Halloween 2011!

At long last!  Halloween 2011!  Truly, this was one of the best Halloweens!  We've got plenty of slideshows and photos below to prove it!  Following the slideshows are some final photos from cupcake and cookie decorating, homemade donut decorating, and a few from actual Halloween night!  Let's just say, "The Force" was with us!  :)

Austin's 8th and 9th Months...

My oh my, time sure does fly!  The best I can manage these days are 2 months lumped together at a time!  But I figure that's better than nothing at all for my sweetest 3rd baby!  Austin truly is an amazing addition to our family!  These past couple of months have really brought out his personality!  He truly is a sweetheart... a cuddler... a total lover... with a slight temper, but only if disturbed!  ;)

These couple of months have also brought about some new milestones, namely in the way of teeth, as he managed to sprout four more... his two front teeth included... and two more on the bottom as well!  :)  He also likes to imitate quite a bit these days... He's starting to clap, he loves to wave, and will imitate saying "Mama" and on rare occasion, "Dada"  ;)  He also holds his arms outward when asked, "How big is Austin... SOOOO big."  He really is quite the ham!  He is also quite mobile, and to our great fortune, has already started climbing furniture!  ;)  And while I don't anticipate an early walker, Austin does stand independently for short periods of time... Blake and Addie get quite the kick out of it!  :)

As far as size goes... Austin remains a whopper!  Not abnormal or anything, just a good-sized kid!  :)  He weighs 23 pounds and measures 29 inches long, putting him in the 90th percentile for both weight and height!  You'll see in the photos below that in a few more months Austin will likely match Abuelita in size!  I think they'll love each other despite of it!  ;)

In conclusion... Austin... you are loved... like you wouldn't believe!  Blake & Addie truly cannot get enough of you and care for you like no other siblings I've ever seen!  Seriously!  And your Mommy and Daddy... well... we don't know how we survived without you!  We can't wait to see you grow into our littlest boy!  We also can't wait to see your interest grow in cars and trains (as you already seem to have a love for them) on your journey to your 10th month and beyond!  We love you Bubba!  :)

Austin's FIRST Haircut!

Okay, so it wasn't technically his FIRST haircut... I mean, seriously, if you look back at pictures of this kid's hair, I had to at least trim it with scissors here and there!!  This was just his first buzz cut!  He's actually had another since this one because his hair grows about as fast as he does!  :)

Luckily for me, Austin's quite the patient pea!  He had no problems letting me buzz away at his hair for like 45 minutes!  Cutting hair is tough enough, I do Blake's and Daddy's all the time, but babies are definitely a challenge!  Thankfully, Austin went easy on me!  Now, I can't say that the results were perfect, but he certainly looked perfect to me!

Austin's 6th AND 7th Months!!!

Time goes by much too quickly for my liking!  It's hard to believe that our sweet little bundle of love is growing so fast!  The big guy is weighing in at 23 pounds and is in the 90th percentile across the board for weight, height, and head circumfrence... or "perfectly proportioned" as Dr. Cu likes to say!  He's definitely a sturdy guy!

His 6th and 7th months truly blurred together with some serious milestones!  On August 15th his bottom two teeth made their way into his mouth and it was quite the dramatic week... not a happy teether I must say!  He also decided that he would start crawling at 6 months and then start pulling up and cruising the following month!  As exciting as all of these milestones are, they certainly managed to turn our world upside down... particularly with his mobility!  Praise God for his big brother and sister who are HUGE helps in alerting me to small pieces on the floor and keeping him in safe zones! 

Austin still has a great appetite and is eating a wide range of purees these days... his favorites are fruits of any kind (with the exception of melon... you should have seen his expression), carrots and sweet potatoes... he's a fan of chicken, but definitely not a favorite for him.  A "favorite" usually involves little room for breathing and lots of consecutive mouthfuls! 

And finally, this kid's personality is so very mellow!  He truly is wonderful to have as our third with the peace he brings!  He's definitely go-with-the-flow and is quick to crack a smile... all of which definitely makes him a Daddy's boy!  :)  Sweet baby Austin, we love you so dearly and can't imagine our family without you... it's like you've always been here!  :)  Until the 8th month....

{Here are some photos starting with his 6th month and moving into his 7th... some were intended to be edited and made super spiffy, but he's too cute to even worry about ideal backgrounds, etc.!  My favorites are the last ones with him standing... his personality is all over his face!}