Our Goin Life

Couple of things,

Quick story about Andrew and his linguistic skills. I have been teaching him to say the words ‘everybody, anybody, nobody and somebody’ for as long as he could talk. He really gets ‘everybody.’
We also call him Buddy sometimes. I think this has him a bit confused. He likes to say what we thought was “two buddies” sometimes like when we are playing together or he has 2 favorite toys playing together. Or if it’s me and him and Paul T in his room, he’ll say “three buddies.” Well I thought that was what he said anyway.
Then the other day in the van we were talking about something. Can’t recall what exactly right now, and Andrew asked us “who-body?” As in who is it? Was it somebody or anybody? Whobody was it? So now I think, he thinks Buddy is the Body from somebody! So Two Buddies is actually twobodies to him. It makes sense that such a thing would seem logical to him with no understanding yet of writing and words and their differences and similarities. I do explain things to him about our crazy language here when they come up such as this. Not that I think he fully understands me yet but I don’t mind explaining it again someday. Repetition is important to learning after all!

So I hope everybuddy enjoyed that little story!

Also we went to the annual Jazz Festival here in Denton last weekend for the 3rd year in a row. We’ve gone every year since Andrew was a baby and this was the first year I knew where I was! The location of the fest is near the downtown by a park and library and civic center. I’d never been to any of those places before this last year. And it looks so different when they set up all the booths and stages that when we did move here and start going to the library and the park I couldn’t get a handle in my mind of how the festival was laid out there. Now I get it!

Sadly, we forgot the camera both days we went so this will be the first year without any pics. Bummer too because we spent the most time there this year. Last year we went for one day and did walk around for over an hour but Andrew pooped out quickly. And I was pregnant! The year before we went with Andy’s parents and we all pooped out quickly from the heat plus I carried a fat baby in a sling the whole time! This year we had friends there that had a section set aside for everyone in our group with tarps and blankets on the ground near a stage and under a tree! It was so nice to have a place to leave our things and come back to to put down Paul and let Andrew run a bit freely playing with stick guns. I think Andrew had the most fun during the times we stayed there and just hung out. I had several performances I had wanted to see of kids in our group playing. We only actually made it to one and only saw half of it before the music got too loud for Andrew! But it was fun.

I said they should do this more often it is really good times. But then I realized how exhausted I was when we got home after the second day and I am glad they only do it once a year!

One of the kids that I had wanted to see plays classical guitar.

I have only see him in youtube vids! But you can tell he has great talent. Anyway, he didn’t get his shot because his group went over on time. He was playing as part of the school he learns guitar from.

So we are going to the square downtown tonight for a celebration of the first 100 days of Obama in office because Adam will be playing there. I can’t wait to see him live! It’s amazing to imagine a child so young with such great skills on the guitar. He’s been playing since he was 4. I hope to develop the passion for things my kids love the same way this child’s parents have. Tonight will be really fun too because Andrew loves playing on the square!

I have no videos this time around because Andy has taken my laptop to work! Yes, I said to work. He got himself a job. OK, not really. It’s just a local client that has a huge project they want done quickly so they agreed to pay him a bit extra to have him in their office to work uninterrupted. He’ll be leaving us every morning for at least 4 hours for the next 6 weeks. Hopefully fewer weeks than that. He still has other clients he is building sites for too so that is why he is only able to give this one 4 hours a day right now. Plus, it is hard for me to imagine him being gone all day!
But once he wraps up those other clients as long as no new ones come to him, then maybe he’ll go to full days in the office until this project is live. And even after this site is launched there will be ongoing maintenance and development. So he may be going in to an office every day for a long time! Seems weird. But we are super excited about this. He loves the company he is working with. They are good people and easy going. Two must haves for long term working relationships for us! So far Andrew is OK with Daddy being gone. Andy’s already been going to meetings with them twice a week for a couple of hours each time so it isn’t like Andrew wasn’t already used to the idea of Daddy being gone some mornings. This will be different though since it will be every morning so we’ll see how it pans out.

OK, well, that is all I can take the time for right now. I have much more news to tell. But I am hungry and so is Andrew!

Ah life with a two year old. You never know what you’ll get really. But it is always so cool to see the examples of growth in real life form.

