On the MOVE!

These days Teddy is on the move! He is all over the place and he is getting better at crawling every day. He also seems to really enjoy pulling himself up to stand. He has recently started taking out his own toys too! The other morning he crawled over to the shelf, grabbed the blocks, and started playing. It was so cute!
Teddy picks out some toys.

What does he do with the toys once he gets them...?
Eat them of course!
And now that the toys are off the shelf and on the floor most of the time, what should we put on the shelf....?

Purrfect for a kitty! She better run, these days Teddy is trying desperately to grab her tail!

Teddy reading his favorite new book.So of course we are busy trying to "child proof" our house. I guess it's a good thing we put up this baby gate by the stairs:

"Let me out of here!"

Teddy is always busy playing and crawling, but lately he has started working on a new skill:

Maybe some of his aunts who were cheerleaders can give him some help on form. I never could do a proper spit!

Of course, all of this playing wears a boy out:

Lastly, here is a video of our little man on the move:

Happy Birthday Caroline!

Not only did cousin Caroline turn 10 on Sunday, but she also completed an IronKid Triathlon on the morning of her birthday!!! What a girl!We were invited to her birthday party on Friday night. It was a scavenger hunt themed party and there were little girls everywhere! I am not sure who had more fun... Caroline... or Teddy!

(above) hanging with Maggie
(above) hanging with Jack

(above) hanging with the birthday girl Caroline!

Oh my, the ladies DO love Teddy!

On Sunday morning we went to cheer on Caroline at the IronKids event.

Here she comes after the swim:

there she goes on her bike:

That night the entire family met for dinner to celebrate Caroline.

(above) Teddy enjoyed nibbling on puffs, while cousin Maggie enjoyed nibbling on Teddy!

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY CAROLINE!

Happy Birthday Shae!

This week was special because we celebrated Shae's birthday (a friend of ours complimented him that he doesn't look a day over 360 months.) But the week was made extra special because Teddy officially started crawling! Teddy seems very motivated to move and his awkward movement has quickly evolved into an actual crawl. And when he is determined to get to something, he will make a bee-line for it, over and over again. (For example, as I type this, he is repeatedly trying to push the on/off button on the computer which sits on the floor. I keep picking him up and putting him in the middle of the room, and he KEEPS crawling back under my feet trying to push the blue button. I have probably picked him up 10 times just trying to type this paragraph.) The other thing Teddy seems very interested in crawling towards and touching is our stereo. He can be in a room FULL of toys, but he wants to play with the radio. Several times this week he has crawled up to the radio, turned the volume ALL OF THE WAY up, and then turned on the radio... as if to say, "Let's party!" It's pretty funny, or it would be, except it scares him and ends in tears! (above) Teddy discovers a tape! Yes, my children will know what cassette tapes are!!!

Another cool thing Teddy has discovered is how to pull himself up to stand, all by himself. Several times he has crawled over to the fire place and pulled himself up all on his own: (above) What a big boy!

We were very excited to celebrate Shae's birthday this weekend. Shae was not only happy about his birthday, but also about the first Hawkeye game on Saturday.

Of course, listening to a football game is hard work.... Most of all though, we were excited that Grandpa Steve, Aunt Sammie, and Oliver came to visit for the weekend and help us celebrate Shae's 396th month!

Teddy got to show off his new teeth to his grandpa and aunt:

On Sunday we had a fun day swimming at the pool.

Ooops, we forgot Teddy's hat; we had to use his dads!

Teddy shared a beach towel with his friend Phoebe (above), while his dad embarrassed him (below): We went to dinner at Provino's:
(above) Shae, Sammie, and Steve
(above) Teddy with Shae (and his rabbit ears)

(above) Shae and Maggie

Teddy and Violet sitting at the table

Teddy and Daddy

Teddy with Aunt Sammie and Grandpa Steve Shae sharing his birthday dessert. (Somebody does NOT look happy on the right side... think he was jealous he didn't get some ice cream??)

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After dinner we came back to our house for cake and presents. Below Shae poses with his birthday cakes.... yes, I did write cakes... (thank you mom for teaching me to always have twice as much food as you actually need!)
Happy Birthday to Shae!

(above) Uncle Hal holds Teddy as his Daddy blows out the candles.

Present time! While Shae opened presents, Teddy shared his toys with Cousin Violet. We had a great day celebrating Shae's birthday. The evening ended with a surprise. The high school down the street had a fire works show to celebrate the end of summer, and we were able to enjoy them from our back deck. Well, most of them. Some were not high enough to go over the trees. If you are wondering if the loud booming of fireworks scared Teddy, check out the picture below:

Nothing like some fireworks to put a baby to sleep! And speaking of sleeping... Teddy is not the only one around here who likes to cover his face when he is sleeping. Apparently it runs in the family:

Who is that lump under those sheets????

Oliver!

Teddy LOVES his Aunt Sammie!

What's cuter than Teddy in a pocket T-shirt????

Teddy and his Daddy in matching pocket T-shirts!

Here's to many many more happy birthdays with Shae- the BEST daddy Teddy could ever have!