Halloween 2008

Happy Halloween!

We started off earlier in the week sporting the long-sleeved Halloween shirt with shorts, since the highs have been in the ‘80s around here. Every time he wore the shirt, he liked to point out the pumpkins.

And drum roll…the big costume reveal….

Grrrrrr! Yes, a lion for the 2nd year in a row. I thought it was too cute, and I just couldn’t pass up the on-sale and coupon combo at Target.

Today was a fun day to make some office visits. First we headed to Poppy’s office and got to raid the front desk candy jar.



Then we headed to Grandpa’s office and got to trick-or-treat through all of the offices.

We followed it up with a fun tradition we started last year…Grandpa takes us to lunch. We had to make sure there was room for the tail.

After a good nap and about two bites of dinner (it’s like he knew something good was coming), the fun began. Bring on the candy. We took a picture just like this last year as well. The biggest change this year is that he knows what good stuff it is.

We attempted trick-or-treating at a few houses on the street. I have a feeling next year might go a little more smoothly. He figured out how to say “trick-or-treat” and to tell everyone “hi,” but going up to doors at other people’s homes was a little scary.

Even so, we had lots of fun with the sweetest and cutest lion around.

Solicited Advice Here

I've got lots of blog updates coming soon, but there's a pressing issue I'd love to get some advice from anyone willing to share. Tate's 2nd birthday and Christmas are coming very soon, and we're trying to decide on what kind of outdoor play set to buy. Here are my qualifiers:

* we won't be in this house forever, so nothing huge and permanent
* he is still working on the climbing/balance coordination skills
* he has no fear, so nothing too high off the ground
* he loves slides
* we have a swing already

Any thoughts out there on what's worked (or hasn't) for your kiddos?

Bend It Like Strzinek

So I was gone for just a couple hours last night and somehow the playroom was turned into an indoor soccer field.  Here's the proof.   I must admit that I think it's pretty cute.

Pumpkin Patching All Across Town

It looks as though we’ll only be hitting two pumpkin patches this year as opposed to last year’s three. Is Tate deprived or what? :) Even still, we have enjoyed the visits so far. Although we’re all still dressed for summer temperatures, it’s so much fun to kick off the fall season with the local pumpkin patches.

We went to the first one with Aunt Shannon and cousins, Mallory & Morgan. This is my favorite shot of him on the big ‘ol tractor.

Mallory & Tate had a great time getting to pull wagons all around.

While there, I realized that I don’t think like a toddler. There was a small little hay maze, just one bundle of hay (there’s probably a real word for that, which I don’t know) high. I figured it would be too boring for them. Not quite. I really think Tate could’ve spent 30 minutes going through it. They both loved it!

I’ve also realized that we’re in the stage where it’s difficult to get good, non-blurry pictures of him smiling. He goes 100 mph and hasn’t quite figured out the “smile and say cheese” command yet. So I take whatever I can get. Just know that this little boy is one happy guy and is usually smiling a lot. Just not when I take his picture.

The next pumpkin patch was a part of our 2nd Bunt/Strzinek Family Day. We had a great day during the summer and followed it up with another fun fall day. We all enjoyed a fun train ride first.

Tate loved this pumpkin patch because it was a pretty big place, and he could just run and run. He was off from the second we were there. He got a little annoyed with me trying to tame his explorer spirit to get him to pose with the pumpkins.

“Seriously Mom, it’s still just another pumpkin. What’s the big deal?”

And here’s our weak attempt at a big group photo. We need to at least document that the parents do exist. And since the guys got some time away during the summer fun day, the girls left the kids in their daddy's capable hands after the pumpkin patch and enjoyed a delicious lunch, yummy frozen treat, and relaxing pedicures.

Looking at these pictures, I can’t get over how big Tate looks to me. I guess you don’t notice it as much when you’re with them all of the time, but he is turning into a little boy right before my eyes.

Gotta Love Small Town Festivals

Technically we don't live in a small town. But our mailing address and postal service come from a tiny little town 5 miles away while our tax dollars go to the big city. So to be good postal patrons, we decided to spend last Saturday at the small town's annual Main Street festival. We enjoyed a train ride, sitting in a real firetruck, dancing to some bluegrass, looking at a race car, eating lunch at Babe's, riding the big slide, and watching the clown show. Fun was had by all!

Road Warriors

2 weekends. 1,100 miles. Only 1 hour of “in the car sleep” by Tate. 3 sanity-saving DVDs.

We have had 2 back-to-back weekend road trips and lived to tell about it. Actually, it wasn’t near as bad as I’m sure it could’ve been. I still don’t know how people travelled with small children for long distances without a DVD player, but for now, I’ve embraced the technology and have appreciated it so much.

Our first trip was to Little Rock. It seemed fast and furious, but we still loved every minute of being with some of our favorite people, Bert, Paige, & Anna. We planned the trip around a bike race that Wade wanted to ride in. I guess the Arkansas hills didn’t slow him down too much, because he was done before we could even make it to the finish line.


Afterwards, we enjoyed walking across 1 of the 6 (I think?) pedestrian bridges they’ve built across the water. It was the cutest thing seeing Anna & Tate hold hands walking down the bridge. And throughout the entire trip, Tate couldn’t get enough of Anna. He loved playing with her and asked for her first thing when he woke up in the mornings. She was so sweet and patient with him and did a great job sharing all of her toys.

On Saturday night, we headed to a cute outdoor Harvest Fest for dinner and some walking around. I was pretty excited to see snippets of a fashion show that featured their hometown hero, Korto, from Project Runway. I love that show, and she is my favorite and pick to win. I never got to see her in person but could hear her over the speaker.

