Happy Halloween!

Great news! Alex has just signed on for an endorsement deal with the makers of the Rainforest Jumperoo because, well, look at these results! A couple weeks of training on that thing and he is a major beefcake. Okay, so maybe his physique isn't 100% natural. He might have had a little help from some rolled up socks. Lighten up people, he's an athlete, not a role model...

Or maybe he's just a strongman for Halloween. Yeah, that's it. I really wanted to make him a costume for his first Halloween, but I was afraid he'd be all dressed up with nowhere to go. Luckily, the Church has a Halloween party for the kiddos, so our Community Group decided to make a night of it and meet to show off our cute babies in their outfits. With a piggy, a monkey, and two tigers in the group, Alex was the only one that belonged in the traveling circus (ok, the sideshow) rather than the the traveling zoo.

But he got tons of compliments and laughs (with you son, not at you), and we heard several of the church ladies say that his was their favorite costume so far. Thank goodness it was a success cuz it was kind of a pain to make. Who knew that felt spankies and faux leather baby boots would be so difficult to sew? Really, the sewing itself wasn't as troublesome as the fit process. Alex isn't exactly a perfectly proportioned size two like my dress form is...

But it all worked out fine. Alex even got his very first hayride and bonfire experience, where the moms roasted marshmallows while the dad's held the babies.

It got pretty chilly and I was a little worried about Alex's poor little naked legs, so eventually we gave up on the costume and bundled him up. He was a great sport and seemed to have a good time.

A strongman in a carseat makes for a pretty funny sight. Especially a mustached strongman with a pacifier...

So that was Halloween. I didn't get chance to post any "pre-Halloween" pics, so I wanted to share some of the fun leading up to the big day, including Alex's first pumpkin carving experience. Grammy had sent a pumpkin carving kit, so we thought we'd give it a try. Alex wasn't really sure what to make of it, but he rolled his sleeves up and got a couple handfuls of the good stuff.

So I bet you're wondering what the finished product looked like...I regret to inform you that I completely botched the pumpkin carving experiment and am too embarrassed to post a picture of the lame, half-finished disaster of a skeleton face that I attempted to carve. Sorry. I guess I'll have to redeem myself next year...

Bouncing Baby Boy

I gotta tell ya, Alex has been really diligent lately when it comes to his workout routine and diet. He'll do a couple raw eggs for breakfast and protein shakes twice a day, and has finally perfected his form on both the squat thrust and one-armed push-up. He has worked really hard to bulk up those formerly skinny legs, and although he's been progressing in leaps and bounds (pun intended), he has not quite achieved the definition that his trainer was hoping for. His trainer suggested he invest in a jumperoo to really work those quads and try to create some more pronounced striations in his calves.

So when we went to the Babies 'R' Us in Kansas City last weekend, we risked cootie infection to let Alex give the ol' Rainforest Jumperoo a try. He was too tired for a full workout, but we were able to determine that the Rainforest model would be effective at targeting the appropriate muscle groups. Grandpa B set various leg press records in his high school days and was pretty enthused about the prospect of Alex following in his footsteps, so he was more than happy to contribute by purchasing him this piece of equipment.



The first few days of training were a little rough. He was pretty sore and had to take things kind of slow to avoid straining anything. But by the end of the week, he was able to break through the wall and is now a jumping pro.



At this rate, he will be a shoe-in for the Little Mr. Universe title by winter...

Grammy, Papa, and...More Ice Cream

Alex's Grammy and Papa were touring the mid-south on their Goldwing and decided to take a small detour to Fayetteville. Okay, maybe small's not the word, but Grammy's birthday was today and it was her wish to drive halfway across the state to see her grandson. So they arrived yesterday afternoon and after a few minutes of playtime at home, we went up to Pinnacle Promenade (aka the outdoor mall in Rogers) to have dinner and do some window shopping.

