Happy Halloween!

Today Timothy celebrated his first Halloween. Now I know he really has no idea what is going on, but we still made it a fun day. His morning began with a bit of pumpkin scone for breakfast. I figured that was about the best treat he would get since candy just isn't going to happen yet. Timothy dressed up as Tigger (thanks to whoever put the sweat suit in the Princeton clothing exchange!) I added a tail to make him a 'real' tiger.

Tigger Timmy on the prowl.

Of course it would not be Halloween without carving a pumpkin. So Timothy and I set out to do that this afternoon. I didn't know how he would react to touching the seeds and pulp, but soon enough found out he loved it. I hardly had the top off and he was reaching in. I should not have been surprised by this. As my mom pointed out, Timothy is very good at reaching in his toy box and pulling things out.

Ohh, let me at it!!

A curious look--what's inside?

As with everything Timothy touches, he wanted to put the pumpkin seeds and pulp in his mouth. As you can see by the next photo, I did not let him do this. Timothy is getting very good at showing his disapproval these days. A very loud wail and throwing himself forward are his current techniques.

"Mommy said 'no!'"

I hated to deny Timothy the experience of exploring the pumpkin, so we came to a compromise. He sucked on his nuk and then got to touch the pumpkin.

Studying the pumpkin's eye.

Checking out the finished product.

All the pumpkin carving (and crying about not being able to eat any of it) tired our little Tigger out. He had to take his late afternoon nap to be ready for trick or treating.

Our caged tiger taking a snooze!

We did trick or treat at a few of our neighbors. We tried to refuse the candy since Timothy won't eat it it anyway. (Troy and I weren't out to make our own haul. We just wanted to show off our cutie!) And now our little Tigger is off in dreamland again probably hoping he doesn't have to wear that silly outfit with the hood and tail again tomorrow!

A taste of nature

Timothy and I were enjoying some outdoor time on this beautiful fall day. He played on a blanket while I raked leaves. While I was raking I kept a close watch to prevent him from eating the leaves and grass he was exploring.

Just before we went in the house we were crumpling leaves together and I spotted a ladybug. I let it crawl on my hand so Timothy could see it. He watched it curiously. It crawled a little on his hand too before flying a short distance away. I brought it back and we watched it together. I thought I was being careful so Timothy would not pinch it and kill it. The ladybug crawled on his hand again and I found myself unprepared for his quick hand to mouth movement. Yup, into the mouth went the ladybug.

Now I don't suppose Timothy would have been the first to eat a bug, but I was able to fish it out. I do believe the ladybug survived the ordeal, but it upset Timmy some. I am not sure if it was the troubling feeling of having something crawl on your gums or the way mommy was forcing his mouth open and digging her finger around that upset him, but he was done with nature time! Even when we were safe inside he remained a bit clingy and just wanted to be held. So much for the wonderful nature moment of discovering a ladybug!

Memories

Troy and I came home from an evening out with friends last night and realized how happy we are here in Grand Forks. We also got to talking about our time in Princeton. As we talked, Troy asked whether I thought we would have been as happy had we ended up in Grand Forks right after we married and had never had our time in Princeton. I don't think we would have. Our time in Princeton was a good experience for us, although it did have its challenges. As we continued talking we began listing the things (both big and small) we missed...


....the friends we met and the CRW community

summer bbqs with neighbors

walking, running and biking the canal path

sitting on our upper deck in the summer (our balcony!)

the Christmas tree lighting ceremony

the tigers in Palmar Square (especially with their red Christmas bows)

Fedora's cafe

blondie bars at Small World

hot drinks and browsing books at Barnes and Noble

walks around CRW

not having to pump my own gas in the winter

never having to shovel snow (I am anticipating we will miss this big time!)

canoeing on the canal

sunsets over the golf course

all the coupons for Chevys

all the places you can go by driving one or two hours

free cable TV (that includes TLC, Discovery and ESPN)

picnics at Mercer County Park

outdoor concerts in the summer

browsing in Ricky's candy store

weekly baby group with so many friends Timmy's age...

The list could go on and on. Our Princeton years will always be ones we think of with fondness.

10 Months

10 traits of our 10 month old

1. He reaches for things he wants to touch. (toys, people, ceiling fans, almost everything!)
2. He shuffles his feet when excited.
3. He loves balls and playing catch.
4. He eats everything eagerly--including vegetables! (Gerber baby puffs are a favorite)
5. He likes to feed himself and only tolerates spoon feeding when there is finger food too.
6. He dances to music.
7. He is attentive to small things such as fuzz on the carpet.
8. He likes to practice standing and can almost pull himself up.
9. He opens and closes books now--a change from just eating them!
10. Lots of kisses make him laugh.

