February Fun

February has been furiously fast.  Not sure where the time has gone...but we've managed to squeeze in a little fun with all the busyness.  Someone will (finally) wear the Cars slippers Santa brought him.  I couldn't resist a few pictures, especially with his matching shirt.  One day when we were running errands, I realized he had a Cars hat, Cars shoes, this Cars shirt, Cars sunglasses, and we went to buy new shoes at Payless (Cars, of course...but the new ones light up!).  This kid sure loves his Cars stuff.

 Soon after the cute pictures, I (attempted) to start dinner.  Anytime I do that, it's pretty much a guarantee that someone will make some mischief.  It got very quiet, and suddenly I heard some wailing followed by, "Hep! (help)  Hep me!  Hep me, Mommy!!!"  I couldn't help but giggle when I came upon this scene.  And, as every great mom would do, I had to get out the camera.

 

 Reid still didn't really "get" Valentine's Day this year, but he thought it was fun to hand his goody bags to the girls at Holli's house.  Our playgroup's Valentine's party got cancelled this year, so that was about the extent of it for us.  Reid enjoyed his present from Mommy--a lip whistle!

Oh, Loverboy....

He also had a blast with the Valentine's package from Aunt Lala and his cousins that arrived a couple of weeks ago.  It had Cars 2 cars, which he immediately lined up, a cute sticker card (we actually saved that one for Valentine's Day...he couldn't wait to open the rest!), and window stickies (in the background, you can see some of the winter ones he still plays with).  This kid loves getting mail!  His card from Great Grandma Will was a cute truck with hearts in it, and he wanted to read it ("Book! Book!" he called it) over...and over...and over.  And Grammy and Grumpy's card was perfect--Lightening McQueen with new Cars stickers.  He liked them so much that he couldn't wait to use them.  The first page of stickers ended up on the envelope!

Woo-hoo!  It's Friday!!

Last Sunday, we headed to Frisco for cousin Harrison's second birthday party.  It was a cute Mickey theme and Reid was all about the ice cream cake. Reid went ape over one of Harrison's gifts, a Cars slide/racetrack.  We had to pry him away, but Harrison, being his sweet self, didn't seem to mind.

I was very worried about how crazy he would be since we get out of church at 10:30...and the party was at noon.  So no time for a nap (eek!).  He did pretty well until we left at 4:30, probably about the time of the sugar crash.  I couldn't even get a non-blurry picture!  We got in the car and he was out within five minutes, so we drove around a little and quietly parked/unloaded the car.  He even slept through that and another 10 or 15 minutes, then woke up in a horrible mood.  

It has been fun the past few weeks because Reid seems to have matured some and is more willing to use his words instead of whining as much.  We get to enjoy him randomly singing things, such as his own rendition of "No, no, no, no nonono" to the tune of the Friskies commercial song, which I made up last year when he was in the "NO!" phase.  This morning when we got ready to walk from the car to church, he decided he wanted to wear his little backpack for the first time.  How cute is this?

He is still hard to understand sometimes.  I've noticed his l's and r's sound like /w/ or /y/, so Holli is "Hohyee" and there are a few other sounds and words that are odd (lemonade is "nemonade" or "nimeade", spaghetti is "pasketti" etc.).  He also makes up his own little jokes and games.  Here's a snippit of the daily bucket-head game he likes to play when we've made bridges out of all his Legos.

And he's still very, very particular (gee...wonder where he got that?? ;)  about certain things.  He hates to have anything on his hands.  If it were up to him, we'd probably go through a box of wipes during every meal.  If you move any of his cars he has lined up, he is quick to fuss, "Noooo!" and promptly put it back where he had it.  Only Daddy can help him wash his hands and he only wants to hold Daddy's hand when all three of us walk in parking lots (thankfully, that 'rule' doesn't apply when only Mommy is there).  He has to have his granola bar to carry in the car each weekday morning...but only Holli can open it.  After he goes potty, he wants a candy...but only the green ones.  So funny!  I try to make some kind of note about his quirky little behaviors because I know they won't last forever, and they are so cute right now. 

