Happy Halloween Party

Happy Halloween from us and Spider-Man!

Zeke even has his own spiderweb.

In addition to visiting grandparents and aunts and uncles tonight, we went to a story hour Halloween party at the library on Wednesday. Zeke played pin-the-grin-on-the-pumpkin, I took lots of fun pictures, and we sat with Grandma Carlile at the food table.

It was a lot of fun for both of us, even though the party was meant for kids more in the 2-5 year old range. All that fun made for a tired little Spider-Man by the end of the party.

October Open House

October 18th was the last flying event of the season. The weather was gorgeous, we saw some nice planes, Aaron flew 3 times, and the club provided their signature hamburger lunch. A great way to spend a Saturday.

Another Reason We Don't Own a Dog

Monday Zeke and I went out the front door to go for a walk. As I shut the door behind me, a very large, very unfamiliar bloodhound came rambling up the driveway. Before I could finish thinking 'I wonder who he belongs to?', the dog bounded up the stairs and nearly knocked Zeke over. I tried to push him away (unsuccessfully), then realized Zeke had a graham cracker and maybe that was the attraction.

I picked up my crying Zeke and tried to kick the super-friendly dog away (since now I had my hands full). The dog fell against the front door, the door popped open, and the dog ran into the house. Luckily for us, Grandma was home and she chased the dog out of the house and came to rescue us. She tried to chase it out of the yard, but the dog had some attachment to our house and refused to leave. She held his collar, called animal control, and sent us on our walk.

Turns out the control officer and this dog know each other from previous meetings. And as the officer was about to load the dog into his truck, a couple of people randomly walking by said 'Oh that's our dog.' So he released the dog to them, the clueless owners didn't get a citation, and we are still shaking our heads about it.

Zeke at 18 Months

Happy un-birthday to Zeke - he is 18 months old today!

height: 32½ in (~75th percentile)
weight: 26 lbs (~50th percentile)
teeth: 12
favorite foods: chicken, milk, cheese, pasta, crackers, yogurt

words: 40-50
best words: cat, truck, cracker, jet, sit, socks, shoes
newest words: hugs, shirt, hat, chicken

newest skills: climbing the couch, bed, and chairs; using fork and spoon; brushing teeth; speaking in phrases

favorite toys: board books, cars and trucks, ball, piano
favorite games: taking things out of other things, playing chase, going outside, and climbing on mom and dad
favorite books: Snoopy's Feelings, Meet Snoopy, I Like Trains, Yellow and Yummy, and I Like it When...

Shoe Mania

Zeke loves shoes - ours because they are fun to clomp around in, and his because putting on shoes means we're going outside

Gotta Have My Fork

Zeke has been learning to use his silverware - and he's getting quite good at it. He takes at least a few bites with the fork or spoon at the beginning of the meal. Typically he's hungry enough that he switches to using his hands, but he still holds on to his fork!

Last week I discovered that the fork is now required. I made Zeke a grilled cheese sandwich. I couldn't figure out why he wasn't eating - I knew he was hungry. Then I realized he didn't have his fork. When I brought it to him, he happily set about eating his grilled cheese bites with his fork. What a cute kid.

Finally Flying

In addition to our zoo trip on fall break, we went flying. It had been since the expo in August! That's a really long time for us. Aaron has been getting flight simulator time on his computer but it's just not the same. We went flying in September but had an unfortunate accident before takeoff. That was disappointing, but Aaron has done a great repair job.

We got two great flights in on Thursday. It would have been three, but on landing #2 the Super Sportster's propellar hit the runway -- it took a full centimeter off the propellar!

Zoo Trip

We went to the zoo yesterday on our day off. We enjoyed the day together and especially the walk together; it's been a long time since we all went walking. The weather was beautiful and the people were many. It was so crowded and we saw lots of unhappy kids. (The zoo isn't so friendly for kids at stroller height.) But overall it was a good day and we're glad we went.

The penguins put on a good show for us.

Aaron and Zeke played a rousing round of the frog survival game.

We thought the little tamarin monkeys would be Zeke's favorite zoo animal...

...until he saw the chicken in the primate forest. He was so excited about that chicken!

Indoor Waterfall

A couple of Fridays ago I was working and got up to refill my water bottle. I set it on my desk and went to Aaron's computer to do something with the music I was listening to. I heard Zeke come in, pick up my water bottle, and shake it. Not a big deal; he does that all the time. Then I heard the giggles and I wondered what was different about this particular time. I turned around to see and was immediately reminded that I hadn't put the cap on the bottle.

Miraculously the only things that got wet were the carpet and Zeke. Things got even more funny for Zeke when I put a towel down on the wet spot and we danced on it to soak up the water.

Story Time Dance Class

Zeke taught the kids at story time how to dance today! This week's story was about a Frankenstein's monster that learned how to dance. Before we read the book, our teacher asked the kids 'How do you dance?' Zeke, of course, had been dancing since the first mention of the word 'dance.' He is so energetic! His style of dancing was picked as one of the ones that the whole class did together. Zeke had lots of fun, epecially when he saw all those kids dancing with him.

Changing with the Seasons

This week I was out walking with Zeke and I started thinking about just how much these little ones change in a short time. Last October, Zeke sat by himself for the first time. He was just starting to eat 'real food' in his high chair. And he had to be held nearly all the time because he couldn't entertain himself very well.

This October he is walking, running, climbing, and exploring everything. He is building his vocabulary and starting to learn what things are called and what to do with them. It amazes me how much of what we say he understands even though he can't express himself well in words quite yet. He pretty much feeds himself and is starting to even use his fork and spoon!

Next October - well, I don't really know what to expect except he will be about the age Kaelyn is now. He should be really talking, and better understanding (and hopefully doing!) more of what we tell him. It just keeps building...

Little Yellow Cat

One of Zeke's favorite toys is Grandma Loertscher's little yellow stuffed cat. He loves it and will carry it all around the house.

He is watching me post these pictures and saying 'cat' over and over again. He loves pictures of himself, and doubly loves pictures of himself with a cat (any cat).

Dance Dance Dance

Water Giggles

this just might make your day...