Trick-or-Treat, Smell my feet!

Yesterday Henry participated in his first trick-or-treat. Along with friends and family, we gathered at Oma & Opa's for hot dogs before passing out candy to the dozens of kids in their cute, fun and sometimes scanty costumes. Of course Henry did not go knocking door-to-door, but the little bear enjoyed cozying up outside while watching all the kids come by. It was a chilly night so we brought out blankets and the chiminea, and everyone had a great time.

Much of the gang 

(top row from left: Jared holding Ella the monkey, Lisa Ignaziak, Mary Rizzo with a baby in her belly!, Matt Rizzo; 

in the middle: Ty a.k.a. Spiderman, Grace the elephant, Lexie the dog; 

and on the ground - Henry the bear)

Sadly this specimen belongs to us, and we call him Opa.

Ella & Henry - SO cute!

The kids were in heaven.

Ella making "snow" angels in the mulch while Ty assesses the situation.

Our little bear

Cute as can be

Believe it or not, this wild child was the sign bearer at our wedding.

Lauren the butterfly - she's a doll.

Jared with the real firefighter, Jake!

Ella had way too much fun!

Ali with Jake and Lisa

Daddy bear and baby bear

Eating time = Serious time

This is the face of a boy who does not want to be disturbed while he is eating. Can you blame him?

It doesn't get any better than this:

Matt is usually the one to soothe Henry to sleep each night, and since my injury, Matt has been especially helpful with the bedtime routine. Each night, Matt takes Henry (and Henry's bottle) up to our bed as to let me finish up any work that is consuming me downstairs. It is also an opportunity for Matt to relax as his days have become extremely busy and exhausting taking care of Henry, Jaeger and me. So when I hobbled upstairs last night and found the three boys sound asleep in bed (Jaeger was at the foot of the bed), I was filled with warmth. I managed to capture this picture with my camera phone. Eventually Matt woke up and carried Henry to his crib, but for a few peaceful minutes, I was given a most precious gift: three sleeping boys. Y Ali

Busy, busy, busy

We had one of the busiest weekends that we have had in a long time. 

Friday night was the calm before the storm - we ate dinner out at Bob Evans and hit the grocery store for a few last minute items. 

But by Saturday, it was off to the races. In the morning we headed to Newark for Marvin Baker's funeral service. Though the circumstances were not ideal, it was nice to see family that we haven't seen in a while. After the service we scooted back to Columbus to quickly change clothes and head back out the door. We dropped Henry off at Oma & Opa's and then headed to campus for the OSU v. PSU game. Because we made it down relatively early (we were there by 2:00pm for an 8:00pm kick-off), we scored great parking and a spot in line for Skull Session. We enjoyed a rare evening together without Henry, and though the Buckeyes couldn't pull it off, we had an awesome evening. We crawled into bed shortly after midnight, and because Oma & Opa (and Mo) kept Henry overnight, we both had a great night's sleep. 

Sunday morning we were up-and-at-em again, this time for a trip to McConnelsville. Ali hosted a bridal shower for Matt's sister, Kelley, and it was an afternoon of too-much food, giggling ladies, and a spoiled Kelley. Matt spent the afternoon shooting clays and exercising Jaeger. We were back in Columbus by 6:00pm, and we were both exhausted. Too bad Henry didn't sleep well last night because we could have used the rest!

Go Bucks!

Stealing a kiss.

The infamous Script Ohio

Toys - Yum!

Hey guys, it's me, Henry!

Prayers for the Kelley & Baker families

Early this morning the Kelley & Baker families lost Uncle Marvin. Marvin Baker was Uncle to Becky and her five sisters, and he was brother to Grandma Kelley (Marcilene). 

Every Thanksgiving, Marvin and his gracious wife, Vickie, opened their home to the entire family for Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple at Marvin & Vickie's last year. Not only were they extremely hospitable to the both of us, but they welcomed our rambunctious puppy as he enjoyed romping around in their large backyard. We were looking forward to visiting with Marvin this Thanksgiving as we knew his health was failing, and we are saddened to know that we will not have that opportunity. 

Please be thinking of and praying for the Kelley's and Baker's as they deal with this loss.

Boo at the Zoo

Saturday night we went to the Columbus Zoo for Boo at the Zoo. Henry's costume was the perfect outfit for the evening as temperatures dropped into the low 50s. We bundled up with our little bear (and Oma & Opa) for a stroll around the park. Most of the animals were asleep, but we did visit the fish at the aquarium (Henry's favorite). Henry also experienced his first ride on a carousel. He didn't offer much expression while on the horse rather he appeared a bit over-stimulated by all the lights and sounds. Henry's favorite part of the evening was probably when Mommy fed him iced animal crackers - a bit ironic, don't ya think?

