More than just Fences

That's right...Anderson made a big step in his development this weekend.  At the zoo on Sunday morning, he actually paid attention to the animals and barely noticed the fences (which used to be the only thing he noticed when we took him to the zoo).  It was good timing because the weather was a bit cool and it was the morning before one night of the zoo's Halloween party so it was not at all crowded. We went because, according to Richard, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.  I couldn't really argue with that, so we bundled up and headed to the Louisville Zoo.

When we arrived, Anderson was in his stroller and ready to get going.  He wore mittens for the first time in his life so that was where all his attention was focused for the first part of our trip.

The stroller lasted about...5 seconds.  We saw a zookeeper holding a bird and Anderson had to get a closer look. So, he was out and that was about the end of the stroller.

We then began our journey towards the rhinos and giraffes, we noticed a nursery rhyme theme.  Anderson really enjoyed the castle backdrop with the big thrones.

He knocked on the castle walls.

Several times.

But no one answered.

So, he turned his attention to the thrones.  He sat in them...

He stood in them...

He gave high fives in them...

He honked Richard's nose in them...

After all the nose honking they could handle, Anderson and Richard led the way to watch the giraffes.

We moved on, but before we could see anymore animals, Anderson's good friend "Melmo" made an appearance!  He was so excited to see "Melmo" that he gave him a high five, hugged him, and recited his name.

Then, he turned back to spend more time with his dear friend.

After we finally got passed "Melmo" we continued on and Anderson decided to climb some Legos.

After the Legos, we actually got to focus on some animals.  We got really close to a giraffe eating some leaves.

We also got to pet the goats in the petting zoo.  Our friend Jenny works there and gave us the inside scoop on the baby goats.

She also took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the turtle cage.

We had a great day at the zoo and it is so fun to watch Anderson there now that he is learning all of his animal sounds!  We love the zoo!  He had a great time too and was ready to do it all again (you know...after a good long nap).

Morning Pictures

Richard is the parent in charge in the mornings.  He gets Anderson up, picks out his clothes, dresses him, feeds him the first half of his breakfast, gets everything packed up, gets Anderson in the car, and takes him into daycare.  Each morning, I anxiously wait to see whether or not I will get a picture texted to me.  Here are a couple of the pictures from the past few mornings with the messages that were sent with them.

He is a little kangaroo this morning.

He is decked out in all Under Armor, so he is ready to protect this house.

(I responded with "Nice.  It looks like he is protecting the bathroom.")

We love you this much.

I love my little family and am so thankful for all that Richard does and for mornings when I get to see pictures of that sweet little smile!

Out and About

Richard, Anderson, and I get a bit stir crazy when we are in the house too long, so we try to get out every once in a while and see what the rest of Louisville is up to.

We went to the spaghetti dinner that the boy scouts put on in Crestwood.  We met Anderson's Grandma and Grandpa there as well as his Nana and Grammy, Aunt Janice, Uncle Matt, and Lily, and Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Captain Awesome and we had a blast!  Richard was in the dunk tank for the first half hour we were there.  My 86-year-old Grammy dunked him because she is amazing!  Anderson played in the bouncy house with the big kids and loved it!

We ate some spaghetti and then our family took over the cake walk!  We did win some cupcakes and Anderson got in on that action as quickly as he could!

We went to Tom Sawyer Park and played on the equipment there.  It was fun for Anderson to climb the wall and go down the slide independently.

We met some of the Goshen teachers out at Drakes in the Summit and had fun talking and eating with them.  Anderson decided to tease them with his tricks.  He can be such a flirt!

We went to Aunt Jackie's house and showed her Anderson's impressions.
First, there was E.T.

Then, there was a bat.

Finally, there was...okay, well this wasn't as much of an impression as it was just a really cute picture.

Anderson also snuck into Aunt Jackie's kitchen, where we had previously rubber banded her cabinets closed to do this...

I don't have an explanation.  I just smile and roll my eyes at how cute and strange he can be all at the same time!

I love taking Anderson out and giving him lots of new experiences!  I was prepared for that part.  I was not as prepared for him to give me new experiences!  LOVE HIM!

Growing Up

People kept telling me how fast life flew by once you start having children.  I blew them off with a "yeah, yeah" and went on with my life.  Once I had Anderson, I couldn't help but notice, they were totally RIGHT!  I cannot believe how fast time is moving...I just want to slow everything down.  Anderson, it seems, feels the opposite.  He wants to grow up and move forward.

He wants to be one with animals (am I sensing veterinary school in his future?).

He wants to drive.  He is already practicing in Richard's car.

He is spending more time in the bathtub and just wants some company while he is in there.  Someone to bounce ideas off of.

He is joining book clubs!  He and Grammy are in one together and are already having hilarious conversations about what they have read.

He is gathering his equipment to play tennis and making sure it is all up to code.

He is building wagons to pull his friends along in so he doesn't have to carry them all the time.  (That can wreak havoc on your back you know).

He is eating pudding without a spoon right there in the grocery store aisles.  He doesn't even need a spoon people!

He is drinking from McDonald's cups (You know he gets the large size because, why would you get a smaller size if they are all a dollar?  He is no financial dummy!).

I cannot believe he is growing up so fast and that he wants to get big so soon.  I just want him to do this again.  Just sometimes!

Even though he is getting too big too fast, I am loving every single minute of being his mom.  I say at every new phase, "This is my favorite stage so far" and I mean it, every time!  I am so lucky to be able to call myself Anderson's mom!  What a great kid I have!

A Trip to the Mall

Who knew the mall could be so much fun for a toddler?  They have all kinds of things that kept Anderson busy while we were there to pick up a couple of things.  We came upon a couple of kids playing with the giant chess set and Anderson seemed interested.  We put him down in the middle of it all and he picked it right up.  He may not have a strategy, but he definitely had a purpose.

After a mean game of chess (I'm pretty sure Anderson won, but I can't be sure), we went to the fountains.  Anderson was very impressed with the horses spitting water and really wanted to get in.  Richard compromised by letting him splash around!

Mall Fountain Party

I think we may go back on a rainy day in the near future.  Fun at the mall...who knew?!

A List of Fun Ways to End your Summer

Here is a list that Anderson compiled of fun ways to end your summer.  If you are ever looking for some fun activities, these have been researched and tested by Parrott, et al.

1. Be helpful!
Cart pushing party
When we went to Sam's with Grammy, Anderson started to push the cart in the spirit of being helpful.

2. Find a passion!

Anderson found a love for the keyboard in his Grammy and Granddaddy's house!  He enjoys playing and dancing to the sound of his own music!

3. Let loose!
Flying Party
Richard throws Anderson up like a rag-doll and Anderson squeals with joy!  My little thrill seeker.

4. Let something else loose!
Toilet Paper Party
Anderson recently found the toilet paper in our half bath.  He immediately realized that it could provide all kinds of fun!

5. Share accessories with friends!

We went to the splash park with Kristy and Charlotte.  While Charlotte was disinterested in wearing her hat, Anderson was more than happy to keep it warm for her.

6. Build something!

We took a couple trips to IKEA this summer and bought new furniture.  Anderson spent some time helping us put together our new dressers.

7. Dig something!

For his first birthday, Aunt Courtney bought Anderson a gardening set.  As you can see, he is taking his responsibilities in yard work very seriously.

8. Treat yourself!

While Sue, Tim, and Drew visited from out of town, we got frozen yogurt.  Anderson strongly believes that froyo is good to the last drop.

9. Spend time with family!

Anderson loved spending time with his Uncle D!  He really liked the beard and that Uncle D let him ride the bird outside of Grammy's house.