At 10 mos. 1 week ...

- He is charming and cute one minute and a monster the next.
- He kisses me and then bites my lip with this sharp little teeth.
- He stands up and tries to reach in the dishwasher and suddenly figures out he can crawl onto the door of the washer to get to his target (usually the silverware).
- He eats solid food with us at the table. Then goes a step further and smears it all over his face and hair. We're thinking a tarp might come in handy. Like the ones they use when they cut your hair! :)
- Baths every night are not uncommon - he loves the water and definitely nees a bath after his dinner routine.
- He knows what it means when we say "here kitty kitty" and looks around for the cats.
- He definitely knows what the word "NO!" means because he'll break out into huge tears when we tell him not to do something.
- He loves pulling himself up and looking out the sliding glass door at the puppies - they make him laugh.
- He laughs like crazy when Trevor tickles him. Deep belly laughs.
- His latest tub trick is standing up - not a trick we enjoy.
- He has 6 1/2 sharp little teeth, and he likes to use them.
- He hates getting his faced washed and throws terrible fits when we try to brush his teeth. He'd prefer to brush his own teeth - i.e., suck all the toothpaste off of the brush and then scrub the carpet with the toothbrush. ick!
- We're working on his use of a sippy cup. He still can't figure that one out. He ends up getting frustrated and throwing it down.
- He LOVES bluberry Nutrigrain Waffles ... he sucks the butter out of the waffle and then stuffs it up his nose.

Tristen is looking more like a little boy and less like our baby boy. It scares us how quickly the time has flown by. We have enjoyed all of Tristen's stages, but this is the one stage we've enjoyed the most. We wish he would stay small just a little while longer. Every time we blink he does something new - we heard it would be that way, but we had no idea how true it would be. I even miss his infant stage some days (gasp!) But, the reality is he's going to be walking sooner rather than later. He has the crawl down to a science and is quick! He and Grant spend the day chasing each other up and down the hall... one sure footed and the other four footed. heheh...

We went to Grant's 2nd birthday party at a park on the 29th and we had a very nice time. It was the first birthday party that Tristen was invited to and the first one he attended. While at the park Tristen played on the swing and had a great time. Daddy pushed the swing and Tristen giggled and grinned the whole time. I've posted some of the pictures. Tristen also partook of his first birthday cake/cupcake. Our friend Emily was holding him and asked if he could try a piece of the cake. We said sure, not knowing what he would do. He's never had cake before. The next thing we knew, Emily and Tristen were covered in strawberry cake and cream cheese icing! Em had a blast and was such a trooper - a sticky trooper at that. Tristen grabbed the cupcake and squished it with both of his tiny little hands. It was like the texture and softness was just too much for him and he had to squeeze it. The cake was demolished in seconds. Needless to say, we're keeping him away from the cats. haha!

We are enjoying our little guy and gearing up for the holidays. We are so content and loving life right now. Of course there are the usual bumps and gullies, but we're keeping our eyes on the Lord and we trust that whatever His plan is, it is better than any plan we may have. Someimes we fail miserably at this faith thing and other times it is the most logical choice in the world. For now, we're just taking each day and enjoying God's blessings. We are definitely a happy little family of three.

Take good care and God bless.







Love
T, H T