As we continue to wait to see if God will bless us again, I try to concentrate on this time in his/our life.  I know he won't ever be this age again.  It's trying on a day to day basis--I hate that I'm already exhausted and low on patience after teaching 18 kindergarteners all day.  But what a neat age he is in, and I love hearing and seeing the new things he comes up with each day.  We love our crazy little guy and are thankful for God's blessing!  I pray that we are indeed raising him to be a godly young man.  Happy news related to that...(and thank you so much for your prayers!) he did get a spot in the preschool we wanted!!  Jason gets the "best dad of the year" award because he camped out starting at 11:30pm after the Superbowl.  The class we wanted Reid to be in (Tues/Thurs) was full, but when they found out Jason had been there all night, they opened up the "save" spot.  We are so excited he will be in the wonderful Christian program, which conveniently happens to back up to my school's playground.  And we are so thankful for a former teacher from my school, who is willing to stop by Holli's to get him/drop him off twice a week.  Best news we have had in a while! :)

January Fun

Happy Superbowl Sunday!  I remember when it used to be early in the day and folks would skip church just to watch football.  (Now, it's so commercialized that no one would dream of putting it at anytime except prime time!)  Makes me even more thankful for the Truth and biblical teaching we have the honor of hearing each Sunday at our church.  Our pastor just happens to be Chuck Swindoll (yes, the Swindoll of Insight For Living.  Thank you, Mom, for discovering that he preaches weekly in Frisco, TX :) 

Our little guy just isn't so little anymore.  It's such a cliche', but they really do grow up way too fast.  With all the Amazon gift cards, we finally bought Reid a kid-sized table.  We had to rearrange the kitchen and it's still not ideal, but he LOVES it.  And also can't really sit long enough for a meal, but has eaten waaaay better so far, for the most part. 

 Happy Groundhog Day!  So, bad picture...but sad (and not sad, because he's a happy, healthy, wild toddler) that he looks so old!!

Got milk?

  As far as coordination, it's gotten way better.  But there are those days where we just don't really know about this guy...  But boy, does he crack us up!

Then again...OCD??  He still lines everything up (and other times, throws it in piles, or just throws it...) including window stickers in various arrangements, and all his cars.  Depends on the day as to how he decides to line them up.

 

Jason probably doesn't claim me any longer.  I guess I've become a "Dallasite", as he's dubbed some of the women up here, with my Miss Me jeans (hey...they have bling on the bootie! That has Stacey written all over it!)  and I just purchased a pair of Ugg-type boots.  I say Ugg-type because I am way too thrifty to spend $250 on a pair of friggin' boots.  BUT I can see why they are so popular...my feet are always cold (they are warm) and they are sooo comfy...  But mine are Sketchers and were only $27 (shhh!).  He still hates them.  But someone else does not!

 

Reid is also still obsessed with Dixie.  He follows her around, much to her dismay, and really does try to win her over, in his weird, sweet, toddler sort of way.  His favorite thing lately is (attempting to) brush her and give her treats.  Mostly, it consists of screaming, "DIXIE!!!" and having her repeatedly hiss at him while I (again) explain that she doesn't like yelling.  But, secretly, I do think she likes him in her own weird sort of way.  Or maybe it's just the treats...

Check out this Air Reid shot!

And if you can afford a few short minutes of prayer, we are hoping to get Reid into Sunshine Kids, the competitive, highly-acclaimed (via word of mouth and by seeing the great kids that have come out of there into Bennett's kindergarten classes) preschool at the church just behind my school.  Tomorrow is the registration date for non-members.  Jason will be getting out there very, very early (we're talking 4am...or he might just head out there after the Superbowl is over...it's first come, first served) and I have taken a half day off to register Reid.  If it's meant to be, it will happen. The class we want is full, but there are a few spaces left for other two day classes.  Plus, God has taken care of transportion to/from Holli's with a fabulous lady I used to work with :)  We are so thankful!

PHLD

I think I have a case of PHLD.  (Post Holiday Letdown Disorder)  I get it every year.  It starts the day I finally give in and take down the Christmas decorations, then it lifts somewhere around springtime.  I think it's the end of all the holiday excitement, then you realize you won't see any of your family again until summer (or spring break, at the earliest), plus it's so hard getting back into the routine of things with everyone going back to work.  Sigh.  

