Snow Day!

Living in Minnesota it was bound to happen...

SNOW DAY!

Yeppers!
When we woke up this morning we had 7 inches or so in our backyard!

- give or take the drifting.

The shoveling and driving part not so exciting, but its all still exciting!

Why?

Because this year Alex can actually walk around in it!

I know, right!
How exciting!

So we get our gloves,snow pants, boots, more gloves & our winter jacket.
And we head on out!

As an added bonus we gave Xander his first shovel!

To bad it didn't help with the balancing part.

He seems pretty happy about it all though



Well maybe not with the face plants....

Even if I did have to put down the camera to come to his rescue,
it was still a really fun ten minutes in the freezing cold!

Bell Hop?

To those who enjoyed Alex and his toy garage I am saddened to say,
but, that that was SO last week....

this week we are all about.....

Luggage!

I really can't tell you how this all started but it sure is funny.

Who knew a basement hallway and a suitcase would be so much fun!

Just imagine the fun when he discovers that the box he's been walking past for weeks will be his Christmas present!

Garage Mahal

A couple of weeks ago we got Xander a new toy.
But first daddy had to put it together,

Here let me help you!

OH NO!!

that's not how you do it!

After a bath and some additional screws it was time for some more bonding.

Uhm Daddy, I don't think that is how you play with the garage.
it might give him bad ideas....

look what daddy taught me!

Dance Frank Dance!

As you saw from yesterday's post, the Holloween party was a hit.

The biggest hit of the party was not the candy or the cupcakes though,

It was Handy Manny's Tool Box.

It had a little button on the front, that when pushed, would have all of these cute little things to say like "lets get to work!"
But even better, was that with every third push, the tools would dance, and ....

PLAY A SONG!

Alex, er I mean Frank, was addicted to this toy and the song.
It would have been annoying except that he became a dancing machine!


He didn't even care if people danced with him....



where he learned to spin for dancing is beyond me,
but it is sure darn cute!

ps I promise this is the last Halloween post
mwaa haa haa haaa

Toddler - o - Ween !!!

Happy Toddler O Ween!

or at least that's what we called the party we hosted.

It was a generalized calm chaos but with costumes!

Lots of fun!

Ooh a fire truck!

Here Frank is playing with Handy Manny

One can't host a toddler party with out a group shot....

something tells me they weren't to eager participate

This year we were big enough to actually TRICK OR TREAT!

Btw - toddlers aren't to good at this event yet,
as they had no idea why a stranger was opening their door,
and why they had all this candy forced on them.
But this was way cute and props to my neighbors for letting us go out two hours early!

Funny how Trick or Treating actually calms them down!

Look at my Loot!




Thanks mom for hosting!

mwa haa haa haaa

Raking Frank

Having conquered his fear of being inside the pile of leaves,
Frank decided he would put that pile of leaves in check!

or maybe it was the bush that needed checking?

Big Reveal 2

They say you should always do a trial run of your kids Halloween costume before the big day so they get used to the idea, and don't have a major freak out and start crying.

kinda like this one.

Eventually Alex, er I mean Frankenstein, calmed down enough and to started playing in the back yard again.

Hmm I wounder why Mommy swept all of these into a pile?

Apparently Frank is not amused at mom's idea of a good photo op!


Hey wait whats that coming from the sky?

Mamma is right!
Leaves are no match for a big scary monster like me!




Holloween here I come!

Big Reveal

With Halloween in a couple of days I know you are all on pins and needles as to what my little cherub will be. . . .

It was a tough decision, but we went with a more classic theme . . . . . .

I think Frankenstein is supposed to be more angry....

Play Date

Last week Alex had an impromptu play date with Liberty!

They had lots of fun raising havoc all over the house .
So much fun they had to move to the front porch.

And that's when Alex started to show off to the lil miss...

" I always wear my helmet when I ride my hog"

Uhm...
I don't think she's that impressed.

gotta love the missteps of young love

Fall Festival!

Last weekend was Family Weekend!

It was great!

All three of us were together, and we did stuff!

Together!

One of our things was a "Fall Festival" held at a local school.
The kids got to explore all things fall...

Xander was obsessed with the little pop up School Bus.

Here he is showing dad the little school bus


And here he is showing daddy how to ice a cookie.

I ate them later and they were delicious

Here daddy is trying to show Xander a Pumpkin.

He failed

And we are back at the bus....

Hi Daddy!

I should note that this event only lasted an hour and these photos were taken in the first twenty minutes. He never spent more than two minutes at any station, well accept the bus.

Monet

Monet is Gamma Q's favorite artist.
The Bears are her favorite Football team.

In honor of her birthday this week Xander wanted to give her both!

He had to get some help from mommy though...

I can totally see a water lily can't you?


Love you Mom!

pOp !

So, there we were at 'Once Upon a Child', a used clothing store just for babies and kids. I had just combed the overly stuffed racks and picked out the cutest little red coat for winter for Xander, when I first heard it...

pOp!

pOpItY PoP POP!

Yep Xander had just found one of those Fischer Price Popper thingies in one of the aisles, and was a having a blast running it up and down the aisles, and through the racks.

Oy Vie.

Well it was only 4.50 and even with the price of the coat, I'm still saving lots, so I give in and decide to buy it for him.

He was thrilled!

So thrilled, that he then found a second Popper, and was now pushing both of them around the store, one in each hand and just giggling a away.

But then Mommy decided it was time to leave the store and the thrill was gone...
the giggling was gone....

and

The Tantrum had begun...

Yep, the moment all moms dread had finally come...

The screaming tear filled rage of your child's world that is crashing to a huge fiery end, because your the meanest parent in the world type of tantrum.

If it hadn't of been so cute and funny I probably would have been upset too, but you gotta love the first one.

So to make a long story short Alex now has a new favorite toy!

And guess what?!

Its a real Toy!!!

The only way I could get him into the car that day

And so for the next TWO hours this is what he looked like.

(I was cowering on the couch from the noise)

Even when it was bed time he wouldn't let go...

If he wasn't so darned cute I think I would have "accidently" lost this toy.

Chris says its photos like this
that will make our therapy bill so high.

Rainy day fun 2.0

It was a very wet and rainy day this past thursday :(

So what does one do with a toddler on a rainy day?

can you say......

!!! FORT !!!

Well kinda.....

More like drive through tunnel....

don't hit your head...

I think this was lap #4 of 7



and for the grand finish........

LOOK MA!

NO HANDS!

Slide

As seen in other posts, Alex loves slides.

The higher the better.
but the little one in our backyard works too....

Chef

A couple of weeks ago we decided to make a treat for daddy...

and by we I mean Xander...



I think we might have gotten more pudding on him though....

anyone else notice how the bowl is now empty?

Yep! thats my future Top Chef!

How U like them Apples?

Over Labor Day weekend, Xander and I went to visit Gamma Q!

We did lots of fun things but one of our favorites was....

Curan's Apple Orchard!

But to be honest - trees are not all that exciting...

ooh a tree !
ooh another tree !
ooh that one looks like that one !

Tom the Turkey is pretty cool though!

I think Alex liked meeting Bill E. Goat

But I think Bill liked him more!


Hay stacks are also lots of fun!

Especially when Mom has to chase me !


Not so sure about this one ......

I made it!

and then I did it again
and again
and again

Ooh a maze just for little people!

>>>>>catchy, yet cute ending inserted here<<<<