Sunday, August 30, 2009
Summer Vacation 2009 Part 1:Aquarium in the Smokies
Ok, so these are back from July... but I want them posted anyway so I can have them in my blog book. We didn't take a "big" vacation this year because Matthew was working so much and just couldn't seem to get away. But we did take a few days and head to Gatlinburg to stay in a very peaceful (well, as peaceful as it can be with 2 young children and 2 old dogs) cabin in the mountains with Moppy, Poppy, Rocky, Casey, and Marshall and Claire (Moppy's mom and dad). We had a great time exploring during the day and then cooking in at night. Our first big adventure was to visit the Ripley's Aquarium in the Smokies. The kids had a ball! Chloe loves animals and unlike Evan at her age, really notices the fish and things. She was feeling very little that day, though. None of us had slept much the night before (first night away from home, it did get better). And so, even though we had brought our huge double stroller, I ended up carrying her most of the day. Oh, my aching back!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
According to Evan
The Rules According to Evan
(As he is watching the movie, Barnyard. Dag, the rogue coyote has just told Otis the party cow that he's going to eat his friends, the hens and chicks. Don't knock it til you've seen it. It might be funniest kid movie I've ever seen even if it is PG).
"Mom, we don't eat people, right?"
Right, Evan.
"Because that's just gross, right?"
Yup, it's gross.
"And friends don't eat friends, right, mom?"
Right, Evan.
Time According to Evan
(As we are on the road to his school, about a mile away)
"Mom, are we still a really long way from school?"
No, it's just another minute or two.
"Is it right past these trees?"
Well, it's just down this road.
"Will that take 8 hours?"
No.
"Six hours?"
No.
"8 days?"
No, it's just going to be about a minute.
"But, will it take forever?"
Here we are!
Hunting According to Evan
(Again, while watching Barnyard. What can I say? It's our "car" movie right now.)
"Mom?"
Yes, Evan?
"When I grow up, if I see a coyote I'm going to kill it with a knife!"
Really?
"Yes, but not right now when I'm a kid because I'm kind of scared of coyotes."
Hmmm
"because they can just eat you right up when you are a kid."
Yeah
"and besides kids are not allowed to use knives, so I'd have to ask my parents anyway."
That's right.
Biology According to Evan
"I'm going to give you a BIG bear hug, mom!"
Oh, good a big bear hug from my baby bear!
"Yep, a BIG bear hug for my mama bear!"
Oh, goody, this mama bear loves bear hugs from her baby bear.
"Mom, let's get off the bear thing. Besides, we're human beings, don't you know?"
(As he is watching the movie, Barnyard. Dag, the rogue coyote has just told Otis the party cow that he's going to eat his friends, the hens and chicks. Don't knock it til you've seen it. It might be funniest kid movie I've ever seen even if it is PG).
"Mom, we don't eat people, right?"
Right, Evan.
"Because that's just gross, right?"
Yup, it's gross.
"And friends don't eat friends, right, mom?"
Right, Evan.
Time According to Evan
(As we are on the road to his school, about a mile away)
"Mom, are we still a really long way from school?"
No, it's just another minute or two.
"Is it right past these trees?"
Well, it's just down this road.
"Will that take 8 hours?"
No.
"Six hours?"
No.
"8 days?"
No, it's just going to be about a minute.
"But, will it take forever?"
Here we are!
Hunting According to Evan
(Again, while watching Barnyard. What can I say? It's our "car" movie right now.)
"Mom?"
Yes, Evan?
"When I grow up, if I see a coyote I'm going to kill it with a knife!"
Really?
"Yes, but not right now when I'm a kid because I'm kind of scared of coyotes."
Hmmm
"because they can just eat you right up when you are a kid."
Yeah
"and besides kids are not allowed to use knives, so I'd have to ask my parents anyway."
That's right.
Biology According to Evan
"I'm going to give you a BIG bear hug, mom!"
Oh, good a big bear hug from my baby bear!
"Yep, a BIG bear hug for my mama bear!"
Oh, goody, this mama bear loves bear hugs from her baby bear.
"Mom, let's get off the bear thing. Besides, we're human beings, don't you know?"
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Why Oh Why
can't I have a camera and video camera permanently attached to me, ready to go?
I so wish I could have recorded Chloe last night in the bath tub playing peek-a-book with her monkey shower curtain. Her hair all wet and messy, skin dewy, and that adorable crooked little 4 tooth grin peeking out from behind that curtain making monkey noises and then giggling hysterically. And the sweet, soapy kisses that followed were even better!
Or I would have given anything to have had a video camera tonight at karate when the instructor told the Dragons to do 10 jumping jacks. OH MY! That was hilarious! All of us parents were rolling on the floor laughing. I can't really even describe it to do it justice. It is almost as good as the push-ups! So funny!
I so wish I could have recorded Chloe last night in the bath tub playing peek-a-book with her monkey shower curtain. Her hair all wet and messy, skin dewy, and that adorable crooked little 4 tooth grin peeking out from behind that curtain making monkey noises and then giggling hysterically. And the sweet, soapy kisses that followed were even better!