First Haircut and a Pirate Baby

Last night Troy took on the challenge of cutting Timothy's hair. I say challenge, as Timothy is too curious about everything to keep his head still for more than two seconds. Nevertheless, Troy was able to trim Timothy's hair as his little head turned every which way. And although it might not be the most professional cut, we think it is pretty cute!

Troy in action.

Timothy sporting his new cut.

Often children get a lollipop after a haircut, but not our little guy. He was rewarded with the cardboard part of a hanger. (In our defense, Timothy is very happy to explore anything that is new to him and last night's chosen object was the cardboard.) Timothy was quite happy with this and began swinging it all around. We thought he looked sort of like a pirate with a sword. For a good 15 minutes he entertained us and himself by swinging his cardboard sword.

Raising his cardboard, Timothy let's out a yell to all.

A sly look. What should I do with my cardboard now?

Cardboard--fun and easy entertainment!

Privileges of a pastor's wife

I am learning that being a pastor's wife has its ups and downs. This past weekend, however, I experienced one of the perks. Destination weddings. Okay, so central Minnesota might not qualify as a destination to most, but it was for us. Troy officiated at a wedding in Nisswa, MN which is in the central lakes region of the state, or in other words, the resort region. That area is beautiful to visit this time of year when the leaves are at their peak.

In order to get a pastor to drive the distance we were offered a room at the resort. The 'cabin' turned out to be pretty nice. The mother of the bride kept telling us we could invite other family members since the cabin was roomy. It was indeed roomy. Timothy had his own room and bathroom and the choice of two beds. (He chose his pack and play.) There was a TV for each of us, a gas fireplace and a full kitchen.

On Saturday we slept in and had a great breakfast prepared by Troy with items from the near by grocery store. (We were too cheap to go to the resort 's breakfast buffet. Troy's pancakes were probably better anyway.) After Timothy's nap we went swimming in the indoor pool. Timothy got to swim in 'deep' water for the first time--meaning water deeper than two inches. He seemed to love being in the water. Troy liked the water slide and after a bit of coxing, even got me to give it a try. It was pretty fun. :-)

The afternoon wedding was very nice. The rains even held off making this Troy's second outdoor wedding. Since Troy needed to be back for Sunday worship and we didn't want to get home at midnight, we skipped the reception. Instead, we had dinner at a small town DQ. (I think every small town we passed had a DQ. I guess Midwesterners like ice cream!) To top off a good weekend, there was even a MN Wild hockey game on the radio for the drive home.

A quick weekend, but a fun one that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for my husband the pastor. :-)

The Incredible Edible Sock

Troy bought new socks for Timothy over the weekend. I was pretty excited when on the first day he wore them, the socks stayed on all day even withstanding the Timothy shuffle. (The shuffle is Timmy's unique way of rubbing his feet together when he is seated). I really thought these socks were going to do the trick for keeping toes warm, but as I have been told when you think you have things figured out something changes.

Now that I have socks to withstand the shuffle, Timothy learned how to pull his socks right off of his feet! (Yes I've been warned that this would happen too.) And once they are off he starts biting them. Socks--yum, yum! I tired to insist that we play a game called ''keep socks on your feet," but Timothy wasn't in to that one. I guess I should be proud that Timothy pulls his socks off--object permanence you know! He knows his toes are still there and he must think the socks are just another form of peek-a-boo. Mommy hides his toes and it is his job to find them.

When I finally relented and took away his socks yesterday, he still had a hankering to chomp on some fabric. He began pulling his arm into his sleeve and biting his shirt. I don't know why there is this sudden interest in biting clothes--I think I will attribute it to teething. We have used that excuse to explain everything else why not this too!!

20 Pounder

No, we don't have a twenty pound fish, but we do have a twenty pound boy!! 20 pounds 3 ounces to be exact. (Now most people would not be so happy to see their weight posted for all to see, but I think it is okay as long as people comment on how cute your chubby legs and belly are.) I would have guessed Timothy weighed more. He sure feels heavy when I lug him around all day! I couldn't tell you how many times I hoist him up on my hip or adjust him in my arms. (I hope I am gaining some muscles from all this!) Timothy measured 27 inches, but that might be a little off. If not, he's kind of short--only the 10th percentile.

I told him he would have no shots at his 9 month appointment, but we were surprised with the flu shot and a finger prick. He was a brave boy and did not cry for either one. Instead he was intrigued by the band-aid that was placed on his pricked finger. He sucked on it, bit it, and tried to pull on it until I took it away.

9 1/2 months and still no forward crawling. He has mastered the art of scooting backwards and turning. He finds himself backed into corners and under tables more frequently these days. I am excited for him to crawl, but a bit fearful of the changes it will bring to days. Below is a picture of Timothy scooting under his swing.