Henry’s birthday party

On Sunday, November 1, Ford was able to attend his first birthday party for a friend!  His friend Henry from Little Gym turned 2 and invited Ford to join in on the celebration, which also happened to be at The Little Gym!  Before we left for the party Ford was carrying Henry’s birthday present around our house so proud.  He even tried to put a few extra toys inside it.  Jeff took Ford to the first half while I drove my mom to the airport and then I joined them for the second half.  Ford discovered the water fountain and spent quite a bit of time drinking from (and unfortunately, licking) the water fountain.  He had fun running around, swinging from the bars, and eventually even enjoyed walking/running on the air mat.  His favorite part though was the cupcakes!  He had eyed them throughout the party and was happy to partake in the birthday sweets!  All in all, Ford had a great time at Henry’s birthday!

Carrying Henry’s present around the house

Having so much fun with Dad!

Running on the air mat!

Time for cupcakes!

I love this picture of Ford and his friend, Isabel.  Look at her checking out how Ford is about to grab his cupcake! 

Henry and Ford.  A typical picture of two toddlers together.

 

Gramma’s Visit

Last week my mom came in for a visit.  We kept very busy going to Ford’s  Gymboree and Little Gym classes, as well as our Halloween events I already posted about.  We also took a trip to the zoo on Saturday, ran errands, and still had time to play at home.   Ford enjoyed reading with Gramma (especially his new book “Llama Llama” ) and playing with his trains and with his car garage with Gramma.  Ford loved having her here and knew exactly who to go to for treats.  In fact, on our way home from the fall festival the night she left he was wanting a treat and we said no.  So then Ford proceeded to whine “Gramma, treat.”  She had already left, but he was still trying to get her on his side.  The funny thing is that he hadn’t had that many treats.  It just happened that when he did get a treat, Gramma was the one who helped him with it.  Our visit went by fast, but was sure a fun one! 

 Gramma playing along with one of Ford’s new games. . .pretending to be asleep

More pretending he is asleep-  and the way his leg is crossed is often what he does when I put him in his crib for a nap or at night (so cute!!)

Listening intently to Gramma’s reading

At the zoo

Can you see the sticky, chocolate fingers on our boy?  He had just finished a treat with Gramma

Giving hugs and kisses before Gramma left

A busy few days for our skunk

First of all, Ford was a skunk for Halloween (as you may know if you saw some of our earlier posts).  He was called a few other animals in addition to skunk, mainly cow and one lady even called him a squirrel, yes, a squirrel.  In fact, she just kept saying how cute the squirrel costume was and how she hadn’t seen a squirrel costume before and on and on.  Too bad he was a skunk and not a squirrel.  And I will say he was the cutest darn skunk I have ever seen in my life.  And, a very smart skunk who would say “pee-you” whenever he was asked what we say when we smell a skunk.

The skunk costume definitely got its fair share of usage.  Boo at the Zoo Sunday night started it off.  Then on Thursday night, October 29, Ford was able to dress up for the “Cocky Party” as Ford called it (which sounded more like “Cocky Potty” than ”party”)  but was actually the Jr. Gamecock Club party at Frankie’s Fun Park.  My mom was in town and was able to go along with us which was fun.  Ford is still too young for the things at the fun park, but enjoyed walking around, seeing Cocky (from a distance of course), and even eating some candy.  He did get to “play” his first video game- one where he sat and “drove” a car.  It definitely made Jeff, my mom and I laugh a ton to watch Ford crash his car more than he drove it.  Ford seemed to enjoy driving though and I think he had no clue that what he was doing with the steering wheel had anything to do with the tv screen in front of him.  All in all it was a great night. 

Checking everything out with Grandma

“Hi Cocky!”

On Friday the skunk came out again.  This time for a Little Gym Halloween party.  He saw a few friends from his class and had fun running around, climbing through the tunnel they created with the mats, and going down the mat slide.  He “won” a Little Gym water bottle which was a huge hit!  Jeff was able to meet my mom and I there and take part in the party as well which was great. 

