Too Cute!

Happy boy and I went swimming yesterday afternoon at the Berkeley High pool for their tot swim time. It was very refreshing to get out of the heat, even with the pool temperature at 93 degrees. Alex absolutely loved it! The teacher leads you in a bunch of songs, which all have actions like splashing, blowing bubbles, moving back and forth or lifting the baby up and down, in and out of the water. It is definitely a fun activity and the little man did not stop moving the entire time. We will definitely go back weekly!

Fun with Friends

Somehow, I thought I had posted these pics of Alex, Donna, Andrew and Amanda when we were in Minnesota, but it looks like I didn't. It was fun to see the Schmidt family again-minus Jason who was working :-( Thanks to you guys for coming down to Faribault for the afternoon to visit. Alex enjoyed seeing you again and hanging out on the nice afternoon.

Who needs toys when you have a box?

I'm getting very, very sleepy....

Little Alex is too funny....playing is really hard work, you know! He was playing this morning and I was sitting next to him, sifting through about two years worth of Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines, which I am going through and tearing things out of before recycling them. Anyway, all of a sudden I looked over and his eyes were just closing. He just leaned back and decided to take a little nap. Looks comfy to me!

Fun Times!

When he arrived home last week, Alex found that his Daddy had purchased a new toy for him. The Little Superstar Sing-Along Stage is pretty cool. If you wave the microphone or hit any of the buttons it will play songs. When you hit a particular instrument, it features that in the song. Alex likes it and enjoys the mirror feature as well. He is getting very good at sitting up, basically unassisted, so it is perfect. We have a pillow to help support him, but lately he is a great sitter!

He's becoming more vocal and likes to practice his words. He will grab at absolutely everything, so it is something you always need to keep in mind when carrying him around. He is getting so big and even more active, which is really fun to see.

My First "Solid" Food

Hi everyone! I am happy to be home from our vacation and was really excited to see both my Daddy and my big sister! Yesterday was Daddy's birthday and our first full day back together, so it was fun. Daddy smoked some tri-tip and chicken in the smoker and we made some Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream and Mango Frozen Yogurt.

We went to the Farmer's Market yesterday morning and bought some peaches, nectarines and pluots, which my Mommy and Daddy said were de-li-cious! I was able to check that out for myself this morning, because my Mommy pureed some of the peaches and fed them to me. That was the first time that I have had solid foods, and I liked it!! Those peaches were sure de-li-cious.

The first picture shows my first bite, and then I took things into my own hands literally...I know how to hold a spoon, mom! As you can see, I liked the idea of eating "solid" food and also liked playing in the leftovers. Someday, I will be able to just pick up that whole piece of fruit and eat it just like that, but until then, this eating solids with a spoon thing is pretty cool! I can't wait to see what I get to eat tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!

Love,
Alex

Back in California!

Well, Alex and I arrived back in California last night around 11pm, safe and sound. Daddy was there at the airport, to meet us. We were very happy to see him! We had a fun time in Minnesota, but it was nice to be back at home today. Thanks to everyone for their hospitality and for meeting up with us. It was great to see everyone and to introduce Alex to all of the Minnesota friends and family.

We had a busy couple of weeks, that is for sure. Up to the Falls, the Science Museum, Como Zoo and Conservatory, Faribault, the Minnesota Zoo, Bread and Chocolate on Grand Avenue (one of my old favorites), Lake Harriet and so much more. We are home just in time for David's birthday tomorrow, so we will try to plan something fun to help him celebrate!

Lots of Friends!

While in Minnesota, we met up with many of my friends and their kids. It was so nice to see everyone. Jill and her two boys came over to the Falls from Bemidji to visit us one day. We had fun hanging out at Giovanni's. The games there kept her oldest, Ethan quite happy.

Alex and I were also able to visit with one of my high school classmates, Shawn and her three boys. What nice boys they were, so helpful in trying to find things for Alex to play with. I'm sure they keep Shawn and Chris busy!

We were also able to visit with Lois Lewis, my 4-H Extension Agent when I was a kid, and Sue Nordquist, my Spanish teacher and National Forensic League coach, as well as Darrell Schmidt, who was my AP English teacher in high school. Alex was very intrigued by Mr. Schmidt's orange shirt and he got a cool Monster Bowling game with fuzzy monsters from Lois.

