"Let me see yer WAR face!"

Lil' C is 19 months old today. I have never, in my entire life, dealt with such a non-stop, whirlwind, crazy-creating, sometimes-puts-me-in-the-mind-of-a-rabid-chinchilla little being. Seriously. And I love every last second of it. He is alternate parts snuggler, banshee, and stand-up comedian. He's like Forest says, (yeah, yeah, I know I've been on a Gump kick lately), "You never know what you're gonna get..." I found this phrase particularly true yesterday afternoon, as I watched Lil' C strip himself of his shorts and diaper and run laps around the couch in his sneakers like a miniature half-time streaker, all the while screaming, "Whoo-Ah! Whoo-Ah!" (Don't ask me to translate -- I have no clue.) But he certainly has his sweet side too. When I was putting him to bed tonight, he said "Noses, Mommy, noses!" This is his way of asking for Eskimo kisses, which he thinks are just about the funniest things, (right up there next to farts and hiccups, which he also finds hilarious, of course with BabyDaddy's approval.) It's always something new and different. The new favorite thing is counting. He loooooves to count things. He can get to ten perfectly, then he mumbles something that sounds like eleven, followed by a series of made-up "teens" (Um-teen, tee-teen, sy-teen) until he lands himself at "TWO-ON-TEE!". Then he starts counting in Spanish. :) Thanks Dora.

We got his hair cut for the first time last weekend. Yes, I teared up. Yes, I realized that this reaction was perfectly bloody ridiculous. No, it didn't matter. We took him to the Shangri-La of the hair cut world. I thought -- Hey! Why shouldn't we splurge for the first one? Looks like we'll be splurging for the next 10 years, because there is no WAY he will go anywhere else. They had an in-house slide, what they deem "fantasy" chairs (picture tractors, jeeps, motorcycles, and fire trucks), and TV's at every station. The kiddos get to pick out a video game to play or a movie to watch while they get their mop trimmed. Lil' C was able to practice his language skills further with Dora, and he was quite content for the entire time we were there. I was so proud of him! He came out looking like such a big boy, which made me tear up again....

It's Official...

My favorite new show of the season --

Yes -- it is COMPLETELY out there. It brought back fun memories of my mom, brother and I watching X-Files. Good stuff people, good stuff.

Summertime

For me, summer officially draws to a close on September 1, and then we are on to fall. Last night, we were all in our back yard, watching Lil' C try to "pat the fishies" in our goldfish pond, when I realized how cool it was getting. BabyDaddy and I are both "fall people", so there's usually not a great deal of sadness in our house when summer is over -- Fall means hot apple cider, hayrides and pumpkin patches, hoodie sweatshirts, and most importantly, (at least in BabyDaddy's small world), deer season. (Insert cave-man snort and beating of chest -- all I can do is roll my eyes, and wait patiently for the testosterone surges to subside...) However, this summer has been a little different. Surprisingly, I am a little sad to see it go. Looking back -- the best of Summer 2008:

Popsicle Days and Sprinkler Afternoons

There is nothing better than sitting on your back steps with the sun shining on your face, and a cherry popsicle dripping down your arm. Popsicle days have become a tradition in our family this summer. Every evening, Lil' C would lead one of us to the kitchen, point up to the freezer, and say, "POP-SEE!" We would all get our popsicles and go outside, where he would "seat" us in a line on the steps, like a row of Russian nesting dolls. I kept picturing that scene in Forest Gump, where he and his son are sitting on the floor in the exact same position, with their heads tilted the exact same way. It would have made for an amusing picture.

The State Fair
Another time honored tradition in this family is the State Fair. This year was no exception, and we loaded up and headed out for a day of complete gluttony, carnival games, and fun. Between his inflatable Sponge Bob, his Batman doll (won by picking up the most expensive rubber duck I've ever heard of -- Thanks, Grandpa J), and the dancing pigs, the fair definitely delivered.

Sidewalk Art

Whoever invented sidewalk chalk will forever have my undying love and affection. And God bless the person who took that chalk, and decided to sell it in a huge tub for a dollar at Big Lot's. I cannot tell you how many hours we have spent outside creating mini-Picasso's on our sidewalks. Often I experience little moments in time when I realize that I am completely happy. I've had several of those moments this summer sitting on the concrete with my son and naming the colors in the rainbow.

The Beach

This summer, we had our first real, official, one-whole-week family vacation at the beach. We realized several things -- one of which is that during vacation, all bets are off. This means that there will be no naps, no healthy snacks, and there is no such thing as going to bed on time. I can't wait until next year!

