Monday, August 30, 2010

It needed a little something...

Or at least J thought so...

I'm not going to get into all the nitty gritty details, as that may seem like I'm placing blame - but here are the highlights:

A pen was removed from it's high & safe place on our fridge to create a list of what to grab at Costco while I stayed home with J while he napped on Sunday.

Said pen was not returned to it's proper (read: out of reach of the little man) storage location.

Dinner was completed, and I ran to the bathroom.  When I left, J was was strapped in his booster seat eating ice cream.  When I returned, he was redecorating our couch.

Please note:  J does not yet know how to release himself from captivity unsnap his chair.   :)

Luckily I had some Pledge dust wipes on hand, as they also clean leather.  And lucky for us, that includes ink from leather. 

J on the other hand, was rather sad his pictures were gone.  But he was very helpful in showing me his pictures.
Drawing sites included:  Loveseat arm rests and right couch cushion, and Couch right armrest. 

picture from 2nd birthday party

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A toy?

May be a bit early for the little man this was bought for, but we adults say:

THANK YOU, MR. M.  It will be greatly enjoyed...

Okay, so maybe you know that already.  :)

And possibly, if I can develop some confidence, J may get a mini-ride... Otherwise, next year will be soon enough...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Developing Her Sea Legs

Look who developed some sea legs this weekend...

She became a boating pro in moments. 

Partly because she was so happy to be out with us, instead of being cooped up in her dog house at grandma's & grandpa's.

Or possibly, because J found the pedal & could make her ears fly in the wind...

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Flying Planes & Peacefully Sleeping

J & I headed to my parents on Thursday night with Payton. 

My mom's birthday is today - so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!  and J & I wanted to treat her to her (and my) favorite restaurant.  Olga's.

When we were walking through the mall towards Olga's, J saw the coin operated toys for the kids.  Of course he had to have a ride.  He picked the closest, which was also one of the biggest.  He was adorable, because he kind of scared him. 

But he was also totally in awe, and by the time it was over, was ready to go again.  Only way for us to get to lunch was to agree to stop on the way back through.

Unfortunately, his flying pig war plane was taken, so he went on a smaller plane.

While he enjoyed it, he asked to fly the pig a second time before leaving.  We happily granted, this time showing him how to push the button for gun fire & bomb dropping. 

He LOVED pushing buttons to make sounds.

I know, you never would have guessed that.  :)

Now that we've spent a few weekends traveling, J is proving to sleep like a champ in a big bed without rails... 

As peaceful as he looks there, however, he is a little mover & shaker when not attached to my side.  He woke us both up at one point almost rolling off the bed.  Well, actually just himself, as I was reading so I saw it happen.  What amazed me, was how quickly he startled himself awake and caught himself, before I could even react to what was happening.  Once he settled back in closer to me, we put the pillow back up beside him, that he'd rolled onto to sleep & he crashed right back out for the remainder of the night.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Hanging with the M Family

These are a few weeks old, but I am just getting them downloaded from my new camera. 

Then Mr. M & I will have to figure out how to download all of pictures and video from this weekend.  I got a memory card, but it is not kicking off the automatic download associated with our camera...

We were lucky enough to have the M side over for some family fun & pool time on a Sunday when Mr. M could join us.

J was so happy to show off how well he's doing in the pool these days...

With Grandpa:

and with Uncle Jon:
playing '1,2,3 I dunk you' by J, which he developed in response to our counting to 3 & throwing him in the air for a big splash into the pool.  (see first picture)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Grandparental Outing: Brookfield Zoo

Back in early July, during my quarter close, J stayed with Grandparental M's.  And he had a blast.  They visited Brookfield Zoo, seeing the animals, as well as visiting the petting zoo.

And unlike last fall, when J visited the petting zoo at the pumpkin patch with his Aunt & me, he had no fear.  I'm so amazed and dumbfounded by how much he has grown & changed in the last year.

Sadly, our pictures from trips last year are only memories, as I was not blogging yet, so I was as good at keeping up with taking those pictures.  However, Grandma & Grandpa did grab a few for me this year...

Enjoy!