Or I would have given anything to have had a video camera tonight at karate when the instructor told the Dragons to do 10 jumping jacks. OH MY! That was hilarious! All of us parents were rolling on the floor laughing. I can't really even describe it to do it justice. It is almost as good as the push-ups! So funny!
My Child Has Never Lied to Me...
I think I've mentioned before that as teachers, Matthew and I have heard this phrase more often than we'd have liked to. Usually it is said because the child has gone home and told their parents some whopper of a story about how their mean teachers have picked on them and treated them unjustly by falsely accusing them of some horrible act (that was witnessed by the teacher's own eyes.) It gets kind of frustrating and I just want to remind the parents that all children lie. It is their nature. Take for instance my child:
Evan eats like a bird. Sometimes we let him eat on the coffee table in front of the TV (yes, we really are that bad) and for a few meals he kept claiming to have eaten all his food. I was skeptical, but after searching high and low I couldn't find it, so I though maybe a growth spurt. Well, one night we had pizza. (One night, ha! More like 3 nights a week) And Evan proudly announced he was all done about 2 minutes after getting his slice. I knew it couldn't be right. Matthew went out and said, "It's all gone!". I said "ALL of it?" He said, yes. Then, I knew. There is no way Evan would have ever eaten the crust. I didn't know what he was doing with the food, but I knew he hadn't eaten it. We told him he wouldn't get in trouble, but we needed to know where that food was. He showed us his "secret drawer". It contained a slice of pizza, most of a cheeseburger, some chicken pieces, part of a sandwich, and some corn. GROSS! Luckily for us, it did not contain any bugs, but I don't know how it didn't!
Or there's this time that he didn't lie to me.
I told him to clean up his toys. He came into the kitchen 5 seconds later. I said, "Did you clean up your toys?". He looked me right in the eye and said he had. I said, "Are you sure?". He looked me in the eyes and said he was positive. I started toward the playroom and he jumped in front of me and said, "It's ok, I really did!". I, of course, saw that nothing had been picked up. After a stern lecture on telling the truth, I told him that if they were not cleaned up when I came back from putting Chloe to bed he was going straight to bed. He appeared in Chloe's room less than 2 minutes later wanting me to put his Spider suit on. Again, I asked him if his toys were picked up. Again he assured me they were, multiple times. I told him after I checked I would help him with his Spider suit. He said, "You don't have to check, I really did pick them up. I'm certain." I told him again, that if they were not picked up he was going straight to bed, so did he want to go just make sure before I got downstairs? He assured me that wasn't necessary because he had picked them up. If you haven't already figured it out, he went straight to bed that night.
Or the other night when Matthew got Evan some chicken nuggets on the way to a football meeting: Evan asked for the toy and Matthew told him he had to eat all his chicken first. Evan claimed he had, only to find them in the little compartment of his carseat. He got a spanking for that one.
So, most recently, Matthew told Evan to put his swords up to go take a bath. He saw him just toss them on the floor instead of putting them in the box. Matthew said very seriously, "I am going to ask you a question and you need to really think about the answer. Did you put your swords in the box, like I told you?" Evan thought for a moment, and then answered honestly, "No". Matthew told him to go put them up. When he came back, he asked him again and Evan said, yes, he'd put them away. Matthew said ok, let's go take a bath. Evan replied, "Don't you wanna go check just in case I'm lying?"
My child has never lied to me.
Evan eats like a bird. Sometimes we let him eat on the coffee table in front of the TV (yes, we really are that bad) and for a few meals he kept claiming to have eaten all his food. I was skeptical, but after searching high and low I couldn't find it, so I though maybe a growth spurt. Well, one night we had pizza. (One night, ha! More like 3 nights a week) And Evan proudly announced he was all done about 2 minutes after getting his slice. I knew it couldn't be right. Matthew went out and said, "It's all gone!". I said "ALL of it?" He said, yes. Then, I knew. There is no way Evan would have ever eaten the crust. I didn't know what he was doing with the food, but I knew he hadn't eaten it. We told him he wouldn't get in trouble, but we needed to know where that food was. He showed us his "secret drawer". It contained a slice of pizza, most of a cheeseburger, some chicken pieces, part of a sandwich, and some corn. GROSS! Luckily for us, it did not contain any bugs, but I don't know how it didn't!
Or there's this time that he didn't lie to me.
I told him to clean up his toys. He came into the kitchen 5 seconds later. I said, "Did you clean up your toys?". He looked me right in the eye and said he had. I said, "Are you sure?". He looked me in the eyes and said he was positive. I started toward the playroom and he jumped in front of me and said, "It's ok, I really did!". I, of course, saw that nothing had been picked up. After a stern lecture on telling the truth, I told him that if they were not cleaned up when I came back from putting Chloe to bed he was going straight to bed. He appeared in Chloe's room less than 2 minutes later wanting me to put his Spider suit on. Again, I asked him if his toys were picked up. Again he assured me they were, multiple times. I told him after I checked I would help him with his Spider suit. He said, "You don't have to check, I really did pick them up. I'm certain." I told him again, that if they were not picked up he was going straight to bed, so did he want to go just make sure before I got downstairs? He assured me that wasn't necessary because he had picked them up. If you haven't already figured it out, he went straight to bed that night.
