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.

Happy Birthday!

My boy is three. THREE. The past three years have flown by and have been filled with much joy. Happy birthday sweet son of mine! God blessed our lives more than we could ever imagine when He gave us you.

Our boy is all grown up and designing his own birthday cakes. This is what Colter decided his birthday cake should look like.

This is what he came up with! A delicious ice cream cake decorated mostly by a three-year-old. Yummy!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Dear God,

Thank you for the rain that You provide us. Thank you for the water for the plants and the water we have to drink. Thank you for cloudy days that teach us to appreciate the sunny days more. We really are so grateful for all the water You provide us, but Lord, when you get a chance, could you send the sunshine back for awhile? That would be awesome.

Amen.

A Quick Note to Make You Smile

Today, as John was filling up our lawnmower with gasoline, our boy wanted to know what he was doing. John explained that the lawnmower needed gas to work just like our cars need gas to work. Colter went on his merry way, and a bit later, John noticed him unscrewing the gas cap on his toy Radio Flyer car and putting GRASS into the hole. When asked what he was doing, Colter said, "I'm filling my car with grass to make it go!"

Here's Colter with his car in October 2008.

I hope you all had a great Mother's Day!

A Bit Domineering, Perhaps?

My two-year-old is turning into a fashion control freak. He's been very enthralled with my hair his whole life (he used to hold onto my hair while he nursed or while being rocked to sleep, and I've always said my hair is his security blanket), but over the past few months, he has taken to telling me how to wear it. Some days he insists on a ponytail, other days he wants me to wear my hair down. A couple days ago, I parted my hair in the middle instead of on the side like usual, and the little goofball freaked out. It seems odd that that a almost-three-year-old boy cares about his mommy's hair, but whatever.

Lately, his concern for my appearance has moved to other areas. He's decided that I must wear a bracelet anytime we go to the church for any reason, and he likes to pick out which one. He also loves picking out my earrings for me. Last week, I put on what I thought was a cute top, and as soon as he saw me, he said, "MOMMY, I don't like that shirt!" Today, I had on a pair of gray flip flops, and he said, "NO, Mommy, you need to wear the pink ones!" So even though, there was absolutely no pink in my ensemble, I wore the pink flip flops; it was easier than arguing with the shoe Nazi. When this boy grows up, he is either going to have a career in fashion, or be a very controlling husband.

P.S. Those of you who know about my mission to blog every day for thirty days didn't think I was going to make it, did you? I've still got three hours to spare. :)

For Your Sunday Evening Amusement

While looking through some photos, I found this picture

that I took TWO years ago.We thought it would be funny to see if Colter still fits in the flower pot. He does, but oh, how things have changed!

Friends?

It would be interesting to know what babies and toddlers really think of the kids their parents make them play with. For instance, Colter has spent a lot of time with one of my best friend's sons, Carter. Our boys were born within eleven days of each other and have been hanging out since birth. They've always seen each other at least once a week, usually more, and because of their mommies' friendship, have been forced on each other.

Look, we even made them wear coordinating outfits. Okay, not really. That was just a cute accident.We think the boys like each other; they talk about each other and ask to go play with the other, but do they really? Is the laughter apparent on Colter's face laughter of the joy of playing with a fellow nine-month-old, or was he making fun of Carter's carrot-tinted nose?

A month ago, our two families got together for dinner and the parents attempted to play cards while the kids played. Not long into our game, Colter and Carter came into the room quietly like something was up. Colter fell over holding his head, and instantly Carter started to cry. At first, I thought Carter had been injured, but John quickly pointed out the blood on Colter's forehead. Colter had a cut on his forehead, not a bad cut, but bad enough that the possibility of an E.R. trip to get stitches crossed my mind, but after we cleaned it up, it really wasn't much of a cut. It did swell up later and spread apart, so we put one of those butterfly bandages on it to try to prevent a scar, so it looks worse than it was.

When we asked the boys what had happened, we didn't get a straight answer. Colter wasn't talking and Carter's story didn't necessarily make sense. Probably because he was crying. Carter's brother Evan said he thought Carter hit Colter with a toy, and Colter pushed Carter down, but he didn't act absolutely certain that was what happened (I wasn't totally convinced anyway). Well, as soon as we got in the car, Colter came clean and said, "Carter hit me, Mommy, so I pushed him." I got the story out of him, and apparently, either Colter tried to take Carter's toy, so Carter hit him in the head with it, and then Colter pushed him down. It was so funny that Colter wouldn't tattle on Carter.

