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.

A Boy and his Grammy

Yep - she's putting bows in my hair

My New Friends

On Wed we had a playdate with some of my old friends from school and their babies. We saw Lacey Holland (now Abote) and her daughter Audrina, Katy Fererro and her son James, and Holland Seaman (now Nelson) and her daughter Riley. It has been years since we have seen each other, so it was so fun to catch up and introduce all of the babies. We even dressed them up in their halloween costumes for a photo-op, which ended fairly unsuccessfully. It was a bit more of a baby brawl, and Alec climbed off the couch before I could snap any pics, so sadly I don't have any good pics of all the kids to publish. But, Katy and Lacey decided to join our storytime yoga class, so Alec will get to play with James and Audrina again every week!!! Here are some of the salvagable shots I have from the afternoon.

Alec and Audrina are done...

Holland and Riley

Lacey and Audrina - look at that smile

Katy and James

The boys...

Happy Halloween

Alec enjoyed his 2nd Halloween. We carved pumpkins on Tuesday night, which Alec was of course eager to help with, and then on Halloween he went to a new class at Kangaroo Kindgom (Junior Bouncers) and then to Grammy's school to see all of the dressed up kiddos. He went as Mr. Bones and had a heck of a time. We stayed in on Halloween night and answered the door for the trick-or-treaters. Alec only had one nap on Friday b/c of his busy day, so he wasn't in the best spirits when it got dark, but he did still enjoy seeing a few of the kids at the door, especially our 2 year old neighbor Cole who was dressed up like a trash truck and saying trick or trash at peoples' doors. Alec actually went outside to inspect Cole's truck, which was the BEST Halloween costume ever - apparently Cole already has in a request for his dad to make him a firetruck for next week. Anyway, after bed time Matt and I enjoyed some pumpkin beer and a scary movie with Abby and Ross and Kristen and Nick. Here are some photos from the week.