Happy Holidays!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We had a blast! We're sad to be home, but are also looking forward to sleeping in our own beds again-there's nothing like that after being gone for a while! Hobbs got a bunch of fun new things to play with and had lots of fun with family. I got a new toy too-Don, Duke & Christy, and Brandt went in together to buy me a new camera and my parents gave me a gift card to help with a lens for the camera. It's awesome! I have the link to a new Kodak Gallery for Hobbs so you can enjoy the pictures. We hope to talk to you all soon! :)

Fashion Statement?

So this morning, Hobbs, who usually hates wearing shoes, decided that he just had to have his shoes on. I think they look quite stylish with his jammies, don't you? :)

Manana, aka Banana

Hobbs absolutely LOVES bananas. He wants to eat them all the time and goes around saying "manana" all the time. He didn't do it quite as clear for the video, but you can get the point! :)

Naughty or Nice? :)

While trying to take a picture for Christmas cards the other day, Hobbs was not wanting to cooperate part of the time. We snapped a photo which caught one of his not-so-happy moments. While it may seem silly to post it, it is just so cute! :) We're sure Santa will be visiting this year since most of the time our little Mister is definitely on the nice side, but every once in a while a little bit of his naughty side shines through. :)

Naughty...

Nice...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, as usual, the break has gone by quickly, but it was fun. We went to Rose Hill Tuesday night through Thursday afternoon. Of course Hobbs had a ton of fun. He helped Grandma by cleaning out her cupboards, played with Grandpa, and went on a nature walk (he loves the outdoors) where he saw the pond and found some pinecones to examine. Then we came home and Duke, Christy, McKenna, Rhett, and Grampy came to play. McKenna and Hobbs were so cute playing together, Hobbs had fun looking at Rhett, and Uncle Duke entertained the kids while trying to listen to the K-State game (no quiet alone time anymore!). Now our house is empty and we are sad that yet another holiday has come and gone, but we know we'll see everybody really soon! We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving as well!

Thanksgiving

This Turkey is Stuffed!

As you have seen on previous videos, McKenna loves to take care of Hobbs. Luckily for her, she found a way to do that and to get out of eating turkey! Hobbs came to the rescue-no wasting food, no matter how stuffed you are! :)

It's Official! :)

So, Hobbs finally said his first word. While he's obsessed with saying it all the time (he likes to point at things and say "ball") we're pretty sure he does know what it is. If you hand him another object he doesn't say "ball", but if you hand him a ball he knows it! Daddy's very proud of the first word. :)

Always Helpful

Hobbs has found a new way to be even more helpful when putting dishes away. He never could quite figure out how to get to the top rack, but he's used some problem-solving skills to help him out now. I swear the door of the diswasher is going to break off one of these days!

Newest Talents

Here are some of Hobbs's newest tricks to show off. He does something new every day it seems like! He's so much fun, but we really miss just sitting every once in a while. We constantly chase him, keep him out of the trash and cat food (both of which he's obsessed with), and he is in love with climbing the stairs, so we make several trips up throughout the course of a day. :) He is always doing something new...hope you enjoy the latest! :)

Barefoot in November

It's crazy how nice this weather has been! Not that we're complaining, it's just funny to me that Hobbs is barefoot in a big pile of leaves. Of course, his feet are too fat for shoes still, so I'm glad that the weather is still so nice! :) It's been a crazy couple of weeks for us. Our daycare provider gave 2 weeks notice 2 weeks ago to move on to a position with the state, so that has been a big change! She has taken care of Hobbs since he was 8 weeks old and so it was a sad time. There are no (good) daycares available in town and so luckily our wonderful friend Tawni has agreed to help us out until we find something permanant. Thank goodness for good friends! And of course Grandma is always ready and willing to head up when needed. Grampy also can help out if there is a time Tawni can't do it. We have a new babysitter lined up toward the end of January, so it luckily all worked out, but change is always hard for me. Hobbs doesn't seem to mind though and had a great day with Tawni and her boys today. Here are some pictures of the little ham outside in the leaves. He loved them and wanted to crawl all over and throw them around everywhere. He is so funny and always makes us laugh!

