First Words

Alex in Inkom with Paige's cows.


Alex, Paige, and Kari with the chickens in Inkom.


Jacob with the pigs in Inkom.

Alex finally got his chance to be around some animals while we were in Inkom. He loved venturing out to see the cows and chickens with Mammi. He enjoyed checking on the hummingbirds with Grandma and Aunt Anna. He also loved when Jacob would take him out to the pigs.

We thought he said "birdie" for his first word while in Inkom. However, it only lasted a day or two and now that we are back home we have not been able to get him to say it. But now everytime he sees an animal he says "da", which is what he said when he saw our dog, Queen, in Inkom. I guess every animal is now a dog to him. We are glad that although he is growing up a city boy he still loves animals!

-CS

No toys for me

I bought some peaches and nectarines at Costco a few days ago. The empty boxes were in the kitchen and all Alex wanted yesterday were those boxes. Then this morning I looked over at Alex and he had plopped himself down in one of the boxes (which was a pretty snug fit) and was playing with the other one. He loves the weirdest things for "toys". He would rather play with boxes, a belt, or the buckles on the stroller than a normal child's toy.

-CS

Visitors

My Great Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Darold came to visit us. We stayed with them in Ohio last September when we were moving here to Boston. They went on a cruise this past week that was stationed out of Boston and they came to visit us today before driving back to Ohio. Alex really enjoyed them, especially Aunt Carolyn. She had just the right toys for him; between her necklace, purse, and ipod he was satisfied!

-CS

Raspberries

While we were in Idaho this past August, Alex discovered raspberries. My family has a large raspberry patch and we were there during harvest season. Alex would come into the kitchen and see the trays full of raspberries on the table and counters and start pointing and fussing until he was given some of the delicious raspberries to eat.

Today I made him a piece of toast and put homemade raspberry freezer jam on it for the first time and he loved it. When he eats something that he loves his eyes light up, he gets really excited, and starts making a noise that is a mixture between him laughing and saying "mmmmm". He looks at you with a questioning look in his eyes like he is thinking "How come you never told me about this before?" and then continues to pluck the food off his tray and pop it in his mouth as fast as he can.

-CS

Could I return these . . . ?

Randy once told me, "Your mom could return underwear with skidmarks," in reference to her ability to harangue store clerks into returning virtually anything. I think she does it partly because she's thrifty, but even more for the thrill of the challenge.

I wouldn't have necessarily expected this distinct talent in Carolyn as she is not by nature, a "spicy" woman like my mom, but Carolyn has proved to be quite the negotiator when it comes to returning odd items as well. To name a few things in recent history: salsa we did not like after tasting it, a huge flash light that broke after almost a year, and ground beef that she froze which ended up being rotten when she got it out a month later. Finally, today she got her money back for sub par nectarines that she bought last week. She pulls these deals with and without receipts . . . what a woman.

-AS

Where's My Passey?

Alex is a "passey" addict. The other day Alex was fussing while I pushed him in his stroller on our way to Walgreens. I asked him, "do you want your passey?"

He turned for a second, but the sun was too bright for him to look at me, so he just reached his arm up behind him and held out his hand without looking. As soon as he had it, he greedily stuffed it in his mouth.

Nothing hits the spot like a passey.

-CS
(photo by EP)

Top Hats and Tubs

Alex loves bathing. He is working on his balancing act.

A Purse for Alex

Today Alex pulled my purse off the counter and I took it away from him and put it back. The next time I turned around he had pulled it down again. Instead of fighting it, I emptied all my things out and let him carry it around. It was no time at all before he had slung it over his shoulder and was wandering around the apartment like this was what had been missing from his life. He loves my purse...along with anything else that he sees me using frequently.