A quick recap of the last few weeks!

Some of our OSU friends came to town for the KSU/OSU football game in October.  We all had babies in 2011.  It was so fun watching them play together!

Luke Beebe, Cal, and Maddox Machado were talking game strategy.

Finley Winslow and Cal had a great time laughing in the wagon!

 

  Big laughs!

He had so much fun before the game that he zonked out in the 1st quarter.

By the 4th quarter, he was up and rarin' to go.  Cal loves listening to the headphones!

 

Cal really loves the Halloween card from Grandpa Walt and Grandma Sooz!  He's really starting to like music and will smile and dance when he hears some.

Cal has started to use sign language for "more".  The great part is that he signs AND says the word....hooray for an increasing vocabulary!!  We're trying to teach him "please" and he just laughs when I rub his hand to his chest for the sign. 

 

 

Mitch and I went to the KSU/TCU game in Fort Worth for my 31st birthday.  It was a great trip and the Cats were victorious.  We spent a lot of time with good friends while we were there.  Tony flew in from Spokane and Tom and Ashley drove down with us.  It was a great weekend.....thanks to Grandma Ann and Grandpa Bruce for watching our precocious toddler while we were away!

Fort and Adam had a hard time getting to the stadium, but we're so glad they made the trip!

Here's the TCU crew that we tailgated with.  Our friends, John and Caitlin Cunningham flew in from Boise.  It was great seeing them and meeting their 4 month old twins!  If you're wondering who they are, just locate the two tallest people in the photo.....

 

 Here's our K-State crew!

After our TCU victory and the Alabama loss, K-State savored the #1 BCS ranking for a week.  It was painfully revoked this Saturday after a devastating loss to Baylor.  Although our chance of playing in the National Title Game is probably no longer on the horizon, unless a few miracles happen, we are still proud of our team. EMAW!!!!

 

Cal loves shoes now.  Instead of bringing us our shoes in pairs, he wants to wear them. 

"Hey, look at how cute I am!  I can pull my arm into my shirt!"

"Wait....my arm is stuck!!!  HELP!"

 "No, seriously....help!"

 

Dad was selected to sit in on the panel for the Phil Kline disciplinary hearing in the Supreme Court.  I went to watch the trial and it was really interesting, but WAAAAAAY over my head.  (If I could insert more "A"'s without overdoing it, I would.)  I took a few photos of him in the Judges' Chambers before the trial.

 

The dome of the State Capitol has been under reconstruction for decades....or maybe it just feels that way since it looks the exact same that it did 3 years ago when we moved to town. 

 

The weather has been amazing this week.  We took a trip to Gage Park and Cal loved going through the tunnels!

 

 

After getting dirty at the park and throwing his food all around at dinner, it was time to clean up.  I broke out the bath crayons this week and they were a big hit!!  Cal loves bath time, regardless, but this just increased the fun.  He has started blowing bubbles and sticking his face in the water every chance he gets.  Does he still drink the bath water when I'm not watching?  Yes....but that's not the point of this story.

 

 

 

Trick or Treat!

This little shark waded through the neighborhood in search for candy.  Watch how his shark fin sways to and fro, which was an inadvertent action!   The creator of the costume wishes she could take credit for that ingenious effect, but it just occurred by happenstance.  I'm sorry that the videos are sideways.  I can't figure out how to rotate them!

 

Cal's daycare practiced trick-or-treating today.  The big kids are so good to the little ones and play with them really well!  KK and Big Dave are wonderful and we're so lucky to have them watch out little boy.

 

Cal loves pointing out all the pumpkins in the neighborhood and even says his own version of the word. 

 

Who knew sharks sprinted?  Aaaaaannnnndd.....he's off!!!

 

Cal really enjoyed walking running up to our neighbors' doors and ringing the bell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quirky little Cal

 

 

Cal was hunting a fly.  He must have taken notes from Ollie on how to sneak up on your prey.  He was being so quiet and sly!

 

 

We call this "milk stamping".  When his milk cup is pretty much empty, he turns it over and stamps the milk onto all surfaces available.  However, we turned a corner tonight and I taught him how to clean up after himself.  SUCCESS!  Milk stamp away, Cal.....milk stamp away.  I wonder if he will generalize this skill into other areas?  One can hope.

 

 

Oh and in case you were wondering why the glass has been removed from the coffee table, please ask Cal and his toy golf clubs.  They can probably give you an answer about that. 

