October +

Once again another month has flown by!  I feel like we were busy all month and it's almost the middle of November already!  

 Early in October Tim & Peg and Laura came to KC to visit.  We went to a pumpkin patch (on the only cold day of the month). 

The next week Jax and I headed to Frisco, CO with Nana, Tara and Scott

When we got back to Salina we hit up another pumpkin patch with Nana, Tara & Scott.  Scott & Jax seemed to love it!  We can't wait to go back next year!  They had hundreds of different variety's of pumpkin and gourds. 

 Jax & his pumpkin!

While we were in Colorado Jax was studying and testing out stairs and pulling up on things.  He kept to himself mostly (stopping as soon as someone acknowledged it) until we got home - then he was all about pulling up on the hearth, couch, stairs, dishwasher, me... whatever he could hold onto!

Brian took our anniversary off - and while we didn't do anything fancy or formal we decided to check out Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park.  It's so close and we used to drive by it almost every day and yet neither of us had ever been.  It was fantastic!  We had a beautiful (unseasonably warm) day and enjoyed every minute of it.  And it is free Monday through Thursday!  Yahoo!

I love this pic - if you click on it and blow it up you'll see how bright his eyes are in it!  Such an easy kid to photograph!

The next weekend Nana, Tara & Scott came to KC again (so Tara and I could go to the Madonna Concert!!!!).  They left on halloween, but we got some good costume time in before they left!

All of these pics can be found at the following link: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5968324015/a=4550376_4550376/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

That was October in photos.

Then... Jax was 11 months old! AH!  Can you believe it!?  Well - I can't.  

This one was just this morning - I LOVE IT!  The lighting is amazing.  There were a couple others that would have been great if the camera had been set correctly, but it was taking auto pics, so they were terribly under-exposed and I couldn't edit them enough to make a good pic.  If you look in the reflection of the door you can see Blue Belle's face - I just love it.

These last few pics can be purchased through snapfish here: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=6068629015/a=4550376_4550376/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

As for non-photo events.  We sadly had to surrender our doberman, Zeppelin, in all of this.  My heart breaks every day without him, but I can already tell that it was best for us, and he was immediately loved by a transporter who has taken him on a trial adoption.  If they don't work out the trainer who is working with him loved him as well and agreed to foster on a permanent basis - so he's already winning hearts and  charming the pants off everyone he meets.  I really miss that big dumb animal, though!

On November 1 Jax was just not acting like himself.  He was clingy, sleepy, and had a low grade fever so I took him to the doctor and he had his first ear infection.  He's back to himself now, but there were a few droopy days. 

As I mentioned he's pulling up on anything he can hang onto, as well as crawling more on his hands and knee's (rather than an army crawl) now.  He still army crawls if he's playing with something (so he can use his hands to hang on to toys) and if he's in a hurry (bare piggy's hold onto the hardwood floors much easier than pants-ed knee's!  And even if I put on socks he takes them off as soon as he can)  He still prefers I do most of his walking for him - little punk - and he isn't quite sure about feeding himself yet, but he LOVES feeding Blue Belle (she doesn't mind, either).  He's all about pumpkin muffins (don't try to share - he wants the whole thing), spaghetti, mac n cheese (blue box), banana's, and yogurt (although it gives him diaper rash - so he's on a temporary ban for a bit) etc, etc. I can't say he loves every food he tries, but he's doing pretty well trying new things.

I wouldn't go so far as to say he's talking yet, but he knows if he whines Mama Mama Mama! that he'll get a response, and he's working on Dada also (okay, he's saying Dada - Brian is working on associating that with himself).  I know they are just coincidences, but he's also said Bobo a couple of times when I get his bottle, nana to both Nana and a banana, MMMMmmmm when he's hungry and I get out anything he likes (oatmeal, banana, muffin, blue box, pizza ...juice - you name it), Do and Boo when Blue Belle is around and from time to time he'll repeat hi after me (never to anyone, though).  He's getting more adventurous and learning that he can share whatever I'm eating.  He still doesn't get sweet potatoes, though - Doctor says he'll outgrow the sensitivity, I just don't know when I'll have the guts to try them with him again!

He's quite a Mama's boy.  Early in October he started flat out refusing to let anyone but Brian or I give him a bottle if I'm even a remote option.  I often have to make myself scarce if Brian is feeding him or trying to change his diaper.  He's just a Mama's boy!  Hopefully that neutralizes before it's time for school!

I can't believe he'll be 1 in less than a month.  So much changes in that first year!  Last Christmas he was so tiny!  This year he'll probably be climbing the Christmas tree!