Or the other night when Matthew got Evan some chicken nuggets on the way to a football meeting: Evan asked for the toy and Matthew told him he had to eat all his chicken first. Evan claimed he had, only to find them in the little compartment of his carseat. He got a spanking for that one.
So, most recently, Matthew told Evan to put his swords up to go take a bath. He saw him just toss them on the floor instead of putting them in the box. Matthew said very seriously, "I am going to ask you a question and you need to really think about the answer. Did you put your swords in the box, like I told you?" Evan thought for a moment, and then answered honestly, "No". Matthew told him to go put them up. When he came back, he asked him again and Evan said, yes, he'd put them away. Matthew said ok, let's go take a bath. Evan replied, "Don't you wanna go check just in case I'm lying?"
My child has never lied to me.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
My Little Lady
Saturday, August 22, 2009
School Days, School Days
School is back in full swing and boy are we busy! In fact, I should definitely be working on something school related instead of blogging right now, but since I'm such a grand procrastinator here I sit. I only have about 5 post-it notes full of tasks that I meant to accomplish at home this weekend. I can do them all tomorrow night after my Bible study, right? Yeah... riiiiight!
So, just a little update on us. Matthew is loving his new job, but he is B.U.SY. He is doing a great job, though. I am so proud of him. It's so nice to have people tell me everyday what a great job he is doing, but I'm not surprised. I knew he would do an awesome job. Although he's not an official coach this year, he's still helping the middle school football team out on a volunteer basis when it doesn't interfere with his assistant principal duties. So, between school stuff and football stuff, daddy is one busy guy!
Evan is in preschool with Ms. Becky 3 days a week. He seems to love it, although we did have a few days where he cried when I woke him up in the morning. He was always fine once he got to school and super happy at the end of the day, so I think he was just really tired. He loves being back in class with all his little friends. He's still in karate (I call it karate, but I think he is actually taking tae kwon do) and loving it. He recently faced Master Robinette to practice his punches in class, and after bowing, told him, "I'm going to tear you up!". Master Robinette was an easy opponent after that because he was rolling on the floor laughing. He is also getting ready to start Upward soccer in a couple of weeks and is really excited. We had the choice between Upward flag football and Upward soccer. I felt soccer would actually teach him more athletic skills at his age and Matthew agreed because, as he put it, Evan is tall, but not fast and he can't throw or catch, so they would just stick him on the line. Well, I'm not sure they even have a "line" in 4-5 year old Upward flag football, but soccer it is!
Chloe is growing (up, not out) like a weed! She eats every meal like it is her last (if you don't believe me, tonight she ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peas, chicken noodle soup, strawberries, berry applesauce, an orange popsicle, and half a cup of milk for dinner), but she is still not putting on much weight. It is getting really hard to fit her in clothes b/c 12 month clothes are getting too short, but they are still big on her everywhere else so bigger sizes swallow her. Tall and thin, what a curse! She is the epitome of toddlerhood right now... curious, exploratory, into everything, and attitude to boot! But, she is so much fun! Oh, and she has another new word... BATMAN! She uses it correctly everytime. Poor thing, no hope of being a girly, girl. In fact, she was terrified of the adorable princess umbrella with fairy wings at Smart Toys and Books today at Madelyn's birthday party. Poor thing!
And I'm adjusting to being back at work. I have to admit it was harder than I thought it would be. I felt like I'd forgotten everything! But, I finally am beginning (beginning, not completely there yet) to get my footing and not feel like I'm drowning in paper. I've even managed to plan a few days in advance for next week instead of coming up with what I'm going to do in the shower that morning :). It is great to be back with my coworkers though and we seem to have a great group of kids so far. I have to admit it is hectic getting everyone up and out the door in the morning and I'm EXHAUSTED in the evenings. But, I'm hoping that will soon start to get better, too. I officially "graduated" with my Masters degree in Instructional Leadership on August 1 (yes, believe it or not, I finished that stinkin' research paper and got an A on it). In actuality I was at a family picnic for the football team during the time my name was likely being announced at Tech, but I got my diploma in the mail and it is official. I'm starting my Ed.S. in a couple of weeks with 3 classes. So, life is getting ready to get even more busy. The highlight of my social life right now is that I'm doing a Bible study with some dear friends of mine. So, every other Sunday, Matthew watches the kids for me and we meet at Panera Bread. It is heavenly! We are currently studying the book of Ruth and it has been so interesting.
We still have our house on the market and are not having much interest right now. I know it is a horrible time to sell. We are trying to be very patient and remember that God has a plan for us and it will all unfold in His time. If we've learned anything, it is not to get too wrapped up in our own plans. God only knows what's in store with us and His plan always turns out way better than we ever imagined.
And that's us in a nutshell. Our theme right now is busy. When soccer starts our weekly schedule will look something like: Mon- soccer practice, Tues- karate, Wed- church, Thurs- karate, middle school football game, Fri- high school football game, Sat- soccer game, Sun- church, look at open houses. Whew! Makes me tired, just typing it.
