Happy Daddy's Day

How do you know if he's a great Daddy? Just ask the kid!

Patrick has been the most wonderful dad Alex could ever have hoped for. Alex adores his daddy so much that whenever Patrick is around he wants nothing to do with me and has to be either in daddy's arms or sitting very near as to touching him. Who said it has to be Daddy's Little Girl? Alex will forever be Daddy's Little Boy!

We love you Patrick!!!!

Camping

At the beginning of our week, we spent a few days with Patrick's mom. This was a super cute Daddy moment I couldn't keep to myself. Alex is a complete Daddy's boy and loves every bit of closeness he can get.



After coming back from Austin, we took off again to Inks Lake for a night of camping. Yes, it was hot, but this was a nice, cool swimming spot. This duck was hoping to get fed, but instead got chased by a two year old. It took it a while to figure out that Alex doesn't give up so soon and kept trying to come back. Alex loved it!

Yea, Alex!!!

Yes, sirree. I made that cake myself with lots of help from my wonderful sis-in-law, Charissa.



Splashing in the park.


This was one long week of birthday!! Patrick had decided to take the week off from work which freed us to do a lot of stuff. First, we went to Austin and spent three days with my mother-in-law. She decided to throw a surprise Thomas the Train party for Alex with his Aunt Christine, Uncle Chris and cousin Clementine. We returned home on Tuesday to work and do some laundry and then quickly set off again to Inks Lake Park for a night of camping and geocaching on Alex's birthday. We returned home Thursday night burnt and spent (I didn't sleep more than an hour total in the tent.) Friday Alex and I were off again to Grandma and Grandpa Ludlow's for cake-making with Charissa and lots of cousin playtime for my boy.

The birthday party on Saturday was a big success which we will never do again. It was a lot of work to get everything together--so thanks to all the helping hands! Alex had so much fun that on the way home, before we got into Temple, he crashed hard in the seat-head bobbing very low. Once home, Patrick and I ate lunch and took a nice long nap, happy with our party and glad the week is finally over.

Happy birthday my big baby boy!!! You are now 2!!!!

Trains

We went to the Whistle Stop playground today after taking Daddy to work. Alex has no interest in the park, just the trains. He is absolutely terrified of them when they are on the closest track and toot their horns. (They are very loud and he doesn't know why they are yelling at him.)

I had to hold him for the entire time we were there-which was about 45 minutes. Eventually I went to the picnic table and sat him on my lap. When the fourth train went by, he just about crawled onto my head! He hugged me with all of his might and pressed his face into mine. It was really cute to see him giving the train a thumbs up even through all this. He could stay there all day if I let him.

Fun!

Fun-that is Alex's new favorite saying. Every time something is funny or enjoyable he says, "Fun!" These are some of his fun moments.


The camp chairs downstairs make for a nice resting place between laps around the stairs.

Mud is cool! This was taken before he decided to walk in the mud and track little mud prints all over the sidewalk.

Digging in and sitting in mud. Even more fun!

New toys from a coworker of Patrick's. Now he has his own tools and doesn't have to use Daddy's all the time. (Real hammers hurt!)

He is so cute!

One of my favorite smile photos!

Another cooking photo.

A bowl of bubbles lends itself to at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted fun and a very wet diaper.

Grandma Ludlow got a super set of pj's for this super little boy.

Cheesey pose.

The bike. Enough said.

Alex had tons of fun pushing his now 2 year old cousin, Elizabeth in her little car. So sweet.

Easter fun

Alex got to go to an Easter Egg hunt at Patrick's boss' church on Saturday. He got so excited about finding the eggs and opening them to find candy! They gave all the kids cupcakes which he very readily scarffed down.

We decided to find another hunt for him to go to since he had such a good time. Off to Silo Christmas Tree Farm in Moffat! They hid the eggs in and under the little trees. Alex, now knowing how to open them, sat down as soon as he got one and opened it. Finding that it was empty, he threw it aside and set off to find another one. So cute. They had a maze made of wooden pallets, a hay ride and a lawn-mower train. He refused to ride the train without Daddy, so watching had to suffice.

I need to apologize for taking so much time to get this blog post up. I am now having to email myself all the pictures so I can get them on the computer. (Yes, it took me a month to figure that out. I am not a smart woman.)

