MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND FUN

We had a busy Memorial Day! It started with us introducing Alex to his own potty. He was very excited about it. Here he is sitting on it, reading the directions (he must be gifted).

Before we opened it...we asked "Do you want to sit on your potty?" Well, he did...and didn't wait for us to open it.

Sit here? If you say so!

Okay now I'm smiling...this is sortof neat.

Now at bathtime we have potty time beforehand where he sits on his potty and we read 2-3 books. He'll also sit on it if he and daddy sit on the potties together. He did urinate in it once (sitting-thanks to the handy dandy MALE attachment) before bathtime but no repeat yet. We're not pushing it...just letting him sit on it when he wants to.

On Sunday I bought Alex this cute table/chairs on Craig's List and he was so excited. I had it in the garage to clean it...it is now in the computer room by our desk.

BIG smile!

Alex is still OBSESSED with lawn mowers. He will stand at the window and watch our neighbors for hours! Well, this weekend he and I were playing in his pool (at least we did for a while) but when Marc started mowing that was all she wrote. Alex had to have his mower out there too. Then, when Marc was weed-eating Alex thought it was the neatest thing ever and began imitating that, too (with his favorite rolling, distance marker). Here he is weed-eating around the drain.

Two cute yard helpers.

Hard at work...

Whew, weed-eating is hard work!

a stand-off...it was hard work on mommy keeping him far enough away from Marc so that flying debris couldn't hit him!

Alex likes to make a "fort" behind the large couch cushion on the lounge. He piles his toys and plays with them behind the cushion. He's taking a juice break here...

Memorial day hose play. There is a HILARIOUS video to this but it's too big to download. I'm trying to cut it in half and publish both halves together. More to come...

My boys...

Also over Memorial Day weekend we got out the kid's bike seat that our neighbor April gave us (thank you!!!) and Marc put it on my bike. Alex woke up from his nap when we were almost done and was ready to go. Here he is helping (helmet already on).

ready to help pump up the tires...

and weeeeeee here we go. I take him for at least a short ride almost every day now. He LOVES it and says "a bike" over and over again throughout the day and in the garage when he sees them hanging.

wearing mom's shades...

Scooter "ride" that was actually on 4/23/2009..but still cute.

A WEEK WITH POPPY, CC, & AUNT MARGOT!

While Marc and I were enjoying our 7-night cruise, Alex had a fun week with Poppy, CC, and Aunt Margot. Marc and I are very thankful that his family could come stay at our house for a whole week, chasing Alex the whole time. They were definitely worn out...Alex is Mr. Mischief and he showed them why!

Alex caught some rays in his swimsuit and shades in the backyard! See close-ups of his new tattoos below!

More fun playtime outside. For some reason he thinks our distance wheel is a push toy. He likes pushing it around the driveway and even in the house!?

Excellent work, Alex.

Yummy strawberries!

A little taste...

"All done."

Trouble getting the velcro sunglasses on alone...

Reading outside...enjoying the weather.

Close-up of the arm tattoo! Too cute!

What a stud. Look at that belly!

This is the "Arnold" pose...what a showoff!

good shot of tattoo #2..GA Tech mascot!

Goofy grin.

Alex and Aunt Margot enjoyed lots of chase and tickles. Before we left Alex called Chuck "Popeye" while trying to pronounce "Poppy" and Margot started laughing. Well, Alex started imitating Margot laughing and was doing this hilarious phony laugh which made all of us laugh more and more...which made Alex keep going...you get it. It was really funny.

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF THIS WEEK...THANK YOU AGAIN CHUCK, CHRISTY, AND MARGOT!!!!!!!

slide time...check the ATM tee.

Alex got a new hat (Masters Golf) from Poppy and CC...all he needs now is a set of golf clubs.

dinner by dad...classic spaghetti pics.

yum!

can't shovel it in fast enough...

wow.

the spoon is too slow, dad.

he he he he.

Christy brought Marc 4 cans of Skyline chili, his FAVORITE!!! Here he is enjoying it Monday night! We are already down to one can...

Adios April!!

Well, April certainly went by in a blur and was full of excitement!! Marc and I welcomed our first niece (Alex's very first cousin!!!!!) into the world this month. Callie Dianne Stocker was born on April 7th at 6:33pm. She weighed 8lbs & 10 oz, and was 22 inches long (a tall one)! As you can see below, she is bright-eyed and beautiful and is already 3 weeks old! I visited Charlie, Kelsey, and Callie in California last week, along with my mom, and really enjoyed the trip! Kelsey is feeling good and looking great, and she and Charlie are wonderful parents! We are just thrilled for them and their beautiful daughter. Alex can't wait to show Callie his trucks and farm animal figurines. Here are some pictures from what went on this month in our lives...

Callie Dianne Stocker...look how cute I am in my flower suit with pink bows on the toes!

I'm getting bored of all the pictures Aunt Carrie...

Aunt Carrie and Callie in her swing, all cozy!

Here I was after church today....BORING hair.

Here I was after my hair appointment today. It's a swing bob so the back is REALLY short. I love it and am now ready for vacation!

Here is Alex today...he likes to put his toy bin on his head and run around the house. He stops every 3-4 steps to peek where he's going...cautious like mommy.

Good pics of Rummy and Willow from last weekend...it was 92 degrees outside!!

Rummy is such a good girl and loves playing fetch! Also, notice how good our grass is looking in the back yard. Marc is really working hard on it and it shows!

Alex was taking a breather here, having some juice.

He likes to throw the ball for the girls even though he maxes out at about 5 feet. Sometimes Willow just runs up and takes it out of his hand and sometimes he runs around, playing keep away from Willow. It's really funny....

Taking his duck for a car ride...

I LOVE this picture of my guys...check out Alex's cute little lip.

Okay, earlier in the month Marc took a "sim" (simulation) round in his Adam's Apple. For those that don't know, it's a regular bullet with a paint tip, used for training at TBS. Thankfully this only hit him from about 30 feet away...he will make sure his throat protector is snapped next time. He couldn't breathe for about 6 seconds which probably felt like a lifetime.

Nice one, honey.

Here is Alex snacking on a steak quesadilla this afternoon during snack time. We hadn't made quesadillas in a long time so we got out our quesadilla maker today. Alex eats them at school and he sured loved this one, too!

Here is the nice stone patio Marc and I made a few weeks ago. This has significantly cut back the amount of dirt the girls bring in and we can't get grass to grow here anyways because of all the foot (paw) traffic. (see a quick glimpse of it in video #2 below, too)

(Turn your head to the left to view this...sorry!!!) We went to an afternoon BBQ at some friends' new house yesterday (2 May) and they had an awesome playroom, complete with two trampolines w/ handlebars. Alex was all over this thing and loved it. I think we'll be getting this for his birthday...good exercise and energy user-uper, especially on rainy days or while watching Elmo.

Here is Alex, galavanting around the yard last weekend! If you listen carefully you can hear him say "cheese" after I move in front of him with the camera. He likes saying "cheese" all the time now and it's so darn cute!