So, in honor of this back to school post I will leave you with a couple of pictures from Evan's first day of school. We are still waiting on a new computer, but I figured out that I could download them to my laptop and then transfer them to my external harddrive so I didn't eat up my school computer's memory. I just can't edit or play with them. But at least I can post some. Although, now all of you who are constantly complimenting my photography skills will realize that I actually have none. My straight out of the camera shots still leave much to be desired. It is all photoshop. But something is better than nothing and if I wait much longer I will be so very hopelessly behind that I will NEVER catch up! You will likely see random photo posts popping up here and there as I try to recap the last few months in pictures!
Here's my little buddy on his first day of preschool!
So, just a little update on us. Matthew is loving his new job, but he is B.U.SY. He is doing a great job, though. I am so proud of him. It's so nice to have people tell me everyday what a great job he is doing, but I'm not surprised. I knew he would do an awesome job. Although he's not an official coach this year, he's still helping the middle school football team out on a volunteer basis when it doesn't interfere with his assistant principal duties. So, between school stuff and football stuff, daddy is one busy guy!
Evan is in preschool with Ms. Becky 3 days a week. He seems to love it, although we did have a few days where he cried when I woke him up in the morning. He was always fine once he got to school and super happy at the end of the day, so I think he was just really tired. He loves being back in class with all his little friends. He's still in karate (I call it karate, but I think he is actually taking tae kwon do) and loving it. He recently faced Master Robinette to practice his punches in class, and after bowing, told him, "I'm going to tear you up!". Master Robinette was an easy opponent after that because he was rolling on the floor laughing. He is also getting ready to start Upward soccer in a couple of weeks and is really excited. We had the choice between Upward flag football and Upward soccer. I felt soccer would actually teach him more athletic skills at his age and Matthew agreed because, as he put it, Evan is tall, but not fast and he can't throw or catch, so they would just stick him on the line. Well, I'm not sure they even have a "line" in 4-5 year old Upward flag football, but soccer it is!
Chloe is growing (up, not out) like a weed! She eats every meal like it is her last (if you don't believe me, tonight she ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peas, chicken noodle soup, strawberries, berry applesauce, an orange popsicle, and half a cup of milk for dinner), but she is still not putting on much weight. It is getting really hard to fit her in clothes b/c 12 month clothes are getting too short, but they are still big on her everywhere else so bigger sizes swallow her. Tall and thin, what a curse! She is the epitome of toddlerhood right now... curious, exploratory, into everything, and attitude to boot! But, she is so much fun! Oh, and she has another new word... BATMAN! She uses it correctly everytime. Poor thing, no hope of being a girly, girl. In fact, she was terrified of the adorable princess umbrella with fairy wings at Smart Toys and Books today at Madelyn's birthday party. Poor thing!
And I'm adjusting to being back at work. I have to admit it was harder than I thought it would be. I felt like I'd forgotten everything! But, I finally am beginning (beginning, not completely there yet) to get my footing and not feel like I'm drowning in paper. I've even managed to plan a few days in advance for next week instead of coming up with what I'm going to do in the shower that morning :). It is great to be back with my coworkers though and we seem to have a great group of kids so far. I have to admit it is hectic getting everyone up and out the door in the morning and I'm EXHAUSTED in the evenings. But, I'm hoping that will soon start to get better, too. I officially "graduated" with my Masters degree in Instructional Leadership on August 1 (yes, believe it or not, I finished that stinkin' research paper and got an A on it). In actuality I was at a family picnic for the football team during the time my name was likely being announced at Tech, but I got my diploma in the mail and it is official. I'm starting my Ed.S. in a couple of weeks with 3 classes. So, life is getting ready to get even more busy. The highlight of my social life right now is that I'm doing a Bible study with some dear friends of mine. So, every other Sunday, Matthew watches the kids for me and we meet at Panera Bread. It is heavenly! We are currently studying the book of Ruth and it has been so interesting.
We still have our house on the market and are not having much interest right now. I know it is a horrible time to sell. We are trying to be very patient and remember that God has a plan for us and it will all unfold in His time. If we've learned anything, it is not to get too wrapped up in our own plans. God only knows what's in store with us and His plan always turns out way better than we ever imagined.
And that's us in a nutshell. Our theme right now is busy. When soccer starts our weekly schedule will look something like: Mon- soccer practice, Tues- karate, Wed- church, Thurs- karate, middle school football game, Fri- high school football game, Sat- soccer game, Sun- church, look at open houses. Whew! Makes me tired, just typing it.
So, in honor of this back to school post I will leave you with a couple of pictures from Evan's first day of school. We are still waiting on a new computer, but I figured out that I could download them to my laptop and then transfer them to my external harddrive so I didn't eat up my school computer's memory. I just can't edit or play with them. But at least I can post some. Although, now all of you who are constantly complimenting my photography skills will realize that I actually have none. My straight out of the camera shots still leave much to be desired. It is all photoshop. But something is better than nothing and if I wait much longer I will be so very hopelessly behind that I will NEVER catch up! You will likely see random photo posts popping up here and there as I try to recap the last few months in pictures!
Here's my little buddy on his first day of preschool!