Farm Talks (and River Bottoms)

Being able to see my son spend time with my grandfather this summer has been amazing -- a man who was so important to me as a child (and continues to be), is now a central part in the life of my son. Lil' C loves his "Pa" with a passion. (It makes for an interesting sermon when he sees Pa head for the pulpit to preach and tries to run after him screaming, "Pa! PAAAA!".) The most special times for me this summer were spent down in the river bottom with Pa -- along with Nanny, Nana, and Grampa J. Lil' C has no clue no how important these individuals will become to him later in life, just as I didn't know when I was small. Because I realize that every single moment spent together with them is a gift, I am that much more dedicated to savoring every second, (and making sure there are lots of seconds to savor).

Send them up...

For those of you who pray -- take a moment for my Uncle Doug. He is currently in an intensive care unit in Florida, heavily sedated and on life support. He has had some heart issues in the past, and I don't believe had been taking his medication regularly. Last night he went into both heart and renal failure. If you don't pray, send thoughts to our family.

Uncle Doogie is a man you will not forget quickly if you happen to meet him. He is as tall as a tree --well, really about 6'5' or 6'6. As a child, I thought he was a real life giant. He was always ready with a hug for everyone, (which made for some awkward moments with my new boyfriends), and quick to laugh. So today, I may physically be here, but my heart is in Florida. To Aunt Alana, Alex, and Hannah, I love you, and I'm thinking of you constantly.

Attempting to expel your bodily fluids during a movie is rude....

We made the trek home to God’s Country this weekend --

Our first stop was to visit our Canadian cousins, who were having a reception for Bebe’ T. Well, visit is a generous word, as I didn’t get to “visit” very much. I spent the majority of my time corralling Lil’ C. (“Please don’t climb on the chairs.” ** “Put down that fork!” ** “Get out from under the table.” ** “Those are NOT your presents!”) Still, chasing aside, I did get to spend some QT time with everyone, which was really nice. Bebe’ T is such a cutie! That new baby smell is intoxicating – toward the end of the visit, BabyDaddy ordered me to give him back to Ches. “I don’t like that look…” he told me. “What look?” I asked. “That sparkly, ‘I wanna’ look. Give him back!” **SIGH** Ah, well, the time for numero two will come when it comes. It was good to see them all, although I’m sure that I was not a very entertaining guest. I had a hellacious sinus headache (one of the unfortunate side effects of God’s Country), and was trying hard not to look like I was constantly squinting at everyone.

After we left the cousins, BabyDaddy and I got an unexpected treat -- A date night! Mom offered to watch the boys (my nephew was down as well), and so we scampered off to dinner and a movie. Things were going along splendidly, until about 3 minutes into the previews, when I realized that Larry the Cable Guy was sitting behind us. The rest of the movie (we watched Batman, and yes, I liked it.) was punctuated with a series of guttural interjections from Larry. First, it seemed he had a bit of a mucous issue – he spent a great deal of time hacking, snorting, and hawking, with several claps on the chest thrown in for good measure. On top of that, every car crash, fight scene, and explosion, (remember, it was Batman, so there were a lot of the above), was met with a hearty, “Day-yum!” or “Well, ‘e really got um that time!”, or “Lookit all that far (fire) – that Batman gitz um ever time…”. I had to bite my lip not to start jumping up and down and screaming profanities at him. He looked the type that wouldn’t be above starting a scene in public, and I really wanted to see the end of the movie, so we just sat it out. Toward the very end, every time he choked out another wad of whatever it was, I had the uncontrollable urge to giggle. People were being blown up, and there I was, laughing so hard my stomach was hurting. People probably thought I was nuts. We finished the movie, and luckily didn’t run into Larry on the way out.

Loving on Nanny -- notice Grampa's usual Sunday afternoon pose...

All the kiddos!

Isn't he the sweetest?

My son, the super-crazy freaking boy genius

You may have to listen to it a couple of times to understand him, but he's counting to ten!! At 19 months!! (And by the way, his super-smart mommy tried to say he missed the number four, but if you listen closely, he didn't.) :)

Welcome Home!

To my Canadian cousins -- (Hi Bebe' T!!!) I'm pretty sure you're back in the lower 48 now --It's great to have you home! Lil' C is ready to meet the bebe' and give him lots of slobbery kisses. We're planning on making the trip down next weekend, so we'll see you then!