But I am trying to focus on all the positives...and all the wonderful blessings God has put into our lives!  Such as this little gem (see picture below-note title of book).  My parents ran across this book and asked if I was interested.  Reid has been such a toot (literally and metaphorically, hahaha!) lately that I'm willing to read whatever.  Ironically, he hands the book to me every time he goes past the coffee table.  And the other day, he used it as a parking lot.  You can't help but laugh!

 I also made the mistake of showing him starfall.com during the last few days of Christmas break.  Obsessed?  That's an understatement.  We literally built pumpkins, rather, built the same pumpkin ("tall punkin, fancy eyes, mustache nose, scary mouth") for two hours one day.  He can't independently manipulate the mouse yet, so I downloaded the app to my phone, but his fingers and the tiny screen aren't the best match either.  We're wondering if Santa should have brought him an iPad or tablet...

Santa did bring him Cars slippers, but he's had no interest whatsoever, until I put his Elmo slippers halfway on my feet and did a little dance.   He wore the slippers for about three steps and that was it.

 It's been so cold lately that we've had to do a lot of playing inside.  On Tuesday, it even sleeted and then snowed about two inches.  Did we get a day off?  No.  I slid three times on the way to work (with my snow button on in my car AND going 20 mph, mind you) and Reid was wailing, "No work, Mommy!!!! NO work!!  Play in snow!!!"  I felt like the worst mom in the world.

Driving Finn McMissile (from Cars 2) on the wall while watching the fish eat, a new favorite.  He also loves to watch Dixie eat and drags out the bag of cat treats/brushes at the most inopportune times, such as when we are literally walking out of the door.

He also likes to give Dixie other things, too.  When I was packing up the Christmas ornaments, he insisted that Dixie have his harmonica.  He took it out of the box, demonstrated how to play it, and gently set it right in front of a mildly amused Dixie, slobber and all.  "Dixie, play!"  I guess he wasn't impressed with her lack of enthusiasm, so the next day we found Lightening McQueen and The King trying to play his harmonica.  They looked a little more excited, but we never got to hear any tunes.

 He has been really interested in music lately.  If I dare to skip a song on a cd in the car, I suffer the wrath of Reid's, "No, Mommy!  More music!!!"  If we sing along, he gets mad, but he is allowed to sing along himself.  The only song he'll really sing with me is "The Wheels on the Bus," but only if he's in the right mood.  And as soon as the camera comes out, that's it.  No more.  So I was surprised when he actually requested "Thank You, God" (one of the songs they sing at Junior Jam during Sunday School) and sang along.

 

 The kitchen center Aunt Lala gave him has been a hit.  But he doesn't really cook in it.  He'd rather climb on it recently...

...or through it...

...or squat on the table...

 Our crazy boy!

Thankfully, Grammy and Grumpy sent Reid some car stickers in the mail (which helped us pass some indoor play time during the witching hour) this week.  I was kind of surprised...he was actually more excited about seeing his own name on a piece of mail than he was about the actual stickers, which of course he loved.  Not surprisingly, he wants to check the mail every day, sometimes multiple times a day.  

And we finally made it through a haircut without screaming bloody murder the whole entire time.  How, you ask?   I fed him mini M&M's the whole time.  Bribery works!  I don't normally do his hair like this, but it was a cute little faux hawk.  The cut is VERY short, but I'd rather go longer between haircuts!    I think it also made him look older.  People lately have had the "What?!" reaction when I say he's just 2 1/2. 

Jason's Company Party

Jason's company didn't have a Christmas party for the adults this year (man...I'd already found a gorgeous dress on clearance a few months ago...), but they held one for all the kids of employees, which was really sweet.  Given Reid's rambunctiousness and anti-camera outlook, I was quite nervous to see how this would pan out.  Plus, there was NO way I was willing to stand in a Santa line this year, so this was it!!

Santa was very sweet and patient about it.  Reid, on the other hand, was not.  At all.

They got input from employees on what the kids liked and purchased each of them a present.  Reid loved his--three Cars cars and a digger.  He was all over the place, in everyone's way, and I was so worried that he would end up tripping someone.

Or knock over a tree...or hide behind a sign...

Or run and slide under the rope chain leading to Santa...and then decide to haul right through it and knock it down, poles and all.  That's about when I was done.  And then he decided to sneakily put one of his new cars in the balloon lady's big box of balloons.  FANtastic.  That was the final straw.  I don't know if this kid will ever settle down.  He is exhausting!!

