St. Patty's Day Fun

Today has been an absolutely beautiful day. Being the Irish blooded people we are we started off by donning green shirts before we headed to meet our friends at the park. About then it occurred to me that I could use St. Patty's as a teaching tool to work on Drew's colors...today's color being:GREEN. After some fun at the park, we came home for lunch and rest time (i.e. Drew is still refusing to nap so its now called "resting").

I had already explained to Drew why we were all wearing green shirts and been quizzing him a little about what color the were. So after nap...excuse me, rest time...I took a quick look out the balcony to check the weather. It is so beautiful! Although I'm sure the snow will return soon, at the moment its 70 degrees and sunny. The top picture is the view from our balcony and I quickly spotted our destination...the grocery store. Its the tan building on the left. I asked Drew if he remembered what color shirts we were wearing ("geen") and then asked if he wanted to go do something fun. Of course his agreement was quick to follow. We headed out for a stroll to the grocery store were we picked up some quick ingredients ("We makin' cookies!?!?! MMmmm, my wove dem!").

Back at home we mixed the batter and put the first batch in and then the fun started. Drew helped me squeeze some green food coloring into the frosting and mix it. He helped me spread the frosting later and add some green sprinkles. Meanwhile, we sang the green song and watched Shrek 2 who's main characters just so happen to be green.

I've accepted that I will probably always be a preschool teacher at heart. That probably means receiving a few curious looks and smirks at my occasional child like behavior and love of "themey" activities. I'm ok with that though...I know what I love and it makes my time with Drew even more enjoyable. By the way, the St. Patty's Day Funfetti cookies were pretty enjoyable too!

"Just a Wittle Boy"

After an afternoon at the park yesterday with some new friends (yay!!!), I brought Drew home to cook supper and get him bathed. As we were headed for the "run in the door, kick off your shoes, and sprint to the potty" routine, I tossed him up over my shoulder and carried him giggling into the bathroom. No sooner had I done that then I got the whiff; nope, there was no accident from this big guy...what I got was the pure sweet smell of a little boy. He was quick to explain that to me too. I tickled him and said, "Boy, you ARE STINKY!" His quick reply was, "Mom, I not stinky...my just a wittle boy." He couldn't have been more accurate because despite the fact that Jesse or I will occasionally slip and reference, "the baby" there isn't actually a baby anymore. There is nothing about this towering, talkative, soon to be potty trained child that points to him having once been a baby.

Of course, that sweet stink isn't the only thing that points to his boyhood. The poor peacock at the zoo over the weekend figured out what he was dealing with fairly quickly (although it took two incidents...something that makes me question the intelligence of that fine feathered bird). Upon first spotting Drew, the peacock made its approach hoping to get some food. Drew introduced himself by trying to grab a handful of tail feathers and proceed to chase the poor bird the length of a football field in his persistence to get acquainted. When the creature was so dense as to return for the second time, Drew thought he would try force feeding it a rock...that didn't go so well either. My frustrations at potential animal cruelty and expasperations that I never would have tried that quickly faded as I reminded myself that he is all boy. With the abundance of curiosity constantly growing in that child, I should be thankful that was the extent of our encounter with that unfortunate bird.

So my sweet baby has quickly grown into a little boy and as he pointed out last night that isn't going to change. In fact, he informed me that he was going to "be all growed up someday and get mawwied and have a wittle boy too." Of course, as a mommy who is holding on for dear life to this little monkey that I adore, I reminded him that it was long time until that would happen. For now, he's just MY "wittle boy."

Funny Drew-isms

So things have been crazy busy lately and I haven't had time to blog. Still winding down but I thought I'd throw out some recent "funnies" from the little monkey (a.k.a. The Family Comedian).

Its about 6:45 pm here and I hear a big sigh from the living room, "Man I'm sweepy...I tink I need to go back and get in my bed."

For some reason, instead of saying "sometimes" Drew says, "Happentimes." Example: "Happentimes I bump my head."

We're making major progress with the potty training. Tonight he went poo-poo and said, "Wow! Mom, did you see dat fall out my booty?"

