Auntie Flo

This weekend we were visited by our good friend Flo, who was in the same PhD program with Gina at UVA. She is now living in Omaha, NE, so she made the 6 hour drive to see us for a couple of days. She has been with us every step of the way since the boys were born, and she was a lifesaver in the early months when she would bring us dinner once or twice a week. Now it was our turn to show her some of Springfield's unique culinary offerings (i.e., The Horseshoe).

Flo is in a post-doc position at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, so she and I were able to compare stories about being in a new place at an unfamiliar university. Our respective schools are quite different, but there are some similarities in our experiences. Gina drove her to see my campus on Saturday afternoon, and she was quite impressed with everything.

Gina and Flo went out on Saturday to have lunch and look around town while I stayed home with the boys. We spent most of the day outside. The boys played with their toys while I raked leaves. Before I bagged the leaves, Sam and Nate played in them for awhile. When Gina and Flo got home they dragged their mom into the leaves too. After a delicious Horseshoe dinner, we put the boys to bed and then celebrated Flo's birthday (a little on the early side--the actual day is Tuesday). We wrapped up the evening by watching The Office and Modern Family on Hulu through our TV. We went to church this morning and had lunch at IHOP, then Flo had to head back to Omaha. Her friend is watching Henry, Flo's dog, and she wanted to get back at a decent hour.

We had a great weekend with our friend, and we look forward to more visitors. I wanted to throw this last photo in for laughs. Sam is modeling his PJs that don't really fit, which obviously has no affect on his mood.

Who's the creep in the background filming his kid raking leaves?

Please, Auntie Flo, don't go back to Nebraska!

Project Runway

Watchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?

The picture says it all.

Trick or Treat

Sam and Nate finally got to show off their fancy costumes to all of the other trick-or-treaters when we went to have dinner on Saturday night with some friends. The temperature really dropped once the sun went down, so we didn't stay out long. This means we didn't haul in that much candy (which is good because the boys don't eat candy, and I have been known to eat it until I get sick). We did visit a dozen or so houses, and honestly, the boys had more fun running up and down the sidewalk than they did asking for candy. After we went to some houses, we sat down to a delicious chili dinner that Jenene and Ken had made, and the boys ran around the house with Jordan (4) and Gayle Kinley (22 months). They really loved it when the doorbell would ring, and it only took a couple of times before they learned to run to the door every time someone came by. This evening was an unusually special treat because the boys also got to stay up past 9:00, something that rarely happens in the Alexander house. They fell asleep in the car and barely woke up when we put their PJs on for the night.

We had a lot of fun for our first Halloween in Illinois, and this really got us ready for the upcoming holidays when we get to see more friends and family in Texas and Wyoming. Here are a few more pictures from our outing.

You know you're tired when ...

You can't stay awake at the dinner table.

Where the wild things are

Sam and Nate got their first taste of wearing real costumes on Tuesday when Fun Shop had a semi-Halloween party. When it came to the boys actually wearing their costumes, my expectations were pretty low. When we have "piloted" the costumes at home, Nate would only keep his on for a couple of minutes. Well, all the distractions at Fun Shop must have been the answer because he tolerated his costume for about 45 minutes. He finally got a little agitated at the tail following him everywhere. Sam wore his costume until the end, when I finally took it off before we had to clean up. You didn't hear this from me, but word is the boys ranked near the top in cuteness. Just sayin'. We would like to send a huge shout out to GiGi who made the costumes for the boys. They will be treasured forever. Here are some pics and video of the event.

The Stare Down

O Captain! My Captain!

Sam and Nate have started climbing and standing on EVERYTHING! The table in their room. The train table. The couch. The rocking chairs. And yes, their rocking horses (giraffes, actually). Here they are re-enacting the final scene from Dead Poets Society. You probably won't be surprised when I say Nate fell off his giraffe about 10 seconds after I took this photo. His response? Touchdown!

Touchdown!

We don't watch a lot of television at our house. In fact, there are weeks when we will not turn on the TV at all during the evenings. This doesn't include the occasional video for the boys, but overall we aren't big TV people. However, once Saturday and Sunday roll around, I like to watch football. Last week, while we were watching a football game, Sam, Nate and I were playing with their little UVA football. They would throw the ball and I would shout "Touchdown!" Well, this has now become Nate's favorite word. When we get home from a walk or running errands: Touchdown! When I finish changing his diaper: Touchdown! When he's done eating his lunch: Touchdown! I think you get the point. You can hear it for yourself right here:

