Christmas

R was really into Christmas this year. Not only is he understanding presents this year (and a little bit more about Santa), but he's been really excited about Baby Jesus' Birthday. While in church Christmas Eve, he spontaneously cried out, "Hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray, it's Jesus' birthday!" I was so proud of him. Then today, we went to the post office to mail something, and they had some greeting cards in the post office. R pointed them out and suggested we get a Jesus a birthday card - one that sings. So sweet! I replied that Jesus would probably appreciate it if R just sang to Him, so he sang the birthday song to him.
Santa was very good to R this year. Not because he asked for alot, but because Mommy and Daddy have all these cool toys that we want to play with with him. He got real Legos, which he is loving so far. He got the big Buzz and Woody, which were a big hit on Christmas day, but haven't seen much action since. He got several board games, which we've played, and many books, which we've already read them all several times. He got the Land Before Time movie, because "I LOVE Littlefoot!", and have limited viewing to one time so far. He got some cool race car tracks, a bowling set, and play food. He also got a Wii, which we finally hooked up tonight, and he's pretty excited about. He managed to bowl a 91 completely by himself the first game, and then a 92 the second game. Anytime we tried to help, he stated, "I don't need help. I'm fine." LOL. I'm glad he is able to play by himself already. Hopefully the one game will keep him entertained for awhile.
Overall, a great Christmas. R is already focused on his birthday coming again and the fact that he will be four. I got him a calander today to try to show him when it will be (all the way in September), but not sure that he gets it. At least he's enthusiastic!

Target

Today, I told R we were going to Target to pick up a couple of items. He replied, "Target? Oh I LOVE Target!!!" Not sure where he got this love from, but maybe it was the icee I bought us one time after school. He also does not like Wal-mart, which may be a reflection of my own dislike (but need) for Wal-mart. But he still thinks McDonald's is where the farmer is and begins singing EIEIO everytime we mention McDonald's. Funny how I never noticed that. Silly boy. :)

Dinosaurs

At dinner tonight, hubby mentioned that a certain museum has a dinosaur mummy. R replies, "Dinosaurs aren't for Mommy, they're for Ryan". I almost spit out my dinner I was laughing so hard. Then, R: See the dinosaur on my shirt? Hubby: Yes, that's a nice dinosaur. R: Want to see the dinosaur on my butt? He'll be nice to you. LOL! Good thing we knew he had dinosaur underwear on today otherwise I would be wondering why he had a dinosaur on his butt. :)

Visitng Santa

While R still doesn't like talking to strangers, people in character are a different matter. He went right up to Santa, sat down, and started talking about how there was no snow at his school and he really wanted snow. (He's still upset it didn't snow last week when forecasters predicted it was guaranteed.) Then he and Santa had a discussion about the reindeer. Then Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas. R replied "I have lots of toys at home. I don't need anymore." What a sweet kid! Then Mom volunteered "What about Buzz or Woody?", to which he replied, "I already have a little Buzz, I just need a little Woody." Again, very sweet. Especially considering this little Buzz looks like he came out of a Happy Meal and Grandma-Missy (as R calls her) got it at a garage sale. lol. Santa planned to bring the big Buzz and big Woody for Christmas, but maybe it won't be as big a hit as expected. Guess I need to find a little Woody for a stocking stuffer to cover my bases. lol. Anyway, back to the story - then R smiled for the camera, just like a pro, and we got a great shot. Merry Christmas!