When told that Daddy would be taking him to storytime at the library this morning he said, "Yay!!! Daddy gives me cookies!"

He's taken to referring to all family members as "good fwiends" lately.

Jesse and I have been hanging stuff on the walls and so we've had the measuring tape and level out. For the record, the correct pronunciation for measure is "May-shur"...that boy's from Texas!

Upon realizing that mommy got new shoes on her shopping trip he said, "My need new shoes too dough!" I told him that it was ok, he had his boots. To which he said, "No, day JOHN DEERE boots and my wove dem." Nothing more was said about needing new shoes.

And one more for the road:

This morning he spotted a bug crawling down the baseboard. He took off running with his clean underwear and tried to use it squish it. I told him not to use that and he kicked the baseboard as hard as he could and yelled, "Ha Ha! My kicked it in da head!"

Out of the Mouth of a Babe

Lately Drew has really been pushing the, "I want a baby sister" issue. It seems like we're talking about babies 3 or 4 times a day and the conversations get funnier every time. Like the time I asked him a couple of weeks ago if he knew what a baby sister was and he said, "Uh huh...she going to pway tactors wif me." I asked him if he was sure he didn't want a brother for that and he informed me that he sure he wanted a sister.

Last night and today we've reached a new intensity. It started when I was holding him in our glider. I told him that he had gotten so big and that he used to be so tiny when Mommy rocked him. He said, "Yea, my use to be wittle bitty in your tummy." I laughed and said yes, that I had rocked in the glider then too. He said, "Mommy, could you heawr me cwying in dere?" I told him that I didn't think he had been crying then...I was pretty sure he was happy. He said, "How I get in dere?" I told him that Jesus had given him to me. "Hmmm," he said as he peeked into my shirt, "Someday I might have to go back in." I laughed and told him no that he was too big now. He said, "Well, maybe Jesus put anoder baby in dere." I told him that I hoped so. Then he said, "But I use to be in dere. Jesus put me dere one time...but den I felled out." I laughed hysterically and then told him that he didn't fall but he came out in the hospital.

Then he wanted to see pictures. So I showed him the ones I put with this blog (ok, insert gripe: I can't figure out how to put the pictures where I want them or in a specific order...grrrr). He looked at the one with me pregnant and said, "Wow! Mommy, you got a big tummy. I tink I was about to fall out dere." I laughed again and said it was pretty soon after that. Then we looked at some of him right after birth and then the one shown here. He said, "Mommy, my was so, so wittle!" I told him yes but that now he was great big and I loved him so very much. "Yes Mommy," he said, "Jesus gave me to you." I told him that was true and that he is the most precious gift.

I love him. I love these talks. I love watching him learn and grow. And of course, I love laughing at what comes out of that mouth while he's learning.

Its all about the Focus

It was bound to happen. In fact, its been a long time coming. Drew started his terrible twos at about 14 months and has kept up a steady string of, "No!" ever since. He's beautiful, he's brilliant, he's athletic and he's mine which means he also has a smart mouth. Honestly, there are days that I find it difficult not to laugh at the things he says, that other boys his age can only think. Like recently when I told him it was time to do something and he very flippantly said, "Ummm, no...I don't tink so" and then went about his business. Or there was yesterday when I was trying to impose the rules of naptime. He looked up at me and growled, "You go back in dat oder woom and watch a movie wif Daddy...just weave me awone!" It comes as a shock and I never know whether to reprimand or shake my head at his verbal tenacity. Of course, I know that ultimately, discipline is in order and so after a long day of my brilliant child's smart mouthed rebuttals and a long list of time outs and discussions I find myself exhausted.