The point to this story is that now, there's been a couple things happen that make me wonder what's going through these kids' heads. When we went to play at Carter's house a few days ago, Colter proclaimed, "If Carter hits me, Mommy, I'm going to push him." Yesterday, we met up with several different families at the park, and after playing with a little girl we know, Colter said, "Scarlet is nice; she doesn't hit me." I think Colter may be holding a grudge. Perhaps. Today, I had a substitute teaching job and Colter spent the afternoon with Carter. Colter shut Carter's fingers in a closet door and wouldn't say he was sorry! Is it wrong that all preschooler drama makes me laugh?

Most of the time, the boys have a ton of fun playing together and get along really well. At least I think so...I'm not sure about this look on Colter's face, however.

Maybe we should work on the "A friend loves at all times" Proverb...

Baby SmackDown

Are family gatherings at your house this chaotic? When we're all visiting, walking through my parents' living room is like trying to make it through a wrestling ring. It's nuts! Check out a few minutes of the chaos. Notice the amazing six-month-old-baby wrestler who gets in on the action and his sister, the Fantastic Flying Psycho Girl . They'll be appearing on WWE's SmackDown next season.



This brief glimpse into the adventures of my family is normal for us. We're a fun group. Bruised and battered, but fun! :)

Things I Want to Remember

Ten Moments with My Two-Year-Old (In No Particular Order)

1. I told Colter how glad I was that God gave him to me and his Daddy, and Colter proceeded to tell me how I unwrapped him and got him out of a box. He could not be convinced otherwise. :)

2. When daffodils started popping up this spring, I excitedly pointed them out to Colter on our walks. Soon, he started getting all excited about them and pointing them out to me only he calls them "duck-o-dills." Duck-o-dills! Cute!

3. My boy was playing out on the deck, and I could hear him chattering away through the screen door. I opened the door to see what he was saying, and he got an annoyed look on his face and said, "Go back in Mommy. I'm talking to Tangent (the cat)." Well, exxxxcuse me.

4. While on a walk on a wooded trail, we could hear frogs "singing" in the distance. I asked Colter what they were saying and he immediately interpreted the frog-ese as, "The trees are growing! The trees are growing!"

5. Colter was very upset and started crying one morning when I gave him his allergy medicine. I totally didn't get what was wrong until he explained that he already had his energy. Energy? Oh! He thought I was going to make him go back to bed to get more energy. Allergy, energy--I see how it could cause confusion.

6. When putting on some pajamas that Colter got for Christmas, we discussed how they were his "Christmas jammies." Colter informed me that God gave the pjs to Jesus, Jesus gave them to Santa, Santa gave them to Mommy, and Mommy gave them to Colter. What logic!

7. Colter used an air pump from an exercise ball (that he had to figure out how to put together) to shoot crayons, wads of paper, and other objects across the room. He's two, and he's already building rockets. What will this kid do with fireworks someday?

8. I asked Colter to hand me a yardstick, and he said, "This isn't a yard-stick, Mommy. It's a garden-stick."

9. We've been working on potty-training (not going well by the way), and Colter's been very interested in where poop and pee goes. We ran into a friend the other day, and Colter opened up the conversation by telling her that "Poop and pee goes into pipes under the house." Great conversation starter. :)

10. We retired the crib and moved our boy into a twin bed. He's done a great job with it, but since Mommy and Daddy can lie down with him in bed now, he tries to convince us to sleep with him. When John put him to bed the other night, Colter got him to lie down a bit. When John got up, Colter wrapped his arms around his neck and said, "But Daddy I love you! I love you!" Awwww!!!!! It's hard to say no to that!

Happy Easter!

A little silliness...Too much wind... A LOT of energy...
A smidgen of obstinance... A dash of goofiness...The combination of all of the above results in a not-very-traditional Easter photo but a very realistic and typical glimpse into life with a two-year-old. Enjoy.

A Good Friday Evening

Can You Do This?

