Kittens, Mud puddles, and Mountains…

Tuesday was our first weekly family BBQ of the season. Great fun stuff. It was a bit misty and wet out, but not too bad. J is totally in love with being at Grandpa’s house. It’s like Disney land for a two year old. Especially now. There are 17 little baby kittens there right now, all residing in the garage for easy toddler access. We have to observe closely and intervene frequently in order to avoid a real life portrayal of “Of Mice and Men.” J is totally in love with cats. And Grandpa’s house is the only place he really comes in contact with them. So, 17 baby cats that can’t run away from him before he can catch them…….is heaven for him!

After we got there J was roaming about the place. I’m surprised by how much more I have relaxed in recent months in regards to his safety. I don’t hover and feel the need to be at arm’s length all the time. Of course, I’m on top of him when he heads in the direction of the road, and I always have my eyes on him. But I no longer envision him tripping and poking an eye out on every tiny stick in the yard! So, when he took off across the backyard giggling in delight, I was content to stand back and allow him to enjoy the feeling of freedom. When he got about half way across the yard, much farther than I was capable of catching up with quickly, I suddenly remembered something my dad had mentioned to me that morning…….standing water in the back yard. Yep. At that very moment, I see J barrel full speed into the puddle, splashing water up in great sprays as high as his head and laughing himself silly! Then he fell over. Of course, this does not phase a little boy. He simply stood up and kept on running, while I slowly sauntered across the year shaking my head and hoping there were plenty of extra clothes in the diaper bag. It was a cool evening. As he neared the field at the edge of the property, I yelled out to him and told him he’d gone far enough. I didn’t want to chase him out through that muddy mess! We’ve had rains almost daily for weeks on end now. Thankfully, he listened to me and turned around to come back…….through the puddle once more. His grin was classic, his delight almost tangible. His shoe became mired in the mud and this confused him. He pulled on it, lost his balance, and fell once again into the water. He was soaked on one arm and from the waist down. It was all I could do to wrangle him into the house to get him changed. I wonder if the neighbors thought someone was being tortured. He was furious. I was thankful that I’d just bought some plastic shoes for him the previous weekend! Simply rinse, dry, and re-shoe! He only owns one pair of tennis shoes that fit him, and had he been wearing those, they’d have taken forever to dry out!

By the time we were done with wardrobe change, it was about time to eat. Everything was set up in the shop and J was all to happy to run out there looking for “Gampa,” after one last visit with the kittens, of course. We got him inside and quickly pulled the doors closed so we could contain him. Supper was yummy, but J was being picky as usual. He refused his hot dog and deviled egg, opting instead to fill up on chips and puffcorn. He even turned down a cookie! (Yes, I checked him for fever, temp was normal.) Of course, he was done and ready to explore long before the adults were done eating and talking. Everyone else seemed to worry and to gasp when he approached a stack of boards, a bucket of tools, or whatever else they deemed a hazard. I just told him to dust himself off after he fell. These are the same folks who used to laugh at me for being overly protective. How did this change occur? LOL

Uncle J decided to provide some distraction and attempted to teach little J to play pool. With vigilance, he managed to convince J that the balls belong on the table, not the floor. This was confusing to little J at first, having been praised for a “good throw!” for the past year! But soon he was happily rolling balls across the table and he figured out how to retrieve them from within the pockets. Grampa also had a cool remote controlled car and that was of great interest for a while.

Eventually, the party began to break up and we cleaned up the table and opened the doors, releasing J into the thrill of dusk. He shouted “on the mountain!” and ran for the sand pile. Grunting and groaning, he edged his way to the top of the pile, clinging for support when his feet slipped repeatedly in the perilously loose gravel. He ascended safely to the peak of his mountain, steadied himself and stood tall at the apex, chest puffed out with pride in his accomplishment. His head slowly turned side to side, and I beamed with motherly pride watching him ‘take in’ the view from this new elevation. He was quite intrigued, as you can surely imagine. After all, the world is a very different place when you are two whole feet “up in the sky!” Always up for adventure, he then ran headlong down the back side of his mountain, and invited his Gampa to climb back up with him and share this glorious wonder. After several more feats of climbing skill, I announced it was time to go home, and he lovingly passed out hugs and kisses to everyone. I strapped him into his carseat and all the way home he chatted with me all about his “dirty shoes…in the dirt.” When we got home, we dumped about a quarter cup of sand out of his shoes, stripped him naked, and he had a nice bath.

