Picture of the Week

Trick or Treat!

We Have It =(

Yeah... Danny came home from his long weekend vacation in Philadelphia yesterday. He brought home matching Phillies T-shirts for him and Dane, nice chocolates and candies for me, and H1N1 FOR OUR HOME. When he went to bed at 9 pm, I just figured he was tired from the mild partying and travel. When he didn't get up until 2pm the next afternoon, I knew it was time to get him to the doctor. They gave him 3 medicines (including some fierce cough syrup that he should not so much as climb the stairs on), and said to go about quarantining him in the bedroom and wearing masks when in contact with others. We're being very vigilant about it so we're hoping it doesn't spread.

We thank you for your healthy vibes and prayers.

Snip-Its

Dane recently got his first haircut! We went to Snip-Its in Birkdale Village in Huntersville. We were lured there by a half off coupon, and I am glad we were. We got the traditional first haircut certificate with a "snip-it" of Dane's hair attached. The place is decked out in cartoonized furniture, playground type fixtures, and smiling faces. Your child can eat suckers or animal crackers while he's being done, and watch his own personal tv. We had to give Dane keys to steady his uneasiness, but he did such a great job and came out so handsome! He definitely looks more like a "kid" than a "baby" now. The stylist, LaMonica, did a fantastic job and we will surely be seeing her again.

You got a sample in PotW, but I did want to share a few more photos with you.

2 Months and Counting!

Yep, two months until Christmas. We're more excited for this Christmas than last, if you can imagine that, because Dane Thomas is just so much more active, aware, able than last year. So as we're starting to think about Christmas, I thought I would post a little gift guidance.

Of course, no one has to buy Dane a gift, blah blah blah, and this doesn't apply but to the family whom I know will be giving Dane presents. I would write about how this isn't a plea for presents and apologize if it seemed tacky, but I think if you're thinking that, then you don't really know us and you wouldn't be one to pay attention to this anyway! So if you're getting for Dane Thomas this year, please be advised that:

• One of all, you are not the only one buying for him. PLEASE keep your receipt. We do not care if you got his gift on clearance or marked down or used. Heck, we'd probably congratulate you on your savvy. We just want to make sure you don't waste your money on duplicate gifts. It's always good to check with the parents (*coughmomcough*) before to stake your claim on the gift anyway.
  
• Two, Dane will be 18 months old. If you're buying clothes, buy size 2.
• Three, as Dane gets older, he gets ... older...? He is not as easily entertained. Toys need to be age appropriate and at least geared for 18 month olds.
• Four, Dane doesn't watch a lot of t.v., but we only encourage PBS, Noggin, Sprout and the like. Think Sesame Street NOT Spongebob. Classic Disney DVDs will always be welcomed in our home. By the way, if anyone can save me the hassle of having to watch Cars and tell me if an overprotective, "watch-your-mouth", earmuffs on, "that's inappropriate" mom would approve, I'd be forever in your debt.
• And five... well, there is no number 5, but I thought it sounded better than four. There are lots of youngsters related to Dane, and I think these are points to consider while you're buying for any little ones. Like I said, the clock is ticking. Make your list, check it twice and happy shopping! See you Black Friday. 4 am sharp! =)
  

Picture of the Week

Dane recently got his first haircut! I'll tell you more about it later with more pictures, but I HAD to choose a shot for this edition of PotW. Here he is being cut in the chair. Even with that silly face, our little guy makes such a handsome man!

Happy Birthday, Danny!

Today Daniel turned 26 years old. I think if you had told him that at 26 he would have been married 4 and a half years with 2 houses and a 16 month old, he would not have believed it.

We are really proud of Daniel, for the wonderful father and great husband he is. Each day he is falling more in love with Dane and each day Dane falls more in love with him. It's really quite something to watch their relationship bloom now that Dane like the booby less and cars more. He wears hats because Daddy does, he wants keys like Daddy has, he'll take big boy showers with Daddy, and just imitates him in general. He looks like a little tiny Danny. And to complete the likenesses, Dane thinks farts are funny.

Happy Birthday, Danny. You are an amazing man and our family exists and thrives because of you. We love you.In his father's shoes.

Look At What I Can Do!

Dane is tall and skinny. His pants sag. This, I think, made it easier for him to master his latest trick of removing them. Dane takes his pants off and throws them, hides them, carries them...
Of course he then goes for the diaper.
We're hoping this will be a quick-passing stage.Check out those scrawny legs!