Hitching a ride on Momma while she did the crab walk

 

Saturday afternoon we had a neighborhood event down the street from 4-6.  Everyone who came brought a dish and they grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.  Ford loved playing with the kids and was such a sweaty boy!  I forgot to mention that it was in the 80s on Saturday and as humid as it could be.  Basically, it was miserable.  Terrible weather to be a skunk.  After the neighborhood get together we headed to our friends Montague and Lauren’s house to go trick-or-treating to a few houses with them and their son, Monty, and also with Spann, Elizabeth, Lownes and Lucy.  Since it was so hot, Ford was not able to wear his full costume.  Instead he was half of a skunk, only wearing his hat.  He looked pretty funny in his regular clothes and his hat, but he wore it proudly.  He loved holding his pumpkin bucket, saying “trick or treat,” and getting more treats!  Ford also enjoyed riding in the golf cart at times between some of the houses.  It was cute to see the three bigger kids riding with Montague down the street in the cart.  When the first house opened the door Ford walked right on inside.  We forgot to tell him how the whole trick-or-treat thing worked.  Oops.  All we told him was to say “trick-or-treat,” which he did.  At the second house they weren’t coming fast enough I guess so Ford decided he would try to open the door himself.  He also tried to nab a few extra candies out of the bowels as well.  All in all, Ford had a fabulous first trick-or-treat experience.

Our “half-skunk” with Lucy, Lownes and Monty

Trick-or-treating in style. . . on the golf cart with Montague, Monty and Lownes

Checking to see what treat he just got!

Heading for the last stop on the trick-or-treating tour. . . ours!

 Trick-or-treat Gramma!

Checking out his treats

Enjoying one of his treats with Gramma

On Sunday afternoon after my mom left we headed downtown to a fall festival.  Our friends Jennifer and Bobby and their son, Trace, invited us and we all had a great time!  It was a much cooler day so Ford was able to wear his skunk costume yet again!  Ford enjoyed playing some of the games, like fishing, catching ducks in the baby pool, and the bean bag toss.  He wasn’t shy about going to the candy buckets and picking himself out a treat or two, and even conned some sweet ladies into opening a huge bin filled with treats for him to choose from.  They had a real John Deere Tractor which might have been the highlight, along with the two firetrucks (one of which he got to sit in).  It was a fun night and great way to end the skunk wearing festivities!

Checking out the fire truck

Tractor time!

With Jennifer before we left (Ford had his eyes on the tractor and wanted another turn)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the cutest little stinker around!

Boo at the Zoo!

On Sunday, October 25th, we took Ford to Boo at the Zoo for the first time.  Before going to the zoo we had some friends over for a quick dinner and then headed out to Boo at the Zoo.  Ford is a skunk this year, and a mighty cute one at that!  He knows to say “peeyou” when you ask him what we say when we smell a skunk.  Ford learned to say “trick or treat” and held his pumpkin out for his goodies to be placed inside.  They gave away candy as well as other fun things like an animal mask (Ford got a giraffe) and crayons.  Ford even tasted a Hershey’s Chocolate bar for the first time (it was a hit of course!).  Overall we all had a great time and will definitely make this an annual family event!

Out little stinker. . . just as cute from the back as the front!

Some of the friends that went. . . Tripp, Ford, Cliff, and Monty

Holding his pumpkin after getting some candy put inside!

Getting a hug from Tinkerbell Emily

Fun with Dad!

Pumpkins!

Ford loves pumpkins.  He points them out anytime he spots one.  He has been talking about the pumpkin patch we went to in Lincoln since we got back from Nebraska.  The only pumpkins in the Crane household up until this weekend were the small plastic trick-or treat pumpkin and the small palm sized real pumpkin we picked up at Wal-mart last week.  So, we decided that it was finally time for us to go pick out our pumpkins for our front porch.  We hit the pumpkin patch at a church down the road and had fun choosing our three pumpkins.  The highlight for Ford might have been the dog that was there, or throwing his pumpkin on the ground and watching it roll.  Although it wasn’t quite the patch that we visited in Nebraska, Ford still enjoyed getting our pumpkins.  Since getting our pumpkins home he managed to throw his off the front porch before I could get to him, smiling as he watched it rolled, but breaking off part of his stem.  Surprisingly, his pumpkin is still in one piece (for now at least).

