Nathan's First Three Months

Believe it or not, Nathan turned three months old last week.  It was an exciting summer for the newest member of our family.  We took Noah's picture next to a Pooh doll every month during his first year, and we've done the same for Nathan.  Nathan's change from month to month is amazing.

Here's a look at Nathan over the past few months:

Here is the first month.  "Look at all that hair!"  That is the most common reaction when people see him, and we love it.

Then, the second month:

He grew up a little bit here and could keep his eyes open long enough to let me take a picture.  Finally, the third month:

He's actually starting to sit up a little bit now, and has really filled out.  He was a pound smaller than Noah at birth, but has caught up significantly, and we think he'll be a big kid.

Some of Nathan's highlights this summer were a trip to Myrtle Beach with family, as well as the State Fair.  We also spent a lot of time visiting friends and family, and took many trips to the park (at least when the heat index was not above 100).

Nathan is doing a lot of smiling, and even has started laughing.  He has a funny laugh.  Overall, he's a very smiley kid.  One thing that I think is pretty funny is that he usually has a big smile when you change him..  I find it funny that he enjoys such a thing.  I don't see him maintaining that enthusiasm for diaper changes when he gets older.

We're also starting to hear more noises from Nathan.  They are mostly excited and happy noises, although he occasionally lets out a big cry of frustration.  He is certainly getting more animated.

Noah has enjoyed being a big brother.  One of Noah's favorite things to do is hold Nathan on the couch.  Noah also likes to give hugs and kisses, and is a pretty good big brother overall.  I joke that Noah is a passive hugger; he hugs Nathan by just lowering his head on Nathan's chest.

This was a fun summer with our two boys, and we can't wait to see what is next!

Adventures in Diaper Changing

Chances are that I am not the only man who spent a small part of his 30th birthday changing his one-month-old's diaper.

However, I assume fewer men did this on the floor of their church's nursery.

I imagine even fewer men then had to use their right hand to stop the fountain from spraying from the one-month-old.

I guess even fewer men then heard the sound of something coming out of the other direction.

Well, that was exactly what happened on Sunday.  Thanks to all who helped out with the cleanup!

By the way, most of you know that I attend a church that meets in a movie theater.  I promise you that all of this took place on a blanket, and you do not need to worry about this the next time you go there to see a movie.

Noah's Silly Hat

A while back, I posted about the hats that we tried on at Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland, FL.  You can relive the memories here.  I was absent-minded and forgot to include a picture of the hat that Noah tried on, so here it is.  Enjoy!

Noah's New Diet?

The following is an actual conversation at dinnertime the other night:

Noah: Whatchu eating, Daddy?
Me: I'm eating chicken tetrazzini.  What are you eating?
Noah: Pine cones.

He went on to mention eating pine cones two more times that evening.  For the record, Noah also had chicken tetrazzini.  You can rest assured that we will never make our children eat pine cones for dinner, no matter how much they beg.

Welcome Nathan Thomas Hynds

We are pleased to announce that our second son, Nathan Thomas Hynds, was born at 11:09 a.m. on May 21, 2011, weighing 8 lbs., 4 oz. and 21 inches long.  It was a very fast delivery (he was born less than two hours after we arrived at the hospital), and both he and Angie are doing well.

Here are a few pictures of his first week.  There are many more on my Facebook page as well.  Our larger family is doing very well!

Yard Waste Quiz Time!

Here's today's multiple-choice question.

Over the past three weeks, how many bags of yard waste have I taken to the curb?

A) 2
B) 7
C) 17
D) 34

The first person with the correct answer wins fame and fortune!

I'll Take "Words That Noah Mispronounces" for $400, Alex

Okay, here's your clue:

When Noah says misagotti, he is really saying this word.

The first person to chime in with the correct answer wins a gold star!

Stan's Idle Hour

During our recent trip to Florida with Bill and Linda, we took a visit to Stan’s Idle Hour in Goodland on New Year’s Eve. It is a quirky waterside restaurant, complete with a gift shop, and has become quite the tourist attraction. Every year, Stan’s hosts the annual Goodland Mullet Festival.