10 month pics

Grandma & Grandpa Michaelsen and Aunt Laura came down to visit us this weekend and we took a chance on this C-C-C-COLD Saturday and went to the pumpkin patch!  There were some serious squeals of delight as we pulled into the parking... field.  100% of these came from me. Jax couldn't really care less.  I had bundled him up in his coat and hat - but once we got out there I felt like the worst mom in the world because his pants were too short and I didn't have any mittens yet.  Anyway - I had a blast!  Jax was very studious and really taking it all in.  He wasn't too sure about sitting in the pumpkin patch, but somehow we convinced him to grin for the camera.

Enough chat - here are the pics!

Oh yeah - this isn't today.  It's just him being cute the other day while the painters were painting

 Before we left: his first time wearing shoes for more than 2 minutes.  He thought they were pretty cool!  Thanks for the Sperry's Lindsay!

Grandma Peg convincing him that it's okay to sit with the pumpkins

First hint at a smile...

 Okay - this is fun!

 I love this pic - Brian & Jax strolling through the pumpkin patch.

He's studying the tractor pulling the hay rack ride.  

Just a pretty display...

These pics and more can be printed off at this link

So - we had a good time - Jax took a LONG afternoon nap when we got home.  And even Brian was convinced that I have got to go shopping more often!    {hehehe...Mission accomplished!} 

I got a few new pics from Mom's phone after I posted the September post and there were some pics I just HAD to share.

This one is by far my favorite from the whole trip.  It just says it all...

These can be printed at this link

September 2012

September was a HUGE month for us!  SO much to share!  

We started the month with a Pestinger family trip to Paradise Island, Bahamas.  What a beautiful place!  I could sit and watch the ocean and never get tired of it.  We had a full ocean view from our rooms, so it was beautiful even during nap times!  Jax was a champ traveler.  We all got split up while flying, so it was a good thing the boys were such great fliers.  I had Tara's help on the first leg (KC to Atlanta).  It was a 6am flight, so we were all up and on the road by 4am.  Jax was taking it all in - he was so cute on the take off.  I wish I'd have been able to get to my camera!  He had a hand on either side of the window and his nose pressed up to it watching everything outside.  ADORABLE!  He slept for maybe 45 minutes on that flight and on the next leg I was seated by myself with him.  Thank God I had wonderful people sitting around me!  Jax was happy as can be, but over-tired and over-stimulated, so he was very active.  He watched a photo slide show with the man next to me, and flirted up a storm with the women around us.  It could have been very ugly by myself with him for over 2 hours, but he was such a charmer that it went better than I could have imagined!  I was tired when we finally landed, but so proud of him!

Jax loved the ocean and the sand.  It was hard trying to pack baby food for him, so I took a small amount and depended a lot on the fruit served at the hotel.  He practically lived on banana's, pears, and mangoes that week!  I'll stop talking and get on to the good stuff.  PICTURES!

Whew!  We were a tired crew coming home, but we were all happy.  SUCH a great trip!

We got home Friday night and Brian left on a work trip on Sunday morning - he was taking off 36 hours after we landed!  He got home Tuesday night and Wednesday we closed on a new home.  Talk about a whirlwind!  My mom and sister came to help move (Tara is 7 months pregnant, so she helped with Jax while I helped move - you'll see how much help I was below ;).  I don't think we could have done it without them!  Or, at least if we had to we'd be living with a WHOLE lot of cat hair still!  They scrubbed this place!  Here are some photo highlights of that whole weekend!

 First meal in the house!

That banister & coffee got really heavy after a while!

Breaking in the furniture

 First morning in the new house.  Someone slept well!

 While we're on some firsts, lets try our first pancake!

 Not a fan - why, Aunt Tara, WHY!?

 Playing with Daddy

First backyard photo shoot.

(all of the pictures above here can be found at this Snapfish link if you want prints)

Whew!  That's been this month! In all of the craziness I've really neglected my baby journal, so this blog may have to be my journal entries for all of this fun.  After we got into the new house we realized how badly the walls needed paint, so as I type the painters are working in the other room (makes me feel really lazy sitting here while they work).  We hope to have the main floor and one particularly bad bedroom done before Friday when Grandma & Grandpa Michaelsen and Aunt Laura are coming to visit.  We're planning to go to a pumpkin patch, so hopefully we get a whole lot of great fall pictures.  Yahoo!  October is looking like a crazy busy month as well - stay tuned!  

I'll be back with 10 month pics later!  Happy October everyone!