Photo Shoot

I never made it to a photo place to get Alex's 6 month pictures done.  So instead, I had Grant's dad, Bill, take some pictures with his nice camera.  I think they turned out really well, and they were free!  

With his "warm and fuzzy"

With his Christmas stocking

It's tasty!

Hmmm...what do I do with these?

Oh yeah---eat them!

Look at me! I can crawl!

With a Santa doll that my Grandma (Alex's great Grandma) made

With my new favorite toy

Alex's Recent Activities

Alex has started moving and grooving!  Just this week he has started really getting around the family room on his own.  The other day, I sat him down in the middle of the room, walked away for about 30 seconds, and came back to find him head first in his toy basket, with toys all around him!  That was the day I attempted to put up the baby gate :)  He is loving the empty wrapping paper tubes, and actually crawled about 6 feet to get to one.  Most of the time though, he forgets that he actually knows how to crawl, and just rolls to get where he wants to go.  So funny to watch!

Our friend Amy, that works with Grant, gave Alex a cool zebra to ride on.  We have to hold him on it, but he likes it!  Especially when it plays the music. :)

Other than starting to crawl, roll everywhere, and sit up all the time, Alex hasn't had too much else going on :)  Just bringing lots of joy to our life.

The Cookie Baking Fiasco

Fro (my Dad) and I decided to tackle the annual Christmas cookies alone this year.  Usually Mom and I do the cookies, and Grant and Dad just unwrap the kisses.  (We always only make the peanut butter cookies that have the kiss on top.  My Dad's mom used to make literally hundreds of these cookies each year.)  Well, Dad and I did 5 batches alone...about 250 cookies.  Not too shabby.  Then Grant came home and helped with 2 more batches.  We made quite the mess.  At one point, the bowl spilled onto the floor.  Then I spilled the flour.  Plus, just general messiness.  At one point Fro says "If you baked my sock, you would get a cookie," referring to the amount of ingredients he had stepped on!  It was a fun time!

The two boys baking away

Mess part #1

Some of the cookies

Mess part #2

Some of the mess on the floor

The rest of the cookies

Buster helped too!  (By the way...he looks so much like his Uncle Dave when he smiles like this!)

Who won the battle?  Me and Fro or the cookies??  I think the cookies ;)

My little Reindeer

So, when we were shopping at Babies R Us about a month ago, we found a little reindeer costume.  I just had to have it for Alex's first Christmas.  (It was a whopping $20...)  Anway...How cute is he??!?

Sitting up

Falling Over

Thanksgiving

We spent a great couple days in Cleveland for Thanksgiving.  Here are some photo highlights:

Grant and Nanny

Dave and Marie

Annandee and Cassidy

Amy, Connor, Chad and Buster

Papa and Alex

Alex and I in Nanny's really old rocking chair.  I can't remember exactly who rocked in it, but some relative did, and it was important to the family that I rock Alex in the same chair :)

4 Generations of Andersons

The 4 of us playing with the Wii in our jammies

Our "Mii"s that we created to look like us!

Playing Wii again

Yummy cellophane

Helping Papa open his birthday presents

Playing with the puppy dog

Alex's  new facial expression

17 random things

Well, Sarah Smoker tagged me to write 17 random things about myself.  So here goes:

1.  I stopped drinking caffeine a year and a half ago.  I haven't had it since, except for a little mix-up involving Sunkist.  Apparently it has caffeine.  A lot of it.  Who knew??

2.  My parents and I call each other every time it snows to say "IT NOWING!!"  I know...we're dorks! And thankfully we live in Cincy, where it doesn't snow too much.  Man, if we lived in NH we'd never get off the phone!

3.  I like ducks.  I think they're fun and I like when they quack.  They just put a smile on my face.  The cutest duck ever was Alex on Halloween :)

4.  I used to be a Spanish teacher.

5.  My Christmas stocking is the huge red M&M character.

6.  I can burp. Loudly.  If I want to, and if I've had either pop or beer.

7.  I will eat ranch dressing on almost any food.  I have a "ranch tooth" instead of a "sweet tooth."

8.  Grant and I watch the movie "Elf" with Will Ferrell every year on Thanksgiving weekend.

9.  I seem quiet and reserved to most people who know me, but to my close friends and family I am loud and funny on occasion.

