Disgruntled Elf

Baron really enjoyed the tubs of Christmas decorations because they were the perfect height to pull himself up on. Once he was standing he was able to find all sorts of treasures!
This discovery was not his favorite, but that is okay because it actually belongs to Gus!

Christmas Tree

Our tradition is to drive home from our Thanksgiving celebration (either from Maple Valley or Quincy) and unload the car as quickly as possible. Then we drive down the road a couple of miles to pick out our Christmas tree at a U-cut place. It was so much fun to do it with Baron. I have moments when I realize he must be wondering "what the heck are we doing?" Today was definitely one of those moments. I need to read up on traditions so I can explain it to him better in a few years.

This was my favorite part of the day. The person helping Nate tie down the tree had no idea what he was doing. I didn't tell this to Nate until we were going down the road and the tree started to slide off the pathfinder. Instead of pulling over and fixing it (it is really only a couple of miles from our house) my husband opened the sun roof and held onto the tree! Oh what a memory!

Apple Cup

We did it! We finally took Baron to his first Cougar game. Too bad it was in Husky stadium. His grandma was quick to point out that Baron has been in the Husky stadium twice and he still hasn't been to Martin stadium. It was a long day...Baron was tired from the entire weekend and at the end of the night (on the bus ride home) Nate and I decided that it is okay if we miss a couple of seasons...until Baron is a little bit older. Besides - it is so much nicer to watch from the comfort of your own home!

Ducks and Zebras

This morning started with a new book for Baron. It lead to a new song being stuck in my head, but it is a good one!
Baron didn't like the part about the ducks not coming back to their momma - he was quite concerned.

Later we ventured out to the mall (dangerous because it is black Friday). We stopped at the carousel. Baron was very interested in the lights and other kids riding it.

He was too young to ride on the zebra, but he was able to take a picture while the carousel was stopped. He loved it!

It was a good thing he didn't ride on the zebra because he was a little dizzy by the end of the ride. Here he is riding on our laps on the bench. In all honesty - the ride made Nate and I dizzy so I can only imagine what he was thinking. The best part was that he was genuinely surprised every time we would come around and he would see his grandma, grandpa, uncle and aunts.

Baron's First Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving. I have so many things to be thankful for. The first being my husband who works very hard so that Baron and I can spend our days together. The second is my healthy baby boy. The third is the amazing number of friends and family who love my little guy (and maybe love Nate and I a little too)! I guess it is not "things" I am thankful for, but it is people!

I think that Thanksgiving is Baron's favorite holiday so far. He LOVES to eat. He was growling with excitement over green bean casserole, turkey and stuffing! He wasn't sure about cranberry sauce, but it didn't stop him from having seconds. Much to his aunt Alyson's dismay - he doesn't really care for mashed potatoes. He also seemed to enjoy the pumpkin pie for breakfast!

Here we are at the Holstein house. Nate set up the timer on the camera to get all of us in the picture.

What Nate didn't realize is that it was on a continuous picture taking setting so it kept snapping and we sat in our seats not knowing what to do. It was hilarious.

We decided to set the timer one more time so we could do this! We are a shy group :) I think Fred wins the award. I wish I could post all 5 pictures from this timer in a way that everyone reading this could flip through them quickly like a movie...I think I just did that 5 times until I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my face.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Playing fetch

Baron isn't able to throw the ball very far so Gus just lays down and lets Baron swap one ball out of his mouth and then waits for him to put another ball back in his mouth. Gus is the most patient dog!

Fall Days

We have had beautiful weather this fall. It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of November when we are sitting outside on the deck playing in the leaves!

Concentration

Baron has a new passion for putting lids on everything. He will occupy himself for a long time (like 5 or 10 minutes - a long time for him) if he has some sort of container with a lid. He was working so hard on this water bottle lid that his tongue started to hang out and he didn't even notice he had rolled on top of Gus' tail!

Christmas Baking Weekend

I know - it is early to even say the "C" word, but this was the best weekend for the Prchal, Tuttle, Holstein and Weber families to get together to bake Christmas cookies. We had good intentions, but an active 10 month old, an adorable 3 month old and a tired pregnant woman (just joking - she isn't that tired, but it made it eaiser to tell her to take a break) make it really hard to get anything done! We did manage to get some baking done. I didn't take any pictures even though we were there for 4 days, but Sara took a few so I borrowed these from her.

Teething Pain

Baron's favorite way to ease teething pain is chewing on a piece of cold celery. With 6 teeth (well almost 6 - one of them is really taking its sweet time) he is able to bite through it a little more. Good thing he likes the flavor as much as the texture.

Flashback

We are going to see Baron's cousin Clinton soon. I wanted to remember what a 3 month old looks like so I looked back at Baron's 3 month pictures. I love remembering these quiet days - epecially on a day like today when I am exhausted from chasing a little cruiser. This picture made me laugh so hard. I am so happy to be home from work and have him in my arms...and he looks terrified or shocked. I also remember being excited about that very small amount of hair on his head.