With Grandpa:

Looking for Grandma to come help brush the animals fur:


And lastly....Check out this tired boy... 

Isn't he just adorable?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

"Mommy Matthew!"

Last night we were supposed to attend a Cubs game in the PNC Club at Wriggly Field, but Mr. M's boss (the one who gave him the tickets) had him stuck in a meeting in Elgin until 6. 

This is the meeting that was scheduled for 8:30, and why my darling monkey was at his grandparents Monday night.  Since Grandma said she could watch J another night, Mr. M stayed up in Elgin to avoid the evening 290 construction hindered rush back into the city.

And I went out with my awesome friend Kari for some girl time.  We often get together, but more & more it has been less about us beyond quick updates and more about keeping a certain little boy entertained & happy.  He has been joining our breakfast, lunch & dinner dates since he was just weeks old.  In fact Kari mentioned last Friday, as J threw the hot pad, "Do you remember when he'd just sleep peacefully while we ate?"

I generally don't do these things because I feel horribly guilty leaving J behind, when I work so much.  If I stayed at home, I know I wouldn't feel nearly the same guilt.  But, right now, we are where we are...

Anyway... As is my modus operanda, and thankfully Kari loves me for it... Enjoys it herself...

I started talking about J.  The funny, cute, hilarious things he's doing.

Like, "I need pee" or "I get treat Mommy" while potty-training. 

Or more hysterically, wait, I need to give some back story...

J is a typical 2 1/2-year-old boy.  He's energetic, he adorable, he's testing his limits.  At times, testing how far he can stress my nerves & patience.  As a result, he has heard his first & middle name multiple times in a tense, and highly annoyed voice. 

So this weekend, I had just lectured him about getting into stuff he shouldn't, and to go play with his toys, when I sniffed out he'd pooped. 

Me:  J come on & I'll change your diaper

J:  No Mommy!  (run around the house)

Me:  (off for the chase, directing him towards Payton, as she runs a great block)

J: (seeing I'm closing in, and he either gives up or risks Payton joining in the chase - drops to the ground announcing)  Mommy Matthew!

It was all I could do to not laugh at him.  As we were walking to the bedroom for a quick change I said, "Well, I have to hand it to you kiddo, you've got the inflection, if not the context down perfect!"

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Overnight at M's...

Mr. M had another out of town meeting this morning... And with the 290 construction, there is no way he can make it there in a reasonable amount of time...

So J got another overnight sans parentals at Grandma & Grandpa M's.

Can we say lucky boy?

Or should we say Monkey Boy?

While I only got pictures, I'm certain a good time was had by all...

Daddy got work done for his expense meeting today, and I got laundry & packing done for our trip to see my parents this weekend.  Payton even got an invite, so it'll be interesting to see how she does on the 3-hour trip with J & me... 

Monday, August 16, 2010

Perfect Summer Weekend...

Sadly, or not, depending on how you look at it, I have no pictures...

But this weekend was perfect. 

Errands done on Friday. 

Potty-training Saturday early morning during the rain.  Heading off to the park after the rain.  Followed by an awesome nap (2+ hours), then some pool time.  To bribe J out of the pool, when I was ready to get out, we took a bike ride around the lake.  From J's perspective, we could have kept going & going, but Mommy's legs were tired after passing by 2x's, so we stopped off a the park on the way back through.  Then we rounded out the evening of coloring on the driveway while waiting for Daddy to get home from work. 

J is getting more & more into at least trying what Mr. M & I are eating, so I'm making an effort for those choices to be better for little man.  He mostly says "I can't like" upon trying, promptly spitting it out of his mouth.  I have to give him credit, he looks for a napkin in which to spit.  :)  Although, yesterday by the pool, I had grapes & Payton happily scored a couple of pre-chewed ones off the deck.

