Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We stayed close to home, which was so nice and relaxing. The weekends always fly by, so it is a treat to have time at home when the three of us can hang out. We went to my mom's on Thanksgiving and enjoyed a great dinner with family in her beautiful new house. Alec had a terrific time and was in great spirits all day. We are very thankful this year for our wonderful family and such an amazing little boy! We had some friends over on Friday to watch the CU game, and then stuck close to home. We bought our Christmas tree today, but will probably wait until tomorrow to decorate. And...it wouldn't be a true holiday if we didn't have some Alec news to report. His latest and greatest trick happend this weekend. He has now figured out how to propel himself up onto the coffee table in the family room and then stand on top it. He mastered how to pull himself up onto it on Friday and then on Saturday he got gutsy and went for the stand. While this is obvioulsy hilarious to watch, it's not such a good thing for out little man to be doing. Unfortunately, our attempts at telling him "no" are failing miserably. He just realizes that he is getting more attention, and so he continues the behavior. The only thing that really seems to work is ignoring him, which is what we are attemting to do with the table climb right now, although it is so hard not to laugh when you see him smiling so proudly on top of the table. We will see how it works out, hopefully there aren't any major crashes.

Grammy sporting Alec's bib

Showing us Abby's nose

As you can see, his first attempts were not at all encouraged by his Aunt.

Succees

A kiss for mom

Alec spilts his loyalty b/w the ducks and the buffs.

At it again

Could he be any more proud?

and he's up

and this is what we get when we take him down.

Bath Trouble

In true Alec form, our little man has decided that he now likes to stand up during his baths. We think he is especially fond of this activity b/c he knows that Matt and I don't approve of it. So, we do our best to keep him seated, but the little "bruiser" still manages to get on his feet, and so I decided why not take advantage and take some pics.

I feel a little guilty about posting this "exposing" pic, but the face is priceless. This is the "what are you guys gonna do about it" look that Alec has become especially fond of lately.





























Learning to blow bubbles














Seriously - look at the belly.

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun

Here are some cute pics of Alec running around the week of Thanksgiving. He has gotten a lot more into his toys lately - especially his stacking cups, his baseball bat, which he loves to swing around and bash on the floor, and any of Brody's balls, which he has just figured out how to throw. Plus "baw" is his only real word right now, except "of course" for daddy.

First Official Hair Cut

Alec had his first "real" haircut this week. I say real b/c my neighbor has actually cut his hair twice before, so this was really his 3rd haircut, but first in a salon. He did pretty well - we initially tried to sit him in a booster seat and he would have none of that - he arched his back and slid right off the seat, but then I just held him in my lap and it went well. The hairdresser distracted him with a pink comb, which he loved b/c he could show her how he could brush his own hair throughout the cut. Despite the face, which is actually Alec's new scowl that he is doing non stop, he had a nice time.

Showing off his new haircut at the grocery store!

My Little Maniac

Alec is officially a maniac! He is definitely starting to show his independence, which he has actually been doing since birth, but it's crazy to see him realize that he has an opinion and a way to express it. Along those lines, we have had our first round of temper tantrums this past week. They usually result from Matt or I taking away something he is playing with, or moving him from someplace that he really wants to be - like on top of the dishwasher door when it is open. Luckily, we have found that if we don't acknowledge these fits they tend to stop fairly quickly. Plus - Alec has several new tricks that have proven very interesting here at the house. They include: being able to open and shut doors using the handles, emptying out the contents of every trash can he can get his hands on, flushing the toilets, and my personal favorite - putting his sippy cup up to the water dispenser on the door of the refridgerator and shooting water all over the kitchen floor! He's a maniac - who continues to get cuter, more independent and more lovable every day!

Nebraska

My mom's Aunt passed away last week, so we took a trip down to Nebraska on Sunday for the funeral. Although it was a sad event, Alec managed to have a wonderful time. He was delightful the entire trip. He woke up early on Sunday morning and then only slept for 40 minutes in the car on the way out, so we all figured he would be a mess by the time we got there. He surprised us though - I think the thrill of being in a new place (who knew the Days Inn Motel in Kimball NB could be so fun) and seeing all sorts of new people kept him happy. We took him over to the farm on Sunday night and he was in heaven - trucks galore and he got to take his first 3 wheeler ride. We got him back to the hotel and in bed by 7:30 and he didn't show his bright smile until 8:30 the next morning. Never in the history of Alec's life has he slept that late! His nap scheudle was off again on Monday, but he was a trooper - he was a little squirmy at the service, but was fine when we got to lunch and he could run around and flirt with all of the new people he met. And - he passed on the way back and seems to be back on track today. He definitely made the trip more light hearted and enjoyable for us. Now if only I could find a farm by my house to keep him entertained.

Smiles

I was so happy when I got these pics last night b/c Alec has this giant, beautiful, toothy smile that he will never show off to the camera. I am always struggling to get pics that show off his grin and I am usually unsuccessful. However - I got creative last night with the camera and a game of chase/peek-a-boo, and these are the results.