On days like today, when my precocious little man's verbal gymnastics are the least of my concern, I have to take a second and regroup. Which is what I'm doing now, taking a step back and re-focusing. It is all about what I chose to focus on. Yes, Drew threw a screaming fit in the floor today, wearing absolutely nothing from the waist down because he didn't want to put his underwear on. When a take a step back though, I remind myself that he helped put laundry away for the first time today too. Isn't that what I want to remember about today? I've also been awake (aside from a power nap this morning) since roughly 3 am when Drew had a bad dream and then couldn't go back to sleep in his bed...he had to take over Mommy's. Then again, exactly how long will that last? He's growing up so fast that it seems like I could wake up tomorrow and he'll be too old and big to come get in bed with us. And even though I get frustrated at the 5000th request to find a football (or hockey, or basketball, or baseball) game on TV for him to watch when there is absolutely none to be found (and the subsequent fit that often follows), I have to remind myself that maybe this insane 2 year old passion he has for sports is an integral part of his future. Which reminds me of that picture and then I can't help but laugh. So, I laugh and I thank God for my beautiful, brilliant, hilarious, athletic...and yes, smart mouthed little boy.

Sweet Satisfaction

That, my friends, is the face of satisfaction. Let me preface this posting by saying that unless you're a parent, you might find this a little crude. However, we in the parenting world understand that bodily functions are a fact of life and in this instance, something to be celebrated.

As I mentioned yesterday, we've been working hard on the medieval torture known as potty training. He's been doing fantastic recently, aside from his aversion to going "poo-poo" as he puts it. Now I should probably clarify the use of the term "aversion." By this I mean that if I gave him the choice between using the potty and having each of his finger nails pulled off one at a time, he would probably gladly give me his hands. In fact, he finds the whole thing so excruciating that he often attempts to pull my finger nails off in the process.

Doing a quick calculation this morning, I realized it had been 4 days since there was any movement from the bowel region and I came to the conclusion that at some point today even the most stubborn of potty trainees would have to give way to nature.

We made it until right after our joint nap time when I awoke to horrific screams coming from down the hall. I quickly sprinted to his room where he threw his arms around me and yelled, "Da poo-poo is coming!" We rushed to the bathroom, I quickly sat him on the potty and we made it just in time. Enter the cheers and accolades and a proud little man requesting that he have muffins made in his honor.

While the muffins were cooking, he managed to run off with my phone and announce his success in life to his Uncle Jake and his Nonni...much like an Olympian would hoist their recently received gold medal over their head. Within 30 minutes, my little champion was enjoying his triple berry muffins and that, my friends, is the taste of sweet satisfaction!

Let's Try This Again...

So about a year ago, the idea of a blog took my fancy. I hurried to open this account and excitedly set out to right my first blog. Not so long after (around two posts, I think) reality set in. As a wife and mother of a rambunctious monkey who worked, on average, anywhere from 30-50 hours outside of the home in a week, a regular blog was not realistic. ...at least not for me.

Months later, things have changed. I'm still a wife to an amazing man working in ministry and still the mother of a rambunctious and now precocious little monkey but now I get to be those things from home. My blog is called "Life's Little Adventures" but in January we faced a huge adventure. God called us to Columbus, MT, a wonderful little town that happens to be 25 hours from my parents and many, many miles north of the Mason-Dixon line. Yes, the unthinkable has happened, this southern girl has moved to the far north.

The scenary is beautiful, the weather not nearly as brutal as I had imagined and the people are wonderful. What started off as an amazing adventure is quickly becoming one of the wisest decisions we've ever let God lead us in. Jesse works with amazing people and has a job he loves. I'm getting to live out the desires of my heart by being a stay at home mom. We are truly blessed!

Anyway, now that I have more time on my hands, I thought I would try, once again, to keep a blog going. It gives me the chance to talk to people (or at least pretend I do) that are above the age of 2. Besides, I need to have a place to keep track of all the insane (and amazing things my little monkey says and does).

On that subject, I'll leave you with the first entry on the craziness of Drew. We're working hard on potty training in the hopes that he will be almost completely there by the time #2 is on the way. This morning he announced he had to go so we hurried to the potty. As we were sitting there (in the way-to-early morning hours) his tummy growled. "Oh Mommy!" he yelled, "My tee-tee just growled out at me!" This is definitely proof that there are times for hysterical laughter...even early in the morning.