As always, we had a great time with lots of laughing and fun.

The next weekend, we headed south to San Antonio to see my college roommate, Garyn, Zach, and their brand new baby girl, Campbell.

Tate and Wade stayed for the first 2 days and then flew home by themselves. You can read all about that little adventure here. I stayed 2 more days to get in lots of dedicated baby time.

I loved every minute of getting to meet Campbell and be with Garyn as we talked all things baby. We even got to check a big first off the list…the first trip to the grocery store with the baby. I remember that being really scary and intimidating at first.

They are all doing so great, and Campbell is such a sweet baby (who also sleeps 6-7 hours at night already!!!). I'm so happy for Garyn & Zach as they enter this incredibly challenging and rewarding new chapter.

Let The Training Begin…Again

Since I have about zero self-discipline when it comes to regular exercise, my method of motivation is to participate in a process that costs money and may ultimately result in losing a toe nail. Sound like fun?

Actually, it is. I (along with my Dad, sister, brother-in-law, and several friends) will be doing the White Rock Half Marathon in December. I completed it last year as a very weak attempt to get into some kind of post-baby shape. Sadly, my training wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. But hey, I finished.

So this time around, I still plan to be one of “those” walkers (no running for this girl), but surely I can take the training a little more seriously and beat my time.

And yes, even with a Half Marathon, you lose toe nails. Gross, but I must speak the truth. I’ll spare the details of what happened after I completed a full marathon in 2004.

So let the training begin!

I Heart The Office

September 19

I remember an older couple telling me that even 30+ years after their miscarriage, they still remember the due date for that baby. This was the 3rd September 19 that has come around and caused pause. As I wrote last year, the sting is much less now, but the day still holds a special place in my heart.

I just recently had a memory of that experience that had been tucked away and forgotten. We were with Wade’s family at a restaurant for dinner a month after the miscarriage. I hadn’t seen my niece (who was 6 years old at the time) since she heard the news. As everyone was catching up and talking, Mary Tish looked over at me and sweetly said, “I’m sorry your baby died.” The tears flowed because that little sentence meant so much at the time.

If you have someone around you that goes through this experience, follow my niece’s example, and all you have to say is you’re sorry.

The Latest With Tate

It has been so long since I’ve written an update on Tate. He’s now 21 months old and is a busy, busy boy. It’s funny because I’m realizing now that he has always been busy. Even from the early months of kicking his legs non-stop, and now he’s a little boy on the move.


You can barely tell that he’s been walking less than 2 months except for when he gets ahead of himself and thinks he can run like a 5 year old. That usually ends with a face plant onto the ground. But I have to give him credit; he usually just pops right up and keeps going. I absolutely LOVE seeing him walk/run all over the place (non-stop). It makes my heart so grateful for all of the help we’ve had and the hard work he’s put into the physical therapy. It has paid off.

The downside of his constant motion is, well, it’s constant. Seriously, he doesn’t stop moving. I guess he’s making up for some lost time. We are also having a hard time teaching him that he has to hold someone’s hand at certain places (like parking lots!!!). He wants to just go. And if you try to hold his hand and he doesn’t want to, he’ll just go limp and fall on the ground (sometimes while laughing). Needless to say, he quickly loses his walking privileges at that point.



He had a good ‘ol time with cousin Mallory’s baby stroller when they were in town awhile ago. He did about 100 laps pushing it through my parent’s house.

Also with the mobility has come the new skill of climbing. He loves to climb up in chairs and on the couch. He doesn’t do it as much now, but there was a period of about 2 weeks that he would climb on and stand up on his train table. I just about wore a path in the carpet for time outs for that. He seems to have gotten the message, though, and doesn’t do it much anymore. The train table has now actually turned into a car table. The wooden tracks don’t stay together well and seem to be a little too frustrating for him right now. Maybe we'll try again in a few months. But this kid is CRAZY for cars. He can play with them forever and “drives” them on any open path he can find.

And poor Macy. The good thing is that she has a friend for life. Tate loves Macy. The bad news is that Tate loves her so much, he is in her business all of the time. And Macy is such the sweet dog, that she just sits there and lets him harass her. It’s pretty sweet and kind of sad at the same time. We’re working really hard on what it means to be “gentle” and that it's not OK to stick your finger up her nose. :)

Food is a little bit better. He’s added a few items to his repertoire, but meals can still be a challenge. And the fork/spoon feeding makes them still very messy.

As far as his treatment goes, he gets to cut back to physical therapy once a week instead of twice. But now, we are going to add one occupational and one speech therapy session a week. Everyone seems to think there isn’t a huge concern and it will be short term, but it will help him get caught up on a few skills. The therapists say it’s pretty common for kids with low muscle tone, because they’ve spent so much time on the big physical therapy skills.

Although it’s been the most challenging so far in the area of discipline, this has been the most fun stage as far as interaction goes. I love watching him discover new things and try to communicate. I know it will only get more fun. Here's his play phone that he talks to Mimi on.

He is a bundle of energy and absolutely loves to say Hi and Bye to anyone and everyone that is in his line of vision. He gives the cutest hugs and kisses. He is the sweetest little cuddle bug right before he goes to bed and likes me to sing Jesus Loves Me to him in the rocking chair. He LOVES all 4 of his grandparents and gets upset if we are anywhere near their houses and don’t go see them. Here’s a video of his favorite cuckoo clock at MoMere’s house.

He is truly our delight making our days so much fun, and we are thankful for him every single minute.