Before, during and after

Ford had his first professional hair cut on Friday, October 23, at Hair Doodles.  Miss Kelly cut his hair and he did an excellent job sitting in the chair while his hair was cut and even while she had the clippers out (I had to look away during this part)!  Miss Kelly gave him some animal crackers while she cut his hair and he was given a lollipop when he left!  I am proud of my big boy for doing such a great job!  I have to admit it was a little hard to watch his sweet baby hair go, but it really did look like he had a rat-tail in the back center of his head.  The curls were out in full force one last time the day I took him as it was really warm and humid.  On the dry days, Ford’s hair in the back looked especially terrible.  So sadly, it was time to say good-bye to not only the “rat-tail” but also the sweet curls. I am missing them, but do love my cute boy with his big boy hair cut!

Taken in early September

The last long-haired shots of our boy before we left for Hair Doodles

Just getting started

After his hair cut with his pumpkin he made in Art class that same day, and trying a lollipop for the first time!

Our future Horned Frog!

Cheering for his TCU Frogs during College Game Day yesterday!  I think his cheering helped the Frogs with their huge win last night!

To see Ford cheering on the “TCU Froggies” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CQT-GoTOio

Family trip to the state fair!

On Wednesday Ford and I met Jeff at his office to go to the SC State Fair during lunch time.  We headed for all the animals and Ford loved seeing everything.  He saw turkeys, ducks, bunnies, an elephant, a zebra, donkeys, goats, and cows!  He was even brave enough to pet one of the donkeys.  He is still talking about the different animals that he saw.  Before we left Jeff bought a treat. . .a funnel cake!  It didn’t take long for Ford to decide that the funnel cake made for an excellent (but slightly messy) treat! 

State number eight

Last week Ford and I were lucky enough to be able to travel to Nebraska, the eighth state he has visited so far.  We had some trouble getting out of Columbia to say the least.  We went to the airport for our 8:30 am flight only to have them tell me that my ticket had already been used and I didn’t have a ticket for that day.  I was traveling on my dad’s miles and apparently when I traveled in September to Colorado they couldn’t find my ticket and used my ticket to Omaha to get me to Colorado.  But they failed to ever mention that to me at the time.  I am still not sure I completely understand what happened, even after hours on the phone with multiple United reps.  In the end, after using more of my dad’s miles to get a new reservation, we eventually made it to Omaha (just 8 hours later than we had originally scheduled) late Friday night.  Our change in travel times meant that we traveled starting at 5:30 pm rather than 8:30 in the morning.  I was more nervous than usual since I haven’t really traveled much with Ford at night.  He was a fantastic traveler as always though, and I was so proud of him.  We traveled through Chicago so Ford was able to get out and play in their awesome play area.  Before we got on our plane to Omaha I changed him into his pjs hoping that he might take a snooze on the plane (our second plane didnt leave until 10 pm our time and he had not gone to sleep at all).  On our second flight I accidentally sat on the wrong side of the plane but didn’t realize it until we took off.  We had a middle seat (because of having to make a “new” reservation that same day that is the only seat they had left supposedly) which I was not looking forward to.  I sat in the last row in the middle seat and kept waiting for people to sit on either side of us.  Before I knew it, they said they had closed the doors and no one was next to us!  Every other row was almost completely full with very few empty seats at all on the plane.  Such a blessing to have room and I am thankful I accidentally sat on the wrong side of the plane!  Ford thought it was pretty great to have his own seat, but this also meant he was a little bit of a wiggle worm.  He would climb from my lap into the window seat, sit back, cross his legs, look pleased, and then reposition himself somewhere else.  It was a little tiring for me, but I was just happy that he was happy (even though I was concerned that the boy had no intentions of going to sleep).  At 11:10 our time Ford finally fell asleep in my arms, about one minute prior to making our final decent.  He was so tired though that he stayed asleep as I carried him off the plane (and two sweet men carried our bags), put him in the stroller, and strolled him through the Omaha airport to meet Katie and Laura.  Katie and Laura are two of my best friends from grad school.  We have had many reunions over the years but hade not been able to get together for 3 years.  Katie and her husband Mike, and their 13 month old daughter, Maggie, live in Omaha.  Laura and her husband live in Chicago so she flew in as well to meet up with us.  Ford had a great night’s sleep that night and we all woke up to quite a surprise. . . 6 inches of beautiful white snow!  We all threw warm clothes on and went outside.  It was both Ford and Maggie’s first experience walking in the snow.  It was fun to watch their reactions.  Ford wasn’t too sure about it at first, then liked it, then lost his balance and ended up sitting in the snow (which was ok for a bit) and then decided he was ready to call it quits. 

