Stephen's new "tricks"

It's so fun to watch all the little things Stephen picks up on. Some things he's doing now...

• shaking his head "no" when he hears the words "no" or "don't"
• bringing a book to me to read - He doesn't always sit for very long, but it's the thought that counts.
• starting to stand by himself for a few seconds at a time
• using everything as a phone - He will hold his hand or any toy up to his ear like a phone and say "oh."

He even did this on cue for me, so I could get a picture.

From fall to winter

We went from 79 degrees on Monday to snow on Wednesday. Stephen and I stayed inside yesterday and watched the snow come down. Today we went out to explore the snow. I got him all bundled up in his snow pants, coat, and hat. (Still need to get him some boots.) We weren't outside for very long. I plopped him down in the snow and he stuck his hand right in it. Since he likes playing with ice cubes, I was pretty sure cold snow wouldn't bother him. It will be even more fun when he can walk around in the snow. We will definitely build a snowman at some point this winter.

All ready to go!

Enjoying fall

Stephen and I enjoyed the beautiful fall weather yesterday. He was actually really cooperative with taking pictures. I got some great smiles when he wasn't trying to eat the pinecone he was holding.

This is one trick he imitates...if you stick out your tongue, he'll do the same.

11 months old

Stephen Joseph is 11 months old today! He is growing so fast and continuing to delight us with his smiles, giggles, and ornery ways. Here's what he's up to now...

• He does say "mama" occasionally. "Dada" is heard much more often. I'm not sure if he attaches meaning to it yet or not.
• Stephen gets very excited when Daddy comes home. If he hears Daddy's truck coming down the driveway, he'll stop what he's doing and usually crawl towards the door.
• He likes to clap and usually will if we say, "Yay, Stephen!"
• He definitely knows the places and things that are off limits; however, that doesn't stop him from going there. If he's going to one of those places, he'll stop partway and look back to see if you're coming after him. Then he giggles and starts crawling faster. He LOVES being chased!
• When I am holding him, he will almost always suck his left thumb and hold my hair with his right hand. He sometimes rubs his right thumb along the ends of my hair as well. I need to get a picture of this!
• His sleeping habits are not getting better with age. He usually wakes up 3 times at night (every 3 hours). Trying to figure out if I should just wait it out and see if he stops soon on his own or do something to curb this behavior.
• Stephen has started noticing the sound of the trains going by our house and likes to be held up to watch them.
• He weighs about 20 pounds.

I can't believe my little boy is going to be a year old in a month!

Stephen Joseph - 11 months old

Pie in the face

This year Steve volunteered to be a part of the pie in the face booth at the Jamboree at the school where he coaches. There were 3 people signed up for each half hour. The kids could put a ticket in the bucket of the person they wanted to get the pie. At the end of the 30 minutes, they drew a ticket from the bucket of the person with the most votes. Steve had the most votes for his group, and a 6th grade boy had the honor of throwing the pie. He did a good job and got Steve by surprise.

Outside with Daddy

We were outside waiting for the flyover before the Broncos game. It was a beautiful fall day. Stephen and Daddy were having fun enjoying the weather.

There they go!

St. Therese, pray for us.

St. Therese is my Confirmation saint, and she has been a big help to me over the years. So, I love celebrating her feast day. Last night, we went to a special Mass at the Carmelites near our house in her honor. They even blessed and handed out roses at the end of Mass. We went to Mass at our parish this morning. When Stephen woke up from his morning nap, I decided to do a photo shoot at a nearby rose garden. He's not the most cooperative when it comes to photo poses, but I did manage to get some cute pictures.

Checking out a wood chip

Hmm...I wonder what wood tastes like...