Relationships

So, R asked for a brother today. He first mentioned he wanted to go see his cousins. Then he started asking where his brother was. We tried to explain some relationships within the extended family. He didn't understand why his two female cousins only had sisters (each other) and no brothers. He was finally okay with the fact that Mommy and Daddy both had a brother and a sister (at least one) each. Hopefully that's settled for now, and we won't be asked where babies come from any time soon.
Oh, and last night, R and I went out to get groceries. He knew I was going the wrong way to get to the "food store" (aka HEB). When I told him we were going to Walmart instead, he said "Again?" in a sad, kinda whiny voice, like we go to Walmart all the time. He prefers Target to Walmart (but I think that's because of the popcorn and icee). Then he tells me we should go to the food store and not Walmart. But he was right - Walmart was out of the items I specifically went to get. So, we headed over to HEB anyway. LOL. And he gave me directions to get there. What a great shopping buddy. Too bad neither store sells brothers. :p

Costumes and Christmas

R had a great time over Thanksgiving - got to have his favorite pumpkin pie at my parents' house! Didn't care so much about the turkey, but the pie was great. lol.
He's VERY excited about Christmas, but I think it's mostly because of the presents. He keeps calling it "MY Christmas". He loves the Christmas tree ("his tree"), and knows how to push the button to turn the lights on and off. He decorated the tree in traditional little kid style - all the ornaments in one spot on the low branches. Only had one bulb casualty. He is such a poser though - I pulled out the camera to catch some candid shots of the decorating. As soon as he saw the camera, he starts to put the next ornament on, then pauses, looks at the camera, and smiles mid-action. LOL. Wonder where he learned that from?
Oh, prior to decorating, he decided he needed a "costume". He found his lion party hat, a cloth stuffed wreath, and his jacket and assembled his costume (which consisted of the wreath going around his torso and the jacket draped ever so carefully on one shoulder). He then declared that he was Superman and wanted to go outside barefoot in the cold rain. Being the cool mom that I am (and knowing that colds don't really come from getting a chill in the weather), I let him go out on the deck in the drizzle, which lasted (like I knew it would) all of 30 seconds. Poor Lady thought he went out there to play with her. lol. What a fun boy.

Birthdays

Well, this is definitely the year to start loving his birthday. Poor R doesn't understand why it's not his birthday all the time. We tried sharing Daddy's bday, and that only worked because he got to open Daddy's presents. Today he's at a friend's birthday, and all week has been lamenting that it should be HIS birthday. LOL. As I inquired about what he liked so much about his birthday, it was 1) presents, and 2) cake. He'll be excited when Christmas rolls around and he finds that there's another occasion to open presents. In the meantime, I'm tormenting him with grandpa's birthday present sitting on the table. LOL He asked no less than 4 times in a 1.5 hour span if he could open it yet. Hopefully Grandpa will let R help open it. LOL.

All he needs....

Ya know how they say most kids are happy with a cardboard box and a spoon? We'll, my kid can stay awake for HOURS with his hands in the dark - one hand is a spaceship, and the other is an airplane, and they fly around and crash into each other over and over. Too bad he's got school in the morning! lol.
But his favorite toys right now are his Cars "King" and a green P51 airplane. One goes in each pocket, and he's set! :)

Airshow 2009

If there was any doubt who my son is related to, it can be laid to rest after today. We headed out to the Randolph Airshow 2009, and R was just talking away the entire time. He brought his own airplane, and was excited to find that model there in real life - just the wrong color though. Surprisingly, he liked seeing the planes fly more than getting up close to them. And as if all those airplanes weren't enough, there was also a Lego tent set up where you could play with the Legos! That was definitely hard to get away from, even as the sun was setting and everything was closing up. But, alas, all good things must come to an end, and after 5 hours at the airshow, it was time to head home. Poor guy fell asleep in the car and is now tucked in bed with his toy airplane. We'll see if he asks to go again tomorrow. lol.

Late posting Re: Vacation to Colorado in August

Yea, vacation! There should be vacation every month.
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On our way to Colorado, we stopped at a Texas landmark – the Big Texan in Amarillo. While we were there, one guy tried to eat the 72 ounce steak and didn’t even come close. R was excited about his cowboy hat.
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The next day we hit Garden of the Gods at sunrise – very nice. Then up to Pikes Peak – R was excited about the possibility of seeing snow, but unfortunately there was none. It was definitely cooler up top – 40 degrees cooler! The final stop – the North Pole. What a great amusement park! They’ve got all the old classic fair rides, and most of them are for the smaller kids. R just rode and rode. We enjoyed a “tasty” funnel cake, and R even managed to talk to Santa on the second attempt.
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The next day we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Shortly after getting to the campground, a coyote casually walks through checking us out. Scary! While that was the closest we got to a coyote, they were definitely nearby at night as we could hear them howling.

