Top 5 Plays

While I haven't spent that much time watching Sports Center with Hubby T during the eight years we have been together, I do know that every Friday Sports Center puts on a segment called the Top 10 Plays of the Week highlighting the greatest moments in sports from that week.  And while great sports plays are all well and good, I think Baby B's top moments from this week put them all to shame:)

#5. I finally figured out that if I play a song on the piano that Baby B knows, he will sit and listen with me, singing his little "e-i-e-i-e-i" whenever he feels like it.  In fact, after awhile, he finds the piano bench (ahem, I mean, mommy's lap) pretty darn comfortable...go ahead, make yourself at home my son.  This song just wouldn't be the same without your legs knocking my fingers off the keys and your foot occasionally playing its own notes!

#4. Hubby T has been teaching Baby B "3-2-1, Blastoff!" for several months.  He's practiced it enough that Baby B will now say "2" and "bastoff!" on cue.  (And no, that's not a typo, that's how he says blastoff.)  Except he doesn't really say it on cue, because most of the time Baby B is sooo excited that as soon as we say "3" he immediately responds with "bastoff!"  This is especially amusing when he bursts out of a huge cardboard box with an even huger grin on his face.

#3. On Monday night, Hubby T had to go down to church for a meeting.  While he was getting ready, Baby B and I were chatting at the dinner table..

Baby B: Church!

Me: Yes, Daddy is going to church.

Baby B: Bible (points to Hubby T's bible on the shelf)

Me: Yes, Daddy is going to bring his bible to church

Baby B: Pad?

Me: Yes, Daddy is going to bring his iPad to church too.

Hubby T walks out of the house every Sunday morning with his Bible and iPad.  I am so terribly impressed that Baby B was observant enough to put all these things together, figure out how to say the right words, and then communicate them to me completely unprompted.  Keep firing away brain synapses!

#2.  This picture of silliness represents a moment this evening when Hubby T told Baby B to "go tickle mommy!"  So Baby B walked up to me with a big, tentative smile, held his hands 6 inches from me, and wiggled his fingers.  I cracked up so hard the silly boy doesn't even know he didn't tickle me.

#1.  Baby B learned how to read.  18 months old.  Enough said.  At least by me...

Saturday Afternoon Treats

 I up!

In case you're not interested in spending a rainy Saturday afternoon climbing on couches and rocking chairs like my crazy boy, here's a couple recommendations from Hubby T and I to make your day!

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell, is one of the most interesting books I have read in a very long time.  Hubby T and I have been reading it together this summer, stopping after each chapter to discuss.  This makes for great car ride conversation.  If you are a person (Christian or not) who feels uncomfortable with the idea that believing in Jesus is the only way to get into heaven, this book will shine a new, different light on that idea.  The author has been pretty viciously attacked by some Christians for writing this book, and while I'm not sure yet if I completely agree with his conclusions, I'm still glad he wrote it and that I read it.  One of the things I most appreciated was how the author goes directly to the Bible to discuss what the specific references to heaven and hell are, and then discusses how these references relate to what we think about heaven and hell.  Not surprisingly, society/culture has had more of an influence than I had realized.  Aside from the fact that these are pretty heady things to think about, it's an easy read and very interesting.

We will be consuming this cherry chocolate dessert deliciousness tonight.  I already ate one while making them this afternoon (chef's prerogative!) and am tempted to skip our main course and just chow down straight on dessert.  Life is short right?!  And so is cherry season - take advantage while you can!

I wish I had more Saturday afternoon treats to share with you, but we've finished all the Mad Men episodes on Netflix and haven't started anything else yet.  And I don't expect you to get excited about Hubby T's new lego that he spent an hour putting together this afternoon.  So my silly family will leave you with this (Baby B is currently sitting on the couch saying "hiney!" over and over again) - if all else fails you on the next rainy Saturday of your life, remember that breakfast at McDonald's with grampa is always a great way to start your day.  Happy weekend!

18 Months

My little boy turned 18 months old last week.  He is a 23 pound, 33" tall walking talking life loving bundle of joy!  Since I haven't done an update on Baby B lately, this seemed like a good occasion.  My crazy nut can mostly be summed up in one words these days - chatty!

