First Hair Cut, Part II

The back of Alex’s hair has been driving us crazy! Between rolling around on his back while he’s sleeping, sitting in his car seat, and spraying his hair with sunscreen when we’re outside for a while, you could never see his curls for all the tangles. I was actually having to put conditioner in my (almost) 20-month-old toddler’s hair! So, I took the plunge and cut the rest of his hair. I was much less emotional this time than when I cut the top part of his hair about a month and a half ago.

I wish I had a picture on a more humid day – you should see the way it curls up then!

Loving the Laundry

Alex loves to help me do the laundry. For months, he’s been in charge of closing the dryer door after I move the clothes from the washer. The other day I lifted him on top of the dryer to let him push the start button and he thought that was the best thing ever! Next, I put his laundry basket on the dryer with him and let him drop the clothes into the washer. I won even more brownie points for that chore!

The other day, I was pulling the whites out of the dryer when Alex came down the hallway carrying one of his toy boxes. I threw the whites into the box and asked him to bring it to my bedroom. Here’s what happened next:

He made the decision to climb into the box.

The whites never did make it to the bedroom in that box, but at least I had a happy toddler! I hope he always gets this excited about doing laundry!

More Art!

I guess Alex has decided that he is really interested in art. One of the first things he’ll do when we are outside is dump out all his sidewalk chalk and draw a picture. He also loves to throw the chalk all over the place, but at least we are making progress towards one day completing an art project!

You are breaking my concentration!

He had chalk all over him!

I also taped paper down to the kitchen table in front of Alex’s chair and let him color with his crayons. He was doing a particularly great job coloring when I tried to get a picture of him. In the two seconds it took me to grab my camera, he ended up tearing up all the paper. Needless to say, the new paper is taped down with packing tape!

Look at the determination on his face!

Busy Board & iPad

As you can see, we’ve had two very busy weeks. First we had a visit from Grandma Lisa and Kelsey, then this past weekend Grandma & Grandpa Murff came to visit. They surprised us with their newest masterpiece – a busy board for Alex! I sent them a picture a few weeks ago and mentioned that Alex might like one and they just went to town! Check it out!

It’s a great toy for sensory play with lots of tricky parts to manipulate. We’ve been amazed at how much he can already do!

The flash light is currently his favorite part!

 

While Alex was fascinated with his new toy, he also loved playing with Grandma’s new iPad. The only problem is that whenever we FaceTime with Grandma on my iPhone, Alex ends up hanging up on her because he’s trying to poke her face. Good thing Grandma understands!

 

Alex was pretty much obsessed with Grandpa the first few days they were here. He always wanted Grandpa by him and playing with him or chasing him. I think Grandpa probably slept really well the night he got back to Spartanburg!

Climbing on Grandpa for story-time

This picture cracked me up! It’s a Kovu photo bomb!

Of course, we spent some time at the beach. We pretty much just eat good food and visit the beach when my parents are in town. Yum! Here’s a really great shot of Alex riding on Daddy’s shoulders after a long walk on the beach.

Grandma Lisa & Aunt Kelsey Visit

We were very excited to have Grandma Lisa and Kelsey here to visit for a long weekend two weeks ago. Alex wasted no time taking advantage of two more people to boss around. He was throwing balls for Kelsey to fetch in no time! We kept very busy – so busy that Alex took a 3.5 hour nap the day after they left! What a lucky Mommy!

Alex loved showing Grandma Lisa his cage (which he created by himself – I promise Grandma Lisa did not put him in the cage!) … and loved keeping Kovu out of it!!

I love the mischievous grin on his face.

No, Kovu, this is MY cage!

The first night, Tim had to work late, so Alex and I took Grandma Lisa and Kelsey to picnic on the beach and watch the fireworks. Carolina Beach does a great 10 minute fireworks show every Thursday during tourist season!

Kelsey and Alex having a discussion about the ocean.

 

The next day, Tim took a much needed day off from work and we ventured over the river to Southport via ferry for lunch. Alex loves riding the ferry because we let him sit in the front seats of the car with us. He has a great view of the sea gulls chasing the ferry and the other boats on the Cape Fear River that way. Daddy loves riding the ferry too, because the sound of the engine and the great breeze through the open windows always lulls him to sleep. Here are a few pictures from before he passed out!

 

Alex and Daddy watching the other ferry pass by.

