Big Stuff!

Some big events since we wrote last.  First and foremost, Alex is now a big brother!!  His sister Anna was born on June 11 and Alex is madly in love with her.  As you can see from the pictures, he loves spending time with her and is a great helper.  It seems like he wants her to play with him already!  If she is crying, he goes to comfort her by turning on her swing, giving her a pacifier, or rubbing her head and saying, "It's okay baby." 

He has been acting out a bit with mom and dad, but that seems to be subsiding as time goes on since Anna was born.  Doesn't help that our little boy just turned 3 years old on July 23... I have heard it's not the terrible 2's but the terrible 3's.  I made a train cake for Alex's birthday and he really loved it.  He got his first bike and has wanted to ride it every day since although he still doesn't have pedaling down pat.  It's fun helping him try for sure. 

We had Grandma Penny stay with us for a few weeks.  Alex got to share his bedroom with Grandma so we set him up on the a small mattress inside his tent - he loved it!  Every morning when Alex wasn't headed to school Grandma would get up with Alex and they would relax until Anna and I rolled out of bed.  It was wonderful to see them bond and when Grandma left, he asked several times, "Where's Grandma Penny?"  We all loved having her here.

May Fun so far...

As you can see from the following pictures, Alex LOVES to fingerpaint.  We have been doing this together since he was a little baby and family members and friends receive his artwork from time to time in the mail... Georgia Emo said she cherishes these in her birthday packages and can see the growth of his skill from year to year!  He has very specific ideas of color.  The first piece is always very thoughtful and considered... then he just has fun with it!  I mildly encouraged him by writing 'Alex' on his chest then he just went nuts!  He colored himself and then chased me into the kitchen to color Pumpkin!  Luckily, all very washable!

Brent was working on a project to reinstall our magnetic knife rack above the stove.  Of course, Alex had to help!  He is such a good helper!  Daddy had his drill and Alex had his toy drill!  He was working hard.  And of course, Dad loved the help.

Alex also likes to help in the garden.  Here is a shot of Alex and I planting some annuals.  We even got him a pair of kid gloves (which he promptly removed)!  He normally wants to wear a pair of mine which are obviously too big.  Hopefully he will get used to his pair, his fingernails get dirty enough as it is.  Yuck! 

On Cinco de Mayo, we had the Alexanders over for a Mexican feast!  Here are a few pictures of Isaac and Alex with their dads.  I can't get over how much each boy looks like their father.  They get along so well.  It is such a blessing since they are our "couple."  We love those guys like family.

Alex is now telling us when he needs to go to the bathroom.  That means he is officially potty-trained!  He has been solid with only 1 accident for the past month.  I think that is outstanding!  He doesn't actually like going to the bathroom and he holds it for a ridiculously long time.  If we are out and about, he likes to try new bathrooms.  He especially likes restuarant bathrooms, and yes, I know how odd this sounds!  Must be something male coming out in him.

What else?  He seems to understand that Pumpkin is coming soon.  The ladies at daycare were trying to get her name out of Alex and they said, "Alex, what is your sister's name?"  He screamed "Pumpkin!"  Good boy.  Another daycare story is that the ladies were talking about making a pumpkin pie for an upcoming event.  Alex broke into their conversation and said, "You can't eat my SISTER!" with a very upset look on his face!  He is already protecting her.  I am sure that caused a big laugh, I know it did when Kristi told us about it!

Alex has also turned into a huge Chatty Cathy.  He talks all the time now.  Most of it we understand and if we don't he sometimes incorporates hand gestures to help us out!  He is growing up way too fast.  One of my favorite lines is when he looks at me very seriously and says, "Mommy, my need strawberries."  He sure isn't afraid to tell you what he wants or needs and I love that about him.  He makes parenting a joy.

The only challenge we have had with Alex is he is not listening well.  This has been going on for weeks and it tries both of our patience.  He can hear us, reports the command back to us in most cases, and then just doesn't listen.  Brent and I are on the exact same page as far as discipline is concerned so Alex doesn't get away with much.  He has been getting more time outs lately.  He needs to listen when we say things, and understand that Dad and Mom are in charge. 

Right now Alex is in Chisago with his grandparents Sue and Larry.  His cousins Ashley and Jack are there as well.  The kids just love one another.  On Mother's Day, Alex didn't want to come home.  He wanted to stay at Grandpa's house.  Larry looked at him and said, "Well Sparky, do you have your toothbrush?  What about your blanket?  You have to have a few things to stay over."  Alex considered this, and seemed to agree.  When I told him on Friday morning that he was going to stay with his grandparents he was elated.  When we were leaving their house he said, "Bye Mom, Bye Dad!  See you later!"