This was true camping with the only luxury being I wasn’t on the ground sleeping. It did get pretty cold at night, so R got to sleep with us to stay warm. But that also gave us the perfect excuse to light a campfire and stare at the stars.
Right next to the campground was the Morraine Valley and the elk would graze every morning and evening. We were so close! We also had closeup views of a moose eating his lunch just on the other side of the stream from us, and some big-horned sheep chilling on the side of the road. Those sheep were hard to find though! Took us the whole three days to finally find them. There were also marmots, pika, chipmunks, ground squirrels, and black squirrels all around.

We hiked around Bear Lake, Sprague Lake, Milner Pass, and up along Rock Cut trail. We also drove along the Old Fall River Road – highly recommended. It’s very scenic, less traveled, and had some great surprises, like Chasm Falls. The alpine visitors center is a must see, and they have great hot chocolate (believe me, you’ll want some). It even snowed up there from one day to the next. R also found a great rock to climb on next to the campsite. The first day he needed some help, but he was climbing it like a pro in no time.
The last night, we headed into Estes Park to shop and have dinner. The shops are cute, and the t-shirts are much cheaper there than in the park (the exact same shirts, too).
Final stop was the Great Sand Dunes. R had a blast “climbing up the little mountain” of sand, then sliding down on his bottom. Nothing more exciting than playing in a HUGE sand pile!  He even managed to get his Junior Ranger badge there too! We also wandered to Zapata Falls, which was definitely a nice surprise. Part of the hike includes crossing over the creek up to the base of the falls.

It was really nice to get away for awhile – no work, no house, no phone, no internet. Granted, we were wondering why flags were at half staff for several days (turns out Ted Kennedy died). But we spent some great family time. We made up a new song – the Silly Willy song. R entertained us with his discussions – “Hey R, would you like to go have lunch?” “Probably, but not quite yet.” LOL But R definitely misses his pets and will be happy to get home later tonight.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Well, despite the fact that I'm horrible at blogging regularly, I'll come back and forth to this. Buzz Lightyear has been tucked into his loft bed for the second time tonight. He was a dragon for Halloween, and really enjoyed running around "roaring" at people, esp his cousins in Houston. I know I keep saying this, but he's just so independent and so cute! Wish I could borrow some of his energy though! lol. Good night.

Dance!

So, last night at the Shamu Rocks Texas show, they were giving away a prize to the kid who could dance the "best". While R didn't want to participate, it did remind me of the first time we saw him dancing. We were one vacation at Big Bend National Park in January 2008 (making him 15 months). We'd been out hiking all day, which meant he'd been in the backpack most of the day. We were getting ready for bed, and he was between a diaper change and pajamas, so he was wearing just a diaper. He wasn't quite walking yet (didn't do that until Feb 7 at 16 months), but he'd pulled up on the bed and walked over to the nightstand. He started pushing buttons on the clock radio and found some country station. Next thing we know, he's bending his knees up and down, bouncing his butt with the music. It was so cute!! And that was R's first dance. :)

Cute

This morning, R really wanted to wear his orange striped shirt (although I think he just wore it last week). Matching grey shorts - great. Then I grab some white socks but get told, "No, not those!" R then goes digging in the drawer for the perfect socks - the orange pumpkin Halloween socks. "These! They're cute!" At least he understands matching, right? lol.

Counting

Our new favorite activity is to count, and we're actually getting pretty good at it. He can just look and tell if it's one or two items (sometimes three), but has to point and count to do any more than that. For some reason R doesn't like the number five right now and skips it, but other wise he does a pretty good job.
He LOVES knowing that the sun is up. We can actually get going in the morning faster if he can sleep til about 7 (sunrise) than if we start earlier while it's still dark.
He also is fascinated with his new lunchbox. The first morning he wanted to take his lunchbox to daycare and ate it there. The next morning, he ate most of it in the car on the way to daycare. So, this morning we packed a breakfast in his little backpack and he seems just as happy. I don't want him to get in the habit of eating lunch on the way to school because then he won't have a lunch in about a month.
Now if we can get him over this fascination with blankie and needing to carry it around all the time. I thought we'd already passed that stage. Hmmm.