10.  I like bacon.  Which, apparently, is shocking to my best friend.

11.  I teach dance to little (and big) kids.  Ballet, tap, lyrical, jazz, etc.

12.  I don't eat mushrooms.  My mom got sick off of mushrooms when I was about 5.  I haven't touched them since.  

13.  To go along with #12...I am a puke-a-phobic.  It really used to be a problem.  Then I got pregnant.   It's not so much a problem anymore.  

14.  I LOVE being a mother.  It really feels like my calling in life.  It just feels so natural to me and I could not love my Buster more.  But, somehow, it still feels like I love him more everyday. 

15.  I like to put a piece of lime in my Bud Light.  And I did this before they ever marketed Bud Light Lime.  It just adds such a good flavor.

16.  I love the TV show "Friends."  It upsets me that it's not on TV anymore.  My friends won't play the "Friends Scene-it" game with me anymore.  I know too much.  It's useless knowledge really....

17.  I was captain of my college dance team.  Go Muskies!! 

Alright...geez..that was tough.  Anyway, now I have to tag people to do this too.  I'm supposed to tag 17 people.  Respond in my comments or on your own facebook/blog page.   For now I'll tag:

1.  Kristin Steel (I don't think you've done this yet..)

2.  Missi--I'm interested to know yours

3.  Darlene--I'm pretty sure you read this regularly

4.  Kelbal--whatever will I call you after April?  KelPed just doesn't have the same ring to it

5.  Grant

6.  Kray-even though I know you won't do it...maybe you'll surprise me

7.  Danny Smoker

Anyone else who wants to play...feel free!

6 month check-up and more

Alex had his 6 month check-up this past Thursday.  He weighed 16 pounds, 12 ounces.  He's gained just shy of 10 pounds in 6 months.  Pretty impressive (although I'm sure he doesn't compare to his cousins Danny and Jakey...)!  He's 26 inches long and thriving.  The doctor said, once again, "I'm sure he's going to be one of those kids that does everything early.  Walk, crawl, everything."  Well, that's good...and bad.  Since I'm going to be the one chasing him!  I like that I can sit him down, walk away, come back, and he's still right where I left him.  

Almost as if he wanted to prove the doctor right, the very next day Alex got up on his hands and knees and started rocking back and forth.  Crawling is not very far away!  I guess it's time to start baby-proofing the house in earnest!

Alex is cleared to start all stage 2 foods, including yogurt and juice and some "normal" foods.  He tried mashed potatoes tonight, and loved them!  (Not a huge surprise, since both Grant and I could live on potatoes...)  I am still making all of Alex's food.  I bought some organic blueberries for him to try, and some organic baby yogurt and apple juice.  We'll see how he likes it!

We're going to Cleveland this Wednesday through Friday for Thanksgiving with Grant's family.  I'm really excited to see the fam, and some snow!!  Then, on Saturday, Aunt Lana and Uncle Glen are coming to Cincy for Thanksgiving with us and Mom and Dad.  It should be a really fun week, and I'm looking forward to lots of quality family time, and hopefully buying and decorating our tree on Sunday :)  

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  I feel especially blessed this Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, my adorable, healthy baby boy (who could not bring me more joy) and such a supportive network of family and friends.  God is good!

Recent Pictures

First time sitting up in the tubby.  The whole kitchen floor was a wet, soggy mess.

I love to read!  I can look at books for a long time.

I caught the two cats in a rare snuggly moment....how cute are they??

Buster's bundled up for the cold!  

I love his vest! It's from Grandma Steel and Aunt Kristin :)

Sitting Up!

Buster Brown is sitting up all on his own!  He has probably been able to for awhile, but he didn't get much of a chance to practice.  Now that we have the area rug, he gets some practice everyday.  He is just such a happy, happy guy  :)

Charlee

So, our cat Charlee has really long hair.  She occasionally gets matted, and we have to shave her.  She lets Grant do it, for a certain amount of time, and then gets angry.  So, we decided to have the vet groom her this time.  They sedated her and completely shaved her, except for the top of her head.  

Here's the before picture--in the car on the way to the vet.

After

Poor little naked cat!  She curls up with us constantly now because she's so cold.

Since she has been getting so cold, we put her turtleneck sweater on.  Hehe!  It looks so funny, but she actually likes it!