Needless to say, we have enjoyed getting text messages with pictures of the kids having a blast.  We got the house cleaned up, errands run, had two grown-up evenings, and are ready to see our little boy this afternoon.  It's been nice to be home and get things done without distraction, but I am ready for a hug!!

Easter 2012

We had a great Easter. Saturday night we decorated eggs. The one above didn't make it to the dying session... so Alex had a great time covering it with stickers! He really loved seeing the eggs change color and took the process very seriously... and had a blast!

Alex was woken up by mom and dad saying the Easter Bunny came and left eggs in his living room! He was so excited!

Here is a video of Alex's hunt at home... it is about 5 minutes long but the entire hunt lasted about 12! Great fun and shows just how much he is talking now!

We headed to Chisago for some time with the family. Alex got another hunt, outside this time, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner of ham, potatos, green beans, asparagus, and salad! He ate quite a bit of ham, potatoes, and oranges. Go Grandma Sue!

These ducks were a big hit on the piano. Alex was very distracted by them.

Alex adores this stroller his grandparents have. We decided that would work just as well as an Easter basket. He approved.

And yes folks, the Cobra. Alex simply loves this muscle car. Grandma Larry took him on his first ride! I don't think he cared for the noise, but we could all see the excitement in his eyes. The car is awesome and I can see many more trips to come.

Trip to North Dakota and a few Firsts!

Just a general update, since the weather has warmed considerably, Alex and his dad have been enjoying playtime outdoors every day after school. They go on walks, frequent the local parks, and having lots of fun! Alex is pretty persuasive in that way! When I get home I often find them outside and join in. We are spending lots of time outside on the weekends too.

Here is a video Brent took of Alex running really fast after some sidewalk chalk fun!

Another update is that Alex is practically potty-trained. I would say that #2 is still a challenge, but he rarely wets himself these days. He loves trying out potties while we are running errands. Going at home can be a challenge on and off as far as him wanting to sit on the toilet, but we tend to be strict with it to avoid accidents. He definitely sleeps overnight in Easy Ups but it is typically dry when he wakes up. We are so proud of him!

We recently tried the Papa Murphy's Mini-Murph! This was a great deal for Alex. He got to make his own pepperoni Pizza and eat it up! He loves helping in the kitchen these days and was checking on the pizza during the baking process. Quite the little chef we have!

Last weekend we went to visit cousin Jessi, Uncle Erik, and Miss Cherie. They spoiled us rotten! Cherie cooked lots of yummy food, we got to go to the park two days in a row, and Alex saw his first movie! He sat between Jessi and I, ate popcorn, and loved The Lorax by Dr. Seuss! It was a great movie but I am sad to report Alex and I polished off a Medium popcorn between the two of us. Ever since, he has been saying, "Mom, can we watch moovees and eat popcorns?" I love it.

It was really great seeing the clan in North Dakota. Alex and Jessi got some time to themselves on Saturday night and the adults went out for St. Patrick's Day. After a breakfast of homemade caramel rolls and then lunch at a local taco place, we were headed back to Minneapolis. The car trip itself was just fine with our little guy. He plays very independently and he loved picking out snacks along the way. One story that must be shared occurred at Holiday. Mom and Alex went potty and then I asked him what snack he wanted and to take a look around. He walked immediately over to the bakery display, opened the case door, grabbed a donut and immediately put it in his mouth! What a stinker! I guess my love of donuts has rubbed off on my child!

Here are some pics from our trip to Grand Forks:

I wouldn't call it a first, but here are some pictures of a recent trip to the Mall of America. We are starting to really enjoy the mall, which I never thought was possible with Brent! Alex had a blast riding rides and we ate lunch at Bubba Gumps. He loves shrimp so that was a big hit with him!

Alex had his first dentist appointment this month. He was such a trooper! He sat on my lap and was very cooperative with Denise, his dental hygienist. They were very pleased that he already has such good habits of brushing twice a day and now we are starting to floss. Such a big boy!

Alex got his first professional haircut today by a nice stylist named Sarah. The place was perfect for kids! Toys in the waiting room and an individual TV at every station! He was sitting so still for her which never happens at home! His hair looks so fabulous that I may never cut it again!! I am trying to save the family some money by doing it myself but I really did a poor job this last time and totally required a professional's intervention. I am not too proud to admit that! He did very well with the whole experience though, no crying or anything!

