Livin' It Up with the Cox's

This last weekend the Cox's (Neil's sister, brother-in-law, and baby) were able to come and visit with us. Steve has a medical conference in Lake Geneva which is only 2 hours away, so they decided to come to visit us for the weekend before. We loved it! We stayed up way too late talking and playing games,and had tons of fun! They got in late Friday night and we stayed up chatting and getting updated on each family. On Saturday Neil and Steve went to play golf while Delee and I went to the barn sale and then walked down our main street and enjoyed some cute boutiques and stores. We met up for lunch at Cook's Room and then enjoyed dessert at the Quality Bakery next door. (Gotta love their donuts!) Then we let the boys nap while we also caught up on some rest. Then, we took them to go see the exciting Don Q Inn plane. (You will have to look at the pictures below to see what I am talking about) That night was Settlers time! And along with that we had some Culver's custard. That is definitely a must when you come to visit Wisconsin. Sunday was also fun, taking them to our branch and having them meet our friends and branch family. They drove to their hotel later Sunday night so that Steve could go to the conference. I got to meet Delee for more shopping today, so I was blessed to have a little bit more time with them!

It was fun to see the reactions that Jakob and Preston had when they first saw each other. They weren't quite sure what to think at first, but then got each other excited when they heard noises coming from each other.

Here are a few pictures of the two cuties and the infamous plane:

This wasn't the first time they saw each other, but play time on Sunday. They were both quite intrigued by this toy that would play music and pick-a-boo with them. 

Jakob is 6 months and can sit up, which Preston loved watching. He is super cute and smiles at everyone. 

 Aren't they so cute!

How fun is it that they are only 2 months apart?! 

And here is the Don Q Inn plane. It seems so random, I know. I guess this guy bought this old war plane and then decided to land it in Dodgeville and park it in front of his hotel. According to wikipedia it is: "...One of the most amazing landmarks of the Dodgeville Municipal airport is its only current resident Boeing C-97G. When the plane landed it barely fit on the small runway, creating a massive cloud of dust. The plane still sits in front of the Don Q inn, which is directs next to the airport." Weird, huh?! Only in Dodgeville. 

Here is the plane:

 And a view of the inside. It looks like he just bought it and moved it, no changing anything about it. 

 Here was a little bit about the story of how it got there. 

 Some really old gages that were in the front of the plane. They were really cool looking, and I think original.

So, all in all...it was so fun having them here for the weekend. We are super excited to get to see more family when we go home for Christmas.

A Face Full of Food

On Monday we decided to start Preston on rice cereal. He seemed really hungry after eating 7 ounces, so I decided that he could probably benefit from starting solids. I was so excited about this! We got a high chair (Thanks Aunt Kathy!) and got him and the cereal all ready to go. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but now he is starting to get the hang of things.

Here are a few pictures and a few videos:

This was a picture of Neil feeding him. He likes his hands so much it was hard to get them out of his mouth long enough to fit food in. 

 He loved playing with the spoons.

 This was his unsure face...which we got quite a bit while we were trying this new eating thing with him. haha...

 And then when we were finished this was the end result! A full baby is always a happy baby!

Here are the videos: Neil and I both feel like we sound so funny in the videos, but what can ya do...when I get around a baby I just seem to talk a little funny. Hopefully Preston appreciates it!

This was the first couple of bites he ever took! I was feeding him and Neil was recording it.

Then we switched...Neil fed him while I recorded it.

He really seems to be unsure of what he thinks of this whole eating thing. At some moments he seems to really love it and then it all of a sudden takes a turn and he seems to hate it. He has gotten much better though and is learning how to eat off the spoon instead of try to suck from it. We just started adding squash to the rice cereal. (He was getting a little backed up) He seems to really enjoy it and I am excited to see what he thinks of more vegetables soon! 

On Wednesday we had his four month appointment with the doctor. I have come to really hate shots, but understand the need for them. Also, he was weighed and measured!

Weight: 15 lbs 3 oz. (53rd percentile)

Length: 27 in. (76th percentile)

We definitely have a long baby! I thought he was a little chunky, but I guess he is average. I'm just grateful for a healthy baby that is making our life even happier! He really is growing up so fast and has just started trying to bring his legs up into his belly and crawl when he is on the ground. He moves his legs back and forth so fast, almost like he is flutter kicking behind himself awkwardly. It is the cutest thing ever. I hope to get that on video soon! 

My little athlete

Preston has gotten so much stronger lately...and his legs are huge! He has also started enjoying watching football with daddy. I think it is partly because there is lots of movement on the tv and Neil will talk to him about the game.

Following after Daddy...loving football!

 He is so strong and super cute! He loves standing up and using his strong legs. It seems to make him feel like he is such a strong and big boy!

Preston has grown up so much! Lately he has been sleeping really well. He eats around 8 and then is usually in bed by 9 at least. Then, he wakes up around 8 or 9 in the morning, so he usually sleeps 11 or 12 hours. I am so grateful for such a good sleeper! I have been spoiled lately with some good sleep, which gets hard when occasionally he will wake up in the middle of the night or super early in the morning. He is a good baby though.

