Dog Days

In attempt to "summer"ize (ha ha get it? punny?) Here are our last shots of the dog days of summer during August and September.

We spent most of our days at Noah's country club. And sun protection is very important to these guys.


There was of course tending to the garden with Zucchini's that always seems to get out of control. I swear I check one day and the next they are the size of baseball bats!
There was also such events as playing in the park's sandbox, birthday parties (more to come on this weird and hopefully temporary phobia of Fred's), and a nudist colony in our own backyard (swim diapers are pricey!).



We also ended the summer with an amazing trip to the Hewes' lake house. High fashion on the high seas and baby wrestling.



But it wasn't all fun and games, Grandma & Grandpa had him swabbing the deck too!

Jazz Cat

Fred is into music at the moment. I think it has more to do with learning which buttons to push on the stereos to make noise. He's got a little white boy dance with moves taught by his very white father, yes, Stan the dance instructor - its like Richard Simmons in a white t-shirt. He also has a voice as great as his mother, which is to say none at all. He will only sing to Etta James' "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and it took me awhile to figure out what he was doing, until it dawned on me he was trying to mimic her crooning. May he have music wherever he goes.

sum sum summertime!

It turned out to be a pretty busy summer and recently has gotten even busier and kept Fred on the go, which is a good thing for him and his mommy as it turns out. It looks like fall will continue to be full of activities and we started this week having our buddy Noah with us on Mondays and Tuesdays for the school year seeing as how his mommy had to go back to school (ha ha!).

So let's see what photos I have been meaning to post to show how big he is and how much fun we have had...
Here's Fred showing his new style of being a Paleontologist, because you never know where you might find dinos, it is necessary to carry around a whisk broom and shovel larger than you are.


And then the next exciting thing to happen to us, was to go on vacation. Now, when I find something I like, I get a little nutso passionate about it. For example, as friends of mine you will probably already know things that I love - fall & Halloween (a particularly disturbing obsession too, as it seems I'm on prozac the whole season long, but I assure you that is my natural state), Harry Potter, West Wing, Trader Joe's. It's not that I just enjoy this things, I LOVE them, they are sadly a part of my identity. And so too is my favorite Michigan town: South Haven. It's utopia to me, because there are farms and beaches and a little local town that is walkable and has toys stores and ice cream shops and you can bike any where. So we rented the cutest little house and invited all sorts of friends and family to stop by and enjoy our little piece of paradise. Here are photo's of Fred looking stylish again in his beach attire, it seems he won the yellow jersey and we all called him Lance. He wasn't sure about the strong waves of lake michigan but he loved a hole that was dug to the water table and we were happy to oblige in making a natural playpen of sorts.




BLOKUS! It's going to sweep the nation.


Fred ordering for us to enjoy some fine dining (Maria's Lasagna - the most delicious thing ever! The secret is the shredded carrots in the sauce to make it sweet - yeah that's right I asked!

Blueberry picking with Aunt Mary:

Ok maybe they weren't quite that big... However the philosophy was definitely, "One for Fred, one for the bucket, whole fist full for Fred, none for the bucket".


When we went to pay we realized we should have pre weighed Fred so we could have had a more accurate idea of just how much he ate!

There was also the most awesome park 2 blocks from where the house was on the way to the beach. It was this crazy wooden maze thing with slides and cubbies, one part looked like a pirate ship, and these balance beams and platforms. There was one that was unstable at all four corners so you could "pop" your weight around to swing and make the things jump. If you have ever seen National Treasure 2 (which really who hasn't?, you know you love it) it was that... ok maybe a little more safe but still totally National Treasure!






All in all an awesome vacation!

wroar

Fred has been working on a lot of animal sounds, and lion is one of his specialities. So how exciting to get this in the mail today from Great uncle Jim and Aunt Toni, recently back from a trip to Uganda. Thanks guys, he played with it for over an hour and still won't let go!

Highlights

Here are some of our bright spots over the last six months in photos:


February - Fred's birthday party was on Valentine's Day, we did a Bug (Love bug) sorta theme with a Hungry Caterpillar cupcake dessert. Fred wasn't too sure what to make of flaming candles put in his face.


Winter play



First hair cut (don't they look like spring chickens?)









Cousin Owen's visit!





Family get together, Great Grandpa with all his Great grandchildren (well not as great as his original grandchildren but still pretty cute.


Easter, was so fun and it really sunk in just how big Fred is since the last Easter he had his first smile, now if we could only get smiles on demand... maybe next year.





As winter and spring wore on, I realize Fred's style was looking more and more like a retired P.E. teacher, complete with little pot belly and saggy butt (courtsey of diapers) so I loved these photos as he got out for a workout running around the yard.

And like after any strenuous workout you've gotta carbo load. "Yo' ma', whadya mean your outta spinach ravioli and meatballs?!"





1st trip to the Zoo with BFF Noah





Cousin Nolan's 1st birthday party at this amazing park district facility in Roselle complete with Merry-go-Round, play tubes, and Elmo made an appearance! Fred is a big fan of the lovable furry red monster!








Fred has got this fisherman hat that cracks me up! From a kid who during the winter would kick and scream whenever I got near him with a hat, he now can't go anywhere without this hat. If he doesn't have it he looks at me and makes his "uhh" sound while point to his head as if to say, "Mom, I need my hat!". The hat's brim seems to take different shapes dependent on his mood, it can go from Grumpy Old Men, to Indiana Jones, or even Michael Jackson. He's got our style (or should I say lack there of).






And finally Father's Day!
There's that "worst" style again.

Consider your self caught up. Exciting no?

Excited to be back...

The weather has been so beautiful and before we gear up for vacation we had to take a family outing to the zoo. I think Fred liked it, if you can't tell from the video.