 Winding up to say something big, and loud 

Baby B is learning and saying new words at an amazingly quick speed.  He can name all of the people in his family, except for my parents who he calls by their first names because the "gr" sound of gramma and grampa hasn't been mastered yet.  I don't even call my parents by their first names, so it's pretty funny to hear this precocious little person do it!  He strings together "Daddy", "work", and "car" on a regular basis to which I respond, "Yes, Daddy went to work in his car."  He strings together "Baby D" and "pool" pretty frequently as well because we are in the middle of a two week swim class with Baby D and his mom.  And, perhaps most amusing, he will point to the bathroom door and say "Poop!" whenever one of us is using the facilities.  Perhaps this mental connection will help speed along his own potty training?!  (I know, I know, keep dreaming Mama P...)

Whenever Baby B is surrounded by something in his environment that he has a word for, he says it.  When he sees a picture of himself at the beach on our computer background, he points at the computer and says "Beach!"  When we see a bus in a parking lot, he yells "but!" (close enough right?) and starts waving his hands around doing the hand motions to the song, "Wheels on the Bus."  And if he doesn't have anything specific to say, he'll just talk gibberish, which invariably includes his favorite line of "e-i-e-i-e-i" from Old McDonald, just without the o at the end.

Baby B doesn't quite get the concept of miniature golf yet.  As soon as Hubby T helped him hit the ball, he ran after it screaming "ball!!"

As the above picture indicates, he is having a grand old time running at faster speeds and climbing onto almost everything.  Fortunately there has been no climbing out of the crib yet, not sure what I'm going to do with myself when that happens! This morning he climbed onto my chair at the breakfast table and got hold of the cheerio bag.  While this could have ended in cheerios all over the floor, he instead sat there with the bag in his lap chowing down on handful after handful of cheerios.  He is keeping us on our toes!

And last, one of his cutest developments of late, is Teddy.  Baby B has never shown any interest whatsoever in the mountains of stuffed animals that he received when he was born.  A couple weeks ago, however, he all of the sudden and completely out of the blue, grew fond of his Teddy.  This is a particularly special development because Baby B's teddy is an exact replica of the bear that Hubby T grew up with.  It was purchased by Hubby T's grandmother years and years ago because they feared they'd have to replace Hubby T's original teddy after so much loving.  They didn't end up needing it, so Hubby T saved it for his first child.  And now here we are...

 

Keep growing baby boy, keep growing...we can't wait to see what comes next:)

Summer days

Anyone else remember that song about the "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer"?  That's what we've been experiencing this week, perhaps with a tad more lazy than crazy sometimes... 

 But when we are crazy boy do we really go.  Take this for example - our 4th of July!

And if you don't think it's slightly crazy to have a 4th of July picnic with 8 kids/babies in 95 + degree heat, well, just take my word for it.  Although this crazy was a good crazy.  I love how with a wagon, a couple balls, some bubbles, and glow sticks, kids can occupy themselves for hours.  Oh yes, animal crackers help too.

We had no expectation that Baby B would last until 9:15 when the fireworks started but he hung in there, and he loved them!!  He alternated between saying "wwwhhhoooaaa" and "boom boom boom!"  He relaxed enough to sit in my lap and cuddle for the first half of the show, which I loved.  I sang a couple patriotic songs into his ear while we rocked and oohed and gave thanks for the awesome blessings of family, friends, and freedom.

The next day we kept right on going...down to Gramma and Grampa's house for a trip to the botanical gardens!  I know, you're probably thinking, why in the world would you bring a 1 year old to botanical gardens?  Well, my parents became members recently and discovered that they have a great fountain play area for little kids.  (If that's not a great marketing scheme to bring families in I don't know what is.)  And Baby B ate it up!  Not I can't blame him, what's better on a hot summer day than running through fountains?

 

 
Okay, maybe snacking on freshly picked blackberries is a close second:)

Speaking of snacks...and water...time to go get my own snack so we can head to the pool once Baby B wakes up.   Keep enjoying those lazy, hazy, crazy days friends!