Alex has mastered our basement stairs. He still can't quite get up the first step (it's a little higher than the rest) but once you help him with that he's off! Will likes to put on "Crawling Shows" with Alex in the evenings before bed. They crack each other up.

Grann!

We had a very fun weekend because Grann came to visit! On Friday, we drove up to Ramona's Table for dinner. On Saturday morning, we took the boys to swim lessons (see post below). After a non-existent nap for Alex, we grabbed lunch at Forest Hills Foods before going to Koetsier's. They set up their greenhouse as a fall fun center for kids. They had bounce houses, pumpkin decorating, a maze, corn sandbox, a hayride, and other fun fall activities. Will had a great time bouncing and playing and even Alex got to try out the toddler/infant bounce house. In the afternoon, we walked up to the playground for a bit. Then Grann took care of the boys so we could meet up with some friends in the evening. On Sunday, we went downtown to walk around ArtPrize for a while.

Ball pit

Farmer Will

Loving the hayride!

Grann and Alex on the hayride

Will refused to smile

Alex was underwhelmed by ArtPrize

Swim Lessons

The boys' swim lessons started this weekend. On Saturday morning, we headed over to Wealthy Pool. Alex's class was supposed to go from 9-9:25 and Will's from 9:30-9:55. Alex's was a parent/child class but Will was bumped up to the preschool class which did not have a parent with them. Unfortunately, there was a mix up and the life guard didn't show up. So we had to wait until a back-up arrived to let us in. Fortunately, both classes were small so I was able to just take Alex into the pool to splash around while Will had his class.

Both kids had a great time. I was a little nervous - I didn't know how Alex would react. The few times we've put him in a pool or lake he has cried but the water was also very cold. (They keep Wealthy pool at 85 so it was quite pleasant) Will was nervous about going in the pool without mom or dad but he did really well. There were only 2 kids in his class. They spent most of the time on the stairs but Will did try floating, blowing bubbles, and splashing. He is really looking forward to the next class.

Learning to Float

Holding on all by himself

Wonderful Wednesday

Despite the kids being a little under the weather (non-stop runny noses) we had a really fun Wednesday. Alex did not have a good night Tuesday to Wednesday, so he slept in a little Wednesday morning (must be nice). Will was up at 6:30 so we had some quality time. We managed to make a batch of soup for Grandpa, bake a batch of cookies and build a fort all before 8:30am. After Alex woke up, we played some more and then decided to go to Robinette's for lunch. We had some cider and split a donut and Will was able to run around and play on the wagon slide. A school group came towards the end of our visit and Will made a lot of new friends.

The kids took great naps in the afternoon and we decided to go to Member Appreciation Night at the John Ball Zoo. It was a perfect fall evening and we figured Alex would get more rest bundled up in the stroller than he would at home crawling and climbing. They had a band set up, free sting ray pets, free bird feeding, and crafts for the kids. Will was actually very interested in the animals (instead of just the waterfalls). He especially liked the Bobcat (due to the Bobcat Walk song on one of his CDs), the river otter, and the flamingos. Will was able to feed the birds - several landed on his food stick which he thought was pretty cool. The birds seemed to really like Phil - at one point he had three on him including one on the top of his head. We packed a picnic and had dinner at the zoo while listening to the music.

  Last night, Alex actually slept from 8:15 - 6:30... we hope that trend continues!

The Big Apple

Will loves the wagon slide

Sting Rays

The birds loved Phil

We had a very fun weekend. On Friday afternoon, we actually met with a builder to discuss some major renovations we are thinking about doing to our house. These include: new front porch/entrance, expanded dining room, expanded kitchen (w/ all the upgrades), mudroom, larger family room, and screened in porch out back. The builder seemed confident all could be achieved and the price range he gave us off the top of his head was within the range that we felt was financially feasible. So we have plans to meet with an architect next Friday.

After work on Friday, we walked up to town. Unfortunately, Ramona's Table was closed for a private party, but the owner saw us and gave Will a giant cookie as a consolation prize. So we ended up at Big Bob's instead and ran into two families we know... it reaffirmed that we want to stay in EGR and not head out to Cascade/Ada.

On Saturday, we stayed around the house in the morning and then went to our friend's house. Their daughter turned 1 and they had us over for a tailgate for the Michigan game. It was fun to see all the kids in their Michigan gear. The food was delicious and Will had a great time running around their house.

Alex is a pro at pulling himself up on furniture.  He can even do it on flat surfaces like walls and windows.  I've caught him letting go a few times - he can balance for a second or two before falling down.  He has even gotten himself up to standing without holding on to anything a few times.  He is only on his feet for a few seconds but he is so determined! He was at Grandma and Grandpa's on Friday and was able to climb up their stairs unassisted.  I tried at our house this weekend, but our stairs are a little steeper and he had a little trouble.  I'm sure he'll master it in the next week or two.  He is also quite the babbler now.  He can make the "M" and "B" sounds really well.  Occasionally he will throw in a "D."  He has to keep up with Will who talks non stop!

