Happy Thanksgiving!

I am very thankful for many things. Besides my parents and my milk, I am also thankful for my extended family. Lola and Papo came to Dallas so on Thanksgiving Day we had lunch with the Termulos, and in the evening we had dinner with the Hoges. Most people stuff themselves with all the great food, but my eating habits have changed dramatically so I ate close to nothing. At least I won't have to go on any of those post-holiday diets I hear so much about. I'm pretty satisfied with my chicken-nugget/fish-sticks diet.

For the first time I got to play with both sets of cousins in a single day, but as usual they all outlasted me and I needed some sleep. Oh, and I'm also thankful for my bed, blanket, and noisemaker.

Ready . . . get set . . . go!

Before bedtime I like to practice my throwing technique for my future as a pitcher (or quarterback). Don't worry, there will still be time during the off seasons to volunteer my time and talent . . . and model. I'm quite rough around the edges right now, but keep in mind that I'm only 17 months into my life so I haven't yet developed all my motor skills. Plus, I'm not exactly practicing with a regulation ball.

16-Month Pictures

Here are pictures of me at 16 months. I was so cute back then.

Q.T. Butt, M.D.

I refuse to wear anything on my head and since most of the cute Halloween costumes out there require some form of head gear, my options were limited. So this year I decided to dress up as a doctor like my Papo (internist) and Uncle Cesar (pediatrician). But, I'm going to be a specialist so that I can make the big bucks (and of course, give it all to charity). Mommy wants me to be a plastic surgeon so that I can keep her looking young.

Nona monogrammed my costume "Q.T. Butt, M.D." for me and I had a few opportunities to wear it: During my school's costume parade . . .

My playgroup's annual Halloween party at Kiely and James' house . . .

and Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night . . .

Comparisons

Here I am (on the far right) at 17 months old for our group shot during this year's Halloween party:

One year earlier when I was 5 months old (still taking three naps and late for one of them), this was our picture with the same group but a few less kids (I am on the far right again):

Which party do you think I (and ultimately Mommy) enjoyed more?

Grandparents

I have been blessed with two sets of great (as in awesome) grandparents. Nona and Papa (Daddy's parents) live here so I get to see them weekly, but Lola and Papo (Mommy's parents) are in San Antonio so I don't get to see them that much. However, if they all lived here they would certainly be fighting over me!

Last Thursday my folks had to work (Mommy had to work for another speech therapist) and they missed my first costume parade at school. So Nona and Papa came to see me. There were a few other "Nonas," but I had the only "Papa" there. I guess that those kids aren't as loved as much as I am.

Then my parents left for the Texas-Nebraska game in Austin on Saturday and Nona and Papa stayed with me until Sunday. (Sidenote: There are a lot of things my parents do that I don't understand, like that work thing, but why they don't bring me to those fun games is beyond me.) I kept Papa really busy since he didn't seem to mind that his Huskers lost to Daddy's Longhorns. I had a great time because Nona wouldn't let me cry and Papa took me to the park twice a day. Papa even let me climb on some scary playground equipment . . . and I got to bust my lower lip! Now I look real tough so I'm going to intimidate that "scratching" boy in my class. I'll teach him how to fight like a man.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents! Daddy, you're one lucky man! Mommy said that this has been the best five years of your life.

(Sorry about the quality of this picture- I had to scan it from the wedding album which is heavier than me.)

Pumpkin Patch(es)

Last Sunday Mommy and Daddy took me to a pumpkin patch for the first time. I never made it last year; I was taking so many naps there was never enough time to get out of the house (remember, I love my sleep and can make everyone miserable if I don't get it)! So this year, I got to see all the animals, go on a hayride, and play in the pumpkin patch. Except for the strong winds, it was a great day to go out there. Not only did I get to take home a pumpkin of my own, I brought home severe allergies! That's ok because I got a new prescription. Mommy kept talking about how expensive it was so it must be a good one.

On Wednesday we had a playgroup at a different pumpkin patch. It didn't last very long though. The winds were even stronger that day so after a good whiff of all the animals, getting dirt in my eyes, and being knocked over by wind gusts a couple of times, I had had enough and we got the heck out of there. Sorry, no cute pictures with the pumpkins that day.

What the . . . ?

This is my school picture. No, I'm not joking, it really is. I had obviously forgotten about it because I certainly would have warned Mommy weeks ago that I had my blanket during the pictures. For those of you who didn't know, I suck my thumb when I go to sleep. Mommy started sending the blanket that I sleep with to school for nap time. However, whenever I am having a rough time, the "Mrs. Jennifers" give it to me, and now I have associated my blanket with sucking my thumb even when I'm not going night-night. Get it? It has gotten to the point that if I even see my blanket I start sucking my thumb. So, as you can see I was having a difficult time during picture day and this is what I looked like . . . with my blanket . . . sucking my thumb . . . out of my crib . . . captured in a photograph . . . for eternity. Sorry, Mommy. Hopefully this does not come back to haunt me one day. How embarrassing that the Class of 2024's valedictorian sucked his thumb.

Romantic breakfast

A huge storm blew through the area overnight, and we woke up without power (at least the sound of the rain outside matched the setting on my noise maker). I was quite confused about the darkness and not getting my waffles this morning, but I was able to enjoy my yogurt by candlelight. Unfortunately, I'm still new to eating utensils and it was a little hard to see what I was doing, so I really wasn't enjoying anything.

(I know that it's really hard to see in this video, but I still look super cute- Mommy even said so!)