Halloween 2009

This year for Halloween, I dressed up as Batman. Although a bit more comfortable than last year's spider costume, I'm now starting to put a theory together about Halloween characteristics. I can honestly say that the holiday has two characteristics ... lots of fun, and uncomfortable costumes.
When I first got into mine this year, I was not a happy camper ... but once things got underway, I was beginning to enjoy. Ofcourse, all comic book heroes need to fuel up before a night of trick or treat. My fuel of choice - Graham Cracker!
Once fueled, I was ready to go, and we started on our way, Spidey bucket in hand...I met up with my good buddy, Aaron Hall...
He was dressed up as a dinosaur, although his dino-hood would never stay up quite right. (see the running theme of 'Halloween costume uncomfort'!)

So, the thing about Batman is that as a young boy, Batman lost his mommy. I wanted to make sure this Batman showed Mommy how much he appreciates her. As mommy knows, I don't give out my smiles easily, but I made an exception here...
Of course, after I got all the loot - it was back to the "Batcave" to check out the bounty! By the look on my face, I think I did a pretty good job!

Austin in Nashville

So, Mommy and I went to Nashville to visit Daddy. He had a company meeting down there. We also met up with Bebe and Zayde. There's lots of things to do in Nashville...

...Staring contests with Bebe...
...Shopping
...Playing at the Parthenon (the replica in Nashville, not the real one in Greece)...Hanging out with Zayde in our Texas gear...
But the one fun thing that I did not enjoy was my first carousel ride. Here's a video of that experience...

My First Haircut

So Mommy decided that it was time to get me a haircut. I was rather enjoying my hair, but she insisted. We went to one of those 'kid-friendly' barber shops where they put Sesame Street on the TV, have lots of toys, and you get your haircut in a race car. All of these distractions so that I wouldn't focus on losing my beautiful blonde locks, but I'm way smarter than that!

At first, I fought the whole experience...

Then, I pleaded for help ...

Finally, I resigned to the experience with indignation ...

But, i could hold back my displeasure no more when the lady put the hair gel in!!!! ...

Once it was all said and done, I guess it was ok, but I'm not looking forward to going back!

Anyone for Michiana beach?

Lake Michigan + Michigan border + Indiana Boarder = Michiana Beach!!! Not a bad combo! My friend Hannah invited me over. Our moms got us all ready to go in this great big wagon. We were so excited!

After a few minutes though, my patience wore down. I couldn't really wait for them, so I got out of the wagon, and decided I needed to push myself. Who would have thought that the wagon was so hard to push ... I needed to appeal for Daddy!

Once we got to the beach, it was pure joy!

Unfortunately, my friend Hannah was just too worn out. She ended up taking a snooze on her Uncle Barry.

Are you ready for some football!

It's Sunday ... it's 11 AM ... but more importantly, it's week 1 of NFL ... I'm so excited I couldn't even take my morning nap. Ok, running through the checklist....

Tony Romo jersey on - Check
Full glass of milk poured - Check
Cowboys on Comcast - - Doh!

Sometimes I wish Daddy would just pony up for NFL Ticket!

(Sigh)

Trip to Los Angeles

Back in August, we went to visit my mom's godmother Barbara who lives in Santa Monica, California. She has a backyard with orange and grapefruit trees. We had a blast picking fresh fruit off the trees. Here's the stash I got below (Barbara - left, me - middle, Grandma - right):
Of course, there are two things you can't miss while in LA ... the first is the beach! I also found a new toy 'natural' ... seaweed. Man, that stuff is fun!
The second thing you can't miss is Mexican food. To assauge my hunger, we went to Santa Monica Pier and the mexican restaurant Mariasol. I was a 'happy camper' ... I couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted from the menu...

So I finally settled on ... well everything from Daddy's plate and Mommy's plate!

It was fantastic. We spent the rest of the evening walking along the pier where Barbara got this great shot of the family!

Also while in LA, I got to experience a little swimming pool action. Here's my first time in a swimming pool. Let's just say ... I loved it.

How to clean your plate properly

See, the thing is, Daddy and I have very different views on how to clean your dinner plate.
When it comes to lima beans and pasta, I prefer my way of cleaning the plate!

Hide & Seek!