Then yesterday, Mr. Man slept until 9.  Granted, he didn't get to sleep until 9:30, after our late dinner.  And due to the late bedtime, he was up at 12:30 & 2:30, at which point, I just slept on his floor.  When we got up, I had planned to make a waffle breakfast, but Mr. M requested bagels.  Obviously, J & I were in for that... :)

We followed our bagel run with a walk to the park, as Mommy had learned the day before - J will ride his tricycle to the park, but then Mommy gets to carry it home.  It was so hot, that even sweaty boy asked to "go see Daddy", who had stayed home to get started on his laundry.  Thankfully Mr. M was up for a nap, so little man & Daddy crashed out (again for 2 hours).  Followed by more pool time.

As for PTing... Little man is now over his fear of the potty, we think was caused by an older boy whose mom is just now PTing & he is fighting it, and has proven from Sunday's nap - that he can not only hold it during his nap - but even after he wakes up, finds me outside on the deck, and tells me about 5 minutes later - "Mommy I pee".  We ran inside to find totally dry pull-ups.  :)

Although, ET has a new competitor in getting Reese's Pieces. 

Munchkin even told me, as we were laying there after book time, "mommy I need pee."  As soon as he did, he looked up at me, proudly stating "I get treat Mommy!"

Friday, August 13, 2010

Driving Grandpa's Boat

A week ago, I had to get my blood drawn in the morning, and afterwards, J fell asleep in the car on the way to breakfast.

So I detoured.  I let him sleep.  It was only 9, way to early for his nap, but he obviously needed to catch up on some sleep from his busy week, including a night out at Grandma & Grandpa M's.  He ended up sleeping around an hour.

We went by work.  He had SOOOOOO much fun getting doted on by pretty much everyone.  I have to admit, I enjoyed hearing how cute & adorable & well behaved my child was...

As we were going home, around 11'ish, I was happy.  Relaxed.  Out of the blue J says "Go see Grandpa."

Me: "We could call & see if Grandma & Grandpa are free" totally thinking he was talking about my in-laws, with his having been there this week.

J then said "Go see grandpa's boat!" 

Ahh... He was meaning my parents.  Got it.  Thanks for the clarification kiddo...

So we called.  They were free & would love to have us for the weekend.

We rushed home & packed & headed out before the mad rush on Friday night. 

J took another hour and half nap while I drove to my parents, which was just fine by J, as he was all fueled up to take on his big job of driving the boat.

We were there by dinner, with time for a quick run on the boat.  Of course, this was followed by a trip to get some ice cream, because driving the boat is such hard work - J had obviously earned it.

Then Saturday, we ordered pizza & ate it out on the Lake.  J thought it was pretty neat to feed the fishes his pizza crust.  :) 

My mom & I got such a kick out of how J just followed my Dad around.  He was out there helping in the garage.  When grandpa turned the driving of the boat over to grandma so he could eat, J took his lunch break too.  Grandpa helped things by continually offering J different things to do, like his tricycle or playing ball, or running up & down their road, etc...

Look at that focus...

It ended up being a great trip for both of us...

I'm so glad he suggested it.

And sad by his being old enough to request it.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Birthday Party - Allison turns 2

J has a very good buddy in daycare, Jack.  He has a little sister Allison. 

Can I just say how weird it is to hear my son call someone by my name? 

She recently turned 2.  And J was invited to help celebrate at Gymboree with her.

We had a blast. 

Although getting there was a bit rough... I asked if J wanted to go see Jack & Allison, and Erica (another girl from DC that was going).  Big mistake.  HUGE MISTAKE.

No.  No Miss Angie!  complete with tears.

Finally I convinced him it was NOT at Miss Angie's, when we pulled up to the Gymboree place.  And by then I'd grown to calling it the Birthday Party, and not referencing ANYONE he might know.  He was all excited.

So then when he saw Jack & Allison, Erica he was all about let's go play.

Although I had to laugh, Gymbo the Clown wants the birthday person to go first... J really wanted to Ali at that moment in time.  Maybe an idea for his birthday in February...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Pictures of the City...

I love the City... One thing I miss about working downtown was the skyline.

Another was the good food...

I feel so blessed Mr. M & I are in a position to share these things with J...

Here are so more pics...

One more funny story, that I'd forgotten until I looked at these pictures...