Andrew is so 2! You know what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine. He likes to horde toys when we’re around other kids, not so he can play with them but so they can’t. He pulls toys and things away from Paul T a lot.

Last week at our big get together with friends at the park he brought his own new digging toys and was really sweet about sharing them. Then he found a turtle toy under the food table and was so excited. I told him to get it and play with it until the owner asked for it back. Soon after that Andy told me a child walked up to him and seriously and meanly yanked it out of Andrew’s hands (fully appropriate behavior for the other child also). And then gave him a mean look, like how dare you have my toy! Andrew looked OK for a second and Daddy asked if he was, and he said yes. Then he turned toward where I was sitting on the ground with Paul and got the saddest sweetest biggest pout! I said are you OK baby? And he burst into tears! It was so sad. Poor baby. But a big lesson about how it feels to have things snatched from you.

This evening we went out to play at our apartment park. Andrew was a bit on the sleepy side. We slept well last night and slept in late but he still could have used an afternoon rest. We thought it would be good to go outside and play and let him get really good and sleepy too so bedtime would be a breeze.

He rode his trike a bit, we checked the mail and then headed to our little park area. Sometimes the big kids ride through there and stop and play too. Andrew seems to watch them so intently nowadays, like with a strong desire to join in with them but not yet sure how to. This time one girl came through. Her name is China and she’s in the ‘mean girls club’ as I call it. On their own the girls are sweet. They talk to adults us with no problem. Even in pairs they aren’t so bad. But get all 4 together and lookout little kids! They will steal your toys and call names, including to each other. They are demanding and bossy. And whether alone, in pairs, or all together, they never play with Andrew. I guess 2 year olds aren’t that fun when you are 8.

So China was out there alone playing in the dirt with a big stick. We like to gather sticks and play with them like guns or dig with them too. This stick was especially big. Andrew had already collected one he was using but when he saw hers he wanted it. I mean REALLY wanted it. He stared at it. Said “Andrew hab that big stick.” Watched her closely as she pushed the dirt around, moving around her from all angles. Came and told me he wanted it. Went and told Daddy. I tried going to play with him while Andy and Paul played in the grass (Paul was practicing standing on his own). But Andrew kept coming back to the girl with the big stick.

I took him on a stick hunt around the grassy area near the park and we collected several big sticks that he tucked in his shirt for safe keeping but none so big and majestic as China’s. She even told us she got it from a bigger piece of wood when she rode her bike over it and it broke off. She was quite proud of her big stick.

Eventually one in her clan came to play and they dug together. China did not share her stick with her friend but got her another one. Andrew stood near them, digging on his own watching them. They found a worm and were getting it when China set down her stick. As soon as she turned her back Andrew got it! He was so happy. He was digging with it and loving it!

The girls came to where we were and showed us the worm they found and we told them to put it somewhere safe like in the mud. So they got started on that project.

I got worried. I knew Andrew would be noticed and I was so afraid of the drama that would ensue when the big stick was found in Andrew’s hands. I even asked Andy what are we going to do here? And he wisely said let’s wait and see.

China soon realized she needed her big stick to properly dig a hole suitable for the worm to live in and she looked around for it. She saw Andrew with it. He saw her seeing him and they both looked at the big stick. She walked up to him and held out her hand and said “can I have my stick back?” And that little Big Boy, without hesitation or second thought handed the big stick right over. I waited for the tears. He looked over to us and I gave him a big thumbs up and he smiled so huge. I found the tears I had waited for from him came from my own eyes!

After China got the worm safely tucked into the mud under the dirt she turned to us and said, “I don’t want this stick anymore.” Andy said you could give it to Andrew, he’d love it. So she did. And he did! He was so happy! And I had to choke back even more tears.

It’s so cool when life works out like that. When the lesson of doing the right thing pays off in the end.

Here’s a video of our Big Boy at Grandmother Brinkley’s birthday:

Andrew lovin on Paul T

Things seem to be out of control busy around here as usual. I still try to take a moment and slow down every now and again but those moments are rarely filled with updating our blog! Sorry.

