First Haircut

Austin got his first haircut on December 4th. Daddy needed a haircut too so they both got one together. Austin did pretty good on dad's lap and he looks like such a big boy with his new 'do!

9 Months Old

Austin is growing like a weed and changing every day! He has learned how to stand and is even starting to push his little car around. Also, he finally got his first tooth on November 10th... he was really fussy for a few days and then it finally popped through! He looks so adorable and I think he's excited to be able to start chewing his food more :)

A choice has been made!

There has been much controversy in the past several weeks about Austin's preferred football team. Grammy, Grandpa, Mike & Tiff think he is a Packer fan. Grandma G, Mommy, and Daddy (whether he likes it or not) thinks that Austin is a VIKINGS fan. Well, I felt that it was only fair to let Austin choose for himself, and so he did! Ah, what a good boy I have! :)

Little Monkey

Austin was a little monkey for Halloween and it the character suited him well as he has been a monkey lately! We had a good time visiting family & friends and getting some good treats (for dad) :) Holiday's are so much more fun with a baby around, I'm looking forward the the entire holiday season coming up! :)

8 Months

Greetings Everyone! Sorry it's been so long between posts, we've had a very busy fall and a with a baby boy on the move I've been running! Month 8 for Austin has been all about mobility. He crawls everywhere now and sits up on his knees too. I think he really enjoys being able to go and get what ever he see's and he does just that. He can spot a paci from a mile away and takes off like a mad man to get it... sometimes, he doesn't even care if it's his! :) He continues to love playing with Jade, loves any toy that makes music and is just generally such a happy little guy. He will go to and be happy with almost anyone so that is nice. We started at our new (hopefully more permanent) daycare this month and are really liking it. Austin likes Jen and has several little friends there now too!

A boy and his pup...

Austin and Jade have become the best of friends... I have to be honest, when I was pregnant, I was worried how Jade might react when the baby came. But, it seems like she knew the whole time and has accepted Austin as her brother :) She lets him play with her, pull her ears, or whatever he wants to do and just seems to be ok with it. This past weekend, it was really nice out so I attempted a little photoshoot... not such an easy task with a baby that just learned that he can crawl and a dog in a yard full of things to sniff. Nonetheless, they are both so cute that they turned out just perfectly. :) :)

Seven Months...

Austin is now 7 months old and continues to brighten every day! He is now on the move, he can creep and do the army crawl about anywhere he wants to go. He sits up really well and has been sleeping good as well. We recently started ECFE and met some new friends there; Austin LOVES being around other kids and plays nice... he doesn't really listen to his teacher though, we'll have to work on that ;)

Happy Golden Birthday Owen!

Happy 3rd Birthday Owen, we love you! We can't wait to see you this weekend.

From Austin>>ikoaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo3e4qrfasdfaweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Splish Splash!

Austin has always loved baths, but he really enjoys them more and more! He has little squirty toys and he likes splashing them and chasing them around the water. As you can see, he's getting pretty big for his baby tub and we're about ready to go to the big tub! He's growing up so fast!

Fun @ the Fair!

Over Labor Day weekend we got to go on a mini-vacation to the Twin Cities with Grandma & Grandpa Hodkin and Auntie Tiff and Uncle Mike. We went to the State Fair and Austin did so good. He is such a people watcher and sat really good in the stroller. He also loved the animals and was excited to see the sheep and goats and also loved the chickens. Then, we went to see the ducks and geese and Austin was busy talking to a big white goose and all of the sudden he honked really loud and then Austin was over it! He did not like that at all and suffice to say we left the building shortly after :) We stayed overnight and then went to the Renaissance Festival on Sunday... Austin wanted to ride the live ponies but the lines were too long. All in all it was a great weekend and Austin certainly slept good at night!

6 Months Old

Pictures speak a thousand words... Austin is as adorable as ever in his 6 month pictures and we thank God every day for bringing him into our lives.

Two boys and their ponies...

Grandma G broungt her ponies to our house today for Austin & Owen to ride. Austin had a baby one and Owen had a big one that talked and sang a song... the boys loved them and had a great time together. After Owen left, Austin kept trying to touch the big pony, I think he's looking forward to being a big boy so he can ride that one some day!

Growing up...

I can't beleive how fast Austin is growing up. His personality these days is so fun and he's learning new things every day. He's been a drooling monster lately and we're anxiously awaiting these two stubborn bottom teeth to pop through. He has been dealing with it pretty well and only once in a while can we tell their bothering him. Until then, he's content with chewing everything in sight and drooling all over the place :)

Happy Boy

Austin is such a happy boy!!! Some of the most fun we have is at the dinner table, he is very happy when he eats and then sits and plays in his high chair while Travis & I have our supper. I think supper will be a great family time for us for a many years.