Catching Up

Valentine's Day sparkling grape juice- he LOVED it!

We are woefully behind on providing updates on Alex. The biggest thing – and most exciting – is that he is now rocking Big Boy Training Pants! He is still fairly inconsistent with his interest level, but he does not like feeling himself wet. He stands there with a stricken look on his face and says, “Mom!?” I think we will definitely be potty-trained by summer. #2 is still a challenge and he will be in a diaper overnight for a while I am sure, but my guy is a champ. He loves wearing his cotton trainers and I imagine they are much more comfy than diapers or Pull-Ups. Right now he has a good day, and then a not-so-good day.

Alex is a sweet guy who has managed to snag himself a girlfriend at daycare. Her name is Charley, short for Charlene. They are the same age and she is also a blond with blue eyes. Apparently she talks about AJ all the time at home and even told her grandparents about him! How sweet, right? We are probably going to meet up with them in the next few weeks for a play date.

A lot of big changes are on the horizon for Alex. He will officially become a Big Brother in mid-June. He is definitely practicing now. He has been a big help to his mom getting the nursery ready for Pumpkin. Aunt Sheri gave Pumpkin tons of clothes and he helped me put them all away in her dresser as well as hang up clothes. He also helped me to put up some wall decals in her room. He has a good eye for such things. Honestly, Alex was helpful to me because he kept handing me things instead of having to bend over! Hard to imagine a toddler being helpful and not a burden but he is.

He has recently become interested in cooking. We had Ashley and Jack for the night a while back and that was his first experience helping bake cupcakes. I let him help with mixing and cracking eggs - just very simple things. I sure hope he is a gourmet chef like his daddy one day...

Below are some pictures of Alex with his cousins for their overnight back in November. They really had a lot of fun together!

He's still totally into trucks, trains, coloring, and multiple stories before bed. He suckers us into an average of 3 books a night! Alex is very cute and manipulates us easily (especially dad). Of course, he still gets regular time outs. We don't want to raise a naughty boy.

Alex got the rare chance to spend Christmas with his Grandpa Walter, Grandma Penny, and Auntie Emo who flew in as a surprise! Grandparents were here 3 weeks and Georgia a little over a month. He enjoyed playing care with all of them and there were a few trips to the park when the weather was nice enough. Here are some pictures of our time together:

Alex and Emo really bonded. She would be the ideal nanny. She loved to take him places and could always find a deal! Alex has asked for her regularly since she left and is super excited when they are able to Skype. I sit there chaperoning their play time!

Well, that's all for now. I hope this was a good catch up and I will leave you with a video of Alex playing cars with his Grandpa Walter.

Some Changes with Alex

Alex is talking more and more now. He is doing fabulous with identifying objects and thinks playing with flash cards is great fun. He also chortles with excitement when we are playing with blocks. He builds a tall stack which he calls a castle, giggles in anticipation, and then knocks it over with flair. Brent can’t decide if Alex is chortling because he wants to… or because Mommy likes it.

Alex is becoming more and more of an independent player. He can play for hours with his cars. He really enjoys standing beside our bed and playing cars while he walks the perimeter of the mattress. He is still into his trains, but I think cars are the real focus these days.

Last week we made an event of Disney’s Cars 2. We had a fun dinner consisting of hot dogs and French fries, and watched the movie. He was transfixed. If any of you have seen it, it has a very different feel than the first film. Cars 2 is all about spies and is action packed. We paused the movie simply to break him of his trance and he started crying! Poor kid. We transitioned Alex into a big boy room in the end of September and it has quickly become Cars themed.

Alex is definitely into crying now. It is always brief and always when he is told no. He is very polite saying “Thank You” and “Welcome!” but he does not like being told no. But of course, 2 year olds are thankfully easily distracted.

Some fun words or phrases/pronunciations Alex is saying:
Peep Peep = Police
Poc-cock = Pocket
Kee-Koo = Cookie
Luv-uu = I love you
Wook at That! = Look at That!
Twick or tweet! = Trick or Treat
Maw-dee = Marty (our dog)
Bum-pa = Grandpa

Speaking of grandparents, Alex seems to say either Grandma OR Grandpa. For months, the grandmothers were upset because he wouldn’t say Grandma. Now that has flipped to only saying Grandma! The grandfathers could care less though! LOL