Halloween!

I was so excited for Halloween!  I think it's such a fun holiday for kids (not that Jude could do much at 8 months old), but still, we got to do all the traditional things with him that made it special.  First, and foremost, I had to pick out his costume.  I'm not much of a planner, but in August, I was thinking about what he would be for his first Halloween.  I searched for all the websites for the cute baby costumes, and I knew I wanted him to be an animal, but I couldn't narrow it down.  See, I've already decided that Jude LOVES animals and has a deep desire to be Zoologist.  Maybe because I'm an animal lover or because we go to the Zoo, or because they're a client of mine and I know all the fabulous things they do, but Jude WILL love animals.  It's a must.  So...would he be an elephant?  A tiger?  A Winnie the Poo bear?  But the winner was.....a LION!

How cute is this?

I ordered it at the very beginning of September, and couldn't wait to get it on him.  The first Saturday the Zoo started their Halloween Party, we were there.

Here's Jude and Daddy with Dracula at the Zoo

We zipped through the Zoo since Jude couldn't eat candy, and I certainly didn't need any.  We got through in about an hour, but I can't wait until he can get his own candy in his pillowcase and say "trick or treat."  

I warned Lonnie that we were going to do Halloween BIG this year, as in we were doing it all!  Next up was carving a pumpkin.  And not just a smiley face pumpkin, No! It had to be the coolest on the street.  

Jude made sure we had the perfect pumpkin and we prepped the area.

  Sheet, check.  Messy clothes, check.  Outside, absolutely.

Jude got a little bored waiting for Mommy and Daddy to finish the masterpiece, so he resorted to eating his stroller.  Yummy!  This was also one of the first times he used his upper body strength to pull himself forward.

The finished product, a wolf!  Keeping with the animal theme.

And before we knew it, it was Halloween morning.  Mimi got Jude the cutest pumpkin pj's, and here he is with his prized pumpkin.

And his Aunt Rae Rae and Jessica got him this cute pumpkin hat.  Adorable :)

It was so warm that we spent the afternoon at the park.  How sweet.

And we ended the day with a Halloween parade with Raegan.  She dressed to match the lion theme.

It was a great Halloween holiday all around, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

First Haircut

As first time parents, we were under the impression that you HAD to wait a year to cut your child's hair for the first time.  But, as Jude's hair (with no sides or back) started growing back in around month 6, we HAD to do something before then.  There was no way we were going to wait until he was a year old to cut off that mohawk-type concoction growing on his head.  Not only had we decided we were doing something about it, but Lonnie decided HE was going to be Jude's barber.

Now, when Lonnie said he was going to cut Jude's hair, I was thinking "ok, so he's going to get out some kitchen scissors, sit him on my lap, and cut off four inches on the top."  Sounded easy.  But, Lonnie had other ideas.  He wanted Jude's first haircut to be an experience - the barber shop experience.  We borrowed some professional clippers from Lonnie's friend, decided the high chair would make a nice salon-type chair, and got out a towel to use as a "smock."  Last, but not least, we had to round out the experience with some rap music - courtesy of Pandora.  Now, we were ready to go.  But first, a few 'before' pictures.

Here's a frontal view of his hair.  Don't judge his clothes...we decided a Bob Marley onesie and striped pants looked perfect together.  It's kind of hard to see the full scope of his hair against the dark red wall, but I'm sure you can get an idea.

And here's a side view of how short the sides were compared to the top.

I was actually very surprised with how great Jude was and how much he held still.  He was very fascinated with the cord, which did a nice job of keeping him occupied, but really, he wasn't phased at all.  All in all, it took about ten minutes from a crazy-haired baby to a handsome little boy.

As Daddy's clipping off the hawk.

And here's a happy baby with the world's best baby barber.

Aren't they a handsome duo?  And great-looking heads of hair, I might add :)