Happy Halloween: The Real Story

I'm starting to realize that, now that I have a child, it's harder to be away from home for the holidays. . . and we've only had one holiday!  I hate that Matthew is growing up so far away from family, who can't share in all the joy of a new nephew or grandson.  So, I made a vow that I would pull the "mom" thing and take pictures of MJ in his costume so I could send it in time for Halloween.  That way they can at least have a pretend "trick-or-treat" with him (even though I'm not really taking him trick-or-treating.  He won't have a clue what's going on, and God knows I don't need that candy in my house!)  

So anyway, a few weeks ago, I pulled out MJ's costume and prepared for a photo shoot with him.  IT. TOOK. ALL. DAY.  My normally happy, smiling baby decided he did NOT like his candy corn costume and did NOT want to smile for a picture.  I ended up getting a pretty cute one, but not before all of these. . . 

When I first put it on, he thought it was kind of silly. . . 

After multiple attempts to get a good smile, however, he started to get annoyed.  "Really, Mom?  Really?"

So we took a break, took a little nap, had another bottle, and geared up for round two.  This time, I got really into it.  I took some Halloween fabric I had gotten at Happy Quilt back in Korea and spread it out on the bed.  I was going for a more "professional" look.

MJ decided he looked so tasty he might as well try eating himself.  I have about 20 pictures of this pose, each one accompanied by me saying, "Get your hands out of your mouth.  Get your hands out of your mouth."

Then, of course, Oskar got in on the action and just HAD to know what was going on.  "No, Oskar, he's not a REAL candy corn."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M NOT A REAL CANDY CORN?!"

And, just like last time, a meltdown.

After yet ANOTHER nap and ANOTHER bottle, we tried one last time.  As quick as I could, I zipped up the costume, plopped him down in his vibrating chair, and snapped a picture.  Luckily, it turned out like this:

Good enough!  I yanked off the costume before he could have another break-down and told him that we were D-O-N-E with Halloween for the day.  He couldn't have been happier. :)

Happy Halloween, everyone! :)

Let Me Entertain You

Yesterday was my first day attempting a single parent TDY.  After more than a few tears and a couple of panic attacks, Jonathan headed out the door, leaving me behind with two faces looking at me expectantly:

"So, now what?"

After a couple of minutes of staring at each other blinking, I decided a day out was just what we needed. It was a beautiful day in Las Vegas so we headed to Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, only a short 10 minute drive away.  We had been here once before with Jonathan when it was 110 degrees, but I figured it might be much more pleasant to try it now when it was only in the mid-70's.

There is a gorgeous view of the mountains from the park, made even more magnificent by the recent drop in temperatures---low enough to get some SNOW on their peaks!

The park looks completely out of place in the middle of the desert, as it's GREEN and dotted with several natural ponds.  The area was actually an oasis used by settlers crossing Nevada.  It's the one place I can go in this town and pretend I'm back in Indiana (minus the mountains, of course!)

Oskar didn't know what to do with all this GRASS!  He was in heaven!

The place is CRAWLING with all kinds of birds, especially ducks.  Oskar was extremely well-behaved considering the circumstances, though he did eye them for a loooooong time as if to say, "You guys are LUCKY my mom is here and she won't let me off this leash."

But the ducks kept pushing their luck, getting closer and closer. . . 

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.  This picture was taken completely by accident.  I was trying to take a picture of the mountains when Oskar snapped and took off running after the ducks.  My phone went flying and somehow managed to take this picture of Oskar in action.

After walking around the park for about an hour, we were tired (and a little tired of the crowd--this place is VERY popular with locals. . . especially on the weekend) so we headed home.  It seemed to have been a hit, though, because Oskar slept the rest of the day, and when I asked Matty what he thought of our outing, I got this face:

Now I just have to figure out how to entertain them for the REST of our 4 month TDY. . .  ;)

A Play-date With My Other Child (the Furry One)

I've had a serious lack of posts about our "first-born" on here lately, but rest assured:  Oskar is still getting plenty of attention in the Wright household.  He LOVES his little brother, but he does get a little jealous about how much time MJ takes away from HIS time with Mommy.  So one recent afternoon, I left Matty with Jonathan and took Oskar to a local dog park for some "mommy and me" time.

I'll give Vegas credit:  it has a LOT of city parks, which I absolutely love.  They are currently building one right across from our sub-division, and I cannot WAIT until it's finished.  Until then, we've been scoping out various parks around the area, and I decided to take Oskar to Winding Trails Park today.

The park was small but not crowded (which I appreciate), and it had two separate doggy play areas, one for big dogs and one for small dogs.  Which do you think Oskar went to?

"What do you mean I'm not a big dog?!"

This park was a little LOT different from the dog park in Korea.  Mainly. . . there was no grass!  Ahh. . . life in the desert.

But it was MUCH bigger and with far less dog feces than the one in Korea, too, so Oskar and I were happy.  He had a blast running around and chasing his ball but, even though it's October, it's still EXTREMELY hot in Vegas, and it wasn't long before he began grabbing his ball and heading straight for the nearest shade tree.  Can you spot the wiener dog in this picture?

"Alright, Mom, this has been fun. . . but I am ROASTING out here!"

And the best thing about this dog park?  You have to take a car ride to get there! :)

Happy 2 Months, MJ!

Dear Matthew, 

I cannot believe it's been two months already!  What an adventure parenthood has been so far.  You have been such a blessing in our lives, albeit a sleepless and sometimes grumpy blessing.  Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the second month of your life:

We absolutely LOVE to play dress up with you. . . you don't care for it quite as much.

Saving the world sure is hard work. . . 

I don't think I will ever get over how much you look like a little old man. . . 

Papaw's little Broncos fan.  This was for the Broncos Monday night game. . . they lost, and then you cried.  Papaw was proud. ;)

You're getting strong enough to break out of your swaddle, and most of the time it makes you scream your head off, but for some reason THIS time, you slept right through it.

So cool. . . 

You may have been born in Vegas, but you will always be a midwestern boy at heart.  And Mamaw and Papaw won't let you forget it (hence the John Deere outfit).

And last but not least, you are finally giving Mommy and Daddy genuine smiles.  It absolutely melts our hearts.

We love you!  Can't wait to see what Month Three has in store!

love, Mommy and Daddy