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Great autumn day

We had a great time playing, working and relaxing today in the cool fall weather. We started off the day by going to the Old Capitol Farmer's Market in downtown Springfield. We bought some organic lettuce and turnip greens. After a yummy lunch and a nap, we went for a walk on our street, then we played outside while Gina made dinner. I decided to clean up some weeds that had been sitting in the grass for a few days, and Sam and Nate wanted to help. We then had a delicious dinner, took a bath and did the night-night routine. The boys are now sound asleep, and Gina and I can't quit talking about how blessed we are. One thing that is becoming clear to me is that this is autumn in so many ways. Gina and I spent some time today going through toys the boys don't really play with anymore, and we came across their sandals from this summer. They were sitting out when the boys woke up, and they wanted to put them them on ... over their socks (in honor of Uncle Joe ... just kidding bro!). I remarked to Gina that they would probably never wear their little orange and blue UVA sandals again, which reminded me that when we bought them they were so big they barely clung to the boys' feet. I think we will probably keep the sandals just to look at from time to time, but it won't be long before this fall, and this time in the boys' lives, is just a memory. I'm thankful to God for blogs and digital cameras and sandals and every other thing that serve as a reminder that every instance of "today" and "now" are what we use to write the stories that will last us a lifetime.

Sticks

I recently noticed when the boys were outside the other day that they were playing with that most ancient of toys: sticks. Sam was waving his around like a sword or a flag, while Nate enjoyed putting his through the holes in our patio table. Sam also tried to jam his stick into Nate's eye, but Gina was there to intervene. Thank goodness for moms!

Sk8er Bois

On Monday, we went to the local ice arena to skate with the boys. Since they have been walking less than a year, we weren't about to put them in skates. So, I rigged up a couple of laundry baskets with rope, and we pulled the boys around the rink. It was a lot of fun for the boys and a great workout for Gina and I. We were also among a handful of parents who actually skated on the ice. Most of them just wore their sneakers or snow boots, but I actually felt much more stable on the skates. After watching a special on 60 Minutes about concussions the night before, I wasn't taking any chances. Here are some pics and video of the event.

The Little Train

Sam, Nate and Ella are all really into trains right now. I 'm not sure why that is, but they all love playing with, riding and reading about trains. This gave me a great idea. When Granny and Granddad were in Springfield visiting last week, they brought the boys some books, one of which was The Little Train, by Lois Lenski. Well, that book has quickly risen the best-seller list in our house and currently sits at number one. Sam loves to say "Choo Choo" while someone is reading it to him. As a way to share our favorite book with Ella, I made it into a digital book using PowerPoint and iSpring (a PPT plugin for converting slideshows into Flash movies).  I used an audio clip of Sam to help you know when to turn the pages. It's pretty darn cute. You can see the final product below.

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Senor Octobre

Another October, another chance to cheer for the Red Sox as they make a big push toward the WS. This year will be a challenge for them, but as always it will be fun to follow. Sam is demonstrating here that his loyalty is in the right place. When Nate's not wearing a cornucopia, he's wearing a Broncos hat.

Visitors from Texas

This past weekend Granny and Granddad came to Springfield to visit us. We had a really good time, showing them around our new town and doing some fun things together. On Sunday, we started off with a driving tour of downtown Springfield so Granny and Granddad could see the Illinois State Capitol, the Old Capitol building, the Lincoln home, and the Governor's mansion. We then went to the Dublin Pub for lunch, and everyone tried the famous Horseshoe. If you don't know what a horseshoe is, it's a Springfield specialty where they stack Texas toast, meat (usually hamburger) and fries, all of which is covered with white cheese sauce. I have now had three Horseshoes, and I have yet to be disappointed.

After lunch, we went to Washington Park to hear the Carillon concert and walk around the rose gardens. The weather was beautiful, and this was a great way to work off the massive amount of calories we had just consumed. We also got to go inside the botanical garden and see many different, unique plants.

Later that day, while the boys played with Granny and Gina, Don and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Broncos play the Cowboys. The game looked like it might go to the Cowboys early on, but the Broncos stayed tough and walked away with a victory. Despite the outcome, we had a nice time and were able to have good conversation while we watched the game. I've already told Gina I might make Buffalo Wild Wings a regular Sunday stop ... just kidding.

On Monday, Granny and Granddad went to see the Lincoln Museum and Library, while Gina stayed home with the boys. I got to go to work ... yay. Everyone came to my office later that day and we walked around campus for a little while before picking up pizza from Monical's. After a huge meal and a movie, we all went to bed and slept through a very loud thunderstorm.

Granny and Granddad left this morning to head back to Texas, and we got back to business as usual. We had a great time with our first visitors, and we can't wait for them to come back again. Here are some pictures of our adventures.

On a train bound for nowhere ...

Here is some live footage of the train ride.

Racing Stripes

No, this is not a metaphor or some random line from a song. I actually gave Sam racing stripes on accident. On Sunday, as we were getting ready for church, Gina and I decided to have a Groom-0-Rama with the boys. This included a haircut (administered by me), finger and toenail trimming, nose clearing and a bath. In an attempt to save some time, I piloted the "ear fade" attachments on the clippers. There is one each for the right and left side. Well, I quickly found out that there is a technique to using these, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't involve racing stripes. After it happened, I tried to use different attachments to fade them in, but with no luck. So, Sam gets to be Lightening McQueen for a few days. The stripes weren't that visible to start with, and they are barely noticeable now. And now I know it's better to take my time when cutting the boys' hair than to attempt short cuts (no pun intended). Now that the dust has settled, their haircuts actually look pretty good.

