Sunday, October 26, 2008

On the move!


Preston has been walking really well for about two weeks now. The kind of walking where his feet will touch the ground and he'll be off for the races. It's very cute, but the problem lies in the fact that he now has both hands free to get into stuff. We work really hard at trying to give him appropriate things to get into, but he actually has a sixth sense makes him want whatever he's not supposed to have. Cords of any kind, anything decorative, small screws and houseplants. Fun times.

He's seriously talking up a storm. I've heard that kids can focus on either walking or talking, and I'd say that he leaned toward mastering the art of language first. His vocabulary consists of: dada, mama, hot, up, down, ball, no, eat, go, shoes (sounds like shis) socks, (sounds like ox) dog, light, mooo, woof-woof, meow, baby, bath, bed, buh-y (for his bunny), tuh (truck) and he does the signs for more, milk, all done, eat, and please. His signing has come in really handy, but now that he's becoming more verbal, I am not sure how many new signs we'll introduce.

He can also bust a move. His new thing is to walk to Kevin's alarm clock, push the sleep button, and groove to whatever station it's set to. Even static or NPR. So far, it appears he's inherited Kevin's dancing skills, but nothing a couple of years of tap or jazz class won't fix, right?

As the weather gets colder, we are desperate to do as much as possible outside- trips to the park, playing in the yard, walks to friend's houses, etc... I'll try to post more pics in the coming weeks, but lately, my hands are too full for the camera. :) Here are some fun pics from this past week...






Monday, October 20, 2008

First big trip!


We just returned from our first trip since Preston was born and it could not have been better. Our friends, Kristin and Patrick chose Charleston, South Carolina as the location of their wedding weekend, so we packed up to join the celebration. My mom and Sherm traveled on the plane to help us with Preston and watch him during the reception, so it was a relief knowing he was not with a stranger. Kevin, Preston and I spent the night in Indy on Wednesday since we were leaving so early the next day and while getting Preston to sleep in his pack and play in the hotel room was a bit of a challenge, I'm glad we had the night as practice, because he did great in the port-a-crib thing in our room once we reached Charleston.

The flights were great- I had gotten Preston a toy airplane a week before we left so that he could see it and recognize what we'd be doing and he was SO incredibly excited when he saw it, the lights, the luggage trucks and especially the baggage claim luggage carosel. (Funny, I HATE seeing that carosel thing because it usually means longs waits.) He made lots of friends on the flights and while we were there. He got to eat TONS of southern food- homemade mac and cheese, BBQ, mashed potatoes, a taste of ice cream, and even some crab corn chowder which he couldn't get enough of.


One of his favorite things was attending the Goetterman's rehearsal dinner at the gorgeous home home they stayed in right on the ocean. He loved the beach and loved having his little feet in the sand. So much so, that we had a really hard time getting him to leave.






We learned more than once that there really is such a thing as southern hospitality. For example, since we stayed in the historic district of Charleston, there was an OLD firehouse in right across from our hotel. Most of you know that Preston is obsessed with trucks, tractors, or emergency vehicles of any kind, so Kevin and I walked him by to show him and sure enough- one of the firefighters came out and showed us the fire truck, let Preston site inside (!!!) and touch all the chrome. He even got his very own "junior firefighter" badge that will go in his baby book.




Our hotel had a great pool, so we got some sun and swim time in, too.


Charleston is known for it's charming downtown with lots of shops, horse drawn carriages, restaurants, and historic homes and churches from the 1700s. The architecture is amazing and we took in as much as we could - hitting the pavement and enjoying the beautiful weather. The day we left was cooler and rainy, so we really lucked out.


Kevin and I had a blast at the wedding and the reception was at the South Carolina Aquarium amidst giant tanks of beautiful fish, large sharks, eels, and other oceanic wildlife. Wasn't Kristin such a beautiful bride?!




Kristin and Patrick, thank you so much for inviting us to share such a special time with you! We wish you all the best for a long and happy life together. We love you!

