Thanksgiving!

After a wonderful week of vacation, it is time to look back on the week in pictures.  I am thankful this holiday for all the people below that I was able to spend this week with.  Happy Thanksgiving - be thankful to God in all ways and at all times!

hri

Grandma and Andrew - it has been almost 2 months since they got to play together!

We visited Bronner's - the mega-Christmas store in Frankenmuth.  I went there quite often as a child, fueling Mom's awesome Christmas displays.

 If you were a baby, could you resist all the shiny things there were to touch in this store?

Andrew meets Santa for the first time.

So much fun!

Our courteous waiter at the Bavarian Inn offered to take our picture - so we paused for just a moment from our scrumptious chicken dinner.  Andrew was not too cooperative, but he was overdue for a nap.  Oops!

On Thanksgiving Day, we went over to Sharon and Matt's house - so we ended up having dinner in the same house and same room that we have for many years.

Andrew got to eat sweet potatoes and turkey - it was his first time eating meat!

Play time with his cousins.

Giggle for your aunt!

Finally, a grin to show off Andrew's surprisingly sharp bottom teeth!

-alan

Toothless?

I do not have proof yet, but the gums are bloody and sharp on the bottom of Andrew's mouth, where 2 little teeth are on their way through.

Rachel was waxing nostalgic about the loss of toothless grins.  I think she will get over it fast when she sees those cute toothed grins!



It has been a long stretch at work.  As a public school teacher I am conditioned to have random government holidays breaking up my month so that I have long weekends and half days.  But alas, they have been few and far between.  So I am looking forward to the refresher of having Thanksgiving week off (ok, I understand the irony of complaining about working when I have WAY more time off for this holiday than anyone else...).  We will travel to Michigan to see Grandma (it has been too long!) and the rest of the Allmens.  Looking forward to the trip!

A month ago, I proposed to my administration two possible extracurricular activities to start up - bowling and Science Olympiad.  Getting different answers about which was a better club, I decided to pursue bowling...and hit a dead end when the schedule had no space for us.  So I went with Olympiad and got us signed up to compete later this winter.  Meanwhile, a spot opened up for girls to bowl, and so of course, I am now suckered into doing both.  We held tryouts for bowling this week, and league play begins Monday.  Unfortunately there was not an overwhelming response, so I am feeling a little desperate in having to plead with girls to commit to join the sport.  I am somewhat confident it will work out, but it is certainly not settled yet; my roster is still TBA.

Science Olympiad will begin in December, and run through to March.  Oh my - so busy!

Ok, on to happier issues - coming home to play with this little guy!

Getting much better at playing while sitting up!

Michelle Obama would be proud - he is doing his pushups!

And crawling faster too!

-alan

What do you do?

I feel like this post is long overdue.  It is time to face the facts and admit I have a pretty sweet job.  Sorry for those of you who have to work in a boring cubicle or on a chilly chain gang.  I might have one of the best gigs around.  I get the pleasure of staying home with my little boy and trying to keep our house in some state of order.  It has been an adjustment to appreciate this new role but I am really starting to love this stage of my life.  I do miss the classroom. I do miss having consistent interaction with other adults, but the sacrifice is worth it.

So what does a stay at home mom do all day?  Well, it really varies on the day but I try to mix things up as much as I can while simultaneously trying to set some routines.  A lot of the day is all about my little cutie and taking care of his needs.  Another priority I have is making dinner.  I try to have it done or almost done by the time Alan comes home.  Note, this isn't something Alan demands but I usually am hungry and want to eat as soon as we can!  In order to do this I might start chopping veggies as early as 1pm, although I usually get started around 3.  If Andrew cooperates I can get a lot done during his late afternoon nap, but if he doesn't I sometimes just wear him while I chop, measure, and stir.  It has been really fun preparing a lot of new recipes and learning more about cooking.  I don't necessarily think I'm a good cook yet but my confidence is growing daily. 


There are a lot of mundane things that I do almost daily like washing cloth diapers or sweeping the floor but I want to share some pictures from the last couple of weeks that show the joys of the job.

This was one of Andrew's first times in a swing.  He loved it!  One of the things we do almost daily is take walks around our neighborhood.  I try to hit up a local parks, do a little grocery shopping, or just drool over the beautiful features on century old homes in the area.

