First Haircut!

Finally, at 20 months old, Andrew had enough long hair to justify a haircut! On Tuesday I came home from work early so we could give Andrew a bath to get the "mohawk" picture to show just how long his hair was! We then took him to Cookie Cutters in the Geneva Commons, and he got to sit in a very cool fire truck & watch Blues Clues while the stylist cut his hair! He did very well, and only cried a couple times (when she was cutting close to his ears). At the end of the haircut he got to play on the slide they have inside. Very cool! We got a certificate, picture, and some of his hair to commemorate the occasion! I thought he'd look older for some reason, but he looks exactly the same --- just without all the crazy long hair!

Running to the bath...can you tell he's wearing one of his boots!?

Look at that long hair!

Sitting in his fire truck...he has no clue what comes next!

"But I like my hair!!"

snip snip....

...snip snip...

Finally the slide! (Check out that cute haircut!)

Puh Poh & Finger Paint

Dinnertime at our house usually means a meltdown for Andrew. Other than a couple nights a week, I have to fix dinner before Mike gets home & it's a time of night where Andrew really wants my attention. It's hard to give him attention & cook at the same time, and utensils, pots & pans, choo choo movies and everything else I've tried just don't work --- or if they did, they have lost their appeal! So, I decided to try some new arts things that could keep him occupied and in the kitchen and out from under my feet! The two things I tried are play dough (puh poh) and finger painting. Finger painting takes quite a bit of attention! Andrew doesn't really like the feel of the paint on his hands, so I cut shapes out of a sponge for him to dip in the paint and stamp -- he loves it! The play dough is his favorite though, and he asks to play every day! He runs over to the closet where we keep all his crafty things, and points up and says "puh poh peese!", so of course we let him play!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We hope 2008 brings you everything you wish for!

Snowmobiling!

Andrew and I went up to Wisconsin the Saturday after Christmas so he could go for his first snowmobile ride! It was my first time riding in 3 years, and I was excited to get out on the trail & have him join the fun! We got up there Saturday early afternoon & did a very short ride. I used my Snugli to help keep him strapped to me. It worked like a charm while he was awake, but as soon as he fell asleep, his heavy head (with helmet) fell straight forward! I had a new and instant respect for all parents who have ridden their sleeping children in front of them for so many years. It never looked like work before! Day two mom & Ron had a trip planned with some friends, so Laurie & I took the boys on a trip to New Lisbon - about 35 miles round trip. Andrew wasn't too happy on this second day. I think in the future (until he's a little older) I will need to give him a day to rest in between. I was very happy to get out though and to share this with him!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas this year was here and gone in the blink of an eye. Our Christmas started the Saturday before in Ossian, Indiana at my Aunt & Uncle's house. We combined Christmas with my cousin Danne graduating from Ball State. Most of the family was there & it was so fun to have everyone together. Sunday we headed back and went to my Dad & Karen's house. The boys did so well for having spent 10 hours in the car in a 24 hour period of time. Monday we were with my Mom & Ron for dinner. Jeannie brought her web cam and we got a special treat of talking to my cousin Erica who didn't make it home for Christmas. Christmas morning we took it easy at home. Santa came & brought Andrew a Vacuum, Race Track, and Tractor. He was a little interested in tearing off the paper, and really liked taking the toys out! He didn't quite understand why he couldn't just play with one thing! After a relaxing morning we then headed to Mike's parents for dinner. Everywhere we went we were blessed with wonderful food, family, and generosity.

As I was getting ready Christmas morning, I couldn't help think back a year. As I was trying to remember Andrew last Christmas, I kept getting memories of the little baby covered in plaster because I was trying to make handprint ornaments & he was trying to eat them! This little guy who was just starting to push up on his hands and kness...just rocking to start to think about crawling. He had just learned to sit up unassisted. He only had a couple of teeth, and he was still spitting up a lot. Was that just a year ago? Is it possible that in such a short amount of time, I now have this little boy who runs around, talks up a storm, and has brought more joy than I ever could have imagined. Did all that really happen in just a year? I suppose every year I will be amazed at how much he has changed. At his first birthday, I expected (obviously) that there would be alot of changes from birth to one...but even the last six months he has changed so much --- it is unbelievable to me. So many times I feel fortunate and overwhelmed with happiness that he his healthy and growing and changing....but what I would give to just hit pause sometimes...