Lori, Kirk and Zach gave us a ride back to Minneapolis from the Falls, which was great. Zach was a good helper, keeping Alex occupied and happy. We spent quite a bit of time together during the week and ventured out to the Science Museum of Minnesota, in St. Paul for one day. Zach also made brownies for us---yummy, and pulled Alex around in his wagon with the carseat in it. Quite a sweet ride.

Alex and I met up with Anne, Connor and Ashlyn for a day at Como Zoo and Conservatory as well. It was fun to see the kids, two years later. They are full of energy and really seemed to enjoy walking around the zoo and seeing all of the animals. Two little cuties, that is for sure!

Lori was gracious as always and let me host a little get-together at her house on Tuesday as well. Brooke, Jessica and Mitch came over for a bit of wine, some snacks and good conversation. Always need to catch up with the old CRCCS gang. It was so fun to see everyone and have Alex meet them.

In Mommy's Old 'Hood

Hi everyone! Wow- I'm having alot of fun here in Minnesota. Have you seen all of the things I have been doing?? This morning I saw some deer and even a fawn, which is a baby deer like me! Mom and I couldn't walk close enough to them to get a picture, but they were sure fun to watch from Grandma's window.

Today Mommy and I visited the neighborhood where she grew up. We went to Martha and Jerry's house for coffee and some yummy, fresh cookies. While we were there, I met this cool guy Andy and his nice wife Quin and guess what....he took me on a ride on the 4-wheeler. Wow- that was fun!! I wanted to press the gas and all of the buttons on it. Someday I will figure out how to drive it myself. My mom told me that when she and Anne and Andy were little 4-wheelers only had 3 wheels, can you believe that? I had fun spending time outside with the Karsnia's and can't wait to meet Anne and her family next week!

Later, Alex

Fun in Northern Minnesota

Alex has been having a great time, driving cars, playing with new "toys", giggling at Grandpa's dog, and hanging out in town at the coffee shop and other restaurants with folks. We have visited with many people and of course, in the small town, you just happen to run into lots of people on the street as well. He's having a good time!

Great Grandma

During this trip, Alex also met his Great Grandma Grace. He has had alot of fun spending time with her for the past few days. As you can see, Alex received his first piano lesson from her yesterday. We went over to her house to help her make something for a Hawaiian themed potluck at her apartment complex. What did we make? Well, fried rice of course, Daddy's favorite....we put in some Spam and pineapple to make it more Hawaiian!

Thanks to Grandma for loaning her car to mom, so that Alex and I would have a car to get around town in too. It has been very handy to be able to have a car to get around to see everyone.

Here's the picture of Ellen, Grandma and Alex at her picnic on Saturday. You can sure tell they are sisters, can't you?

Cousins

Hi all! Sorry for the delay in posting. Alex and I have been touring Minnesota and didn't quite have the equipment we needed to do a post. Well, lots has happened in the past week. Alex met his cousin Landen and Aunt and Uncle Bonnie and Brant for the first time, which was really cool. There was definitely a mutual admiration between Landen and Alex, as you can see from the photos. Landen was nice and shared lots of his baby toys with Alex while we were staying at their house. We went to the Minnesota Zoo on Friday and Landen had a great time running through the splashpad, as you can see. We also went to a picnic for my Great Aunt Ellen's 90th birthday on Saturday. It was nice to see her after all of this time. I will post a picture later, as I realized that I didn't post it on this one.

It was so fun to be able to spend time with Brant, Bonnie and Landen. Thanks for the hospitality, guys! Hopefully we can see you again next week, when we are back in Minneapolis.

Finally....

Look! David was able to capture a photo of one of the hummingbirds feeding at the feeder outside of the front window. Looks like the little bird actually felt comfortable enough to sit down and have a sip. We've just recently seen quite a few hummingbirds coming to the feeder, after putting it up about a year ago. Just thought we'd share...isn't it beautiful?

Relaxing Weekend

We had a fun, yet relaxing weekend here. Alex had his six month checkup on Friday and we are pleased to report that he is doing very well. He is tracking well in his height and weight and is a healthy little guy.

Saturday we went in to help Alex apply for his passport. We wanted to get the paperwork in early, since there has been quite a backlog in processing during the past year. Later in the evening, we decided to get a pizza and go up to the Berkeley Rose Garden for a little picnic. Alex enjoyed looking at all of the pretty roses and had a great time hanging out on the bench with mom and dad.

As you can see, he is still quite fascinated with Xena. He loves to pet her (well, actually I think it would be considered grabbing) and we are trying to teach him "gentle"--not a concept that he really gets quite yet.