I try to take advantage of opportunities to meet other parents in the neighborhood and give Andrew a change of scenery whenever possible.  Here he is playing at a local church during their open gym time for the little ones.  He might be the youngest one there by at least a year, but we have fun scooting on the gym mats and watching the big kids run around.

Last Saturday we hit up a park that houses a really neat garden and greenhouse.  I tried to get some nice nature glamor shots, but Andrew was being less than cooperative.  I look forward to going back to this garden next year and teaching Andrew about all the plants.

Leaves are nutritious right?

I'm not digging the stump mom

Throwing a fit in the woodchips= one dirty jacket

Yay!  One good shot with my baby and the scarecrow!

I cherish the moments in the day when Alan gets to play and bond with Andrew.  It is so cute to see them together.  It is a blessing to share the joys and burdens of raising a child with my husband.

 Awwww!

What you looking at?!?

 Alan and Andrew have a little jam season.  Daddy plays and baby sings!

My new job is trying to get my boy to eat solid foods while minimizing mess.  He has tried rice cereal, bananas, butternut squash, and today a bit of sweet potato.  It is funny to see the faces he makes as he navigates the feeling of having bits of food stuck on his tongue.  I will admit that I'm not the best at eating  without spilling so it becomes even more difficult when trying to feed someone else with very active hands. 

Smiles abound!

 Squash make up

Finally one of the things I have really tried to do is make new friends and stay connected to old friends.  I have met a lot of other mamas through various meet ups including What's Cookin' Mama.  It has been a lot of fun getting to know them and their kiddos.  I have also enjoyed seeing friends from our old neighborhood and being shocked at how quickly they grow.  This week Andrew had a play date (although he slept through most of it) with this little cutie.  You can't really see but the blocks denote their ages (4 and 6 months).  I remember being pregnant with Jessica last year and it is just so amazing to see the fruits of our labor!  :-P

So, when I'm asked what do I do...I get to say I'm a proud mom.  Yes, I want to go back to teaching at some point but I'm loving every moment that I have at home.

 

-rachel

Happy Half Birthday!

 It is hard to believe that Andrew reached the 6 month mark this Wednesday.  It is has been a fun journey and it is getting more and more exciting everyday.  Our little guy has a lot of personality and is so curious.   

 For his half birthday Andrew really wanted us to make this yummy chocolate cake but instead all he got was a photo shoot. 

 I love using these wood blocks and it is fun because now he really loves to play with them too.  I usually build him towers and he knocks them over.  I guess I should have expected no less when it came to this photo shoot.  Here he is starting to roll into position for demolition.

 Watch out M!

 Bye bye S and O!

 Hmmm....what can I do next? Andrew ponders...

 Andrew takes a break to enjoy the sunshine...

 

What you think of that?

 

 My blocks.

 

 Na na na na boo boo

 

Mom rebuilds the tower higher than ever, take that baby!!!!

 

-rachel

Andrew's First Halloween

 Andrew's Halloween actually started on the Friday before when he attended the oh so delicious What's Cooking Mama Halloween Potluck.  He wore his nice pumpkin hat from Aunt Karen and glow and the dark skeleton idea from a friend in Taiwan. 

 He managed to get some car time when the other kids weren't looking.  It is amazing that he could not only sit in this car, but in the picture below he is actually standing.  My little boy is growing up so fast!

 While Andrew didn't try any of the food at the potluck, he was caught eating his hand!  Maybe he was trying to get down to the bone so that it would coordinate with his outfit.

 
On Halloween Day, Andrew and I stopped by a friend's house during the day with no intention of peddling for candy.  She generously gave us a full sized IKEA dark chocolate bar.  YUM!



Andrew was very excited about the big, shiny bowl of candy and about the sign I made!


The skeleton outfit was not suitable for spending time outside so Andrew did a costume change to become the cutest pumpkin ever.  I think he gets his nice smile from daddy!

 I took Andrew out to the church's Trunk or Treat event while Alan finished up dinner.  We ran into some of his friends while we were there!

Andrew had so much fun he fell asleep on his playmat when we got home.   I'd say it was a successful first Halloween.

I am really excited to take him out trick or treating in the neighborhood next year.  There were a ton of kids and it looked like so much fun!

-rachel