J was snacking on some organic alphabet cookies & little Miss Skye decided she wanted one... My son is a greedy hog, as he fussed, then grabbed up his leftover cookies & moved them to a safer zone.  He just barely could get his hand to reach, so he knew she would not be able to get to his cookies. 


Of course, I made him share, just possibly when he was not looking.  :)


Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Wiggleworm - A downtown *free* event

J & I asked our neighbor if they would like to join us downtown on a Friday to see the Wiggleworm at Millenium Park. This is a free music class for everyday during the summer. Although, between parking & lunch out - it was far from free. However, this was our first time in the City, I have to say - it was totally worth it.
And in fact, as I mentioned before... I've decided J & I will be doing something one Friday of every month that will introduce both of us to the culture of the City. We live so close to Chicago, it'd be a shame for us not to take advantage of all it offers.
When I told my mom about it, she was so worried my neighbor Wendy, and her daughter Skye would not have a good time, because Skye wasn't even 1 yet. However, she is a little mover & shaker & was all about getting right in there & enjoying herself with J.
Both of the kids were so wide-eyed at the kids, the music, etc.
Ms. Wiggleworm
The kiddos...


Monday, August 9, 2010

Pictures by J...

A couple of weeks ago, my parents were in town to set the basketball hoop for him. In the morning, J & I treated Grandma & Grandpa to our breakfast bagel place.
J, with his greasy fingers got ahold of my camera to take pictures of Grandma & Grandpa while we were eating...


My camera just looks blurry, but really was a film of grease...

However, nothing a little eye glass cleaner could not solve... As I got some great pictures with it, shortly thereafter when we headed downtown...

Friday, August 6, 2010

Next Generation of Friends...

In the making...

I met my friend Bella in 2003, shortly after getting married to Mr. M. I'm not going to bore you will all the details, but in highlight - she is a fellow psoriasis sufferer. But more importantly she is pretty awesome. So it was with great joy, that I was able to have them over for a playdate.

Her son Bobby was a little unsure of his new surroundings, but J jumped right in with showing Bobby his sand & water table, swimming, etc.
The kids ended up having a blast and were very sad when it was naptime. However, J started to have his typical Must be my naptime meltdown... and mommy was having none of it - so naptime it was...


Thursday, August 5, 2010

Bed Time Stalking

J has gotten into a habit, during his recent growth spurt of needing a snack before bed. Generally it is milk with some kind of snack, either jelly fruit snacks or a fiber bar. Both are very yummy, so I end up being on patrol that J gets to enjoy said snack, as opposed to a certain puppybutt helping herself to J's.


Especially a fun night when we find Grandpa P's left behind Spartan hat and wear it.
Even more fun to make Payton wear it.

Granted, Daddy then hid said hat & when I objected suggested Grandpa get a real hat - then he'd be allowed to wear it.


Yes, I rolled my eyes... The Big 10 rivalry will forever live...

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sugary Delight

When Mr. M, J & I were in the Bahamas, we found a candy store. Of course, right? Naturally J scored a fancy sucker or two while we were shopping in there... After a particularly good week, I let him explore the edible flower.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Swimming with Grandpa P


I have pictures still on my camera from J swimming with the M side of the family... These are still pics from when my parents came to visit at the beginning of July.

J has really taken off with swimming with his life jacket this summer. It will be fun to see how he does next without it, as he just doesn't seem strong enough to hold himself up just yet...

Monday, August 2, 2010

First Sprinkler Run...

With our having the pool, J doesn't usually get to play in the everyday sprinkler in our yard. Last summer, we had a cool little pool for him, but never the unadulterated fun of a sprinkler. Partly because Mr. M & I are horrible at watering our poor grass.

Seriously, how it is not dead is by shear luck of rainfalls.

However, Grandma & Grandpa P are awesome at getting things back in working order while visiting. And I love that my Dad does not mind coming to complete his annual Daddy Do List. After getting my bushes all trimmed, and teaching me how to do it for next year, and getting our bathroom door put back on its hinges after a certain boy crashed into it, watering our lawn was next.

J was so fascinated by it. He immediately took off to explore it.


Then laughter ensued.
Then he announced: I'm all wet! with the biggest giggle of childhood innocent laughter.