Big Foot
The other day Evan was having growing pains in his feet. He has these occasionally and has since he was 2 or 3 years old. Sometimes his feet hurt and sometimes his legs. They usually happen at night, but sometimes during the day. They used to really scare me as he used to wake up hysterical in the middle of the night, but I guess we are all more used to them now. When his feet started hurting the other day after getting home from a busy day, I gave him some Tylenol and then I sat on the couch and rubbed his feet.
As I was rubbing and looking at his feet, it suddenly dawned on me how BIG they are! I was just struck by the fact that there was nothing babyish about those feet anymore. Those were the feet of a little boy. A big, little boy. They are long and skinny, no more pudgy little baby toes. He has big person toenails now that could have stood to be cut, no more paper thin, tiny little toe nails. No more baby feet.
No more baby feet.
And my heart hurt a little bit.
And as I thought about this, I looked a little closer at my big, little boy's feet and I saw his little crooked toes. (Poor thing, he has inherited my feet). And I noticed how his feet even still naturally curve in a little bit. And even though they are big and long and the skin is toughened and the nails are hardened now, I realized that when I look at those precious feet I can still recognize my baby's feet. I can still see those tiny precious little feet just as clearly as the first time I pulled the hospital blankets back. My baby's feet.
They are still my baby's feet. And I have a feeling they always will be.
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
Privatizing
Well, I've decided to go private with the blog. It's been a very hard decision as some of you know I am a writer at heart and I kind of got a kick out of being able to "publish" writing for strangers to read. But, after weighing all the pros and cons, I decided it was probably best to make the blog private so I at least knew who was reading. My main purpose for the blog when I started was to keep family and friends updated, share pictures, and to have a place to "record" our memories quickly and easily. So, all of that really doesn't need to shared with strangers, I guess.
So, anyone whose e-mail address that I have, I will automatically include you on the list. But, just to be sure, or especially if you don't get an e-mail from me in the next week or so, please e-mail me at amandatinker@comcast.net so that I can add you to the list. I don't mind if I don't know you very well or if we are just acquaintenances or if I knew you or your spouse in high school or even if you just stalk my blog from another friend's blog (I am a stalker and I admit it). I don't mind strangers reading as long as I know how you found me (like you are a friend of a friend). So, please don't be shy, if you want to keep reading.... let me know!
So, anyone whose e-mail address that I have, I will automatically include you on the list. But, just to be sure, or especially if you don't get an e-mail from me in the next week or so, please e-mail me at amandatinker@comcast.net so that I can add you to the list. I don't mind if I don't know you very well or if we are just acquaintenances or if I knew you or your spouse in high school or even if you just stalk my blog from another friend's blog (I am a stalker and I admit it). I don't mind strangers reading as long as I know how you found me (like you are a friend of a friend). So, please don't be shy, if you want to keep reading.... let me know!
14 Months!
Chloe turned 14 months old yesterday! She is getting to be quite a little character.
She walks and climbs everywhere. She loves opening cabinets and drawers and playing in closets.
She absolutely loves to be read to! She will bring you books all the time and then back herself up to sit in your lap. The other day, she did this to Evan, so funny!
She hates having her food cut up and wants everything whole so she can bite it off with her 3 front teeth! We let her for the most part, but we have to keep a close eye on her because especially toward the end, she will try to stuff way too much in. She ate two pieces of pizza down to the crust like this the other day.
Speaking of food, she eats a ton (most of the time). You know the Gerber commercials that say "your baby's tummy is only the size of her tiny fist, so make every bite count"? Well, Chloe's does not have big hands so I have no idea where she puts it!
She also obviously has her daddy's metabolism since she is still tiny and skinny. I think I must be gaining it for her.
I'm not going to list foods that she eats on this post, because she eats about everything, but we have found that she LOVES watermelon and cantaloupe. I think she could probably eat an entire melon if we let her. She's totally off baby food now unless I just bring it for convenience to supplement a meal out.
She is now loving her milk! She drinks it just great now, thank goodness!
Chloe is getting to be quite a little sass! She knows what she wants and she expects to get it! If she doesn't she either shrieks or turns the tears on (the most pitiful face) and wails. I love it in the bathtup when I say, "Ok, Chloe..." and she knows I'm getting ready to get her out and she gets this little determined look on her face and starts kicking and splashing with her hands with all her might!
She is still not saying a ton, mostly she points and says "eh, eh, eh, eh," until she gets what she wants. Yes, we are enabling her and we need to stop.
But she does say,
mama
dada
bubba
done, done!
milk
more
uh-oh
bye bye
hi!
night night
snack
breakfast (repeating us only)
bath
book
and we think she has tried to say granddaddy a few times
I think those are about the only ones she says spontaneously (not repeating us) and in the right context. Of course, we are the only ones who know what she is saying on most of them.
Chloe LOVES dogs. She is sooo funny about what she likes and what she is afraid of. For example, we went to Pet Smart the other day and I showed her the cats (which are behind a glass wall) and she got all scared, her face turned red, she buried her head in my shoulder and started whimpering. But a few aisles over, I saw a man with a full grown St. Bernard on a leash. I'm telling you this was the biggest dog I've ever seen. His head was the size of her entire body and on all fours he came up to nearly my chest. Chloe LOVED him! She kept saying "Hi!" and waving and grinning and reaching out and motioning with her hand for him to come to her. It totally cracked me up.