Remember that silly children's comeback, "So, so suck your toe all the way to Mexico?" Don't say that to this kid. He takes everything literally.

Toddler Tree Hugger

What is it about a tree that says, "Climb me?" Since when do two-year-olds climb trees? Since now!

Neither this tree or monkey boy are really big enough for any real tree climbing to take place, but it won't be long! John and I planted this tree six years ago. It was only a foot or two taller than Colter when we planted it. When we moved in to this house, there wasn't a tree in the yard; my tree-loving soul was very distressed. We planted quite a few, and they are actually starting to look like real trees instead of twigs. Yay! Trees make me happy, and obviously my boy has a thing for them as well.

Moments with Our Boy or "The Floor Hurt My Eyebrow"

While putting a hair clip in my hair than taking it out, putting it in, and taking it out, Colter ended up with a strand of my hair. He immediately said, "Oh dear! I fix it Mommy!" and preceded to try and attach the piece of hair back to my head.

When we were taking a walk, Colter and I were discussing the colors of different things around us. We say green grass, brown trees, and the blue sky. Colter noticed the one cloud up in the sky, and said, "There's a white cloud. (Sadly) I can't reach it. I can fly up to it though!" I want to know more about that statement--did he mean in an airplane? Does he think he can fly like a bird? Hmm... I guess I'll never know what he had in mind.

Sometimes Colter and I build a "nest" out of pillows and blankets on his floor if he's having trouble sleeping. I lie with him on his floor until he falls asleep and then sneak back to my bed. One morning after Colter had ended up on the floor, he woke up and came into our room and crawled in bed with us. He asked me why I wasn't on the floor with him anymore, and I told him the floor hurt my back, so I had come back to sleep in the bed. He nodded knowingly and stated, "the floor hurt my eyebrow."

Whenever I suggest something Colter decides he would like to do, or if he comes up with something he is trying to get me to let him do--anything from watch Little Bear to taking a bubble bath, he says "That would be nice." So cute!

The other night Colter kept getting books one at a time from his bedroom and giving them to me on the couch to read to him. After we had read around a dozen books, he brought in his Bible for me to read. I read a few verses from random pages and then he took it and started reading to me. He opened it up and started to read, "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food."

Showering Tanner

It's probably not okay to give newborn babies a shower. They wouldn't appreciate having their sleep interrupted by a splash of water in the face. It is okay to shower them with gifts though. Even if the baby happens to be baby number four! Even a fourth kid deserves new stuff. :) Remember Tanner? The car baby? Today we showered him. With presents. Not water.

Tanner's beautiful mommy with the beautiful cake that I made all by myself

Look at this really fun quilt my sister Courtney made! Cute!
While Tanner was getting showered, Colter and his cousins were outside building a fort (?) out of leaves. Then Colter and my grandparents' dog--I think its name is Pepper--had some sort of discussion.

Which I believe led to a disagreement.So Colter buried the dog, whose name may or not be Pepper, with leaves.And Pepper did not seem to mind one bit. Nice Pepper. :)

Sunday School Hooky

My boy loves Sunday school, but today he must not have been in the mood. Usually, when we drop him off at his Sunday school room, he goes right in and begins to play with his friends. Today however, he immediately started screaming when I dropped him off and did not want me to leave. I tried to calm him down and convince him to stop crying, but no such luck. I was assured that he would stop crying and be fine, so I went ahead and went to my Sunday school class. I was there, perhaps, three minutes when someone came to get me because Colter had gotten so upset he puked! ICK. His classroom was filled with the not-so-pleasant aroma of curdled milk and regurgitated waffle when I rushed over to retrieve my vomit-covered kiddo. My poor boy! He was a teeny bit congested, and I guess he just got so upset that he choked on some phlegm and threw up, because the rest of the day he was his usual hyperactive self, so he obviously wasn't sick, thankfully.

Needless to say, we couldn't remain at church after Colter threw up on his Sunday school teacher in case he really was sick. Instead of spending the morning at church, we played hooky and visited the park! Feeding the geese and playing at the playground made Colter feel better after his yucky puking experience.

The fall leaves are beautiful!Catching Daddy on the SlideI'll Catch You, Mommy! Yellow