All in all, it was a fabulous evening for the both of us, and we look forward to having fun next week as well. Tonight, it’s fun on the farm, as our Auntie T is home for a brief visit and we’ll gather at Grams’ house for dinner. I’m sure J will take me for a walk up the drive to the landlord’s barn. He finds it quite amazing to be able to see a truck, a van, a boat, a tractor, hay and wheat all in the same location! Not to mention the cows just around the corner. And of course, the joy of hugging the neck of a dog who is big enough to stand eye to eye with him. God bless Cocoa for her patience and sweet temper. I promise to get some new pics up soon. I know I’ve been a slacker in that department.

God’s richest blessings to you today.

Happy Birthday to Boo!

Well, I spent so much time just enjoying my son’s party with him yesterday, that I didn’t take many pictures at all. It was wonderful, if not quite like I envisioned. I’d hoped to get him to take a morning nap, but that did not happen. So he was quite tired and grouchy and started asking to go to bed just about the time everyone arrived and started eating lunch! Oops. So we quickly changed direction and had him start opening his gifts. To my delight, he really got into tearing off the paper. It was so much more fun that way! He received some money towards the purchase of a playset for the backyard, several videos, a slinky, a motorized guy on a four wheeler, a little people school bus, some books, a new savings account, one outfit, a motorized Thomas train set, and a bubble mower. He is quite enamored with all his new treasures, especially the train set. I think I’ll be having to put that away in the evenings after he goes to sleep. He was quite distraught this morning when he had to leave and go to Mammo’s house instead of playing with his “tracks.”

We had some cupcakes and ice cream, which are his favorite things. But he was in a mood and having too much fun with his new toys to eat any. So we didn’t even use the number two candle I bought, or sing happy birthday at the party. Oh well. He doesn’t know the difference yet.

Today is the day, and in just about 10 minutes my baby will be for sure and officially two years old! How did that happen? I think I shall tape my eyelids open now, lest I blink and he turn three tomorrow!

Funny Kid!

Ok, so last night I’m sitting in Boo’s room in the rocking chair and we’re looking at and talking about his Thomas and Friends poster for the 20 trillionth time. (He likes to name all the engines. Percy’s his favorite.) I farted. He stopped and looked right at me and said, “Whoa! Wassat noise?”

Not two minutes later he burped and blamed it on the train! He said, “uh-oh, Percy!”

I think I have my work cut out for me.

Life and Times...

Ok. So I know I’ve been derelict in my duty of keeping everyone up to date with out goings on. I apologize. I have no excuse. I just haven’t made the time.

Our young man is getting to be quite the…..well, young man! Ha Ha. He is growing up so darn fast I can hardly believe it. Seems like every day he bowls me over with some new discovery, adventure, or vocabulary. His speech is getting to be so clear, and I have completely abandoned all attempts to keep track of how many words are in his vocabulary. He adores being the little helper. He likes to push the vacuum back and forth, use the broom, carry out the trash, and he insists on pouring drinks for himself and others. He’ll bring me a cup ¾ full and ask for more just because he wants to be able to pour it. He says “wanna help!” He is also quite good at asserting his independence by requesting “wanna walk” and he knows that when he walks he has to “hol mah hand.” One of his favorite activities is to check the “muh-box” for mail. He knows that we have to stop and look both ways for cars before crossing the street and he will actually look in both directions. As we’ve never yet had to wait for a car, I’m not sure he has any idea what we are looking for, but he looks anyway. He can take off his coat if you unzip it for him. He can pull his shirt on and off his head. We are working on pulling his pants up and down. He can open the fridge and very much enjoys doing so. He will open the fridge and remove the bottle of juice and set it on the counter, then close the fridge. After we pour it, he will repeat the process to put it back, saying “in uh fwige.”