 

We went to the beach the next afternoon. It was really nice visiting the beach in the late afternoon after the sun has started slipping behind some of the beach houses. We spent some time in the waves, which were crazy big! Alex is never interested in getting anything past his ankles in the ocean, so since we had additional people with us, Tim and I finally got to jump some waves. Afterwards, we spent some time burying Alex in the sand. I guess it makes sense. We buried Kelsey the first time she came to the beach and we buried Tim the next time. Maybe I won’t go to the beach next time Kelsey is here.

 

 

We hope they come visit again soon!

Old McFaye’s Farm

Alex and I went on a MOMS Club field trip to Old McFaye’s Farm today. As soon as we got out of the car, Alex took off running towards the ponies. He was talking a mile a minute and was so excited! I was barely able to take pictures while I was running all over the farm trying to keep his hands away from the animals’ mouths. Alex is so used to big Kovu that he had NO FEAR of any farm animal!

Watching his friends feed the chickens.	He loved the horse.
Look, Mom! More chickens!	Following a rogue chicken.
Alex wasn’t too interested in feeding the goat, but he loved watching him.	I don’t think he realized Daisy was a dog.

After letting the kids run around feeding corn to the animals, Farmer Faye took us for a quick little hay ride and to the back pasture to feed the sheep.

Alex loved sitting in the wagon, until everyone else crammed in and it started moving!	Deep in thought.
All the kids loved playing with the corn.	Umm, Alex? You’re supposed to be feeding that sheep!

 

Next, it was time for the pony ride! While the kids were taking turns on the pony, we brushed another pony’s hair and checked on all the chickens and goats again. Then we washed up and attempted lunch. Alex was way too interested in the animals to eat much. Good thing we picked up Daddy for some Chick-Fil-A on our way home! What a busy day!

 

Showing the pony his comb.	I love the expression on his face.
Alex was not so excited about the pony ride at first.	He was holding on like a pro once she started moving.
Hey, that wasn’t too bad!	We couldn’t get him to smile, but at least he didn’t scream!

 

Our Newest Toy

Alex is spoiled. There, I admit it! I can’t help it! The way I see it, it’s an investment for the rest of our family – for future siblings and to be passed on to future nieces & nephews. For now, Alex just gets to play with all of it! Since I knew I was hosting a “Sandbox & Water Play” party for the my MOMS Club today, I knew I needed to find a sprinkler and stock up on some bubbles and side walk chalk. I’m glad I did, because the party was a hit!

I just love this water ring we found yesterday. It’s much less intimidating than a sprinkler and it creates a pool of water a couple of inches deep in the middle. The kids had tons of fun!

	Cooling off!

Wagons & Hess Trucks

Alex had an epiphany the other day – he realized his red wagon from Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Strunck was more than just a pull toy or a place for storage! For months, Alex has tried to pull the wagon around or has thrown all his balls in, then pulled up on his cute tippy-toes to pull them back out, but he’s never asked to go for a ride. Then, it was like a light bulb turned on, because all of the sudden he was pointing in and trying to climb over the side. Of course, there’s a heat index of over 100 degrees most days and he wants to be pulled around the cul-de-sac! Here are two pictures of one of his first rides. He was cracking me up because I put the foam block on his head and he just left it there. I bet people watching out their windows thought we were crazy!

Where’s Alex?

Say Cheese!

 

I sent Tim to our storage unit the other day in search of my old classroom craft box and he came home with a few of his favorite Hess trucks from his childhood (he did bring the craft box, too). It’s fun watching Alex enjoy the same toys his Daddy played with as a kid!

 

Oh, Great-Grandma Workman – you were right! His hair is getting darker!!

 

Alex loved all the blinking lights.

Parking the police car.

Introducing – the Art Room!

Alex and I probably venture out to Fit For Fun at least once a month. I love that they have so many things for Alex to explore and climb on, that it’s cheap, and that it’s all enclosed and feels so safe. Now I have one more thing to add – they have a great art room! I’ve tried to get Alex interested in the art room before, but he was always more intent on playing with the cars or trying to get outside. I guess this time around he realized it was too hot to be outside and was ready to give the art room another try. Thankfully, he was mostly interested in the markers this time – and not the finger paint. Alex likes to dive into the painting before I get his apron on, then quits in the middle and runs back out into the play room with the apron still on!

 

I took these picture for Tim. When I told him the cars at Fit For Fun have a little “gas station,” he said he used to have one for his car growing up. Alex discovered the gas and invented a new concept – a gas station that bring you the gas!