Playing with the Big Kids

The Kiddos

I found him cruising laps around his crib this morning

Boring Weekend

We were a bit under the weather this weekend so we have very little to report. Will has decided that he and Phil are best friends. They also like to have "boy parties" with just the three of them ("Mom - you are not allowed!").

I was finally able to get a picture of Alex's tooth. It is on the bottom and is the white/grey spot on his gums.

Alex is also doing some cruising along furniture and the hearth of the fireplace.  I was able to get video of him pulling himself up.  He cruises a little - but he keeps getting distracted by his reflection in the fireplace. 

Watching the Lions

Check out my tooth

Better shot of the tooth

Best Friends

Visit with Uncle Andrew

This weekend was the annual Renaissance Festival trip for Phil and Andrew. This year, they met up in Detroit and then Andrew came to GR for a day and half after the fest. Will was so excited to see Uncle Andrew. They immediately bonded and spent the day and half listening to music, dancing, and chasing each other around. Alex was happy to meet Andrew for the first time - he reached out and grabbed his hand with a big smile on his face when he walked in the door. It was a short visit but we crammed a lot of fun in. We are already looking forward to next year!

Meeting of the Minds

Lunch at Founders

Outside the GRAM

So cute!  Will wanted a picture in bed with his brother.

More Labor Day Weekend Fun

We crammed a lot of fun into our three day weekend. (We are conveniently blocking out a 4 hour period of time on Saturday night...) We decided one more trip to the Botanical Gardens was in order. Will ran around and had fun as usual and Alex actually got to put his hands in the fountain as well. He was a little unsure at first but it grew on him. He really liked playing with the boats. After the gardens, Phil left for Detroit and the boys and I went home for naps. When they woke up, we played with water balloons in the front yard and then spent a decent amount of time playing with play dough (while Alex crawled around the kitchen).

On Monday morning, we walked/rode bikes into town and did our usual: D&W, pennies in the fountain, races on top of the parking garage, and a quick run on the football field.  After we got home, Alex went down for his nap and Will helped me bake a batch of muffins with zucchini from our garden.  After their afternoon naps, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner.  They bought Will a slip and slide which we tried out.  Will is terrified of sprinklers for some reason and I don't think he fully grasped the concept of the slip and slide.  And mom conveniently did not bring her suit along so she couldn't do a demo :)  He ended up crawling down it a few times and jumped in the little pool at the end.  It was a short lived activity but maybe next time he'll be more adventurous!  

In other news, Alex is now pulling himself up on furniture.  He pulled himself up to play at the train table and also in his crib so the mattress has been lowered all the way down.  He also likes to stand up by the fireplace because he can see his reflection which cracks him up. 
 

Playing with trains



Fun in the tunnel

Playing at the Gardens

Not too sure about the fountains

Pumping water at the farm

Slip and Crawl

Not all fun... we had to run some errands, too!

8 Months Old!

Alex is 8 months old today! Here are some milestones from this month:

- He has learned how to crawl
- He can climb up the step between the family room and the kitchen
- He can pull himself up to standing (in the crib, at the train table, etc)
- He got his first tooth (bottom, left middle)
- He stayed at Grann's for the first time
- He went to the beach for the first time
- He continues to eat more solid foods: puffs, yogurt melts, tiny pasta, and tiny banana pieces
- He had his first bottle of formula (today)

Alex is constantly on the go - we had a rough photo shoot today!  He would either crawl away before I could take a picture (when sitting on the floor) or would try to stand up (when sitting on the frog). So the pictures aren't the best...  He also kept laughing at the camera and would put his hands in his mouth. 

Day at the Beach

It's halftime of the Michigan game so I decided to do something productive with my time...

Today we took the boys to the beach. Will went earlier this summer with Grandpa and had a great time but Alex hadn't been yet. We got to the cottage around 10:30 or so and pretty much had the beach to ourselves. It was very calm when we got there but the water was a little on the cool side. Will immediately started playing with his sand toys and put his toes in the water. Alex sat down and ate some sand. I thought it would discourage him from trying it again... but it did not. We had to keep our eyes on him.

Phil and Will played tennis on the beach and built a cool sand castle with a river in the middle. We took a nice walk down the beach and had a picnic lunch. Alex liked watching the waves. By noon, there were several other families down on the beach and the water felt much warmer. We played for a bit more before packing up and heading home.

We walked up to town and Will had a picnic dinner.  Then we all got some frozen yogurt.  Now we are suffering through the football game. 

First time in the sand

I like the beach!

Happy boys

About as good of a family photo as you can expect with two little ones...

Tennis on the beach

The beach was deserted in the morning