Apple Picking Pictures

Here's some proof of the fun we had at the apple orchard last weekend. Again, on the trip was Ben, Granny K, Dane, Daniel, and Jackie.The boys size up the pumpkins.Daddy and Dane.

Dane and Our Apples.Hussafuss.No Caption Needed.

Fun feeding Mommy!Busted! Dane steals a picked apple!

Moseying along...

Dane actually picked this apple off the tree!

The boys enjoying the fruits of their labor!

Dane's thiiiis tall!

Men Who Stare At Goats.

Easy. Eeeeeasy....

Picture of the Week

Dane and his cousin Ben went this past weekend on the first of what we hope will be an annual apple-picking trip. Both of us, the two boys, and Granny K drove out to Skytop Orchard in Flat Rock and picked and picked and picked. And munched and munched and munched. We all had a great time, got some cute shots, and will be ready to head back... in about a year.This is Dane sitting in his basket eating a fresh apple. Skytop was a lot of fun. If you've never been, you might consider the drive worth it for the donuts and cider alone. BUT, we paid $15 to pick half a bushel. We weighed it when we got home and it was 22 pounds. That's more than Dane weighs - for $15! More pictures to come after some sorting and editing.

Surprises

I guess there are lots of surprises in raising children. In fact, I'm surprised at how raising Dane Thomas can sometimes feel like raising children! But it's all worth it in the daily surprises. Lately I've been finding signs of Dane's having been there all over the place. Like... the kitchen colander in the toy box. Or the finger puppet in the drawer under the oven. Medicine in the toilet. The sippy cup in the laundry basket. Anything and everything he can get his hands on in the trash. It's frustrating and precious at the same time. And though I am sure we will lose many things by the time Dane has outgrown this stage, I'm enjoying my little mister mischievous right now.

As a side note, our camera broke. Bit the dust. It is d-o-n-e. So don't be surprised to not see lots of pictures for the next while.

Our Call to 911

Well, Dane's call anyway. This morning Dane was sitting next to Jackie on the couch, helping organize coupons, spouting his "dadadada" mantra. All was well, all was normal. Then I hear a woman's voice saying "Hello there! Hiiiii...". Crap! Dane's got my cell phone and the speakerphone is on. "Who did you call, Dane Thomas?". I take the phone from him, still unaware of how he managed to unlock the phone, not to mention how he got it in the first place! "Who did you call? Hello?"...
The perky woman with the unrecognizable voice on the other end politely informs me "He called 911". She was super nice as I explained that my 15 month old got a hold of the phone and somehow managed to dial(???) 911. She said he must have been trying to get his Daddy, because he sure thought he was talking to him. I apologize for wasting her time and the affable woman said she'd rather get a call like this from Dane than an actual emergency call. I thank her and we hang up. What a start to the day!

We're getting to the age, and I'm thinking it might be fun to track so... This post will mark the first of The Daily Dane's brand new label: TROUBLE.

Favorite Things: Our New Yard

We love our new backyard! Our lot is a third of an acre, but the layout makes smart usage of the land. It's a fenced yard, with a separate pen area for the dogs (shown on right in pic). We open the kitchen door to the backyard and let Dane frolic around while Jackie cooks dinner. He loves chasing the dogs, climbing his slide, and exploring the neighbors through the fence. We spend a lot of our day outside taking walks around the block, playing at one of the many local parks, watching the neighborhood kids ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac, or in our own backyard. And we're sooo thankful the weather is cooling down so we can spend more time outdoors!

Picture of the Week

Dane's huge into cars right now, as you may remember from last PotW. He loves to bang on Dan's motorcycle, wave at passing neighborhood children on their bikes, climb into the jogging stroller, and play with his very own "cars". He has about 5 of those push toys that look like cars or bikes. He pushes them around, vroom-vrrooming all over the house. He's learned already that the open floor plan loops, making a perfect track for him to race around. He stands on the seat of his cars and rocks them back and forth. Jackie does not like this, and when she catches him, Dane quickly and silently climbs down.
This video is intended for an auditory picture, much rather than a visual one. Listen to his constant "vroom vrrooom" and delight in it as we do. You can choose to either ignore that it sounds more like "mom mom" or focus on how super cute that makes it.