Hobbs the Halloween Punk Rocker

One Year Pictures

Hobbs had his pictures taken for his first birthday (and we had some family ones taken too). They are available for viewing online. Just copy & paste the following link into the address bar. Hope you like them as much as we do! :)

http://www.heidirescophotography.com/proofgallery/view_album.asp?albumID=760&p=1

Bink Buddies

Since McKenna has become a big sister, she has become quite the "mother hen". She is absolutely adorable and is always wanting to help. When Hobbs got upset about something and started crying, McKenna went and found his "bink" and was dead-set on putting it in his mouth. She is very persistent! The whole thing was really cute and extremely funny to watch! She followed him around the table for several minutes trying to put the bink in and then taking it out which made both of them laugh. Silly babies! :)

Doing the Dishes

Hobbs loves to help unload the dishwasher. The other night, he took it one step further than usual! We were just happy that the door didn't bust off! :)

Party Time!

Wow! What a weekend! We had Hobbs's first birthday party and boy, was it fun! It was great to see everybody and we all had fun. Hobbs was so thankful for having everyone come that did. We aren't posting every guest's picture, but we are posting the kids. They all helped Hobbs test out his new presents and all the toys got their seals of approval. Hobbs loved his presents as well as his cake. In addition to enjoying the taste of it, he also had fun grabbing, squishing, and throwing it. We had a lot of clean-up to do afterwards, but it was worth it. We hope you enjoy the slideshows below! :)

Birthday Party part I: The Cake

Birthday Party part II: Gifts and Guests

Hobbs's One Year Montage

Be sure to turn up your volume! For those of you who knew me before kids, you know I wasn't really a cryer. Well, this makes me a little teary, so just a forewarning...you might want a Kleenex. :) Just click on his picture below.


Hobbs's First Year

One Year Old!!!!

I'm HOW old today??!!!!!

Mmmm, this is good stuff!!

Yummy sugar cookies! Where have you been all my life?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOBBS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hobbs went to visit Mommy's class today and took treats to daycare. Mommy's class was more than excited to have him in the class this afternoon! We didn't post any pics though (don't really think it would be right to put other people's kids on the Internet...) Here are some other pics of him though. :)

One Year Stats

Our little Pumpkin Head

While it's SO CRAZY to believe, Hobbs will be 1 year old in just 2 days! So, of course, check back on Thursday. There will be plenty to post! Hobbs will be taking treats to daycare and then bringing treats to Mommy's class (the kids have been wanting him to come in for 9 weeks now!). Then, he will be taking treats to Daddy's class on Friday (they too have been wanting to meet Hobbs). His big party is on Saturday, so his first birthday seems to be turning into a 3-day event!

He went to the doctor yesterday and here are his latest "stats". :)

Weight: 25lbs., 8oz. (90th percentile)

Height: 30in. (60th percentile)

Head: 52cm (off the charts)

So, as you can see, he's a big boy that continues to grow so quickly. It cracks us up that his head is so big since Mommy has always gotten grief about her big head. It just means there is a lot more brain there. :) He is able to eat real food now (he has been for the past several months). The only thing he hasn't liked is barbeque chicken. He can now move to whole milk too, which hopefully will be an easy transition (and a little bit of a money saver since we won't be needing formula!).

Mmmmm, Pizza!

Busy Weekend

This has been a busy, but very exciting weekend. First of all, we got to meet the newest edition to the family-Rhett Cooper. He was born on Thursday, Sept. 25 and is just adorable! Duke, Christy, and big sister McKenna are all doing great also. He weighed 6lbs., 12oz., which seems small to our Mister, but since McKenna weighed only 2lbs., 7oz. when she was born Rhett really seems big! :) While visiting in KC, Hobbs and McKenna managed to entertain us as usual. Friday night, McKenna got into the cereal (a favorite spot to find a snack) and Hobbs of course followed her. While she was careful to just grab one piece of cereal at a time, Hobbs dumped an entire bag of fruity Cheerios out on the floor and the proceeded to move his legs in the pile as if he was making a snow angel. McKenna just watched, trying to figure out why he was making such a mess in her very clean kitchen. Silly boy! :) Along with meeting Rhett and visiting Aunt Christy, Uncle Duke, and McKenna, Hobbs also played with Grampy, played with and slept on Grandpa and Grandma (they too wanted to meet Rhett and then went to the K-State game with us), and play with Leah during the game-thanks Yeeyah, you're a lifesaver! :) It has been a fun, but very busy weekend!