The Art of Dipping

We were eating French Fries last weekend, when I was told that I was doing it wrong. While I like to dip the entire side of my French Fry in the ketchup, R instucted me on the proper technique - just the very time. Then, take a tiny bite, and repeat. Thus, you get to enjoy much more ketchup and the fry lasts forever. And to think I've been doing it all wrong for 28 years. Thanks, buddy.

You're safe!

R went to his first baseball game tonight and LOVED it! I say first, but I remembered that the last baseball game I went to was while we were in Baltimore while I was pregnant with R, so it's the fist that he'll remember. :) Anyway, he was very into it, wanting to watch the guys throw the ball back and forth. As soon as we got to our seats along the third base line (front row), a visiting player leaned over and gave R a baseball. It's his new best friend, and he can't wait to go out and play baseball tomorrow.
At the end of the game was a fireworks show, which he was really excited about. Apparently he was a little scared at the Fourth of July show, but did much better. He kept calling out the colors - "Wow. I love purple! Wow. I love red and green!" lol.
Lots of fun. We'll have to do it again, hopefully before the end of the season in August.

Big Helper

Today we get home and while I head out toward the street to bring in the trash can, R opens the back door, lets the dog out to join me, and quickly closes it while saying to the cat, "No, you can't go out." I finish up and head inside in time to see R pouring dog food into the cat's bowl. "Rajah said 'Meow, I'm hungry,' so I'm giving him food." What a big boy!!! We'll ignore that he got the food from the dog's bowl to give to the cat. lol. But then he asked to give the dog a treat, so that seems like a fair trade. Good thing the cat will eat the dog's food. :)
I'm so proud that he's a caring, sweet boy who understands that he needs to help take care of others around him. I can't wait to see how that will continue to develop as his world expands
Now if he'd just give out more hugs....lol.

2 going on 22

I wish someone would have warned me about how independent R would be by the age of three. We still have 2.5 months until then, but I am almost useless in his world. Well, not really, but I am amazed at all the things he's able to do for himself. For example, today, he picked out his own clothes, took off his pajamas, put on his clothes properly, asked to comb his hair, brushed his teeth, shaved his face (twice), washed his hands, put on deodorant (twice), and sprayed some cologne on. Then, upon hearing it was time to get in the car, stated, "I just need my shoes, my grain bar, and my fruit snacks," then went to get them in that order. He walks, he talks, he uses the potty, he knows exactly what he wants....whew. I miss my baby. He does still like to cuddle (esp if it means not going to bed yet), but I kinda miss doing things for him. I had no idea the baby would be gone so quickly. I think the only thing left is his carseat, and that's a legal thing. But he's definitely a big helper - carrying things, opening doors, taking care of the pets, putting his toys away. What a great kid - even if it seems a little precocious.

Mom Radar

I'm convinced R has Mom radar. It doesn't matter when I show up to pick him up from daycare, as soon as I sneak up to the window and try to locate (translate = spy on) him, he immediately looks up and sees me. How can I monitor what he's doing if he always knows I'm there?!? lol. At least he's always happy when he sees me. :)

Sure, Mom...

Last night I was watching these videos from work to review how I interact with my patients. R thought that was pretty cool, so then he wanted to watch a movie of himself. We pulled one up of when he was about 1 year old, playing in the bathtub. I forgot how he used to sing to himself and go "splash splash" in the tub. Well, then R wanted a bath. So, I put him in and ask "Are you going to go splash splash?" So he splashed his hands a couple of times in the water, but somehow it just wasn't the same 2 years later. lol. Then he asked for his tub crayons and went to work "writing" his name. What a big boy.