Austin has really started to broaden his horizons when it comes to food, he was a rice & pears guy for about 5 weeks, but now he likes rice, oatmeal, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, apple sauce, carrots and... ICE CREAM! OK, so he normally eats the good stuff, but the other day I gave him a little spoon of my ice cream and he LOVED IT! :)

Like father like son...

Travis's parents have told me for a long time about when Travis was a baby how he slept with his little butt in the air... well.... like father like son :) By the way, this picture was taken at 2:30 AM ... no, Austin cannot yet figure out what sleeping through the night is and has to have a snack part way through. It's OK though, he is so good and eats and goes right back to sleep.

More Tummy Time

Sorry folks, but tummy time is all the rave these days. Austin is all over the place now as he knows he can roll from place to place and is also scooting himself all around the living room. Oh, and he likes moving and rolling all places, not just the floor... his crib, his changing table, the bath tub... anywhere :)

P.S... check out his blue eyes! I think they get more and more blue every day! Hooray! Something from mom! :)

You can't help but smile...

Austin is so cute that we can't help but smile when we're around him... Travis really gets him wound up, it's so fun to watch them together :)

Tummy-Time

Ever since Austin learned to roll over he has been a HUGE fan of tummy-time. He rolls to his tummy instantly when he is on the floor and he also sleeps on his belly now. He loves 'flying' like superman on his belly and is also learning to scoot now. At first he was only able to go backwards but now he can pull his knees up under his little behind and then launch off his toes.

He is growing up so fast and never sits still unless he's sleeping. I'm sure that before we know it he will be crawling and all over the place.

Austin is such a happy baby yet and we are enjoying every moment!

Fun on the Fourth!

What a nice relaxing weekend we had at the Sieve's in Detroit Lakes! We enjoyed a lot of time on the pontoon and the weather couldn't have been nicer! We had some late night bonfires and lots of smores... I'm so happy to have such a good little boy that decided he would sleep 10 hours straight all 3 nights so that Mommy could sleep in :). Thanks for having us Justin & Amanda ~ We always enjoy our vacations up to your place :)

BaTh BuDdIeS

Over the 4th of July weekend we were able to head up north and hang out with Justin, Amanda & Owen, and Colin & Lisa and had a blast! The boys had such a great time together and were dirty messes by the end of each day so we got lots of bath time. I think Owen got a kick out of it and was trying to help clean Austin up... Austin really loved watching his cousin and is learning why bathtime is so fun! :)

Four Cute!

Austin is 4 months old and getting cuter by the day! He shares his smiles with everybody and is such a sweet boy. He has been learning lots of new things, he likes playing in his excersaucer, his jumperoo, loves standing and even learned that he loves making raspberry noises with his mouth (thanks Daddy for teaching him this :) ).

Daddy's First Father's Day

We got to spend the day together on Daddy's first Father's Day! Austin brought Daddy breakfast in bed and also made him a cute poster (all by himself! ;) ) Then we went to Mankato to do a little shopping and had lunch at the Olive Garden. Travis & Austin are two of a kind and light each other up everytime they enter the room!

Num Num

On June 15th Austin got to try some yummy cereal and he loved it. The first time I think we got more all over him and the high chair but he is getting better and better at eating it and it has really helped him sleep better too! He loves rice cereal mixed with pear juice. Num-num!

Handsome Boy

These pictures speak for themselves! Austin is such a joy to be around and I couldn't imagine our lives without him. What a little honey :)

Fun in the Sun!

Austin got to experience his first time at the beach while we visited family a few weekends ago. He LOVED the sand between his toes but wasn't so fond of the cold water on his feet! He is such a people watcher and just kept a close eye on his buddy Owen and is studying up so next year he can play on the play ground toys too! We had such a great day and can't wait to do it again very soon!

What a rough life!

Every morning Austin wakes up to eat around 4:30 A.M. and then really doesn't want to sleep too much after that... UNLESS... he gets to sleep with his Daddy in which case he will happily sleep for several more hours. This is how I found them yesterday morning after I got out of the shower, I wonder how long it will be before Austin is pig-piling Travis telling him to get up and play... Or, maybe Austin will always be a night owl like his dad and like to sleep in in the morning! :)

Talking with Great Grandpa

Austin has a nice visit from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa last week and Austin was quite the entertainer. He had talked before, but him and Great-Grandpa had the best conversation I've ever seen. I think the video shows it all... this is a moment in time that I will never forget. :)

Changing every day...