Fun with Family

The Whistle Blower

Hobbs loves playing with my whistle I use for recess at school. He fills it with lots of slobber (yum!) but has figured out how to get it to make noise, which he thinks is hilarious. We thought it was pretty funny too on our latest car ride. :)

Chatter Box

Hobbs has become quite the little chatter box lately. Of course he stops chattering when I try to record him, so this video will just have to do. He was having a deep conversation with the water bottle before I started recording, but all he does on the video is yell. :)

11 Months Old

Hobbs is 11 months old today! It's so hard to believe! Here are a few pictures of him from this week and today. He has started making the "stinky face" (as my friends the Schrag family call it) you see in some of the pictures. He squishes up his nose and grins. It is too funny! :)

Too Much TV!

While it may seem bad (we must watch a lot of TV for Hobbs to have a favorite commercial), Hobbs loves the J.G. Wentworth opera commercial-we're not sure why. He stops what he's doing every time to watch it and loves it! We had to get it on video...he's such a crack-up! :) You might have to turn the volume up a little more than usual to hear the commercial... :)

Spitter

Hobbs has a new noise where it sounds like he's giggling/coughing (you'll hear Brandt make the noise in the background). Of course Hobbs wouldn't do it on video, but instead he showed that he is all boy-thank goodness the clean dishes were out of the dishwasher! :) By the way, the stain on his sleeve is barbeque sauce from supper.

Mister with a Mohawk

Standing on His Own

Within the past couple of days, Hobbs has figured out how to stand by himself. He was "helping" put dishes away this morning and demonstrated his newfound ability for us. :)

First KSU Game

Hobbs went to his first KSU game yesterday and loved it! He really is a true Wildcat! :) He probably won't go to many more games this year-Mommy & Daddy would like to watch the game a little more than we got to yesterday, but next year might be a little easier! He really did a good job and it was a lot of fun! :) Here is a video of McKenna and Hobbs playing with (and fighting over) Grampy's hat. Poor McKenna-she puts up with a lot from Hobbsy! :) Her face at the end says it all!

KSU Game

Deja Vu...

Last year we took a picture of McKenna sitting on my very pregnant tummy at the first K-State football game. We just had to do the same with Hobbs and Christy this year! :)

Happy Birthday Uncle Duke! :)

Hobbs wanted to tell Uncle Duke "Happy Birthday!" and since we won't see him until next week, this will have to do! He got a little sidetracked with his new shoes, but he definitely sends birthday wishes your way Uncle Dukey!!!!

Hobbs's New Shoes

I bought Hobbs his first pair of shoes today. His feet have been and are still so chubby and shoes just haven't fit! :) He didn't quite know what to think of the shoes, but he sure thought he was hot stuff in them. :)

Give Me That!

I was trying to get Hobbs to talk for the camera (he has just figured out how to say his "L"'s and constantly sounds like he's yodelling and saying "ollie ollie ollie..."). Of course he stopped jabbering when I turned the camera on. Hobbs always wants the camera when we're using it...I let him get it tonight. :) He never fails to crack us up! (Don't worry-the camera is okay.)

Watch Out Kitty!

Hosie had better watch out! All Hobbsy wants to do though is pet her! :)

Tub Fun

One of Hobbs's favorite rooms in the house is the bathroom. He loves to crawl in, stand at the edge of the tub, and knock over the shampoo bottles and anything else on the side. We decided we needed some pictures of one of his favorite past times...silly guy!

Hmmm, I wonder how those got in there...

Don't worry Mommy, I'll find the culprit!

Meeting Great Grandma Vallie

Before today, Hobbs had met 3 out of his 4 great grandmas. Today, finally, he got to meet his Great Grandma Vallie. She was so happy to see him. She usually drifts in and out of sleep while visiting, but she was wide awake the whole time we were there. Some baby sure must be special! :) In the picture there are 4 generations, Hobbs, Daddy, Grampy, and Great Grandma Vallie.