I was playing hide and seek with Mommy the other day. It was my turn to hide, and I think I chose the one place Mommy couldn't find me...

Sour!

Oh - My - Lord ... one sip of Grandma's Lemonade and my jaw had sour shooting bolts of flavor. Immediately, it triggered what I believe to be an allergic reaction in my eyes because they started producing tears. (Of course, I would never cry in public) In addition, a tingling sensation in my throat became so severe that the only way to relieve the tickle was to give out a scream at the top of my lungs...
Now ... after looking at this picture, I don't know what is more disturbing: my body's chemical reaction to lemonade or my Grandma's reaction to my reaction.

Fevers Stink!

I got my first full-blown fever after getting back from Herron Island. Woke up with a 102. Geez, talk about a feeling of uncomfort! I wasn't happy in Daddy's arms, I wasn't happy in Mommy's arms, I wasn't happy not being in Mommy's arms, I wasn't happy eating, I wasn't happy drinking, I wasn't happy, period. (I definitely wasn't happy with Daddy taking pictures of me not being happy, but that is something I will take up with him later) What I finally realized was that if you can't be happy at all, you have to make due with the closest possible scenario to happiness. For me, that was resting my head against Mommy's shoulder.

Herron Island Getaway

I have been working really hard over the past few months. Between the discovery of gravity, the thousands of practice attempts walking (read: falls), and the weight training to reach the 24lb+ weight class, I was in need of some serious relaxation. What better way, than a trip to the one of Puget Sound's private island getaways: Herron Island!

I had my travel agent book me luxury cabin accomodations on a beach front property. (What the agent failed to tell me was that I'd be sleeping in a travel crib in a closet!)

Getting to Herron Island is a bit of a process. First, we had to hit up another plane ride to Seattle. (Side Note: I'm working towards a free voucher on Southwest ... I only need like 3 more trips!) Then, you have some serious driving to the ferry dock where you wait in line to get on a private ferry to take you across to the island. Fortunately, Daddy and I were able to kill some time while waiting in line at the ferry. I learned very important driving and car control funtionality, like honking the horn at the ferry attendant (true story - the attendant was pretty impressed) Once at the cabin, I felt the need to do a full scale inspection of the place. After so many fake plants in doctor's offices Chicago-wide, I was very excited to find out that the cabin owner's furnished the place with real plants!
After I was satisfied that the we were really getting our money's worth, I took an opportunity to explore the beach. It was low tide, and the perfect opportunity for starting out my seashell collection:
Searching for seashells is difficult (to do and to say 3x fast!) and I found that I really just needed to focus on relaxation a bit. A little yoga next to my favorite outdoor fern did the trick. I still haven't mastered the lotus position, but considering I just mastered walking, I'm hoping you will forgive me...
You know how sometimes you just get so into a book that you can't put it down? Well, on this vacation, that was me and the Dr. Seuss book "Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?" ... This Dibble Dibble Dopp stuff is just fascinating.

Branching out into other instruments...

You've seen me play the piano, dabble in guitar, but those are mere indulgences requiring just the rough motor skills my hands provide...

Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time on video, I give you a feat that will truly dazzle. A feat that required such concentration, I not only had to use my hands but my lungs as well. This multi-talented performance cannot be missed...I walk, I turn, I embrace music...all at once...

Shedd Aquarium

Bebe and Zayde came and visited a few weeks back. One day we all went to the aquarium in Chicago. Here's a few pics from that day:

I got to see all sorts of sea animals...

Turtles:

Tiny Fish:

But my favorite was the big fish! Here's my and Zayde taking a peek:
(I think I may have more hair now than Zayde!)

Lastly, here's a picture of Mommy, Zayde, Bebe, me, and Daddy:

Oh ... by the way, I can walk...

A while back I finally got the hang of this walking thing which, apparently, my parents think is a much bigger deal than I do...

Just a typical Saturday afternoon...

Who doesn't like a little Saturday afternoon dance session while Daddy plays the guitar?