Monday, October 13, 2008

busy weekend- big week ahead

Preston had an awesome weekend, beginning with our trip to Elkhart early on Saturday to see Grandma and Grandpa Roberts. The poor kid spent about 7 hours in the car because we also drove to South Haven to visit a warehouse so that I could pick out the slab for our kitchen countertops. Thankfully, he napped on the ride there and we got to see lots of trucks and construction equipment at the warehouse that kept him occupied. We grabbed lunch in my favorite Michigan town, South Haven with Grammy Dawn and Aunt Tori, then headed back to Elkhart for some playtime and dinner with Daddy and Grandpa. Uncle Collin is such a busy teenager (remember those days?) that we hardly got to see him at all. We bathed him before we left at around 8, so he was able to sleep on the way home and we just transfered him to his crib once we got back to Fort Wayne. It was a great trip!
Playing with Aunt Tori:


Riding on Grandpa's shoulders: "Hey, I am taller than Daddy!"


Loving their little doggies:


The countertops:


On Sunday, we had a fun day of pumpkin picking. Or, should I say, pumpkin-choosing. We didn't actually go pick them off the vine. We had planned a fun trip to Hilgers, but just didn't have the energy, so we settled for a small little pumpking patch closer to home. We got gourds and pumpkins and the patch owner said Preston was the happiest baby he's ever seen. He was LOVING these big orange balls and led Kevin around to all the different rows, looking cute in his scary Halloween shirt and making friends with a little scarecrow.





Once we got home, he was so exhausted that he took a good long afternoon nap, only to wake up and play outside some more. Kevin and I were giving some much-needed attention to our yard, so we let Preston play with the hose. The following video is a little funny,(you can hear his new word, "ahcky") a little sad, and totally Preston. This child is so curious, he's constantly fiddling with things trying to figure out how they work. In this instance, his curiosity leads to spraying himself in the face with the hose... I know- I seem like such a mean mom for posting this, but honestly, he was laughing and pointing at the hose to do it again once he realized what happened. (And admittedly, Kevin and I were laughing a bit, too.)


Also, later this week, Preston will be going for his first ride on an airplane! We will be traveling to Charleston, South Carolina for a mini-vacation. Hoping to enjoy some beautiful weather, some relaxing family time and most importantly, to celebrate the wedding of our dear friends, Kristin and Patrick. My mom and stepdad are coming along, too so that we can attend the reception without leaving Preston with a stranger. They will be a huge help in keeping Preston entertained and having fun on his first plane ride. Stay tuned for pictures once we return- we can't wait! :)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Home Sweet Home



Greetings from Illsley Drive!

After FINALLY selling our house (after 1 day listed as For Sale By Owner. Geesh- we should have done THAT a lot earlier) we have closed and made the move to our new digs! Getting settled in is another story. The master bath is still under construction and the kitchen remodel is starting in two weeks, so we are by no means done. But enjoying being here, anyways! :)

Preston seems to be adjusting well. We had a couple of days meltdown mode while packing the old house and unpacking here, but he seems to be adapting well. My awesome mother in law had perfect words of wisdom as we were discussing Preston's adjustment. She said, "To him, home is wherever mommy and daddy are." And it couldn't be more true. He's definitely checking in with us often and looking to us as his secure base whenever we have contractors in and out, appliances delivered, drills and saws going and as he navigates his way around his new surroundings. I'm so relieved that he's this age for the move as I've heard it can be a difficult transition for older children. He's had fun climbing in and out of boxes, exploring his big new room and pushing his trike and toys around the first floor.






We are also proud to report that we are officially "ghost-free." Some of you know this story, but others might be surprised to learn that we are fairly certain we were not alone here at first. This came as a surprise to us as it was actually a couple of contractors who had a small run-in with the ghost whom we believe to be Mrs. McMillan, the wife of a historical Fort Wayne figure who was the second owner of this home. It's a long story, but suffice it to say after some holy water and a "house clearing" performed by a sage-burning medium, we can say with confidence that she's no longer here.


Other than balancing unpacking, chasing a continuously more mobile little boy and your run of the mill ghost hunting, things are status quo here. Stay tuned for updates!