It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

We've been just a tiny bit busy over the past few days since Thanksgiving, so haven't decorated for Christmas yet.  I'd sort of almost forgotten that the Christmas season is fully underway, but I was reminded for sure by my travels yesterday and today, as the airports are all decked out, and now tonight here in Chicago, many of the streets have the trees lit up.  Here are some of the many trees I passed on my way to dinner that proved that the city of Chicago is not afraid of paying a hefty electrical bill in the name of keeping everyone in the Christmas spirit.

Meeting Aunt Christine

Today Christine came over to meet Clara. She also brought us (well me) dinner from Chili's and ate with us, so Joshua got a lot of Aunt Christine time too. We had fun and appreciated the meal.

A Doorstep Surprise

Today we finally were released from the hospital.  We didn't want to share the news with anyone until we were on our way home and sure that there were not going to be any major medical worries.  After we left the hospital, we needed to get home quickly so Jason could still make his flight to Chicago, but we had just enough time to surprise Ron and Peg by showing up on their doorstep with a new baby.

Big Brother

We had hoped we would get released from the hospital today, but they wanted to keep her one more night. Jason and Joshua used that time to go shopping for a few things so Clara would have something to wear home tomorrow. Here Joshua is in Babies"R"Us holding a new outfit that he sort of picked out for his sister.

Party of Four

We have big news! Last night we got a call about a newborn baby in Wichita who needed a family. We decided to adopt her and drove down today to meet her. This is our first picture as a family of four with Clara Madelyn.

Having Fun and Learning

Our friends, the Hansons, are foster parents and they were away today. One of the kids who they are fostering came over to play until they came back. He and Joshua had a lot of fun playing together both inside and out. He looks really big because he's very tall for his age, but he's only two years old. He showed Joshua some new things like how to make engine noises when you push a toy truck.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a very good Thanksgiving this year. My parents (and later Christine, who wasn't able to make it for picture time) came and we had a lot of fun spending time together and had a great meal.

Mesa Por Seis

Since my parents are in town for Thanksgiving we decided to go out to dinner. We decided to go to Chapala and had a fun time eating good food and catching up.

First Haircut

We love the little curls in Joshua's hair, so we've continued to let his hair grow.  But finally it got to the point where it was a little out of control.  Meghan did some research and found a barbershop, Purple Label, that specializes in multicultural haircuts.  They are sort of famous in KC for being the go-to barbershop for many of the city's professional athletes.  So today I took Joshua to Purple Label for his first haircut.  He was very calm, possibly due to being a little tired, and he did really well.  His barber said that out of all the first haircuts he's even done, Joshua was the best behaved.  I was so proud of him, and I'm looking forward to me taking him to his barber as being a fun father/son activity for years to come.   

Corn Carrier

Today Joshua and I went out to run some errands.  One of our stops was at the grocery store.  We only needed one thing, a bag of corn, and Joshua really wanted to contribute to the shopping process by carrying it around the store for me.  He can walk just well enough to stumble around as he follows me, so he carried the corn all the way to the checkout.  He's a big helper.

Leaf Wranglers

We don't have that many trees in our new yard, but we have enough that plenty of leaves have fallen in the yard, so today was raking day.  I brought Joshua out to help me.  He got to wear his sweater from the Becks for the first time.  He looked super cute in it, and we had a fun time making and ruining piles of leaves.

Family Football Day

Today we had family over to hang out during the day and watch the K-State/Texas game (which, of course, K-State won by beating the fourth of the four Texas teams we play this year).  Ron and Joshua had a lot of fun together.  Here they engage in one of their favorite activities: blowing raspberries.

Mini Mariachi

Tonight we went out to dinner at a new restaurant we hadn't been to before.  They had a 3-man mariachi band which moved about the restaurant.playing for the patrons.  Joshua was very interested in them.  They noticed, and between songs they gave him a small maraca.  Here Joshua and I play the maraca with the band.

