Merry Christmas!

Somebody was very pleased with his Christmas presents today! Our house turned into a race track this morning and our big boy on his big boy bike zoomed around in circles before he had to be dragged away from his new toys to go have Christmas brunch at Nana's and Poppy's house. There was new toys there, too, so it was all right. Christmas mornings get more and more exciting every year! Three-year-olds are so much fun, even if they do close their eyes in Christmas morning pictures. :)

You Know Your Daddy Loves You When...

He will ride the flying elephants around in dizzying circles in below freezing temperatures!



We had a few Silver Dollar City season passes to use at the Olde Time Christmas celebration in Branson, Mo, and we kept waiting and waiting for there to be a warm weekend, so we could go. There wasn't! Two days before our passes expired we decided to tough it out and go anyway even though the temperatures were only in the thirties. We bundled up as best as we could and stayed mostly warm, but some of the rides were pretty chilly. We had to duck into stores and watch a few shows to thaw out ever so often. The funny thing was, while we were freezing despite our coats, hats, and mittens, we kept seeing crazy people in shorts! They must have been tougher than us or from Alaska. Even though we were a bit cold, we had a lot of fun. Colter loved the rides, all the Christmas lights, and watching the Christmas parade. Fun memories!

Christmas Card Photos

It's hard to take pictures for a Christmas card when one's subject is a nut! At least these pictures capture a lot of personality. ;)

All Played Out

My Boy Makes Me Smile When...

I ask him what he wants for breakfast and he responds, "I want waffles, toast, and cheerios on a big, silver platter."

He plays with his "maggots" (a.k.a. magnets) on the refrigerator.

He makes astute observations like, "God gave me a neck, so I can turn it."

He brings acorns home from a walk to plant "acorn trees."

He refers to screwdrivers as Turner and Felipe (Handy Manny fan).

He asks questions that I really don't know the answer to like, "How do bugs walk on the ceiling?"

He asks for marshmallows and when told he could have some after supper, he then says, "Then I'd like marshmallows for supper and then some more marshmallows."

He comes into our room in the middle of the night and stands there silently staring at me until I open my eyes and invite him to climb in bed with us.

I see him, hear him, hold him, think of him, etc. The boy pretty much always makes me smile!

Greenbean Campfire?

Similar to my last post, a boy left to his own devices for a bit comes up with some funny ideas! We set up Colter's tent in his room so he could play camping for the 47th time this month. I played for awhile then had to do some chores, and when I checked on my camper, he had built his own "campfire" using cans of green beans for logs! I love this creative boy. Too bad he isn't as willing to eat his green beans as he is to play with them.

Chef Bunny and Boy

I left Colter playing while I took a shower this morning, and when I returned, this is what I found. An improvised pillow step stool for a stuffed rabbit baking toy pizza and all sorts of plastic snacks ready for a picnic (which aren't really in the picture). I guess I don't have to worry about making lunch today! The boy and his bunny have it covered.

Happy Halloween!

Have you ever heard of anyone dressing up as a zebra for Halloween? Not me! This was Colter's idea, and thanks to the wonderful world of Ebay, I was able to pull this off without having to learn how to sew. Whew!

Last year, Colter was a lion, this year a zebra, and he already plans to be a giraffe next year. I guess he has a thing for jungle animals.

Pumpkin Carving

It's pumpkin carving time! There won't be any regular old jack'o'lanterns at our house. Colter saw some kids carving pumpkins on Nick Jr., and they were making pumpkins featuring cartoon characters, so of course, Colter wanted a character pumpkin! It was a new experience.

This is icky, mom!

Swiper no swiping! I thought our pumpkin was very impressive. We're so talented. :)

One Last Camping Trip

I've always thought that I would never be able to raise chickens for meat because I would never be able to butcher them. I thought I preferred to leave that messy business up to someone a little less squeamish. I was wrong. After tonight, I'm pretty sure I could totally kill a certain rooster. Pop off it head with a broomstick, chop it off with a butcher knife, twist it off with my bare hands, or any other method of chicken slaughtering, I think I can handle it now.

Ever since Colter got a tent for his birthday, he has been asking and asking to camp in our backyard in it. Well, the tent is pretty small for a 5' 7" woman, and the ground is pretty hard for someone who is accustomed to sleeping on pillow top mattresses, so I came up with the brilliant idea of taking Colter camping in his tent on my parents' trampoline. It was a brilliant idea! Trampolines are pretty comfy and the night was perfect for camping.

However, I didn't think about HIM. This future chicken pot pie and his infernal crowing!

I thought roosters were supposed to crow at sunrise, but I was wrong. This rooster anyway, starts crowing about 2 a.m. and keeps it up until sunrise! He's demented! Here Colter and I are in a tent on a trampoline in my parent's backyard, and this stupid rooster kept crowing and crowing and CROWING! AAAAAHHHHHH! I wanted to kill him.