After eating at P.F. Chang's (I do not recommend the wok charred beef. For some reason, when reading the menu, it didn't occur to me that "charred" is just another word for "burnt".) We decided to forgo chinese dessert in favor of - you guessed it - Cold Stone Creamery. How better to chase burnt beef than with ice cream, huh? I stayed in the car with Alex, but that didn't stop me from placing an order for some Chocolate Devotion. Gee, I can't possibly imagine why it's taking so long to lose this baby weight...Uhhh, I digress.

It was seven thirty by the time we headed home, and despite another night off his routine, he slept until eight-thirty this morning. In fact, the rest of the house was already wide awake and waiting with bated breath to hear him squeak so everyone could charge into his room and get him up for the day.

We celebrated Grammy's birthday at the Village Inn, where I attempted to make up for the previous night's ice cream debacle by ordering whole wheat fruit 'n' nut pancakes and sugar free syrup. Much better than burnt beef. When he wasn't eavesdropping on the people sitting around us, Alex let Grammy and Papa take turns playing with him.

Our breakfast had impeded on Alex's morning naptime, so he started his nap in the car on the way home. We figured, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," so we left him there while Grammy and Papa packed up the bike, said quiet goodbyes and headed back to Eldo. We were tempted to let him finish his nap in the car...

But we decided the kitchen counter would be a better place. I sat in the living room - with one eye on a Tivoed episode of What Not to Wear and one on Alex - until he woke up forty-five minutes later.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the house. Alex talked to his own picture on the computer for a bit, he played with Murph for a while, then he and I just lazed around and chatted.

He's definitely one of my favorite people ever. Hopefully he feels the same way about me...

Love You Guys!!

Alex, Oliver, and Hudson decided they wanted to have a boys' night out and reluctantly invited us parents along, mostly because they needed us to do things like drive them and feed them. They begged us to take them to Dixon Street so they could hit the clubs and try out their fake ID's. "Come on guys", we said, "You might pass for twenty-one months, but twenty-one years is really pushing it." After much negotiation (that Hudson really knows how to argue his case), we finally settled on Baker Brothers Deli.

It's been pretty cold here lately, so Alex picked out an outfit he'd be warm in, including his sweet new boots from our friend Molly T. In this picture, we thought he kind of looked like he could actually pass for twenty-one years.

We packed A in his carseat for the ride up to Rogers. Note: The addition of the camo hat was daddy's doing, as it breaks mommy's "no camo-on-camo" rule. But it was cute enough to make an exception for, plus it was cold out and a hat was probably a good idea.

We met up with the crew, had a delicious dinner, and lots of fun thanks to the little guys.

Despite the fifty degree temperature, we couldn't resist stopping next door at the Cold Stone Creamery for a little dessert...again. At this rate, Alex is going to start confusing that place with home. But we weren't the only crazy ones eating ice cream on a cold fall night - that joint was jumpin'.

We ate as much as we could before our stomachs and our kids had had enough of Cold Stone Creamery, and we all headed home to put our little ones to bed.

Alex was wiped out by the time we got home, but Timothy snapped a few pictures before he went to bed. Another fun night out with the crew.

The Things We Do

Quick update on the sleeping situation - although he was up at 5:45am yesterday morning, this morning he slept until 9:15 after having gone to bed by 8:00pm. I'm hoping he'll eventually settle on a nice consistent time between the two, but for now I'm just happy those two o'clock feedings seem to be a thing of the past.

Once he finally gets up, I spend the vast majority of the day with my camera in hand, waiting to take advantage of any Kodak moments that may arise. Despite the incredibly awesome benefit of digital photography (aka the ability to delete), I have a hard time erasing one single memory of Alex's babyhood. As a result, I have more pictures than I know what to do with. But I will post a handful of random pics taken over the last few days, just so that they have a purpose other than taking up space on my computer.

Preparing for a Walmart outing:

Hanging at home with mom:

Tummy-time:

Watching dad read:

Being lazy: