Morning Walk on the Beach

When your toddler wakes up around 5:00 A.M., it turns into a good morning to walk on the beach. It was too cloudy to see a good sunrise, but we still enjoyed our walk before the rain began.

The One Way sign amused me. I guess you have to have some signs when people can drive on the beach. I snapped a picture of our hotel too.

USS Lexington

We visited the USS Lexington on our trip to Corpus Christi. Alex, Mom and I stayed on the main deck, which was more toddler friendly. Dad and John made it up to the flight deck and down below, which were not conducive to strollers. Alex still had fun, and we can go back again when he is older.

Pictures of the Corpus Christi Bay

Corpus Christi Beach Trip 2010

We are happy to be able to drive to the beach for a weekend trip. My parents came along and we packed light enough to fit into on car. We learned that Alex likes all kinds of water, including the ocean and showers after the beach. He had fun playing in the giant sandbox aka the beach. He is exhausted today from all of the fun!

We stayed on Padre Island in Corpus Christi Texas and our hotel was across the street from the beach with a view of the ocean. We swam in the Gulf of Mexico, and I did get stung for the first time by a jelly fish. Luckily it did not hurt much and better me than Alex. We ate at some yummy restaurants and visited the USS Lexington. I am sure that we will go back for more beach fun in the future!

Visitors

We were happy to have my aunt and cousin visit earlier this month!

Firetruck

Lately Alex would rather push the firetruck around the house and ride on it than go to bed. Shocking, a toddler that does not want to go to bed!

Alex is pictured on 7/11/10 at 16 months old.

Twice Bitten...

When you put eight toddlers in a room together all day, someone inevitably gets bitten. Apparently my son gets bitten when struggling with another child over a book. Yep, a little geeky. After school today we discussed waiting until the other child is all done before taking the book.

Some kids have a blankie, lovey, or favorite stuffed animal. Alex does not have one yet, so I thought that he may want to sleep with his stuffed caterpillar. Nope! For the last two nights, the catepillar has been thrown out of the crib.

Daycare note 7/15/10

"When Alex noticed a visitor at the door, he flirted with her by turning his head away and then turning back around and smiling, over and over."

My 16 month old is a flirt, and John and I have also witnessed this. Should I be worried?!

What's on our Camera?

Here are more random photos that were on our camera:
1. I looked out Alex's window yesterday to see Paddy drinking the water off of the hot tub cover. Yes, we give Paddy water, but she prefers outside water. What is she going to do when we finally remove the hot tub?
2. Frida is hanging out on the deck.
3. John and Alex are reading Linux magazines.
4. A funny picture of Alex

His Uncle Shrek Would be Proud

photos taken 6/19/10
Alex is 15 months old

Home

One of my co-workers moved to Texas last fall. Not too long ago he asked me if Texas is home yet. I paused before I answered. He took my pause as a "no" because I had to think about it. That conversation and thoughts of how I define home popped into my head today. While I have made a life for myself here in Texas, it is hard to be away from a lot of my family. I am still very much defined by where I grew up, but I have not been back to the Buckeye state in over 18 months. Texas is where we purchased a house and made it our own. Texas is where my son was born, and we have no plans to move. We have lived in Texas for 6 years now, but how much of a factor does time play into this definition? Is Texas home yet?

Feeling Punchy

Alex has quite a social calendar this weekend. Yesterday we had a play date and today we had a birthday party. I decided to make a Sesame Street punch art card for the birthday party. Here are the supplies I used:
1. Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White and Tangerine Tango cardstock from Stampin' Up!
2. Googly Eyes from Micheal's
3. Printed "Look Who is Turning" from My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up!
4. #2 is a Thicker from American Crafts
3. Punches (of course!) - The 1 & 3/4" Scalloped Circle and 1/2" circle are from Stampin' Up and the 1 & 1/4" circle is from Creative Memories. My favorite punches have come from EK Success, Stampin' Up and Martha Stewart. (EK Success actually manufactures all of the punches.)

I found some great examples of Sesame Street Punch Art to help me design this card:
Sarah's Ink Spot
Roxie's Paper Creations
and by doing a search on Split Coast Stampers.

Updated 7/20/10: I found these great ideas for more punch people on the Operation Write Home blog

Art Time Update

Here is the daycare note from 7/6/10:
"Alex loved art today - apparently he likes to glue more than paint."

Hmm... I wonder where he got that from? As a scrapbooker and card maker, I have learned that you can never have too many adhesives!

Not feeling it...

Today's daycare note:

"When asked if he wanted to paint, he said 'aah' (not enthusiastically), and then just did a couple of swipes with the paint brush and shook his head."

Alex was not feeling creative today, but he somehow still managed to get paint on his shorts...

Alex @ 16 months

What a difference a month makes! Alex is now walking and talking.

One of Alex's daycare notes this week said, "Alex walked across the room carrying a toy bucket - his walking is improving!"

Alex can say a few words, but not consistently. We've heard him say ut-oh, bye, dada/daddy, and mo (more). At school he said stop. He can also do the signs for more, eat, dog, and stop. He waives bye, blows kisses, and claps his hands when you finish singing a song.

Right now he is fascinated by John's computer mouse.