She is also afraid of pictures of elephants. No clue why. But, if she sees elephants in books she closes them and tosses them away. The kids' bathroom has jungle animals in it, well jungle animal decor in it, not actual jungle animals but you probably knew what I meant. Everynight we point out the lion and make the lion noise and the monkey and make the monkey noise and then (just for fun, yes, I'm cruel) I will point out the tiny little elephant that is embroidered on a little washcloth on her towel rack and she gets all afraid and hides her face in my shoulder. Silly girl!
Probably her favorite things to do right now are to be outside and to ride in Granddaddy's gator.
She's still a little stingy with her smiles, but she is much more comfortable around strangers than she once was. She gets a little scared sometimes, but she often will wave and even smile at strangers which is a huge step for her. She can be so sweet and loving. She loves to give hugs and kisses (on her terms, don't expect to get them when you ask for them) and she loves and pats on bubba all the time. Especially if he is upset about something. She is sooo motherly with him sometimes it cracks me up. She will be a good mommy, she loves to love on her baby dolls. But, she can also get pretty grumpy and then she will smack you away, pinch, or toss the baby doll she was just loving across the room. She is a little spitfire, that's for sure!
She loves to sing and dance and she looks so cute when she does. Her little 3-toothed, wrinkled nose grin is too cute. She looks so silly! And I love to hear her laugh! She is so ticklish and laughs hysterically when you tickle her tummy, neck, or back. She cracks me up when she pretends to talk on the phone or read a book and does a great big belly laugh as if she just heard or read the funniest thing in the world.
I love to feel her little arms tight around my neck and her head on my shoulder. I love to smell her head and feel her still baby-soft hair on my face. And I love the feel of her wet, open mouthed kisses on my cheek.
Chloe, you are too precious and you bring me so much happiness!
She walks and climbs everywhere. She loves opening cabinets and drawers and playing in closets.
She absolutely loves to be read to! She will bring you books all the time and then back herself up to sit in your lap. The other day, she did this to Evan, so funny!
She hates having her food cut up and wants everything whole so she can bite it off with her 3 front teeth! We let her for the most part, but we have to keep a close eye on her because especially toward the end, she will try to stuff way too much in. She ate two pieces of pizza down to the crust like this the other day.
Speaking of food, she eats a ton (most of the time). You know the Gerber commercials that say "your baby's tummy is only the size of her tiny fist, so make every bite count"? Well, Chloe's does not have big hands so I have no idea where she puts it!
She also obviously has her daddy's metabolism since she is still tiny and skinny. I think I must be gaining it for her.
I'm not going to list foods that she eats on this post, because she eats about everything, but we have found that she LOVES watermelon and cantaloupe. I think she could probably eat an entire melon if we let her. She's totally off baby food now unless I just bring it for convenience to supplement a meal out.
She is now loving her milk! She drinks it just great now, thank goodness!
Chloe is getting to be quite a little sass! She knows what she wants and she expects to get it! If she doesn't she either shrieks or turns the tears on (the most pitiful face) and wails. I love it in the bathtup when I say, "Ok, Chloe..." and she knows I'm getting ready to get her out and she gets this little determined look on her face and starts kicking and splashing with her hands with all her might!
She is still not saying a ton, mostly she points and says "eh, eh, eh, eh," until she gets what she wants. Yes, we are enabling her and we need to stop.
But she does say,
mama
dada
bubba
done, done!
milk
more
uh-oh
bye bye
hi!
night night
snack
breakfast (repeating us only)
bath
book
and we think she has tried to say granddaddy a few times
I think those are about the only ones she says spontaneously (not repeating us) and in the right context. Of course, we are the only ones who know what she is saying on most of them.
Chloe LOVES dogs. She is sooo funny about what she likes and what she is afraid of. For example, we went to Pet Smart the other day and I showed her the cats (which are behind a glass wall) and she got all scared, her face turned red, she buried her head in my shoulder and started whimpering. But a few aisles over, I saw a man with a full grown St. Bernard on a leash. I'm telling you this was the biggest dog I've ever seen. His head was the size of her entire body and on all fours he came up to nearly my chest. Chloe LOVED him! She kept saying "Hi!" and waving and grinning and reaching out and motioning with her hand for him to come to her. It totally cracked me up.
She is also afraid of pictures of elephants. No clue why. But, if she sees elephants in books she closes them and tosses them away. The kids' bathroom has jungle animals in it, well jungle animal decor in it, not actual jungle animals but you probably knew what I meant. Everynight we point out the lion and make the lion noise and the monkey and make the monkey noise and then (just for fun, yes, I'm cruel) I will point out the tiny little elephant that is embroidered on a little washcloth on her towel rack and she gets all afraid and hides her face in my shoulder. Silly girl!
Probably her favorite things to do right now are to be outside and to ride in Granddaddy's gator.