I can’t remember what I ate, but I thnk it was fried catfish.  Anyway, I thought it was good, but the best part of the trip had to be the gift shop. They sell a lot of wigs there. I took the opportunity to do my best Guy Fieri impersonation in this shot.  Notice the sunglasses on the back of my head.

Bill and Linda also tried on several wigs, but I decided to leave those pictures out of the blog for several reasons. Let’s just say that the 2012 Austin Family calendar will have some great pictures.

If you are in Southwest Florida, a meal at Stan’s is worth the trip. You will remember the experience even more than the food.

Adventures in Self-Defense

Today was Professional Development Day at Richland.  The theme for the day was about student and employee safety.  For one of the breakout sessions, we had one of six choices.  I chose the one about self-defense, mainly because there was going to be a martial arts instructor there, and I wanted to learn what to do if a student were to go after me in a classroom.  However, he wasn't able to make it, so the entire presentation was from the Police Department, and I discovered that it was mainly about what to do if you are attacked in public.

Well, I was expecting the presentation to be about what to do if you are randomly attacked in a classroom, but instead it was about things such as how to use pepper spray to fend off an attacker, and taking preventive steps such as storing your purse in a car.  I then turned around and found that I was the only man in the room, with about 12 other women present.

On the plus side, I learned that it's best to leave my purse at home and take only my ID and a debit card when shopping, and to leave it in a money clip in my pocket so that thieves don't try to steal my purse.

In the end, it was not one of my prouder moments in my time at Richland.

Thank you!

I'd like to offer a BIG thank-you to Angie's aunt Jenny for coming down and helping paint all day, to Hannah Osborne for watching Noah today, and to my parents for picking Noah up and staying with him for a few hours while we finished. I'd also like to thank Angie and Jenny for painting all day while I just put up painter's tape. They don't care for taping, and I don't mind getting out of painting, so it's all good. We would be up to our necks in housework if it weren't for all of our friends and family!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.  One of the happiest days of my life was the day that I met Angie.  She is the most wonderful wife, and such a great mother.  I am so happy and blessed to have her in my life.  We will be celebrating five years of marriage later this year, which is so exciting.  I love you, Angie.

Fun Times at the Manatee Park

Here is the first of what I hope will be many blog entries about our recent trip to visit Angie's parents Bill and Linda at their winter home in sunny Florida.  On our first day there, we went over to the Manatee Park, located near Fort Myers.  This park is located near a power plant, and the warm water near the plant provides the manatees a place to go when temperatures cool down.  There had been a cool spell right before we arrived in late December, so the place was full of manatees.

Here are a few fun pictures we took at the park:

Here, Noah is gently reminding us not to feed the alligators.  Contrast this to a picture taken at the same spot the previous March:

I also like this self-portrait we took back in the nature trail.  Angie is quite adept at self-portraits.

Finally, here are a couple of pictures that we took near the big manatee statue.

As you can see, we enjoy taking pictures near large, inanimate objects (see here, here, here, and here).

This is a great place to spend a short while if you are in the area, especially if there is cool weather.  Along with watching manatees, they have a butterfly garden, picnic areas, and a playground for the little ones.  It is also very affordable - all you have to pay for is parking at $1/hour.

This was just the beginning of a great trip, and I thank Bill and Linda for bringing us down.

Some Interesting Observations From Noah

There are a ton of things that I want to write on this blog when I have the time, but here are a few quick ones about Noah from the past week:

1) When we got home from vacation earlier this month, Noah looked at our two cats and said, "Hi Daphne, Hi Big Striker."  Suddenly, he was calling Striker "Big Striker."  We don't know when Noah learned the concept of "big."  In fairness, Striker is about twice as big as Daphne.  Noah also calls me "Big Dada" from time to time.

2) We were at Wal-Mart last week when we bought some Christmas candy canes from the clearance rack.  Noah really wanted to open the package.  I said, "we have to buy it first."  Noah must have thought I said "we have to bite it," because he began biting the package, and he wouldn't stop.  He was determined to eat those candy canes in the store.

3) Finally, Noah likes anise seed cookies.  I think everyone on my mom's side of the family needs to be made aware of that.

Every day is a fun adventure with Noah, that's for sure.