Meeting Baby Hunter

My friend Tony and his wife Christa recently had a baby.  Meghan and I had been wanting to meet little Hunter, but we didn't have an opportunity until tonight.  But today worked out well for everyone, so we brought dinner to them at their house and finally got to meet Hunter.  He's an adorable little baby, and we had a fun evening hanging out with our friends.  Joshua seemed interested but a little confused as to what Hunter was.  Here Tony holds the two boys, both of whom were very tired but did their best to tolerate this picture being taken.

Our Climber

Joshua really likes his bathtime. He enjoys playing with his toys and splashing in the water. Today he was so excited to get in there that he tried to climb in on his own. It was a valiant effort, but he is still a little bit too short to actually get in.

Doggie Dentist Time

Today Terrence needed to go get his teeth cleaned. I really hate having that done, but pugs tend to have major plaque issues because of their small mouths so we do it from time to time for both dogs. Here are Jason and Terrence as they leave for the vet.

Mean Girl

Today we got pizza for dinner. Not surprisingly to anyone, I am very particular about my pizza orders. From Papa John's I specifically want my pizza with garlic sauce, a small Coke Zero, and plain breadsticks with a side of cheese sauce. I actually was previously boycotting Papa John's because the one by our old house consistently got it wrong. But the one by our new house has been really good. Until now. They actually had only cheese sauce left in the entire store. Obviously inventory management is a real problem for them. It completely ruins my breadstick experience so they gave them to us for free since I didn't want them anymore without the cheese sauce. So this is me with my best irritated face (I have a real problem doing anything but a big smile for photos). I look so mean. I am not boycotting Papa John's for now, but they are definitely on notice.

A Phone of His Own

Joshua has always wanted his own cell phone. I got him one of those Fisher Price ones and he isn't impressed at all. Christine recently upgraded her phone and gave him the old one. He still wants our phones since they have service and apps and things, but he does like this new phone way better than his toy one.

Don't Let The Door Hit You, A&M!

As K-State football continues its outstanding season, every game has become must-watch TV, as the Cats are winning almost every game, and they are nearly all very exciting close games.  Jason and I decided to watch the latest installment of KSU's surprising run by going to Barley's to watch K-State play Texas A&M for the last time, as A&M is going to the SEC next year.  We had a few snacks and drinks at Barley's before going back to his house to watch the second half with Kelli and Hadley.  And of course, following the magical script, the Cats played a great game and finally beat the Aggies in four overtimes, 53-50!  It was one of the best K-State games I've ever watched, and it made for a great end to a fun afternoon.

11/11/11 11:11

I'm a numbers nerd.  I'm very interested in numerical anomalies and rarities.  Because of that, today was a day that I'd been looking forward to for awhile.  I remember being in the car with my grandparents when it was 8:08 on 8/8/88, which was a close as I could get to all 8s.  After that, there was 9/9/99, and then 1/1/11, 1/11/11, and 11/1/11 earlier this year.  But there's only one date each century that can be represented by six digits of the same number, and for this century it's November 11th, 2011, which is 11/11/11.  I was especially looking forward to 11:11 today.  The best way to see it is on a digital watch, because it shows seconds, so I'd even be able to see 11:11:11.  But I couldn't find my digital watch, so I had to settle for my digital alarm clock.  Here I am marking one of only two minutes (allowing for AM and PM) of the entire century which can be represented by that many of the same digit.

Song Leader: If you're nerdy and you know it clap your hands!
Jason: (clap clap)

$2 Fleece

I am a big fan of Eddie Bauer down comforters. I am not alone because a few years ago Eddie Bauer stopped selling all homegoods (they formerly had a whole home store) except they still sell down comforters. I have had two, one I got in college and the second I got when Jason and I upsized to a king size bed. Now we are replacing that one because a dog scratched it and it has been losing feathers through the hole. I am totally excited about the new one. I think these comforters are perfect because they are not too hot in the summer, but somehow keep you really warm in the winter too (especially when you haven't lost half the feathers). The downside is I either have to go the mall to buy it (which I have been to the mall maybe twice in the past five years. I hate hate hate the mall and am not a big fan of in-person shopping) or I have to pay shipping, which I also really hate. But Eddie Bauer, besides running a nice down sale, was running free shipping if you bought a fleece. So I bought Joshua the cheapest fleece in the store. It is super adorable and cost $2 more than shipping would have. Here I am with the fleece. I have been working on master bedroom decor so hopefully I will have a picture of the comforter in the near future too, but it hinges on some spray painting and sewing projects I have been dragging my feet on.