Choo-Choo!

This Saturday, we all got to take another adventure in Illinois. Fun Shop organized a train ride to Lincoln, about an hour drive north of Springfield. The trip only took about 30 minutes by train, and it seemed like even shorter than that. The boys got a snack, a Thomas the Train sticker and the conductor came through and punched their special Fun Shop ticket. Sam and Nate both loved the train, and they especially loved eating their raisins and looking out the window.

Most of the families had one parent ride the train while the other one drove to Lincoln to pick everyone up for the drive back to Springfield. We really couldn't do that because that would leave one parent with two very active toddlers on the train. So, when we got to Lincoln, we went to a have Pizza (where we got to meet another Springfield family that lives just down the street from us) then we took the train back to Springfield. As is often the case with trains, it was late, so the boys got to run around and play for an extra 40 minutes until we were able to board. I forgot to mention, by this time it was past their bedtime, and Nate was getting quite slap happy. He does this when he's tired and it's past his bedtime.

We arrived safely at home around 9:30, and the boys, as well as Gina and I, went straight to bed. I'm now convinced that train travel is pretty cool, and we can't wait to do it again.

Apple Barn

Well, it wasn't Carter Mountain Orchard, but we found a suitable substitute in Illinois: the Apple Barn in Chatham. We went there this morning as one of our Fun Shop events, and the boys had a nice time. The weather was actually kind of crummy, but we were bundled up and ready for action. The first part of the field trip was just walking around through the rows of pumpkins. We then got to go in the barn and see the apple cider press, which was more impressive to the parents than it was to the toddlers. We briefly walked over to the small apple orchard and looked at all of the different trees, but the rain started to come down a little harder and we all headed back to the barn to try some apple cider (which the boys loved) and a fresh apple from the tree (which Nathaniel ate in one sitting ... the picture is below to prove it). Tomorrow we are going on a train ride, and Sam has been practicing his "choo choo" sound in preparation for the big event. I'll write more about that tomorrow.

Meanwhile, back at the farm

I put together a video of our time on the farm this weekend. I didn' t do a lot of editing or put in any effects, but it's still pretty cute.

Cozy Creek Farm

This past Saturday, we had the opportunity to go to a small farm about 45 minutes south of Springfield. The event was sponsored by Fun Shop, and the boys got to experience all kinds of new things. There was an assortment of animals, from a donkey and mule, to sheep (Sam calls them bah-bah), goats, a turkey, pigs, cows and a miniature horse just like Uncle John and Aunt Nancy Jane have. There was also a mini corn maze, and hay loft for the boys to jump around in. They had set up a hay bale tunnel, but the boys were not too enthusiastic about that. We also got to take a short hay ride, which was pretty fun. Gina made sure Sam and Nate looked the part by putting them in their overalls. The only thing missing was cowboy boots, but I think sneakers turned out to be more comfortable. Next Saturday we get to go ride a train, and I will report on how that goes. Here a few pictures of the experience:

Fun Shop!

All us guys in the house are thankful for Gina for so many reasons, and one of those reasons is that she is extremely deft at seeking out fun and exciting activities for us to do as a family. One of those activities is a called Fun Shop. I asked some of my students if they had heard of this, and the response was unbelievably enthusiastic. Apparently it has been a monument on the Springfield social landscape for quite some time, and just about everyone here who has young children knows about it. Fun Shop, in a nutshell, is a learning environment for toddlers, where they come to the Fun Shop classroom with their parents once a week for one hour and a half. There is a train/truck/airplane section, a playhouse section, a puppet section, a loft, playdough, slides and other climbing toys, a water table, a big boat filled with rice and beans (like a sandbox) big toys and a reading center. There is actually much more, but I think you get the point. It's similar to what you would see in a preschool, except the parents don't drop the kids off. We play along with them and, generally, get to act like a kid.

We've been going for 3 weeks, and here is a rundown of how it has gone:

• Week 1: Sam did pretty well, but Nate pitched a wall-eyed fit. He thought we were dropping him off at the church nursery (at least that's my theory). The biggest meltdown came at the end when it was time to clean up.
• Week 2: Much better. Sam and Nate both did great, but Nate threw another tantrum when it was time to clean up. Any guesses about what Gina and I talked about working on more at home?
• Week 3: No fits. Nate didn't exactly help clean up, but he didn't scream and roll around while Gina cleaned up. She held him for most of the clean up time, but the fact that there was no weeping or gnashing of teeth is a step in the right direction.

We have 10 more weeks of Fun Shop, and my prediction is that both Sam and Nate will be helping clean up like champs by the time it's all done. Then I can show them how to use our vacuum cleaner at home. Here are some pictures so you can get an idea about the kinds of things they do. There are more photos in our web album.