Between my dad getting home in his noisy truck really late (fall harvest time), the rooster crowing, the cats crawling underneath the trampoline trying to figure out what the crazy people were doing, the hound treeing some animal, my dad getting up really early to head back to the fields, and my sister pulling away at 6 a.m. to go to work, I DIDN'T GET MUCH SLEEP. Needless to say, although Colter slept through everything, we will not be camping on the trampoline again any time soon.

Noisy Rocket the Hound Dog

Springfield Nature Center

We went for a picnic at the Springfield Nature Center with friends and went for a really long walk (too long for three-year-old boys! ) enjoying more of fall in Missouri. The nature center is a great place to go for some free entertainment and learning experiences.

Then, this evening at home we had this nighttime visitor. I guess the nature center followed us home!

Ugh...Lessons Learned.

‎Lesson 1. Colter still has a crazy gag reflex.
Lesson 2. When kids throw-up, sometimes they pee. But probably only when they're on your lap.
Lesson 3. Don't make Colter try stuffed pasta shells. :)

Someday I'll figure out what to do with my picky eater, but that day is not today.

Missouri Travels 2010 Part V--Lake of the Ozarks State Park

Before it gets cold, we were able to squeeze in one last camping trip. Originally, we had a big camping party planned; my mom, brother, sister and her boyfriend, aunt, cousins, my niece and nephews were all supposed to go with us. First, my mom got sick and backed out so that ruled out her, my brother, niece, and nephews. Then, my aunt who must not be able to function without my mother backed out, so there went my aunt and cousins. Fortunately, we could count on my sister and her boyfriend to still go, so since we have a camping-obsessed boy on our hands, we decided to go ahead with our plans. We told Colter we were going, we cleaned up the camper, we packed, and THEN at the last minute my sister backed out too!!!! GRRRRR. That's okay. Who needs a camping party anyway? We had a nice, quiet three-person camping trip and spent some time enjoying the beautiful fall colors WITHOUT my flaky family. So there. :)

COLTER QUOTE OF THE TRIP

Colter to John: "When I was your age, I used to wear a monkey suit and climb in the trees. There was candy in the trees, and I used to pick it."

Fishing from the camper?
Pretty fall leaves!

Handsome Men By a Funky Tree

So many beautiful colors!

Cute Explorer Boy

Today, my husband, our cute explorer boy, and I went explored the local trail. Colter insisted that I document all the items that we found along the way. I took a ton of pictures of random natural objects! Here's a few.

Yay for family walks!

Growing Pains

Help! My toys keep disappearing. Mommy says I'm getting too big for some of my toys, and I suspect she's packing them away when I'm not paying attention. I can't help it if I'm growing! I want to keep all of my toys FOREVER! I want to have a room so stuffed full I won't even fit. Mommy's crazy! I'm not too big for this ride-on lion. My legs aren't so long that I can't even ride on it properly.... I'm not going to let her take it! EVER! It's mine!

Terrapin Races!

At some small town festivals, attendees throw cow chips. At some, people race ostriches. Sometimes, cheese enthusiasts even roll cheese down hills. And at some festivals, kids race terrapins.

The fast-moving reptiles (ha ha) provide some high speed entertainment!

Some citizens aren't sure about this activity at first.

But they usually warm up to the competitors.

And then the excitement gets to their heads and they get a little goofy.

Sometimes, Fudge Pops Are Messy

Playing Outside with My Boy

Have I ever mentioned that I love my rock-climbing, bike-riding, super-fun boy? Because I do.

I do, I do! I love this boy!

Candy Land Cake

We celebrated my nephew Justin's fourth birthday today, and this was his cake. SO cute! And yummy! My sister, the dessert queen, made an edible Candy Land board. I think I'll try to talk her into making Colter's birthday cakes for the rest of his life because I can't compete!

Victory At Last!

All summer long, the music of the ice cream man has taunted my boy. We hear the ice cream truck's elusive melody every other afternoon, but we always fail in our attempts to be in the right place at the right time. The ice cream man doesn't come down our street, so in order to meet up with him, we have to meet him at the end of the street, but we never seem to hear the music in time. I don't know how many times this summer, Colter has run out the door trying to see the ice cream man that never comes. Today, however, luck was with us. We heard the music in time to race down the street, flag down the ice cream man, and purchase an overpriced sundae cone! It made Colter's day.

Victory is sweet!

Missouri Travels 2010--Part IV Animal Taming at Compton Ridge

Well, we somehow survived the night in a pop-up camper during a heat wave. The poor pop-up's air conditioner ran all night long, but it survived as well. While waiting for the pool to open at the campground, Compton Ridge in Branson, Missouri, Colter spent some time taming the animals at the playground. He may have a future in the circus, although the gorilla almost got the best of him.

Normally, Compton Ridge is a great place to stay in Branson. It has nice, shady campsites, a couple of pools, a fun playground, and it's close to Silver Dollar City. I just don't really recommend planning a trip when it's over 100 degrees. :) That's the way it worked out for us this time though! It was still fun, but after playing at the playground and swimming in the pool, we headed home to the A.C..