Pet 3 of 3 Returns Home

Although the dogs were ready to be picked up from the vet yesterday, Alex needed to stay overnight, so I picked him up today after work.  It's dark so early this time of year, so Alex had to ride in his carrier in the dark all the way home, except for the one reprieve he got with the light of the flash from this picture.  He generally doesn't mind riding in the car so long as I try to pet him through the bars when I'm stopped at red lights.

A Pug Trip

Today all three pets went to the vet, but Alex needed some lab work so Jason took him in the morning. Then in the afternoon, I drove Terrence and Natalie. It was rainy, which is unfortunate for my car interior, but also for Terrence who thinks the windshield wipers might be pug-beating devices. Every single time. So not the most fun afternoon for anyone, but it had to be done and we are glad to have it taken care of for the next six months.

A Small Traffic Accident

Joshua has two ride-on toys and he likes them both a lot. But not to ride. He mostly just likes to hit the buttons to play music and will sometimes push them. When I have tried to show him how to ride them, he looks at me like I am trying to make him do something dangerous. But today, for the first time, he was actually riding them and seemed to be enjoying them. From the picture you can tell that he still needs some help with steering, but he seems to be enjoying his new skill overall.

Overcoming Obstacles

Like the gate that leads down to the basement, there's another gate on the main floor that prevents Joshua from climbing up the stairs.  He's a good climber, and I've stood behind him many times as he climbed to the top, and not once has he even come slightly close to falling.  But still, you never know.  It's a pressure-mounted gate, so it can be securely attached.  But tonight I just propped it up against the stairs, thinking it would be good enough.  At some point I had bounced a ball up on the stairs.  Joshua noticed it and decided he must have it.  So he pushed the gate over and climbed right up the stairs toward the ball.  Note to self: next time, just go ahead and fully secure the gate.. 

Pictures

Today we went over to the home of our friends, Jason and Callie, and while we were there Callie took Joshua's one year photos.

A Fun New Accessory

So I got Joshua a baby with some of his birthday money. So far he isn't a huge fan of baby Stephen, but he does really love his pacifier. It's magnetic so he has a lot of fun sticking it to Stephen's face and also carrying it around the house.

Fun With Blocks

Joshua isn't quite old enough to build things with blocks, so we got him some that stack and nest (and they are easier for him to hold since they have no bottoms). So far he is really enjoying carrying them around, putting them in things and putting things in them, and knocking over towers that I build. Here he is about to start demolition.

A Tale of Two (or Three or Maybe More) Lansings

I went to high school in Lansing, KS.  Of course, the most famous city named Lansing is the capital of Michigan.  I went to college in Manhattan, KS.  The most famous city named Manhattan is in New York.  So while I always thought it was cool that K-State is in "The Little Apple", I never liked that there was a different city called Lansing.  For some reason it just seemed like it was stealing my city's name and identity, even though Michigan's version was settled several decades prior to the Kansas version, and even though Lansing, NY, existed prior to both.  Today I had to visit my nemesis city for work, as I was meeting with a potential customer there.  I wasn't happy about it, as I don't want to encourage those name-stealers.

When Pigs Fly

We have a gate at the top of the stairs to the basement to prevent Joshua from falling down them.  But it doesn't keep everything out.  Joshua loves finding things and throwing them down the stairs, either by dropping them over the top railing or by pushing them through the bars.  He's not picky either.  He'll throw shoes, balls, blocks, and anything else he can pick up.  Here the pig from Joshua's farm squeals for his life as he flies through the air as he begins the painful journey of bouncing to the bottom of the stairs.