She's still a little stingy with her smiles, but she is much more comfortable around strangers than she once was. She gets a little scared sometimes, but she often will wave and even smile at strangers which is a huge step for her. She can be so sweet and loving. She loves to give hugs and kisses (on her terms, don't expect to get them when you ask for them) and she loves and pats on bubba all the time. Especially if he is upset about something. She is sooo motherly with him sometimes it cracks me up. She will be a good mommy, she loves to love on her baby dolls. But, she can also get pretty grumpy and then she will smack you away, pinch, or toss the baby doll she was just loving across the room. She is a little spitfire, that's for sure!
She loves to sing and dance and she looks so cute when she does. Her little 3-toothed, wrinkled nose grin is too cute. She looks so silly! And I love to hear her laugh! She is so ticklish and laughs hysterically when you tickle her tummy, neck, or back. She cracks me up when she pretends to talk on the phone or read a book and does a great big belly laugh as if she just heard or read the funniest thing in the world.
I love to feel her little arms tight around my neck and her head on my shoulder. I love to smell her head and feel her still baby-soft hair on my face. And I love the feel of her wet, open mouthed kisses on my cheek.
Chloe, you are too precious and you bring me so much happiness!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Highs and Lows of Parenthood
We all know that parenting is like riding a roller coaster, there are tons of ups and downs along the way.
My high (so far) today: I woke Evan up this morning and then went to wake Chloe up. Evan followed me into her room and went over to her crib and sang her a little good morning song. It may have been from Yo Gabba Gabba, I'm not entirely sure. But anyway, he sang, "Good morning, good morning! Time to play. Time to play." And while he sang softly to her she reached her little arms through the bars and hugged and patted him. It was beautiful.
My low for the day (so far): Less than 15 minutes later we arrived at my mom's house and Evan refused to get out of the car. He fussed and whined and crossed his arms and flat out refused. I tried to coax his arms out of the carseat straps and he kicked and fought and I think I might have even heard him hiss. I told him he was going to get a spanking if he did not get out of that carseat right now. I counted. He crossed his arms and held onto the straps. I carried Chloe inside. I came back out and pulled him out of the carseat and spanked him. He cried. He laid down on the garage floor and refused to walk into the house. I carried him in and deposited him in the playroom on the couch. I left. I began to worry. What if something happened to me while I was gone and the last memory he had of his mother was that. I called him to talk to him. He refused to talk to me. I hung up the phone, crying. My mom told me that he was fine and now he was punishing me and not to worry about it. I cried some more. And then I thought to myself that this hurts me more than it hurts you is not just something parents say. You don't truly understand that until you are a parent yourself.
Here's hoping that this afternoon is filled with only highs! (And that he is finished punishing me :).
My high (so far) today: I woke Evan up this morning and then went to wake Chloe up. Evan followed me into her room and went over to her crib and sang her a little good morning song. It may have been from Yo Gabba Gabba, I'm not entirely sure. But anyway, he sang, "Good morning, good morning! Time to play. Time to play." And while he sang softly to her she reached her little arms through the bars and hugged and patted him. It was beautiful.
My low for the day (so far): Less than 15 minutes later we arrived at my mom's house and Evan refused to get out of the car. He fussed and whined and crossed his arms and flat out refused. I tried to coax his arms out of the carseat straps and he kicked and fought and I think I might have even heard him hiss. I told him he was going to get a spanking if he did not get out of that carseat right now. I counted. He crossed his arms and held onto the straps. I carried Chloe inside. I came back out and pulled him out of the carseat and spanked him. He cried. He laid down on the garage floor and refused to walk into the house. I carried him in and deposited him in the playroom on the couch. I left. I began to worry. What if something happened to me while I was gone and the last memory he had of his mother was that. I called him to talk to him. He refused to talk to me. I hung up the phone, crying. My mom told me that he was fine and now he was punishing me and not to worry about it. I cried some more. And then I thought to myself that this hurts me more than it hurts you is not just something parents say. You don't truly understand that until you are a parent yourself.
Here's hoping that this afternoon is filled with only highs! (And that he is finished punishing me :).
Monday, August 10, 2009
Blind Insanity?
While taking advantage of some tax-free shopping (along with about 3 million other people it seemed) on Saturday, Matthew got rather frustrated with a driver who was not turning right on red. He was saying something along the lines of "What is this person doing?! Uhhh! It's CLEAR! What are you WAITING on?!" and lots of exasperated hand gestures were going on as well.
Evan was in the backseat watching a DVD. He did not have his headphones on as we just had the sound coming through the speakers so his dad's ranting and raving caught his attention.
He assessed the situation and replied, "Da-ad! They're WAITING on the light to turn GREEN! Are you crazy or just blind?!"
I almost spit out my diet coke. Seriously. I got all choked and nearly snorted it out my nose.
Matthew quite sheepishly kind of half-grinned and said, "Put your headphones on back there!"
All I could say was, "Sorry, honey, but that is ALL you!"
Like father, like son. Oh my!
Evan was in the backseat watching a DVD. He did not have his headphones on as we just had the sound coming through the speakers so his dad's ranting and raving caught his attention.
He assessed the situation and replied, "Da-ad! They're WAITING on the light to turn GREEN! Are you crazy or just blind?!"
I almost spit out my diet coke. Seriously. I got all choked and nearly snorted it out my nose.