After playing in the snow we all came in and had a great pancake breakfast before getting ready for the day.  Then we all went to the Omaha Zoo which was awesome.  It was really chilly out so we tried to see the animals that had inside exhibits.  On the way to the zoo Ford and Maggie held hands on and off during the drive.  It wasn’t just Ford initiating either.  Maggie would reach over and grab his hand and then later, Ford would look at Maggie and say “hand” and grab her hand to hold.  Such cute friends.

Ford and Maggie– they loved each other from the start (and this was completely not prompted by anyone)

Saturday night we got a babysitter so we could go out for some girl time (and Mike could meet up with some of his guy friends).   We walked through some shops and then had a great dinner out.  It was fun to have time with just the three of us and even though it had been 3 years since we had all been together it was so easy to pick up where we left off.  The sign of really good friends.  On Sunday we woke up to fresh snow falling, but it didn’t stick to the ground.  Because it was another cold and gloomy day we decided to stay close to home.  Laura had to leave Sunday night but Ford and I were able to stay until lunch on Monday.

Katie, Laura and Allison

The two little monkeys wearing their coordinating jammies before bed

Monday at lunch time Kelly drove in to pick us up and drive us back to Lincoln (about an hour and 15 minutes).  She and the boys had lunch over at Katie’s and then we packed up and headed to their new house in Lincoln.  It was so fun to be able to see their new home and city and to just hang out during the week.  The boys were excited to see each other and loved playing together during the week.  We were able to take the boys to story time at their library and ran a few errands one day too.  One night Kelly and I got to go see a movie with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law which was fun.  One morning we took Brady and Ford to the children’s museum which was wonderful.  They both loved being inside a two-seater airplane, but were not fans of the fire truck or tractor (go figure).  They also loved playing the piano together.  After the museum we went out for lunch before picking David up at his grandma’s house.  Friday morning we put on our warm clothes (it was cold and overcast all week) and took all the boys out to a pumpkin patch.  It was a huge hit!  Ford is really into pumpkins and will point them out anytime he sees one, so this was right up his ally.  This pumpkin patch was awesome.  They had slides for the kids, a tunnel to run through, several play areas, pigs, bunnies, chickens, goats and a yak!  They also had a hayride out to the field but we didn’t do that.  It was a great morning!  Ford and Brady loved the pumpkins and enjoyed helping Kelly push the wagon with a pumpkin on it out to the car.  It was fun to just watch the boys play at home too.  Ford wanted to hold Brady’s hand throughout the week, they gave each other lots of hugs (and one time after their hug Brady then said “I love Ford”- so sweet).  The big boys also had fun racing the two push toys back and forth the width of the house.  Ford was also very aware of David too.  If he heard him on the monitor he would continue to say his name until Kelly got him out of his crib.  He also would just call his name.  Another funny thing was that the boys heard the word “share” quite a bit that week.  By the end Ford would just hand over his toy and say “share,” but then would also see either Brady or David playing with something and would say  “share” expecting to get it.  We still have a way to go on the whole “sharing” concept, but they all really did do an excellent job playing together. 

playing the drums together

A little snuggle time with David

Making some pretty music at the museum (or ”mims” at Ford calls it)

Fun at the pumpkin patch!

Helping Kelly push the wagon with the pumpkin out to the car

A not so great attempt of trying to get a good picture of the three boys

Ford and I had a wonderful visit in Nebraska.  I feel blessed to have such wonderful friends whose friendships have been maintained for so many years and across so many states.  I am so thankful Ford and I were able to go spend time with our special friends in Nebraska!  Ford has continued to bring up bits and pieces from our trip, a sign that our boy had a great time too!