2nd Birthday Pictures

It was so nice to have a week off work before Austin's birthday. We tried to jam as much fun in as we could! Monday night, we took him to his all time favorite store, Rural King. At one point, we were certain he was about to hyperventilate. All we heard was... TractorsToysRangersBunniesAnimalsTractorsToysRangersBunniesAnimals at 100 mph the entire time we were there. We decided that next year we'll skip the big party and just invite everyone to a night of shopping at Rural King!

On Tuesday, we headed to Belleville for family and 2-year pictures:Next up: The Magic House!

Wordless Wednesday: Time For A Big Boy Bed?

Mr. & Mrs. G: Dinner and Dancing

We went back and forth all day about what to do between the wedding ceremony and reception. Should we try to get him a nap? Do we drive around while he sleeps? After a lot of discussion, we did what any responsible parent would do...we took him to the bar, where he fell head over heels in love with Shirley Temples.
We almost lost him on the way to the reception. It was only a 10 minute drive but I'm sure it felt so nice to be snuggled in his car seat in the nice, cool car. We sang loudly and drove as fast as we could to make it to the hall without letting his eyes close. He got a second wind when Aunt B and Uncle C showed up with the wedding party.
Dinner included his favorite - chicken! After his belly was full, he tried his hardest to figure out how the backdrop worked behind the head table.
Austin loves his family so much! As you can see, he has Ka-wee right where he wants her! Ky-ky was such a big help with keeping him busy all day.
It was finally time to dance! I was hoping he'd make it to the dance just because he's been talking about dancing for a LONG time now! I wanted him to get use of the "dancing shoes" he's been so proud of.
We only got a few songs in before he decided to crash. We were so proud of how well he did during such a long day! Grandma and Grandpa Furfur arrived a few minutes later to take him home. They said he barely woke up when they took him out of his tux. The first thing he said the next morning (when he finally woke up at 11:00) was... "Tux?!??"
Devin and Kristin - Your day was absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for having Austin be a part of it!

Mr. & Mrs. G: The Ceremony

This is the only picture I have from the ceremony! I think everyone was too nervous and excited to get pictures of him coming down the aisle standing at the end of the aisle. He was all pumped to head towards Devin and Stefan until everyone turned to look at him. At that point he paused and waited quietly while Stefan came to get him. He was a good little boy during church and walked back down the aisle (with Stefan, of course) like a champ!

Let the celebrating begin!

Mr. & Mrs. G: Pre-Wedding

Devin and Kristin's day was finally here! Our instructions were to be at church at noon. I wasn't exactly sure how things were going to go but we were determined to give it our all! He asked for a "pacie and wobbie" on the way there, but he was fine once he realized there was way to much going on to even think about taking a nap. Everything looked so beautiful at church - especially the bride! Austin was a little ham during pictures. The photographer would tell him where to put his toes and he'd say "Toes!!"
It was a warm, but beautiful Saturday afternoon. After pictures, we hung out in the cry room with the AC running full blast. Austin had so much fun "cooking" with Stefan.
The big moment was almost here!

Mr. & Mrs. G: The Rehearsal

I had never been to a rehearsal dinner on a Thursday night. I'll admit that it worked out great! It was nice to have the extra day to pull everything together. Austin enjoyed being the center of attention while the adults practiced for the big day. He loved carrying around his Great-Grandma Esther's jewelry box. It's the same box Kyle carried in our wedding!Austin practiced walking down the aisle a few times while we were there. The preacher told us we needed a "pitcher and a catcher" to get him down the aisle. Nana was the pitcher the first time and I headed to the front to be the catcher. The second time I tried to play the pitcher from the back of church. We decided that Stefan would be the catcher -- even if it meant he had to come all the way to the back of church to get him!
The dinner after rehearsal was amazing! Some of the best fried chicken we have ever had! Aunt Win put a lot of thought into the tiny details. From the paint can goodies to the monogrammed tissues and ChapStick -- everything looked great!
Stay tuned for pictures from the big day!

Tiny Tux

The following pictures are from the afternoon we went to pick up Austin's tux for Devin and Kristin's wedding. I was a little nervous about how he'd react when he saw the tux. He had been telling everyone his tux was going to be green and yellow!We were ushered into a fitting room and told to get him undressed. I felt like something wasn't right when they hung the tux in our room, but the seamstress assured me that it was altered according to his measurements. (Don't the sleeves look funny to you??) We continued on...
Everything was absolutely perfect until we put on the coat. The sleeves were at least two inches too short! After a good laugh, we decided we'd be back the next day to pick up his coat!
My baby in a tux! So handsome!

Two Years Young!

12 Months - 13 Months - 14 Months - 15 Months - 16 Months - 17 Months

18 Months - 19 Months - 20 Months - 21 Months - 22 Months - 23 Months

Austin, at two-years-old, you...

You started calling your Grandma and Grandpa Kiefer, the Ferfers.

You started eating yogurt and cereal all by yourself.

You say "sorry" all the time - even when it isn't your fault.

You love to get a Fresh Woobies before bed.

You still sleep with 4+ pacifiers each night.

You love to help do the dishes.You go to sleep on your own but you really enjoy sitting with your Dad every night before bed.

You stand in the kitchen and say, "Uhm, something else" when you aren't happy with the snack we provided.

You could watch your "I Love Train" movies 24 hours a day.

You take 3 - 4 hour naps on the weekends.You say you were "scared-ed" when something takes you by surprise.

You say "yes dear" before I can answer after you holler "mom!"

You love Ranger rides.

You're picky about vegetables but you love any kind of meat.When you know you can't have something (i.e. Soda) you like to say "try it?" just in case we might give in just this one time.

You love to sit on our laps during dinner.

You are shy around new people and you'll tell us "shy" when we ask why you wouldn't talk to someone.

You have your primary colors down. You count: 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 and say your ABC: R, T, R, T

You are the sweetest two-year-old on the block! We love you, buddy!