A Very Quick Update

I haven't updated in awhile, mostly because I've been deathly ill two times now in less than two weeks. Here are a few pictures of what's been happening around here.

Little Man has turned into quite the monkey these days. He climbs on everything and has even figured out that he can drag baskets and boxes around to help him reach things.

We had a lot of fun playing in the snow on Saturday.


On Sunday, we put up the Christmas tree. Somehow, Little Man knew just what to do.

Thanksgiving Tricks

These days, Little Man...

• is obsessed with markers.
• is learning to count. He gets all the way to two!
• loves cooking. He gets the bowls and cans out almost daily.

• is starting to pretend. The other day, he brought me a stacking cup with a block in it, and said, "Eat. Nugget."
  
• is obsessed with barbecue sauce. He is SO is father's son!
• calls his drink a "voom voom." I have no idea where it comes from and I wonder how long he was calling it that before I figured it out.
• love scaring people.
• thinks the snow on the ground is bubbles.
  

Here's some quick videos that prove just how smart, sweet, and silly my little one is. Enjoy!

Thankful Turkeys

Tonight, we did a family craft. We made turkeys out of our hands (well, actually, we all used James' hand) and wrote what we were thankful for on them. This activity kept Little Man occupied for much longer than I expected. Here's what they look like:

Little Man is thankful for candy, colors, family, and outside.

I am thankful for my family.

James is thankful for Mommy, Little Man, Duane/Jimi (as in Duane Allman and Jimi Hendrix), and his guitar.


And here's a video of Little Man from this week. He learned to tippey-toe and what a baby says.

A Very Harry Halloween

Halloween is way fun when you have kids. I just decided that. And I've also decided that we should have Halloween at least twice every year. It is way too fun to have to wait all year!

Little Man dressed up as Harry Potter this year. I made his costume myself and my friend Jodi let us borrow the glasses and the wand. Personally, I think he's the best Harry Potter there ever was. I'm think about sending a headshot to Warner Brothers.



Little Man actually got really into the festivities yesterday. By the end of the day, he was saying "Trick or Treat" and "Potter." He was even waving his wand at people and casting spells on them.

We took Little Man downtown yesterday to go trick-or-treating at the stores on Main Street. Everyone that saw him just gushed over him and said that he was the favorite costume of the day. It made me wish I'd entered him in a costume contest!

We made lots of visits to family and friends yesterday. Little Man got candy everywhere he went. "Candy? Please?" was the most uttered phrase of the day.


My niece (who was a scary black cat, not a cute black cat) was not having as much fun as the rest of the kids.Posing with the Jack o' Lanterns after all of our visits.
Hanging out with Mommy at our friend Liz's.
Little Man had his first high-level dose of sugar this weekend. My goodness, that kid is a candy fiend. He was bordering on obsession. My favorite candy moment of the weekend happened on the way home on Friday. He had gone trick-or-treating at daycare and threw a fit when I set his pumpkin bucket next to him, not in his lap. So I caved and let him hold it, thinking he couldn't possibly do any damage. Within thirty seconds, I heard a squeal of laughter coming from the backseat followed by a shriek of "Candy!!". He had managed to get a Twix bar opened and was shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

Boy Genius

In the last few days, I have become convinced that my son is a boy wonder. He is learning so much, so fast. Things I don't think kids his age should have a grasp of yet. Here are a few examples:

• Earlier in the week, when he had a sore throat, I gave him some chocolate milk and he learned to say "choca". Last night, we had gone to the store for a treat and ended up with some mini Hersey bars. James gave Little Man a small piece of one, and he said, "Mmm... choca." I thought it was amazing that he recognized the flavor of chocolate in an entirely different form.
• During this same chocolate episode, when he was done with his piece and wanted more, instead of yelling at us, he simply said, "peas" (please). We gave him some, of course, then he said "tanks." Amazing!
• Tonight, I was looking at a book with Little Man. At the end, there is the music for the song that goes with the story. When we got to the page with the music, he pointed to it and started saying "Daddy," then took the book to James. He has figured out that James knows what to do with all those lines and dots!
• Also, he is extremely interested in the potty. He can say the word "potty," he asks to sit on it (although he has yet to actually do anything on it), and he knows what mommy and daddy are doing on it. This makes me very excited!
  

For reals, though, is this a normal amount of smarts for a kid his age or do I need to start saving for the Ivy League tuition now?

Sick Day

All weekend long, I watched Little Man rub his ears and jam his fingers in his ears. Then, he woke up with a slight fever this morning, and that was all the excuse I needed to take a sick day! Turns out, he doesn't have an ear infection, but he does have cold sores on the back of his throat. He's in some pain (he won't eat anything!) but he's still pretty cheerful, so it wasn't a terrible day. We had macaroni and cheese (with hotdogs!) and chocolate milk for lunch, played in the leaves outside, and even squeezed in a quick Family Home Evening lesson before bed.

I'm not sure if it's because I've now spent three solid day with him, or if it's because he hasn't been feeling well, but Little Man is suddenly very... enamored... with Mommy. He will not let me out of his sight! He's constantly grabbing my hand and dragging me off to "pay" (play) and even when I'm sitting right next to him, there is a constant stream of "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?" coming from him mouth. I love him dearly, but I was ready to hide by bedtime tonight!

And here are some pictures from the weekend...

Last night, my mom and dad came over to help decorate Halloween cookies. We all had lots of fun. Here's Little Man sneaking a taste.


Every night at bath time, Little Man helps take his clothes off, then puts his dirty clothes in the basket (his future wife will thank me!). Here he is with his shirt stuck on his head. When you take his hair away, he sure looks different!

Little Man loves bubble baths! Here he is posing for the camera.
Even though there was no water left, he was determined to keep enjoying the bubbles!

Busy, busy, busy

Sorry for taking so long to update here. Life is busy! I've been working six days a week, 10-12 hours a day, just trying to keep my head above water at school. Blogging has fallen to the bottom of the list. My few hours of free time every day get devoted to spending time with James and Little Man. Have I mentioned how much I love my family? They get me through it all...

I don't have tons to mention here, but I did want to share something that happened at church today. It was probably my all-time favorite thing Little Man has ever done, and I hope the feeling translates as I try to put it into words. At the end of sacrament meeting, Little Man starting giving kisses. He'd give me a big kiss, then give James a big kiss, then he'd push me and James's faces together until we kissed. Then we did it all over again. We did this half a dozen times, all the while trying to contain our giggles and not interrupt the singing. It was so, so sweet. We are a family and we love each other. And Little Man really gets it, without ever being told.

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a scene from our house last weekend.