Another holiday picture I found was my ugly Christmas sweater getup.  The teachers at school had a contest...with gift cards and good prizes, so I was quite motivated.  You can't tell from the picture, but Jason and I worked quite hard to get little blinking LED Christmas lights poking out throughout the sweater (which looked like a cross between a grandma's afghan and macrame' wall art), an attractive jingle bell Santa door hanger attached to the back, and Christmas picks of tree/holly/poinsettia attached all over.  I was hoping to win the "ugliest sweater" and still feel a bit robbed...several parents stopped in to say they agreed.  Oh, well.  Time to think ahead to next year!

Snow!

Happy New Year!!  It sure feels weird to think that it's 2013.  As our pastor said on Sunday, it's time to close one chapter and open another.  I'm hoping this year will be full of special family time, lots of good health, and our little guy will grow spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally.  Potty training wouldn't hurt, either ;)

I was soooo disappointed to hear that we had indeed missed the snow (a really, really good snow!) in Dallas while we were down in Houston.  We never had any good snow last winter (if you could even call it a winter...no freezes, either, which translated to a horrible West Nile mosquito problem and an even worse allergy/ragweed season this past summer), and I was bummed Reid never got to play in it since he was mobile.  So I was hoping this winter might be different.  But snow while we weren't there?  Not so cool.  I had very low hopes as we drove back north on Thursday morning, but as we got closer, there was indeed a little snow left on the ground.  Past downtown Dallas, however, there seemed to be even more...not just under overpasses and behind trees, but everywhere!  We stopped at Freebird's so Reid could devour half of my burrito (and a good portion of Jason's, too).  There was a sheet of ice all over the parking lot and it was cold!  But I still didn't want to get my hopes up...the sun was out and shining brightly.  My disappointment, however, turned into delight when we pulled into the driveway and still had two to three inches of leftover snow. 

Jason started unpacking the car while Reid and I investigated the "crunchy" snow.  We weren't dressed for this cold, but I figured he could play for a few minutes before nap time.  At first, he went running out of the car, then stopped.  I said, "What is that?"  and Reid answered, "Snooow?"  He went over to inspect it and when I inquired, "Do you like it?" he responded, "No!"  Quickly after, however, he changed his mind.

We weren't dressed to be outside for very long and it was nap time, so we hauled him inside.  He threw an absolute fit, "Noooo!!  More snow!!  MORE snow!" Normally, it would be nap time, but we weren't sure that the snow would make it through nap time with all the sun.  So we bundled him up as quickly as we could and got back outside.  I'm still amazed he kept the hood and gloves on, but that was the deal--no gloves, no snow.  A whole yard of snow, and what does he do first?  Wants to play in the sandbox.  Really?  And the snow that had been in that back corner was all melted.

After showing him ALL the other things he could do, he finally decided to slide.  FAST!

But what was his favorite?  Snowballs...being aimed right at him!  Apparently, that makes them hilarious.  I threw a couple and accidentally got this one right on his neck.  Jason got a great action shot with our new little camera.

I had the big camera, so tried out a few settings I hadn't experimented yet.  The flower setting was good for this close up on the little icicles on the elm tree.

Waiting for more snowballs!

We knew the outdoor toys would have to come out as some point.  He didn't seem to mind the two inches of ice in the seat, but it was awfully hard to maneuver in and out of the door, being the Stay Puft marshmallow boy with all those layers on.  Not a happy camper when he couldn't move it easily, either.

But he managed to get all the toys lined up to his liking...

Then it was time to terrorize the tree.  He loves to squeeze through the trunks, get stuck on purpose, and yell, "HELP!  Help me!!" until one of us comes to help.  The neighbors probably think we beat our kid, or something...

Snowcone, anyone?

Back to the front yard to run around.  Make that our neighbor's front yard...  Reid loves their bushes, for some reason.  Peekaboo!

And then back to the back yard once again.  "Hugging" the snowman...

Then the fun was over.  Someone needed a diaper change.  You know it's bad if he comes to lie down and asks for it himself!  If we were going to wrestle him out of all those layers, it was nap time!

We are hoping we will get more snow to play in this year, but if we don't, then we are thankful.  And we all need to get some kind of snow boots so our toes don't freeze next time!