10 Months Old!

Hobbs is 10 months old today! It's so hard to believe that in 2 months we will be throwing a birthday party for our little guy! We made it through our first week of school-meetings, workdays, and then days with kids. It sure is a lot harder this year than any other year! We both love our jobs, but it's really hard to leave Hobbs knowing how much fun he is! We'll get a picture on the site asap! :)

Fun with Daddy

Hobbs was in a much better mood today after being at the babysitter's all day. He and Daddy were having some fun outside since the weather is so nice today!

Back to School

Well, Brandt and I officially started back to work last Friday. It's crazy how quickly the summer flies by, but it always does. Hobbs has been going to daycare Monday mornings all throughout the summer so he wouldn't be afraid to go back. Not only was he happy to go on Friday morning, smiling at the kids and Mishelle (our daycare provider), but he didn't want to leave when I went to pick him up Friday afternoon! They were all having fun playing outside and he cried when I took him from Mishelle and walked away from her to the car. It's good that he likes it there so much, but it made me sad too! He was back to being clingy to Mommy & Daddy though this weekend and only took a 30 minute nap today to show us just how much he loves us and wants to be with us! We would've liked some more napping today, but it's also fun to be able to spend our time with Mister.

Dancing

Hobbs has figured out how to turn the stereo on and he was showing off his dance moves for us tonight. I think he saw his little friend Emma shaking her booty and he wanted to show off his own mad skills! :) We didn't get his best performances on video, but these 2 were pretty cute!

So Proud of Himself

Hobbs is always so proud of himself when he stands up. It's always so cute to see him after a nap, because he is standing there waiting for someone to come get him. :) He wasn't taking naps for a couple of days (AAUUGGGGHHHH!!!!) but he finally has started to take them again. He's such a silly boy!

Summer Fun

Hobbs's Weekend

Hobbs had a fun weekend with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Lyndsay. They came up since Brandt & I start school this Friday. :( They played a lot and brought a fun new toy for him to play with. He loves his new fire truck...thanks!! :)

Hobbs is crawling everywhere and pulling up to standing position all the time. Unfortunately he hasn't quite mastered how to sit back down gently and has had a few bonks to his head. He's constantly moving and hasn't been going to sleep as well because he wants to crawl around his crib and stand up all the time. He's so proud of himself. :) He seems to be teething again and has been really cranky the past few days too-not fun.

It's been such a fun summer and has gone so quickly...it sure will be hard to leave our little boy again every day. I'm sure he's ready to go back though since he really likes watching the other kids and playing with them at daycare. We got out of Concordia today and finally took Hobbs to the most wonderful place on earth-yes, of course I am talking about Manhattan, KS!!!! It's ridiculous that it took us 9 months to get there...come football season we will be there lots more though! :) Also, I have updated his Kodak Gallery site, and plan to keep doing that...I just haven't for a little while.

Hobbs & His Hat

Daddy got Hobbs a baseball hat like his high school players wear. Hobbs isn't quite sure what to think about it, but he sure looks good in it! :)

Just Chillin'

So Excited!

Finally!

Well, as you'll see in this video, Hobbs is finally crawling. He's still just getting the hang of it, but we're beginning to wonder why we were so eager for him to become mobile! There's no resting anymore, we have a baby to chase after!

Silly Guy

Uh-oh! Hobbs is already saying "no"! :) Actually, he just shakes his head "no" sometimes, and I actually was able to record it tonight.

Playing with Grampy

Hobbs was "getting" Grampy when he was here the other night and trying to out-yell him in a yelling match. :)

Fun Day

We had a fun day today visiting friends while Daddy & Grampy went golfing. We didn't take any pictures with Jared, but here is a picture of Ali, Drew, and Hobbs. Hobbs had so much fun with Ali & Drew-he gets kind-of bored with Mommy & Daddy sometimes! :)

Hobbs thought Drew was hilarious and giggled at Drew a lot. Of course I didn't get his best giggling recorded, but this is still cute.

Clapping

Usually when we turn on Hobbs's basketball goal he dances and claps. Of course this time he only clapped, but at least he did that! :)

Busy Weekend...