Easter was a blast! Andrew had so much fun finding eggs. In fact he didn’t find 2 that day. I knew about 1 and forgot the other. I was so excited when he found the one I knew about, I had been trying to drop hints about where it was since it was a hard one. I then told him OK now it is officially over, you found the last one. Then last night he found another one! It was hilarious. He was so frigging excited. Andy and I decided he had too much fun so we refilled (raisins and dried apricots!) it and rehid it. He found it 2 more times that night and one more time this morning and it is hidden again. It’s our last egg, I passed on the others on freecycle since we can’t store them for next year or anything and I hate to throw that much plastic away, even for recycling.

Then I baked my first ham on Easter. It was fun! My mom and Meemaw came over and played and colored eggs with Andrew. It was an all in all wonderful day.

This week we’ve been to a potluck for our moms group at the park one day and another smaller group of moms (only 3) and our kids on a different day. So Andrew has gotten to play with kids a lot this week. He’s getting into it now. Sadly the kids in this complex aren’t as friendly and sweet as the kids in Sanger were to Andrew. They all wanted to include him usually and he was too little and too young to care much. Now that he seems to want to play with the big kids they ignore his efforts. Though we did make one friend this week here at the complex and hope to see him outside again soon.

Paul’s not quite walking yet! lol He isn’t officially cruising either by my count. Though he tries! He can’t quite get his legs to do it. He does move his arms across things and take baby steps (lol) but not truly cruising. I’m still just amazed every time he pulls himself up! And he is getting higher and higher. He used to need a box to help him up to the height of the couch but can now get up there on his own.

Seeing Paul T grow has made me try to remember Andrew at this age and it’s funny how the brain tricks you. I can’t believe we’ve been through 2 springs with Andrew already and this is our third. I remember him last year like he was a baby. And he was but still a year older than Paul is now. And it is hard for me to remember exactly what he was like 2 years ago! I remember very specific occurrences and things but the general-ness is difficult to recall. It’s strange. Thankfully I kept a blog!

Here’s Andrew on Easter when he was Paul’s age:
CLICK HERE!
Andrew was so fat! They weigh about the same for the same age but Paul seems so thin compared. And look at all that hair! Paul barely has enough to blow in the high winds we’ve been having. This is fun though. And that link also has a link to the pictures from the Jazz and Arts festival from that year which we are going to this coming weekend.

Now here’s some recent vids of Paul T
This one is long and it has a pay off at the end if you make it. Andrew is super cute in this one too!

In this one you can hear Andrew saying his favorite word – PLAY! (sounds like ‘pay’)

And turn up your sound for this one. It’s Paul T humming himself to sleep while nursing.

I hope you enjoyed this but I must get to bed!

Says Paul T. And does he ever! I swear the kid just started crawling a couple of weeks ago and now he crawls all over the apartment and pulls himself up to standing on low things. Did I mention he turned 6 months old officially today? 6 months! He’ll be walking by 8 months like I did. He is so after his brother! The whole motivation behind his speedy progress and development of motor skills is based purely on his desire to catch up to his big brother!

Andrew btw is all over the place as well. His speech is taking off and though he isn’t super easy to understand all the time, he puts sentences together and tries to say things properly if you tell him the right way. Like if he is saying “him did it,” referring to himself I tell him to say ‘I did it’ and he will. He’s a repeater! I know all you grandmas out there now say we need to watch what WE say but we have a strange pov about that. I think making any word taboo makes it exciting and a temptation to use but if you make it not a big deal, then guess what – it’s not a big deal! But he doesn’t just mimic words we say, he also copies sounds. So cute to hear him while Andy is playing some random video games trying to make the sound of the beeps on the screen or when we are out walking the neighborhood to hear him try and copy the sound of the bird he just heard. I love it!

Andrew has so much fun. Paul T sees Andrew jump on the bed or run around with the cat or playing with blocks and cars and just sits and watches and covets! Poor Paul gets so frustrated trying so hard to get him chubby little legs to hold him and to walk while holding hands. He is so close already. It’s hard to think of that tiny baby that cried so much for 6 weeks is now pulling up! And did I mention he’s only 6 months old! Andrew did it at about 7.5 months and I thought that was early. But he didn’t have a cool big brother running around doing stuff.