My little baby is now a toddler and will be two in a month. So sad and exciting at the same time. His new favorite things: cooking, cars, and bubbles. He can identify stars (thanks to Baby Signing Time) and circles most of the time. His little Dora bike has basically become glued to his toosh in the past few weeks. There is not a day that goes by when he doesn't ride it around the complex and touch every car in the parking lot.

Coupons?

I am trying to get buy each month on a small grocery budget ($200 just for food stuff). All the web sites I go to say to clip coupons. Well, we bought a paper (Temple Daily Telegram) last weekend and I couldn't find a single coupon worth clipping!! What the heck?! Where are all these people finding such great deals? All I have is HEB and Walmart to shop at and HEB is where I get the food. I try to use the coupons already in the store. I have found that many coupons are for name brand items which even with the coupons are more expensive than the generic I usually buy! ARGH!!! Please help! Should I get an Austin paper just for the coupons? That's an expensive paper and I don't want to get it unless it will pay off. Thanks.

PS--I am already tired of pizza, Ramen and Mac N Cheese. I am gaining weight lately as well since the cheap foods are so unhealthy (the yummy cinnamon rolls I made didn't help either.)

All Moved In!

We have now been in our new place for a week! We absolutely love it. Alex loves his new downstairs playmates (a bit older than him) and the step stool in the kitchen.

I still have a few boxes left that need unpacking, but they are Patrick's and he has not had time yet to do them being that he is at work 12 hours a day. Poor thing. I love having such a small place. It fits me to a "T"-minimal things and easy to keep clean even with Alex throwing rice on the floor.

And off we go. . .

Patrick and I found an apartment in Temple! We are moving out of our parents' house next weekend, March, 12. We are very excited to have our own place again, though the grandparents are going to miss seeing the little one each day. The expenses of moving always surprise me. You would think that after moving so many times I would know it all by now. Oh well.

Alex went sailing last week and had a blast! The first time on the boat, he was timid and clung on to me the entire time. This time, he walked around carefree and happy. (Even when heeling over!) He made his Grandpa very proud!!! Will show pictures soon.

New Do

I am cheap. No one will deny that. I just hate spending $12 for a toddler haircut, much less for myself. So I decided to attempt the cutting of Alex's hair myself. Mom gave me some pointers and I took over. I did a decent job,too. The back turned out pretty good, but the sides and top gave me some trouble. From a distance, all is good. Close up is a different story. It's only the first time, I'll get better. (Too bad he isn't a girl so I could just let it all grow out. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that to my son.)

He did!

As Patrick was leaving for work, Alex said to him, "bye, bye dada!" I am a proud mama!

New Word

While looking in a book, Alex saw a picture of a puppy. I told him what it was and he quickly repeated, "puppy!" He then ran around the house yelling, "puppy, puppy, puppy. . ." I think he likes that word.

20!

Well, I tried to update from my phone but for some reason, I could not type in the info, just the title. I couldn't even download pictures. Oh, well.

Alex is now officially 20 months old!!! That sounds so big to me. He has come so far in the past few months. Playing with his cousin, Zak, over Christmas time was a great present for him. They had so much fun playing together and learning from each other. Zak taught Alex how to crawl up onto tables and chairs while Alex taught Zak to scream. Alex will greatly miss his newest friend.

Also new is Alex's language skills. He can now throw things away, hand me something, or take something to Grandpa when asked. He can answer "yes" or "no" to questions. He can identify his head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly, and toes. He can say and sign so many more words now I have a hard time keeping up. I got some simple books from my mom that have a picture and the lable under, one per page, and Alex is able to identify what each picture is when asked. His new favorite word: apple. He will sign it on my face when I am holding him. Very cute.

I really do like being here in Belton. I am spoiled with family here to watch Alex while I nap, shop, or just get lazy. We are slowly able to save up money to pay our debts, but it seems like we will be living with my parents for quite some time still.

The only thing we are lacking here is a good church. I know for sure that I am constantly comparing to our church in Buda, and none are as good to me. I miss our friends there and the weekly LifeGroup. I am praying that we find a church home soon. Finding one, knowing that you can only visit one per week, is slow going and frustrating.