 

 

Splashing in the bath is fun, but....

......it's even more fun to play in the freshly drained tub!  He started blowing raspberries on the wet tub tonight.  It kind of grossed us out, but the tub was cleaned recently so we allowed it.  :)

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Cal's imitation skills aren't limited to just human actions.  He really studies his doggies' behaviors!  Don't worry, the bowl was clean....'ish. 

Tada! It's an abundance of photos!

I am about to unleash a prolific amount of photographs.  I hope you have your spectacles on because this slideshow is worth seeing!

Cal is very inquisitive about everything and once he realizes that he has the ability to operate/open/close things independently then it's useless trying to stop him.  He really likes the cheese drawer and the dogs are also pleased that they have a human on their side to give them what they so desire. 

 

Shark alert!!!  This little shark likes to take wagon rides while sipping his fruit/veggie smoothie after daycare.

 

Just like Goldilocks, Cal found the chair that was 'just right'.  Great Gma's rocking chair (I think it was my dad and Uncle Bryan's as kids??) was the perfect size for him to rock in.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his new found affinity for climbing, which includes small rocking chairs that tip over easily.  He'll learn soon enough that these little chairs tip over, but he's taken a couple spills in the meantime!

 

"Hey, get this witch's hat off of me!"

 

(uncontrollable cackling) He really liked knocking the hat off of his head.

 

This was taken at the KSU/KU tailgate.  Robert Lipson has been to every, or nearly every, KSU football game since Bill Snyder was the coach.  If that's not impressive enough, he's been a recognizable pillar in the stands of KSU athletics since my folks were in college!

 

Cal loves Paul!

 

Thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Lindsay Hachenberg, I've made foods for Cal that are on a popsicle stick.  He really liked the frozen banana covered in chocolate syrup.  He was iffy on the chicken on a stick, but it was a start.  Anytime he eats something other than chicken nuggets, it's a victory in the Walter household.  He actually is eating a little better lately.  I've probably just jinxed myself by saying that. 

 

Since he throws everything on the floor for the dogs, I have to Swiffer almost every night.  He decided to help me this time.

 

Art time!  He liked coloring with the markers on the white board.

 

So much so, that he ran off with them and sprinted like he was in the 100m contest.

 

"Ok Mom, do you want to color?"

 

While keeping a firm grasp on his markers, he discovered the joy of jumping and playing in puddles.

 

 

Originally his game was simply to splash wildly, but then he thought it was hilarious that I was trying to corral him to keep him out of the street.  Enter new game....

 

 

Guess who's tall enough to turn the TV on and off?  It's a good thing we've secured it to the wall!!!  I should take a picture of all the electronics that we've been forced to put black tape over to hide the bright blinking buttons.  The TV will probably be next up for a tape makeover. 

 

He was enjoying some cuddle time with Ollie.  He had just woken up from his nap and thought her rump looked like a good pillow.

 

He was entranced by his favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It would appear that Ollie was also snared by Mickey Mouse's charm.  She looks pretty comfy!

 

Mitch is finishing up his final semester of Law School and has one paper left on his plate before walking across the graduation stage.  He's working for the City Attorney in between his class schedule and studying, but manages to be home every day by 6pm or earlier.  The Bar Exam is peering around the corner and Mitch is extremely excited about that.  I chose a boring, legal looking font to highlight my sarcasm in that sentence.  :)

"Where's Cal?"

Every night around bedtime, Cal likes to play hide-and-seek.  He'll run around the house and Mitch and I say, "Where's Cal?  I bet he went to the grocery store/library/work/etc."  Then he'll reappear while sprinting around the corner and cackling as we act surprised that he's actually still in the house.  When he's in a little lazier mood, he simply lays down on the floor and hides his face.  This game of peek-a-boo can go on for awhile.  Fun for all!

 

Check out Cal's special new K-State tailgating chair from Grandma and Grandpa Gatt!  He really liked playing with Daddy's birthday card.  It plays music when you open it = new favorite toy!

 

 

He really enjoyed listening to Grandpa's headphones!

 

 

Cal didn't nap very long on Saturday so he was quite tired for the game.  However, he's such a die hard fan that he didn't want to concede to a nap because he didn't want to miss any of the game.  He was almost lulled to sleep when he rode on Grandpa Gator's shoulders.....but his alertness prevailed! 

 

Alas, that tricky Sandman got him later, while Grandpa rocked him on his lap during the game.