Team Alp

Monday, July 9, 2012

Kyle L.O.V.E.S. Frames (or pictures) ;)

We finally got a few of our professional pictures framed (thanks to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and their 20% coupons that NEVER expire) and hung (thanks to Chris and his big boy tool kit). It's a good thing too. Not only do the pictures add a little something to the nursery. They add a little something to Kyle's smile. Well, at least the frames do. Kyle LOVES frames! The verdict's still not out about the pictures. Or maybe it's the other way around? Who knows, but either way he is one smiley guy during diaper duty since the frames are on the wall next to his changing table.

Weekend Getaway!

As of last Friday morning our weekend plans consisted of going to Chase to get info on municipal bonds and checking out the latest saving opportunities at Costco. Then Grandma P came over to visit the Ky Ky Man and let us know that she and Grandpa were going to stay at the Timber Ridge Lodge and Water Park - located in Lake Geneva, WI - Friday through Sunday and that they had two extra tickets to the indoor water park. Since Chris and I will have been married two years on the 10th, I pretty much convinced him that we needed to celebrate early, and we needed to celebrate in the water! I L.O.V.E. the water. If there's one thing I've been missing this summer, it's water. And what better way is there to spend a 100+ degree July day than in an indoor water park?! So we canceled our plans and backed our bags (well, Kyle's bags) and headed north. As we crossed the border, we realized that Wisconsin is now the second state Kyle has visited in his mere four weeks here with us. What a world traveler we have!

Timber Ridge Lodge was pretty impressive. We really enjoyed the super fast yellow water slide, as well as the slower green tube slide, the relaxing lazy river, and the indoor/outdoor hot tub. The first thing we did when we got there was take on that yellow slide. Grandpa, Chris, and I were shocked when we shot out that tube into the pool below. SOOOO fast! SOOOO dark! SOOOO exhilarating! We loved it. By the third or fourth time we went down, the slide did sort of start to pinch our backs, but it was still worth the little bit of pain. No pain, no gain, right? After some hot dogs, fries, nachos, and pink lemonade (there is just something special about pink lemonade that screams summer), Kyle, Grandpa, and Chris took a dip in the kiddo pool. How fun for the three of them! Kyle really enjoyed getting his toes wet. First time in a pool! What a big boy. Kyle and Grandma hung out while we enjoyed the outdoor pool and caught a glimpse of Rob Johnson (the CBS news anchor who was there with his family before heading to the Dave Matthews Band concert at Alpine - or so his twitter account reported ;)).

Thursday, July 5, 2012

ENews!

Every morning Kyle and I like to catch up on the latest news ... the latest ENews that is ;)

Oh TomKat, I hate to say this, but we sort of saw this coming ;(

Diaper Duty

Kyle - AKA "Our Little Gassy Gus" - has about 4 standard faces he makes during any given diaper change. They look a little something like this ...

Umm, Houston? I think we have a problem here ...

We do, we do!

Ahh, that feels better!

I'm EXHAUSTED! Too much work for a hot summer day ;)

My First 4th

After a late night Tuesday, we packed up our bags (all 3 of them plus the pack-n-play!) and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa A's to celebrate Kyle's first 4th of July. The temperature reached a whopping 102 degrees!! This ties an Illinois record high, set over a hundred years ago back in 1911. Since it was such a scorcher outside, we spent most of the afternoon chowing down on burgers, fruit salad, and corn indoors. Chris and I did brave the heat for a bit as we managed to take a late afternoon stroll around the block. So unusual to see hardly anyone out on an otherwise beautiful day.

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandpa P!

My dad, born 7-4-52, reached a BIG milestone yesterday, turning the BIG 6-0! As usual, we celebrated his birthday, along with America's, on July 3rd with fried chicken and beef, bags and horseshoes, and fireworks and family. This was Kyle's first official holiday, and first time celebrating Grandpa's bday. He got a little fussy here and there with the heat, the crowd, and his typical Gassy Gus issues, but other than that Kyle had a super time. He enjoyed the new vibrating chair Grandma got for him to use anytime he wants to chill at her place, and loved seeing everyone decked out in their finest red, white, and blue apparel. Thanks to tummy time, Kyle knows that red and blue are both primary colors, America's colors, and most importantly, CUBS colors! He hasn't officially learned about white yet, but is definitely intrigued. We used the Ergo Baby for the first time and walked Kyle down the block to watch the Maine East fireworks show with the rest of the family. The noise didn't seem to bother him as much as it bothered Mommy! A few minutes before the grand finale, I got nervous that the noise might cause some damage to my little guy's eardrums - even though the Ergo liner pretty much provided the greatest sound barrier ever - and so we decided to head back to the party where we stayed until 11 pm. What a night owl we have!