Inspector Austin Laves, at your service

Dad recently installed safety locks on the kitchen cabinets so children (like myself?) couldn't get into anything dangerous. Of course, even Daddy with his high and mighty "Project Management Certification" should know that you have to test what you construct. --> Enter Austin Laves, Senior Quality Inspections Agent for the Infant Safety Division of Laves Inspections Inc. (A subsidiary of AML Media Publications):

Need I say more ... Dad failed inspection, and was reported to the chief immediately (a.k.a Mommy)

Where's Austin? In Austin, Of course!

Dad has often told me that in order to get more meaning out of life, I have to go into the wild or nature and find my center. I honestly had no clue what he was talking about. I thought to myself, "Where is Austin's center?" And then, it hit me like a lightning bolt ... maybe I could find my center in Austin. Voila!

So, we packed our bags, hopped on a Southwest flight, and paid homage to Dad's Alma Mater, Austin, Texas! Besides, I really needed to spend quality time with my Uncle Louis, Aunt Shir, and Cousin Itay.

We landed on a Thursday morning, and I could already tell this was going to be a good day. Uncle Louis & Itay picked us up for our expedition in an Expedition. (I'm still working that one out in my head) Then, we met Aunt Shir for some lunch at Trudy's Mexican Food!

Side Note: According to Dad, you can sometimes find your 'center' at the bottom of one of Trudy's famous "Mexican Martinis"

Here's me and Aunt Shir. As you can see, I'm already starting to find peace!

After "fueling" up on tortilla chips at Trudy's, what better place to find my center than at ... Whole Foods Corporate Headquarters! (Ok, maybe it's not the 'best' place, but at least it was organic) Regardless, I knew that meant getting to ride in a shopping cart, and I love those.

Here's me & Itay at Whole Foods. There were plenty of food samples to keep us happy!

Later on, I got to play around with some of Itay's old toys. Amazing that a toy cell phone five years ago is as big as a shoe because the one I have at home is just about the size of my hand! A sign of the times, I guess!

Here's me with my Cowboy Hat ... but still no 'center'!
Later that weekend, Bebe and Zayde came into town. Here's us on Uncle Louis' back porch:

Of course, Zayde coming into town means ... DOMINOES! I was so excited, I could barely get the case open. I thought, surely dominoes would help me find my center...

However, it wasn't to be. So, next I thought maybe I could find my center at one of the great museums of Austin - the Austin Children's museum. My cousin Itay helped by showing me the ropes:

Here's me practicing my drumming skillz...

I was starting to feel very centered when my drumming was interrupted!!! Sometimes, no amount of centering and balance can help when you are distracted by ... the opposite sex:

If I couldn't find my center at the museum, then maybe I could find it at the bottom of a plate of BBQ! We made a trip to the County Line, one of Austin's local BBQ waterin' holes. This was my first rib (and definitely not my last!).

All in all, the weekend was a great time. I think where I really found my center was in Uncle Louis' backyard on his hammock. My favorite part was just relaxing with a good story from Dad:

The 'other' side of Peek-a-boo

So, if you remember from my post a few months back...on peek-a-boo, I love the game of peek-a-boo. All my friends do too. But, as I am such an entertainer, I figured I should also learn how to be on the 'other' side of Peek-a-boo. Many one year olds have tried, and many have failed. It is I, Austin, alone that has mastered this skill at the very young age of 1. Here's 2 videos that show my performances:

(note: sometimes I get a little too excited when I play)

Who says you have to walk before you can dance?

Even though I can't really walk on my own yet, that hasn't stopped me from dancing. I just need something to hold on to:

(Note: Romo jersey courtesy of Lee & Courtney Hunt) - Thanks!

My second Passover, my first taste of Matzoh!

We celebrated Passover Sedar again at the Jourdan's in the suburbs of Chicago.

When we first got there, I was greeted by Trixie, the Jourdan's dog. As you can tell from my earlier post about Murphy ... I'm all about dogs. Here's a quick video of Trixie & I playing:

Once the sedar started, I found myself asking, "Why is this night different than all other nights?" ... well, first of all, I got to stay up late!!! Booyah!

Also, I also got to try my first piece of matzoh:

Here's me, Marcia, and Dana (note - this is now my 3rd piece of matzoh)

Here's me, (Aunt) Sandy & Alan.

(Note: It's waaaaay past my bedtime as you can tell from my face)

Maybe staying up late wasn't as exciting as I originally thought!