The only good part about Austin getting sick was that I got to spend a lot of quality time with him. I think God picked a good week for him to get sick because oh man, he changed A LOT and that helped keep our spirits up. While Austin was in the hospital, he started smiling and laughing much more at will, he learned how to grab things and that if he moves his arm up and down the thing he is holding on to moves (he especially loved this trick while holding on to his balloons from Auntie Tiff & Uncle Mike and Auntie Amanda and, Uncle Justin, and Owen! :) ), he also found his voice and loves talking to you... it is so cute, he will wait until you're done talking to him and it's quiet and then he'll tell you a story. He also learned that he loves to stand... unless he is tired he doesn't like being held like a baby anymore... he wants to either sit or more preferably to stand. Oh how I love this age, he is such a happy little boy and is the joy of our every day!

Fun fact... Austin is 12.5lbs and is 24" long. :)

On the mend...

Austin had a rough couple of weeks but is on the mend! On May 13th Austin was confirmed to have the RSV virus, after quick work from our great doctors at United Medical Austin and Mommy got to ride in an ambulance to the Avera Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls. The doctors and nurses there were very good and with a little bit of oxygen and respiratory therapy we were able to go home 6 days later. Thank you to all of our family and friends for you love, support and prayers during this time. A special thank you to the Big Game girls for the delicious food you so graciously prepared for us after we got home and also to Grandma and Grandma for watching Austin the following week when he couldn't go back to daycare! We're hoping for a healthy summer ahead!

One Cool Baby!

Check out Austin's shades that Grandma G. bought for him... he wasn't so sure when I put them on, but once they were on I thik he thought it was a little easier on the eyes with our big bright sun we had today! We're looking forward to MANY nice days like this ahead!

My Grandma Fights like a Girl!

This weekend we got together with Grandma G, Gary, Colin, Lisa, and Barb for a weekend of fun! Friday we went to the Odin Craft Mill and then on to Sioux Falls for some more shopping. We finally got to our hotel around 7:00 for some supper and then Austin got to hang out with Grandma & Gary while mom did some MORE shopping. We woke up early this morning and met up with Anna, Clara, and Sherry and did the 3 Mile Walk at the Avera Breast Cancer walk. It was so beautiful outside today, seriously we couldn't ask for a better day! Austin slept the entire 3 miles and then all through garage sales afterwards! What a good little boy we have! :) We love you Grandma and were so happy to be there with you today!

Pretty Girls

Austin came along with mommy to watch Ashly & Dana go through prom grand march. Austin liked all of the pretty girls, but wasn't a fan of all of the camera flashes during the grand march... he couldn't stop looking but flinched every time they flashed. He thought Ashly & Dana were the prettiest girls at the prom and was also happy he got to spend some time with them that morning! Thanks for taking care of A-man while mommy went garage saling :)

Austin's 1st Easter

Today was Austin's first Easter and although he was a crazy man during the night last night, he didn't scare the Easter Bunny away. After we ate this morning, we got to see the goodies that the Easter Bunny left and Austin loves his Mommy/Baby bunny and book and Daddy gets to eat all of the candy. We then got all dressed up and went to church and then onto dinner with Grandma & Grandpa Hodkin and Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Mike. We enjoyed the afternoon at home and even got to be outside for a little bit... we're looking forward to many warmer days ahead.

Baptism

We had Austin's Baptism today and it was wonderful. He was such a good boy during the service and all day for that matter. He looked very handsome in his outfit and we got some really good pictures too. He is a lucky little boy to have so many wonderful people that love him!

Little Talker

I love this little video; Austin was having a good talk with Mommy :)

Seven weeks and So Smiley!

Austin has really started to smile a lot more now and I've even been able to catch some on film. He is changing so much every day! I love him so much and feel grateful to be able to spend this time with him!

my bunny hat

More photos from Auntie Amanda... Austin looks SO cute in his little bunny hat, just in time for Easter! He wastn't so sure, but I'm certain that I've never seen such a sweet little bunny! :)

PhotoShoot with Auntie

While we were in Rochester, Auntie Amanda helped us with a little photoshoot. We (well, Mom & Auntie) had a really fun time doing these photos and Amanda did such a great job! Thanks Auntie!

Austin luvs his cousin!

While we were in Rochester, Austin got to spend some quality time with his favorite cousin Owen! We think that these two will be quite the pair in the future, but for now we get to enjoy Owen being crazy and watching him hold Austin so nicely!