Yesterday, Paul pulled up on the dishwasher door while I was filling it and grabbed the handle of a knife! I was of course right there but still not something i expected just yet. With Andrew we usually blocked him into 1 room. but with Paul we pretty much let him roam the place and just keep and eye on him. This apartment is laid out so we can see him easily from anywhere. Today i couldn’t find him once and Andrew had left the bathroom door open and Paul was getting in there! It’s one of his favorite places to try and pull up but it is scary in there. It’s clean but if he hits his head on the toilet trying to stand, that would be a bummer. But he rolls all around in the tub during bath time and hits his head on the sides all the time. Not hard of course but he’s having so much fun it doesn’t faze him!

Also yesterday Andrew and I were eating donuts at the table, they had Entenmann’s on sale at Kroger, and Andrew dropped a bit on the floor that I didn’t see him do. Paul was crawling around the table envious as usual of us eating – don’t worry little guy we’ll get out the high chair soon! Suddenly I became aware that Paul T stopped moving so I knew he had something and he was right under Andrew’s chair so I had to move to see him completely and he had donut all over his mouth and squished into his little fat meaty fingers. I yelled “Oh no Paul T you can’t eat donuts!” Andy started laughing from his computer chair and I tried not to flip out. I cleaned him up and he seemed OK. Sad that he couldn’t finish enjoying the treat that he’d found but OK otherwise.
But then later that night after he fell asleep he woke up crying and screaming badly. He was totally in tummy pain and had a really bad hour or so of crying in his sleep inconsolably. I finally got him relaxed over my lap face down patting his back. He hardly woke up the whole time he was so sleepy after a day of chasing around me and big brother and trying to stand and go. But it was so sad to see him hurting so much. We are now much more cautious of Andrew while he eats when Paul is around us.

Wrestling with Lee there still:

Paul T walking – this btw was about a week ago so it is much improved since!

OK, I am off to work on getting more pics and vids off the cam now!

In a word, AWESOME! It was so cool having Grandpa Lee living with us for a whole week. We all wish it could have been longer. He meshed right into our strange little family here. I think he may have had some trouble sleeping some nights but that is pretty common in our family too!

Lee was such a great help. We stayed home most days and didn’t make a big production out of trips to sight see or anything. The kids are too young for that and he was here to see us and them not DFW’s tourist highlights. So we would spend our days playing games, watching shows, eating and cleaning and going outside when it wasn’t too windy. Lee was quite the housewife, too; whenever he’d get that sink full of soapy water and put a dish towel over his shoulder, look out! And clean he did, he actually scrubbed our stove the second day he was here. Now if only I can keep it clean…

At first Andrew wasn’t too sure about Grandpa Lee staying in his room. But he didn’t sleep in Andrew’s big bed, he brought his own, so I think that made it OK. And it was fun in the mornings for Andrew to know that Lee would be coming out of his room to play soon.

Andrew had a funny way of saying Lee’s name too, “grandpa Leave” was his name for a week. Sounded like a command but it’s just Andrew’s fun interpretation!

Grandpa Lee bowled a perfect 300 game on Wii bowling and perfected his driving skills on our Cars game on the Xbox in Andrew’s room. Not bad I’d say for someone who will turn 65 this fall! Heck, I can’t bowl a 300!

We got tons of great pics so check the web album to see them. I also think I have more on the camera now and maybe more vids too that I’ll put up soon. The next set of pics will go into a new album for April so remember to check both.

It’s a bummer that California and Texas are so far apart. It’d be nice to see Lee more than once every 2 years. It will be a while before we can trek out to his neck of the woods too since the kids are still so young. But someday we want to make that trip.

I just hope we didn’t bore Lee too much with our daily goings on! It’s not a whole lot of action around here, but it is busy. Just feeding kids and cleaning and playing games and lots of time spent putting little ones to sleep. And, of course, Daddy sitting at the computer working! He’s got so much on his plate right now. In fact he’s driving to Frisco to see a potential new client this afternoon. Anyway, Lee handled the baby crying (and the 2 year old too) quite well, especially considering he is so not used to kids! He works with the elderly and got a kick out of seeing the similarities too.

Overall as I said it was awesome. A total score all around. I felt like a kid again waiting for Tabba to come visit and just like 30 years ago the time went by too quickly. Can’t wait for the next one now!

Paul loves music.

Lee posing for pics and Paul would start his chatting so I’d try to get a quick vid!

Paul playing bowling with Grandpa Lee