Two Fun Parties

We went to two cute birthday parties a few weeks ago. I met Jami soon after moving here and we have been playgroup friends since then. Her birthday party was so fun. We played a game where the husband would answer questions about his wife and then the wife would try to match his answer about her. Sam and I did really well. We lost because he said Mexican was my favorite type of food. Mexican?! I like it, it's true, but he totally spaced my love for Chinese food.

Alex was invited to Amie's 3rd birthday party. She is in our ward. The decorations were ridiculously amazing. The theme was fairies and pirates (so the boys would be interested in it as well). Alex spent the whole time sneaking magic wands (pretzels with the tips dipped in chocolate and sprinkles) off of the table.

They did a pinata. Alex had never seen one before and was so timid about hitting it. It was adorable.

That bag was full of party favors. So many toys and so much candy! It was confiscated and resides in our kitchen cabinet.

Edison was entertained by the balloons. Kids' love for balloons begins young.

Edison's Edition (5 Months)

Weight: 17 pounds, 13 ounces

Length: 27.75 inches

I am in denial that Edison is only one month away from starting solids. I feel like he is just a baby but when I look at him, I can't deny it anymore. He is starting to look like a real person. Something that is guaranteed to make Edison happy is to smother his face with kisses. I love kissing his face and so this works out perfectly. He still spits up but it seems to be happening less and I can also kind of predict when it is going to happen. He likes being smashed: having Alex hug him by lying on top of him, having big balls resting on his stomach, etc. He is such a cutie. I can't contain my kisses around him. His face just must be kissed.

I spy with my little eye a baby with two chins.

He is perfectly content being on the floor and watching Alex run around.

Always kicking.

I wish Mommy and Daddy would have gone for the house with the bigger tub.

This book makes me have crazy eyes!

No pictures! We were having a moment!

Give it back!

So... this is my bed.

Sleeping in the big bed.

Good morning!

So many pictures, not enough food!

Edison was planking...

...and Alex felt left out.

He rolled over (back to tummy) for the first time on 8/13.

Daddy uses him as a pillow.

His skin is perfect. I want it.

So comfy.

His tongue is out of his mouth 95% of his life.

He sat  up for the first time on 8/18.



But sitting up is hard work.

He has a great big brother who loves him.

He looks so old!

Toys all around, but fingers are better.

Get in my mouth!

What up?

Sleeping while Mommy made party decorations.

Now that he's rolling over, his kitchen table days may be over.

The fish at PetSmart bore him.

Achoo!

He has a brother who runs around him so fast he becomes a blur.

He still loves having people hover over him.

Buses are delicious.

What's up with this handle?

He has amazing bed head.

Hoarder.

Mommy is sleeping... perfect time to punch Alex.

Sharing Alex's crib.

Here are a few more things Edison does for which I do not have a matching picture:

He...

...gets the hiccups when he laughs.
...still has blue eyes but they are getting darker.
...has so much awareness in his eyes.
...takes a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon (at the same time as Alex) and sleeps 8:30pm-6:00am, eats, and goes back to sleep until 7:30am.
...has a really hard time nursing if people are making noise around him.
...has zero teeth!
...reaches for toys and loves shaking rattles.

Creepy

Did you know that if you "write" on a banana with your fingernail or something pointed, the writing will show up as the banana ripens? Sam just learned this and decided to try to make somebody me freak out. It didn't work! Because I do what I want and don't let any banana boss me around.

Obsessed

Alex is a kid. He loves things to the point of obsession. He will play with one toy for an entire day and not care about his other toys just because he is on a fire truck kick that day.

Also, Alex is kind of a hoarder. He will fill his hands with as many toys as he can carry, to the point of not being able to play with them. He is not doing this in order to stop other kids from taking his toys; he does the same thing when he is playing alone.

He goes through phases of obsession. A few things have lasted the test of time.

1. Airplanes. He has super-hearing when it comes to airplanes; he even hears them when we are inside. If we are outside, he practically tips himself over because he is trying to look straight up in the sky. The obsession with airplanes led to an obsession of trucks, trains, cars, and helicopters.

2. Cheese. All kinds. String, shredded, block, cake -- he likes them all.

3. Animals. It is fitting since his first word was "Rabbit." We have to be careful if we are outside because if one of the neighbors goes by walking their dog, he will follow them down the road happily barking along the way. One day in Ithaca, I stopped at the Cornell Orchards and bought 12 pounds of apples. I said, "That's a lot of apples! Hot dog!" And Alex said, "Woof woof." He can identify and say almost all the every day animal names: zebra, cow, horse, mouse, cat, dog, sheep, fish, bird, elephant, snake, lion, tiger, bear, panda, frog, deer, chicken, hippo, turtle, monkey, pig. Oh yeah, and ant. Ant is an every day animal around our house.

4. Computer. I think every kid is obsessed with computers and phones. He will climb on our computer chair and ask for his song to be turned on. I think we have given that video a million views.

5. Books. He will sit by his bookshelf pulling off one book after another. He knows what is on the next page before I even turn to it. He is totally a bookworm and I am proud of him for that!

6. Fire hydrants. Such a strange thing to love. Sam brought home a toy fire hydrant from one of his school tours and Alex has been obsessed since then.

7. Tractors. In Ithaca, there was a tractor parked on the corner we would frequently drive by and he would always point to it. After a few months of this, one day the tractor was gone. Alex looked out the window for it every day we drove by until we moved away. He knows dump trucks, diggers, tractors, cranes, bulldozers, and steamrollers.

An Ocean Party for a Sea King

My dad's cousin's wife had the same themed party for her son. I emailed her for ideas and she mailed me all of her decorations. It was awesome. (Thanks, Brittany!) Alex loves the water. We can't even water the lawn without him running through the hose and splashing in puddles; so this theme was perfect for him.

Our printer ran out of ink the night before the party. I was so sad that I didn't get to use my cute labels and had to write everything by hand. Boring!

We seriously struggle with barbecuing when people come over. I unknowingly bought charcoal that required lighter fluid so Sam had to run out and get it once the party had started. Dinner took a long time. We ended up cooking the burgers on the Foreman Grill so people could eat before we had cake. Most people didn't eat very much though. We had tons of leftovers.

I didn't make the cake but I decorated it.

I didn't take a picture of the party favors but they were super cute. They said, "We hope you had a whale of a time." They were made in beach pails and had lots of oceany things in them. Alex definitely had a whale of a time. We can't believe how fast the last two years have gone. We try to treasure every day with our cute little devil. He makes it easy.