Matthew quite sheepishly kind of half-grinned and said, "Put your headphones on back there!"
All I could say was, "Sorry, honey, but that is ALL you!"
Like father, like son. Oh my!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Preschool or High School?
Evan went to his first day of preschool on Monday. Yes, I have pictures. Yes, he was really cute with his Spiderman backpack and gelled hair. No, my computer that actually lets me download pictures is not working :(. Someday I'll get caught up with my pictures.
Anyhoo.... Evan was super excited on his first day which made me super happy! We love the church program that he attends. He also went there the year before last when he was 2, but it took quite a while for him to adjust and not cry when we left, but this year was totally different. He marched to his room confidently and ran right in! He barely even acknowledged us when we told him bye. We had put his precious blankie in his container for his rest things and Matthew was so worried he would get upset later and not be able to find that he went back in to tell Evan where it was. Evan could have cared less. All he wanted was to get back to playing. And he was still happy at the end of the day. He said he "loved his first day of school!".
This was such a relief and makes us feel so good. But it also drives home how very grown up he is becoming. There are so many emotions watching him grow... I'm so proud of him. I'm so happy for him. I feel joy as I watch him learn and do new things. It is such a pleasure to have conversations with him and so fun to listen to how his mind works. So very often, I am absolutely amazed by him. But, mixed in there is the tiniest little bit of sadness, too. My baby is a big boy. But, the sadness is very small. I love watching my buddy grow. It is wonderful!
So on Monday Evan's teacher sent home a little sheet that asked about things that Evan likes and dislikes. It asked about toys, activities, and food. I sat Evan down tonight and told him he had some homework to do. He was so excited to do homework! (wonder how long that will last, LOL). We turned the T.V. off and everything. But, he did bring a toy Elmo cell phone to the table with him.
First, we wrote his name on the top of his paper. Then I asked him the first question, "What are your favorite toys and activities?"
He said, "Um, Batman..."
And then his phone rang. He promptly grabbed it up and said,
"Elmo, I can't talk right now I'm doing homework. I'll have to call you back."
We continued.
The phone rang again.
This time he just looked at it (like to see who was calling) and then put it back down. A few minutes later it beeped (I had no idea it did all this, I'm still not positive if he was making it do it or not since I was writing), and he said, "Oh, I've got a message!". He flips the phone open and listens for a second and then says, "It was Elmo, I told him I was doing homework!" and kind of shakes his head. I kind of look at him in amazement for a minute and then continue on.
What are your least favorite foods? What kind of foods do you not like?
"I don't like vegetables." And the phone rings again.
This time, I look up exasperated and say, "I think we are going to have to turn the phone off until we are finished with our homework."
And he says, "Hold on, Mom! I've just got to take this one call. That's all, I promise."
So, my question is... was Monday his first day of preschool or high school because I'm confused.
Anyhoo.... Evan was super excited on his first day which made me super happy! We love the church program that he attends. He also went there the year before last when he was 2, but it took quite a while for him to adjust and not cry when we left, but this year was totally different. He marched to his room confidently and ran right in! He barely even acknowledged us when we told him bye. We had put his precious blankie in his container for his rest things and Matthew was so worried he would get upset later and not be able to find that he went back in to tell Evan where it was. Evan could have cared less. All he wanted was to get back to playing. And he was still happy at the end of the day. He said he "loved his first day of school!".
This was such a relief and makes us feel so good. But it also drives home how very grown up he is becoming. There are so many emotions watching him grow... I'm so proud of him. I'm so happy for him. I feel joy as I watch him learn and do new things. It is such a pleasure to have conversations with him and so fun to listen to how his mind works. So very often, I am absolutely amazed by him. But, mixed in there is the tiniest little bit of sadness, too. My baby is a big boy. But, the sadness is very small. I love watching my buddy grow. It is wonderful!
So on Monday Evan's teacher sent home a little sheet that asked about things that Evan likes and dislikes. It asked about toys, activities, and food. I sat Evan down tonight and told him he had some homework to do. He was so excited to do homework! (wonder how long that will last, LOL). We turned the T.V. off and everything. But, he did bring a toy Elmo cell phone to the table with him.
First, we wrote his name on the top of his paper. Then I asked him the first question, "What are your favorite toys and activities?"
He said, "Um, Batman..."
And then his phone rang. He promptly grabbed it up and said,
"Elmo, I can't talk right now I'm doing homework. I'll have to call you back."
We continued.
The phone rang again.
This time he just looked at it (like to see who was calling) and then put it back down. A few minutes later it beeped (I had no idea it did all this, I'm still not positive if he was making it do it or not since I was writing), and he said, "Oh, I've got a message!". He flips the phone open and listens for a second and then says, "It was Elmo, I told him I was doing homework!" and kind of shakes his head. I kind of look at him in amazement for a minute and then continue on.
What are your least favorite foods? What kind of foods do you not like?
"I don't like vegetables." And the phone rings again.
This time, I look up exasperated and say, "I think we are going to have to turn the phone off until we are finished with our homework."
And he says, "Hold on, Mom! I've just got to take this one call. That's all, I promise."
So, my question is... was Monday his first day of preschool or high school because I'm confused.
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