Furry Christmas

I figure Amery is going to get most of the blog spotlight over the next few days - better give our big bear some face time.


Kona's first Christmas in Colorado.



Two years ago in Austin. Don't be fooled by his well-behaved appearance. That hat became a chew toy shortly after this was taken.

He's Cool

I forgot about this video and just found it on my computer. Amery got a little wooden puppy pull toy for his birthday from The Urbans. Once he got the hang of how to pull him around it's become one of his favorite toys. Don't really have much to update, but I was sick of the snowstorm post. So here's a dark but cute video.

Austin Snow 2009

As promised, video and pictures from the "snowstorm" last Friday. It lasted about 15 minutes, and the only reason we were all home to see it was because we were all sick, so we couldn't be outside for that long anyway. It was still fun to finally see snow again.

Worst.cold.ever.

I'm back in the land of the living...almost. Promise and update and some pictures of The Great Austin Snowstorm of '09.

We're Ahead of the Game

Amery wanted to get his requests in early.

Como Park Zoo

We've been in Minnesota for a few days and it's been pretty busy around here. Today we are heading downtown to see the Macy's 8th Floor Christmas display. Yesterday we visited the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul and Amery loved it! Here are some pics.


He never did go through the tunnel.


Touching tropical leaves with papa.


More tropics. It felt like Texas in there.


This is what Amery thinks of the smell in the giraffe's indoor winter area.

The famous Sparky the Sea Lion! We used to go see the Sparky show when I was little.

We're back.

We've been MIA for a bit, but I think we're back in the game! Amery's been trying to kick a stubborn sinus infection, some fluid in one ear, and a throat virus to boot. Poor little man. A lot of our time at home has been spent on the couch and looking a lot like this:



Thankfully he is starting to look a lot more like this:



Which makes us all happy:

The Park

Amery and I stopped at the neighborhood park on our way home from work yesterday to enjoy the sunshine and 70-degree temperature. Too bad the sun starts to go down at 5:30 now or we probably would have stayed longer. The most challenging part of the park is teaching him not to eat the pea gravel.


Mmmm, this looks tasty.


You want some?


Papa joined us too!


Not so sure about this weirdo swing.


Ok, it's cool.

Halloween Fever

No, not in the sense of being crazy about Halloween. I mean a fever, on Halloween. Sigh...no trick-or-treating for us this year. When I took his temp around 6:00, an hour before we were supposed to join our friends for trick-or-treating and fun, my heart sank as the thermometer read 101.2. With all the talk of flu combined with a whiney kid and a runny nose, I didn't want to us to be those parents who bring their sick kid to the gathering with all the other kids. That's just not cool.

As Jon headed out the door for a Walgreen run (we had no candy cause we didn't think we'd be home) I burst into tears and lamented about how I will never get to wear a mommy and baby matchy-matchy Halloween costume again. Next year he'll probably want a say in what he wears. Jon told me to get my costume on and he would snap a few pictures in the driveway when he got back. So here you go. Evidence of our matching costumes.


Giraffe and Zookeeper.


My badge said "Giraffe Wrangler."

And he is one too.

Keepsake

Our fun, busy weekend kept going all the way until Sunday night! After some breakfast, playtime, and a loooong nap, we spent the rest of the day with friends and family.

Sunday afternoon we visited our good friend Carol who painted this amazing portrait of Amery. We can't wait to find the perfect spot for it in our home. Carol and her husband Jim own Idyll Glen RV Park just outside of Lago Vista, Texas. We caught up with her over some sodas and snacks while Amery rolled limes from a big basket all over her house. She showed us all around the park on a golf cart and we can't wait to see them again - next time over a campfire when we stay with them at the park this winter.

We had dinner at Grammy and Grampy's house. Amery is crazy about Rollo the dog.

On the way out the door we found the one pile of fallen leaves in Texas. Ok, maybe not, but it's the first one we've seen. When he wasn't eating them he enjoyed smashing them in his hands.


He's fast.

Pumpkin Patch and Hanging with Jax

We didn't make it out to the "big" patch in Marble Falls thanks to no sleep on Friday night, but we did manage to get to a small patch at Tarrytown United Methodist with Cousin Jax.


Hanging out, with the pumpkins.


Look over there!


Handsome boys.

What's with this dinky one?

My Halloween costume - Giraffe Wrangler (it will hopefully make a little more sense when I have my giraffe with me at our costume events next week).

Jon's costume - Beaker from the Muppets. Created in about an hour (not counting two craft store runs).

Fashionable Friday

Who doesn't love a new pair of jeans?

Red River Rivalry Weekend

This weekend was the big UT-OU game, formerly known as the Red River Shootout, revised to the less violent and current name of the Red River Rivalry. For the non-locals, the name comes from the fact that the Red River forms the border between Texas and Oklahoma. We watched game at Ruby's house, then we spent the afternoon at Laura and Joe's Engagement party. Papa found a wagon and Amery had a great time getting wheeled around the yard,


Why are you stopping?


Can a brother get a beer, or what?


He also discovered the wonder that is the kitchen cabinets:



This one is from this morning. It was finally cool enough to wear his new little jacket on the way to daycare:



Of course it's supposed to be 80 by this afternoon, so when I pick him up he will be in short sleeves and barefoot. Gotta love Texas.

Our Little Giraffe!

A couple of weeks ago we participated in a fundraiser put on by our friends MC and Lyndsay. Lyndsay is a wonderful friend and a talented photographer. The fundraiser was a huge success and $1700 was raised for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Please consider donating to the cause. Our friend Jon is undergoing treatment at M.D. Anderson, and so far he is making phenomenal progress in his fight against colon cancer. Bonus for our Austin friends ~ for every $10 you donate by October 20th you get an entry into a drawing to win a mini session with Lyndsay of Life in Motion Photography.



Click here to see all the pics: 2nd Annual Life in Motion Little Monsters Bash

Amery has a crush on the butterfly because she's so adorably sweet and Supergirl because she dumped a cup of sand on his head at the party.

Happy Walker

12-month Stats

I've never actually done a post with his height, weight, head circumference and all that, but lots of my friends do them so I'm guessing this info must be of some interest. Amery had the unfortunate pleasure of getting four shots in a row last Thursday. Poor guy. Clearly he was not thrilled about it:



He took 'em like a champ and is no worse for the wear. He is, however, protected against all kinds of nasty diseases you never hear about anymore. Bring on the mumps - he can take it.

Amery's 12-month stats:

Height = 29 inches = 23rd percentile
Weight = 20.3 lbs = 12th percentile
Head circumference = 46 (not sure about the units) = 37th percentile

If you're interested in what the percentiles mean, this site seems to have a handle on it.

More Party Pictures

Check 'em out:


Not sure who invited my double chin to the party.


We still haven't taken this banner down almost a week later.


Cupcake pops inspired by Bakerella.


Hey Inara!


Smooches!


He's not spoiled.


Pool time. The water was cold, really cold.

Not in love with the party hat.

Singing Happy Birthday.

He had no idea what to do with the cupcake:

Also check out the first post on the party.