little man, big words

Since my little man started preschool there have been some very noticeable changes in him, especially when he speaks.  Some of the letters, like "f" that he used to have trouble pronouncing are no longer an issue and he has started using some very big words.  Supper is no longer just plain "yummy" it's "DELICIOUS!"  A new toy, new show, new anything is not just "cool" any more it's "AMAZING" or "AWESOME!"  Nothing is "funny" any more it's "HILARIOUS!"  And, after he has spent the better part of an hour running laps around the house he is not just "tired" he is "EXHAUSTED!"    I love listening to him use these big words and use them correctly. 

Along with his big words he has started telling stories, using longer phrases and having conversations with his guys (a.k.a. is superhero toys).  He doesn't know that I listen to him all the time and has no idea that I can hear every word coming from his room.  His new favorite game is to imagine that we are racing every car that we pass or come up next when we drive anywhere.  On the way home from swimming lessons (BTW swimming = best money spent...ever!)  this week we were passing a semi and all of a sudden from the back seat I hear him yell "Come on Mommy.  Give it all you've got!"  It took all my self control not to drive off the road and fall on the floor of the car laughing.  This same car trip home from swimming produced a rather lenghty story about what happens when your teeth fall out.  Without going into major details the story involved teeth falling out, putting them under your pillow, the tooth fairy leaving you money which will then be taken to the store to purchase new guys and movies. 

I know that this whole post seems pretty pointless and not really about much of anything except the fact that my baby boy is looking and sounding more and more like a big kid each and every day and as sad as it is when I really take the time to sit and think about that fact, I absolutely love getting to see this amazing tranformation. 

Busted playing in his sister's room so he posed for this picture.  CHEESIEST! SMILE! EVER!

the holidays are officially over

When Christmas is over and it's time to start thinking about taking down all the decorations, I get a little sad.  Christmas is absolutely my favorite time of year.  I love twinkling lights, all of my lighted houses and our great, big tree.  It makes dealing with the transition between the warm days and cool nights of fall to the all day snow and cold of winter a little easier.  Each time I open a bucket filled with decorations or look at an ornament as I hang it on the tree it's like seeing an old friend again.  Each ornament has a different memory that goes along with it and all the new ones that get added in every year get me excited to see them again the next.  As I have sat in my living room last week I kept thinking that the time to take everything down and pack it all away was quickly creeping up and so Saturday morning, it started.  I don't want to be "that person" who has their tree lit in their living room window until February.  It may be too cold to take the lights down from the house but they won't be turned on at night any more very soon.  As I was attempting to drink my coffee without spilling all over the toddler climbing up and down off my lap, I decided that I should be productive and start maybe taking the ornaments off the tree.  That quickly turned in to me barreling full force towards the take-down and re-packing of all our Christmas decorations.  It was just that time, time to say good-bye to all my pretty twinkling lights and smiling snowmen for another year and hunker down to ride out the rest of the winter.  If the last week with Harper thinking that she needs to start her terrible 2's at only 1 1/2 is any indication of how our winter is going to go...I may need to start leaving the tree up all year round!

What do you do when it's too cold to go outside...stay inside where clothing is optional and accessories are a must!




One of the few moments the poor kid was actually able to play with his new "iPad" since his little sister has decided that it's really hers.

road trip

After spending an amazingly quiet and relaxing Christmas at home, we packed our suitcase and cooler, loaded up the car and headed out.  To say that I was a little nervous about how our 10 hour road trip would go is a gross understatement.  Harper has never been the best traveler in the car and the 3 1/2 hours from between Grand Forks and Bismarck is the farthest distance we have ever taken her.  In an effort to try and keep the monkeys in the back seat occupied and (at least somewhat) happy I also made sure we had plenty of movies, snacks, toys and time for stops.  My nightmares about a horrible day filled with one crying toddler, her brother screaming because of the crying, a crying and frustrated mommy and a stressed out daddy were completely irrational and unfounded.  The drive to Nebraska and back home a few days later went about a zillion times better than I ever thought it would.  The kids watched their movies (I brought lots but we ended up playing the same 3 over and over again...Ice Age 4 anyone?), played with their toys and ate their snacks with only a few little outbursts and with minimal fighting.  I really could not believe it.  I was pleasantly shocked and incredibly relieved.

In addition to my surprise over my rockstar road trippers, I have to tell Cayden's McDonald's story.  He will hate me for it when he's older but it's far too funny not to tell.  So on the way to NE, we made a longer lunch stop at McDonald's in Watertown, SD.  As we were finishing up and getting ready to use the bathroom one more time before getting back in the car Cayden stands up at our table and says he needs to poop.  Good timing on his part because now we don't have to stop again 5 minutes down the road.  He and Daddy go into the men's room while Harper and I wait outside.  A few minutes later another man comes out of the bathroom and walks by me laughing.  Not knowing that Cayden is with me, he turns and says "the little guy must have been successful in there," laughs and sits down at his table.  My boys come out of the bathroom and as Jake is already trying his hardest not to bust out laughing Cayden yells "Mommy, I pooped!"  Apparently, while on the toilet in the public bathroom Cayden also felt it was necessary to narrate his activities.  When I say narrate I mean he sat there and said something to the affect of "Wait for it.  Wait for it.  My poop's coming.  It's coming.  Wait for it.  I go-ed!"  This is what is meant when people say that parenthood removes your ability to become visibly embarrassed because any time you are in public you are in a permanent state of embarrassment.



Cool Rider!

What makes a road trip better?  Chocolate milk, of course.  CHEERS!