Neil's Birthday!

The big 2 ...6! Neil turned 26 this year and it was such a fun birthday, or at least I thought so. (I think he did too!) I decided to throw him a surprise party this year and get a few friends together and celebrate, and yes we got him good! He was not expecting it at all. I decided to go to the driving range and pick him up from work and go straight there. I had made the food earlier that day and picked up the house. Luckily Michelle was there to help really pull it off and help me! Here are a few pictures of the fun event:

This is Neil blowing out his candles! Do you like the cake I made? It was a golf cake since that is what he has been into lately. 

Neil with his presents ready to open on Saturday morning! Isn't he so cute! He did well this year!

 Gotta get one of him opening his presents: classic.

 Neil with his stash of birthday presents! Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts you got Neil!

On his birthday we went golfing. He got a new golf outfit for his birthday, so here he is showing it off! 

I can't believe how fast time flies! Neil is such a great husband and wonderful Dad and I am so grateful that I get to be married to him. Yea for birthdays!

3 Months Old

Preston is now officially 3 months old! I can't believe how much he has grown. At his 2 month appointment he was 12 lbs. 8 oz. and 23.75 inches long. I am sure he is much bigger now!  He has started "talking" and is now grabbing at his toys and putting them in his mouth, which is so cute! He loves sitting up against the couch or in his bumbo and being able to look around and see what is going on. He has started scooting across the floor a little bit in several different ways, which is fun to see. He loves the water and now enjoys being outside. On a good night he is sleeping 9 hours and then another 5 after I feed him...a bad night is 6.5 hours or so. I am grateful for a good sleeper! Overall, we are loving our little boy and seeing him grow!

Here are a few pictures of what he is looking like now! His eyes are really blue and his hair is getting more and more red. His cheeks are still large and in charge!

This is a normal everyday face:

This is his talking face: 

 The drooling has begun! Ahhh! Now I have to change his onsie more often.

 His hands are some of the most entertaining things in his life these days. 

 This is him sitting up on the couch!

I love taking pictures of my little man! He has started to get scared of the flash, so I just have to make sure that there is enough light in the room. Isn't he so cute! And a special thanks to Michelle Mosley for letting us borrow her camera! 

Happiest Place on Earth!

We were able to go to Disneyland and California Adventure for a three days earlier this week. We all had a blast! Neil ended up getting sick the last day, which was a bummer, but for the most part we were healthy and happy! The flight ended up being okay too! I was a little afraid that Preston was going to freak out, but he ended up eating on the way up and then sleeping almost the whole flight and then eating again on the way down. I think he liked the noise that the plane made.

How cute is he! I love the Mickey Mouse ears. We bought him the infant size hat, but it still didn't fit his small little head. He didn't mind wearing it though, which was fun for us!

Ryan, Emily, and Natalie at Goofy's House...just checking the mail.

Mickey's Home

Aren't we so cute together! I love the quirkiness of Toon Town!

Fun Storybook Land

Ryan and Preston chillin' in the hotel room. We had a neat suite that has two rooms and then a living room with a kitchen and dining area. It made it fun to be so close and have a common area to just hang out at night or in the mornings with each other.

For some reason I really loved this hat!

More Toon Town.

There was a 60-90 minute wait to see the Tangled Princess...and I wasn't about to wait that long for a picture, but I thought that this was cute how the added her hair into the buildings outside.

Fun little lamp post

Dad, Emily, and Preston!

And finally, all of us together on the last day!

There were a couple of things that I found amazing! First of all, the World of Color. At night in California Adventure they did a production called the World of Color. They used water, lighting, and all sorts of projected scenes from disney movies along with some great music. I don't really know how to describe it, but highly suggest that if you get the chance to go to Disney to go see it! Second, Disney has a place called the Baby Care Center. It is a building with a breast feeding area, diaper changing area, a kitchen where you can warm up bottles or baby food...high chairs for feeding and little tables, small toilets for potty training children, and then a little play area for lost children. Needless to say, I spent lots of time there and was very grateful for such a quiet place to get away and take care of Preston. Disney is amazing! Last of all, the rides were fun and then sun was great...but most of the fun came from being with family for that week!

Love the Surf: Huntington Beach

The first day we were in California we went down to Huntington Beach. We wish we would've gotten there sooner so that we could rent surf boards or boogie boards to play in the water, but we did get to see a beautiful sunset and eat at the restaurant on the pier. This was a great way to start our vacation!

 Isn't this a great shot of the pier! The waves were really beautiful at night. It was fun to see some of the night surfers out doing their thing too.

We got Preston all ready to go in the water, but then once we got in I thought that it might be a little cold. We dipped his feet in a little bit, but for the most part he stayed out with Grandpa.

 Jumping the waves!

 Emily got torn down a little bit after one hard big wave. Some of the waves were quite strong!

 Preston was out when we got to the beach...but he was dressed ready to get wet.

Love the glasses!

Yeah! Preston is happy at the beach!