Yesterday he just blew me away. I got to mom’s house to pick him up and she said, “Tell mommy who you saw today.” Now, she does this a lot, but he usually has no idea what is expected of him in response to such an abstract and open ended question. But yesterday he immediately responded, “Gwamma. Gwamma’s house.” He had indeed visited Grandma’s house that afternoon. (I must explain here that Boo has five grandmas and great grandmas that he is familiar with. One more that I need to do a better job of visiting because he doesn’t know her. They each have their own distinct names. Mammo, Grams, Grammy, Gro-Gro, and Grandma. Yesterday was the first time he’d actually said Grandma!)

Then as we were getting into the car, mom told me that earlier in the day, out of the clear blue with no prompting, he had COUNTED TO SIX! As she’s telling me the story, he’s listening, and next thing I know, I hear him doing it again! “One, Two, Fwee, Fow, Five, Six!” Yes, I cried. I’m a sap.

Last weekend out neighbor came and mowed our yard for us again. Don’t know what I’d do without these particular neighbors. They are the best ever. But this left a TON of grass clippings laying in the yard. When Boo and I went to play in the yard, he got into a spot where the clippings were ankle deep on him. He realized this, and started having loads of fun. He was picking them up and tossing them in the air. I decided to get out the rake and start raking them up. He decided to run through the piles like autumn leaves and jump and kick, and grab handfuls and throw them in the air. And throw them on the dog. And try to eat them. Turns out grass clippings aren’t very tasty. And they don’t spit out easily. And when he tried to wipe them out of his mouth, he only added new ones from his hand. It was great entertainment for the both of us. Then we had to take a bath together as soon as we went inside. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse bathtub ring, but I know it’s only the first of many. Boyhood is a wonderful thing. Truly wonderful.

Next Monday our Boosie Boy will be two. Can you believe that? We are having his party this weekend. I’ll try to get pictures up from it before the month is out. LOL Till next time, take care and don’t give up checking in on us. We’re still here.

My son the nudist....

I’ve created a monster.  Every time we take his clothes and diaper off he wrenches away and takes off at a dead run through the house, going in circles endlessly while hollering “NAKED NAKED NAKED” and giggling.

 

Last night he tripped and fell and I said, “Be careful.  You don’t want a rug burn on your penis!”  He got up on all fours and then looked up at me with the oddest expression, and then down at the floor, and then up at me like he was expecting to be in trouble.  I looked and he’d peed on the floor.  LOL  I told him it was ok and I would clean it up.  Then he jumped up and commenced the naked race again.

 

Weeeeee!!!!

I didn't tell you all, but a few weeks ago our little family took a mini vacation. I have a few very dear friends that I met online. I know, it sounds corny, but it's true. This is a group of mothers with whom I share, laugh, cry, rage, worry, and celebrate everything life throws at us. We've been through a lot together, and sometimes I don't know what I would do without them! Well, one of them who lives out east was coming here to Kansas for the KU-Texas game. We decided to have a meet-up that weekend for all who could come. I was so excited! Sadly, all that financial crap hit us right before that so we couldn't afford to go.

But the really cool thing was that one of my dear darling friends was so kind as to send us gas money, got us a hotel room, and gave us money for food and entertainment when we got there! I don’t think words could ever express how much that generosity meant to us! She is such and amazing and dear friend.

So, we all met up at this place that’s similar to a Chuck E Cheese, but it has more amusement park style rides in it also. It’s all indoor. We got an all day wristband for J-man for $6! Woo Hoo! He could ride all the rides he wanted all day, and for the rides where a parent needed to go with him, we could ride for free! How awesome is that? So, guess what? Our little J is going to be a roller coaster lover like his momma and his grandpa! We had the best time! He and I rode together on a roller coaster type ride that went in a circle and had two “bumps” so it was around and up & down. Doesn’t sound like much but it was FAST! The first time we got on, I was afraid it would be too intense for him. But he loved it! There was also a train, a carousel, and a flying banana ride. There was also an actual mini roller coaster, but we didn’t go on that one. That was a bit too intense for J. We all had a blast. It was a fabulous weekend, and just what we needed to take our minds off our stressors for a little while. I came home feeling so refreshed. And it was so great to actually see and touch my friends. I hope we get to do this again some day!

Many Happy Returns of the Day

It’s the first day of Spring.  Many Happy Returns of the Day to all of you.  I hope you each get to see some sunshine today.