When Baron is suddenly quiet...

assume he is up to something! I was doing dishes and Baron was playing with the magnets on the fridge. All of the sudden I didn't hear them any more (okay - it was more than a second, but he does work fast!). I turned around and saw this
Then walked into the bathroom and saw thisBusted! He even had a little bit of toilet paper stuck to his foot!

Double Digits

Baron is 10 months old today. He is such a little ham! I love this little outfit. I call it his "Tom Cruise" look because it reminds me of Top Gun. As I am sure everyone has realized from past posts - Nate loves to give nicknames. Another name he gave Baron (before Baron was born) was "Baron the Bombshell Holstein." In order to understand it you must read it/say it with your sportscaster voice. It won't be long and Nate will be teaching Baron to throw a baseball or football in the backyard. I'll be happy when that day comes so he stops showing him how to play lacrosse INSIDE the house!!

Winter is on the way

Baron got a new hat and matching mittens today so he can stay warm when we play outside.
Do you think he likes it? Ha! I think there is a reason it has velcro under the chin.

A is for Avocado

Lately we are taking alot of pictures of Baron in the high chair. I think this is happening for two reasons.
Reason #1 - Baron is starting to LOVE finger foods and now wants to eat all the time. His new favorite is Avocado, but I have to help him with it because it is so slippery. Other favorites -pork, applesauce, yogurt and cheerios! He moans with excitement when he eats. If only this picture had sound...
Reason #2 - Baron has discovered that crawling on all fours is much faster than his former inchworm style. Every day he gets faster and faster and it is hard to snap a picture of anything other then his backside crawling away.

Teeth!

This isn't Baron's sweetest look, but it does show the majority of his 2 (almost 4) new teeth! The sleepless nights now have an explanation.

Sleep...what's that again??

Baron is almost 10 months old and for the past 2 weeks he has not been sleeping through the night. We are problem solving the best we can, but every sleepless night makes it more difficult to brainstorm ideas. Instead I gaze into my coffee in the morning and say "this too shall pass." That is my motto for the difficult parts of parenting (this motto started when I was in my 20th hour of labor).

One attempt is to wake Baron up earlier in the morning to make sure he takes 2 good naps during the day and goes to bed at the same time every night. This morning at 7:45 I opened his door and this is what I saw. Poor kid. I think he is just as sick of the sleepless nights.

To make up for my lack of picture taking yesterday - I'll post another one from today. Why use a spoon when you can drink applesauce from a bowl?!

The Tunnel

Baron recieved this super cute cow print tunnel at his first baby shower. Up until today he was unsure about it. Baron played in a tunnel in our wobbler/mama class today (yes! We graduated from the baby/mama class). When I told Nate how much fun Baron had, he decided to get our tunnel out. Baron loved it!

Sunday...

I love Sundays. It is such a good day for family time. Baron started the day with a kiss from Gus.

Then he gave Gus a kiss.

And what would Sunday be without reading the Sunday paper?!

Tickle Bug

We had a busy day today because we had Baron's 9 month pictures taken (he is almost 10 months, but this kid gets his picture taken almost daily so does it really matter?!) After a long day I love to hear Baron's little giggle. I still remember the first time I heard it (I cried of course - it is the darn Weber watery eyes). It is the sound of pure joy!

Messy Meal Time

I am sure I have said this multiple times, but Baron is independent! He always has been. He is determined and independent. He has always insisted on holding the spoon himself and putting the food in his mouth. Now he takes it one step further - I hold the yogurt container and he dips his spoon in and puts it in his mouth (my hand is definitely guiding his). He is so pleased with himself after he does this. I think he eats twice as much because it is a game for him. He also manages to make a nice mess! This is something I am adjusting to because it would take half the time and would only have a fraction of the mess if I held the spoon, but then it would not be near as fun!

Mommy's Little Helper

I didn't take any pictures today, but Nate took this one last night (instead of stopping Baron) as I was helping Baron get off of the dishwasher after he had climbed in. I now have to shut the dishwasher as soon as he comes into the kitchen.

Mr. Facial

A good example of why Nate calls Baron "Mr. Facial."

Busted

He is always into something these days...

Baron's Boo Boo

I can't even go into detail about how this happened because it happened so quickly. Let's just say I have never heard Baron cry like he did today...it was so bad it made me cry (and we were at our Baby/Mama class so I was a little embarassed). Minutes later he was playing again. He is one tough little guy!

PJ Sunday

Baron managed to stay up really late on Halloween despite the fact he only had one night. As a result we had a really sleepy little boy on Sunday. No matter how sleepy he is he can always find the energy to show off. He loves this new tool set from his grandma and grandpa.

This picture was supposed to be about Baron and Grandpa playing, but when I look at it all I can see is the bright-colored-toy-disaster.