Looking forward

Alexander's Halloween costume arrived today! Normally, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Not in the slightest. But when that perfect, little costume arrived and Alexander refused to take it off for hours, well, even I couldn't help but be excited and start looking forward to Halloween.

Any guesses as to what the little man is going to be this year?

Latest Obsession

Part of parenting is finding out which toys will work best for a child's age and development. When we started to notice Alexander's latest obsession with trains, it was time to turn to someone with train set experience. Neighbor Ann. Neighbor Ann was my next door neighbor in childhood, Young Life leader in high school and the older sister I never had. Imagine our surprise when Eric and I bought our first house in 1996 to discover Ann and her family living only two houses away. I never would have survived living in that neighborhood if Ann hadn't been there to laugh with me and help me find the humor regarding the crack addicts on my side of the street.

Anyhow, Neighbor Ann is the authority on train sets. Her three children have, by far, the coolest and most extensive train track we've ever seen. Whenever Eric and I returned from a visit to their home, our conversation would inevitably turn to the massive train set that traveled from their living room, through the dining room, and into the sun room (not only was it the coolest kid toy but it was quite the obstacle test when walking through their home!).

Thanks to the advice of Neighbor Ann, we decided to try out an IKEA train track, rather than spending insane amounts of money on a train track for a two-and-a-half year old who may not be ready for it. This weekend, my parents picked up the set when they were buying additional kitchen cabinets and Ho-Ho Papa and Daddy we set it up during Alexander's nap.
From the moment we put the pieces together, we couldn't wait for him to wake up and test it out.




Oh man, the kid loved it! And it was fairly inexpensive so adding to the set will be affordable. Our set may not be as large as Neighbor Ann's but you have to start somewhere! Thanks for the advice, Ann! You're invited to visit and step over our set anytime!

Footnote: it may come as no surprise that with this latest obsession, I've cleaned out his toys (AGAIN) in anticipation of the holiday season. I can't help it. Cleaning is my obsession.

Playing in with Leaves

We felt a taste of fall this past week with cool temps and leaves falling to the ground. Alexander couldn't wait to play in the leaves with Umma.
Only he found it much more entertaining to pick up the leaves...
one at a time





until the pile was really high!

Dreams for the Future

This is one of my favorite pictures. Alexander is two months old and Eric captured us taking a late afternoon nap. Every time I look at it, I am taken back in time. Not only am I impressed with myself for being showered, but I am reminded of a time when I was lucky to be a stay at home mom, instead of being the working mom that I have become.

Nap times were always my favorite time of the day. Alexander would nap twice a day. During the morning nap, I would shower, clean the house, and blog. The afternoon naps were our time together. Oh, how I remember the sweet smell of a baby, curled up by my side. The soft whisper of sleepy sounds. The bundle of warmth that lulled me to sleep. Even if I woke before Alexander, I would lay still and whisper in his ear my dreams for his future.

This morning, Alexander and I were sitting on the couch, watching Cars. The perfect way to spend a rainy morning. Alexander does not sit still long enough to cuddle with anyone so at first, when I felt the little bundle of warmth at my side, I didn't clue in to what he was doing. Then, he crawled onto my lap, leaned his head on my shoulder...and sighed. Once I realized that he was actually going to stay put, with his head on my chest, I yelled called for Eric to grab the camera and snap the photo. Unlike the previous photo, I'm not showered. Catching this moment on film is much more important than my vanity...well, kinda...

I miss the baby who napped with me every day. Yet, that feeling drifts way when I think about who this baby has become - a fiercely independent, funny, happy, daring and fearless toddler.

I guess that is what being a parent is all about - you miss the baby you cuddled with, but you look forward to meeting the young boy/man that is inside the child. And hope that he always has time to sit down with his mom and share his dreams for the future...even if he can only sit for just a minute or two.

We realize we cannot force them to marry.
However, we hope this friendship is at least a built-in Prom date for both kids.

New Season

The school year has started. Mornings are cooler. Bedtimes are earlier. Week one of the school year has come to an end and with it, new routines are establishing themselves in our home. Mommy leaves the house most mornings before Daddy and I have opened our eyes. She isn't in charge of ASB anymore so she arrives home by four o'clock every day. Daddy and I greet her every afternoon, by standing and cheering on the front porch when she pulls up the driveway. Daddy is adjusting to waking before 8AM, we join Umma every morning for a walk, and we signed up for another session at Little Gym. And, if all goes well, we are hoping to start the addition of our home this fall.

Even better than all of that...it's football season!

Mommy and I are ready!

Are you?

Well Daddy is back on the job. I've been taking naps at normal times and eating at scheduled times... Man I miss hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa!

But their kitchen sure is looking good! Here are some befores/mids and the nearly dones.