Henry the fish

Henry began swimming lessons yesterday, and he absolutely loved it. He will be taking six weeks of lessons at our local recreation center, and the primary goal of the lessons is to get the babies comfortable in the water. Henry went under the water twice, and it didn't seem to bother him one bit. Guess we have a little fish on our hands!

Ali update

Ali saw her doctor today. 

Here is the good news:

• No more cast! She is now the proud owner of a BIG BLACK BOOT. Though she cannot bear weight on her leg yet, she can remove the boot to shower - how refreshing!
  
• She can start stretching her ankle. Doc recommends stretching and rotating it a couple of times a day.

The less than good news:

• Still another 4 weeks before she can bear any weight on her left leg.
• Still another 6 weeks before she can pick up Henry and walk around with him. 

Thanks again to our family and friends who continue to help us through this complicated situation. We don't know what we would do without you.

And thank God that it's just an ankle. It could be much worse, and we are grateful that there is an end in sight.

got pumpkins?

Grandma & Grandpa were in town today helping Ali with Henry and Jaeger. In addition to visiting the pediatrician for vaccinations (Henry hardly fussed!), we stopped at the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. Here are a few pics of our little pumpkin at the patch.

Check out my band-aid - that's right, I got shots today.

Check out my mom's boo-boo - Yikes!

Hey, Mister, I'm not for sale!

Pumpkins are F-U-N!

Gotta find the perfect pumpkin.

I'm not scared of no scarecrow.

Oh, and forgot to mention, I sit up now!

Laptime

Each Monday our local library offers Laptime for babies. It's 20 minutes of songs and stories appropriate for little ones. Henry enjoys the songs with hand motions, and he especially enjoys watching all the other babies.

This past Monday my mom took us, and we met Jared, Lisa, Ella, Jake and my Aunt Kay (she was in town for the weekend). What fun!

*Thanks for the pictures, Auntie

Back home

Though fun while it lasted, we decided to move back home today. The conveniences of Ali's parents house will be missed - first floor master bedroom and shower, two short steps into the house (as opposed to four steps into the condo), LOTS of extra hands to help out - but we are back at the condo in hopes of staying better organized and possibly regaining some independence (mainly for Ali's sake). By no means can Ali use her left leg (probably another month yet), but for those of you who know Ali, her independence and "space" are her sanity.
We have been so blessed to have Ali's family nearby during this complicated couple of weeks, and we are forever grateful for their hospitality. It's one thing to give up your bed (and essentially the entire house) for your injured daughter and her husband, but throw a six-month-old baby and rambunctious puppy in the mix - that takes some patience!
Fortunately we continue to have an outpouring of help from both Matt and Ali's families, and we welcome them as we transition back to life in our home.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Oma & Opa (and MoMo too) for rearranging your lives so that our life was made easier. We know that God uses these bumps-in-the-road to grow our family, thus we embrace life's challenges with open arms.

Ridin' in style

Check out Henry's new wheels 

(Oma found the Gator at a garage sale!):

And check out Ali's new wheels 

(sticky-fingered by her law-abiding cousin, Jar-Head):

6 months already?

It's already been six months since our little blessing entered this world, and he has filled our lives with such happiness and love. 

On Friday, Henry had his six-month doctor's appointment. Henry continues to grow and hit the appropriate developmental milestones, and Henry's doctor is pleased with his progress. Henry weighed 18lbs, 5oz, and he measured 27.75" long. And with the exception of just a few foods, the doc gave us permission to feed Henry just about anything! With a second tooth popping up, Henry is ready to chow down. 

Opa, I'm helping you mow the lawn.

This tongue helps me think.

Do you like the hat my Oma made?

I do!

Just swingin' from a tree.

Happy Half Birthday To Henry!

Henry is six months old today, and because his Mo spoils him, she insisted on having a small get-together to celebrate the little man's half birthday. And even though Mommy can hardly move, she managed to bake cupcakes just for the occasion (thanks for your help, Oma). It was a special evening as Morgan premiered a darling video that she created highlighting pictures of the last six months. Not to mention, Aunt Mo treated Henry to a new karaoke toy which he LOVES! Several of our friends and family stopped by to check on Ali and give Henry some love. What a great way to spend a Wednesday evening. 

I love my new toy, Aunt Mo!

Aren't we having fun, Opa?

Gee, I'm cute.

Hangin' with my pal Kel.

Cupcake time - delicious!