Watch Me Grow!

Apparently I have been neglecting my blog due to a new found love of the website and virtual pin board commonly known as Pinterest.com. Warning: Do not join this site- you will turn into an "unprofitable" and anti productive person. All the thoughts swirling around in your head and on your pin board will cause a total and complete physical breakdown to where you won't accomplish anything. Just so you know!
So here's a little look at my boy, starting with the most recent pics and heading back through to July (because it's been so long since I blogged I forgot to put the newer stuff first and the old stuff last. FIFO and LILO for all you accountants. A glance into the distance with yogurt all over his face- of course most of these pics he has some sort of food or dirt all over him!
I know he's a mess- but look how cute he is- and his eyes look just like mine now- besides me coloring, that's his one Momma feature.
Dipping apple slices and pretzels in peanut butter and chocolate for treats during the football game- of course he had to be naked for this because I wasn't about to treat chocolate stains!
This means he is concentrating really hard :)
Fire truck, jeans and a black turtleneck shirt- I had to snap this cuz it was just too Tommy Gavin ish and I loved it! Of course Batman's Robin is close by, I think Batman was inside the truck already.
Trying to share everything he had with Uncle D who so kindly shared his lap with all his nieces and Polo and shared his time to come out and play tickle monster, swing on the swings, watch Despicable Me, and put on an awesome fireworks show for us! They loved every minute of it!
On his 2nd birthday eating rainbow chip cake with rainbow chip frosting- forget the fork I'm using my hands!!
Telling me how much he loves me, probably not but that's why we take photos so we can add our own loveable captions!!
Perhaps I was too lazy to put clothes on him or maybe he just got out of the bath but for whatever reason, he was watching a show in his diaper. Normally he bugs me to get him dressed but this was one of those beautiful carefree days where all he wanted was to lay down on the floor naked and enjoy a show.
In a Bronco's helmet (which we don't exactly love- Go 49ers!) probably saying this, "Down, Set, Hut Hut, Hike!!" He's good at that one- and then he takes off! He's such a sweetheart still and he's growing up so fast and getting so smart. We love him so much and we always find something to laugh about with him.
Small update: he can count to 13 in English and 10 in Spanish, sing his alphabet, recognize the majority of his capital letters by sight, A-K in sign language, sing Sunbeam and several other songs by himself, complete a game of Memory with 24 tiles in under 2 minutes consistently, tell me "NO" very defiantly, make awesome animal noises and make me laugh hysterically. He can also bring a light to our lives that wasn't there before and we're so grateful for him!

My First Vocal Tryout

For those of you who know about this little excursion- here's a look at what the competition was like!! Just kidding. My dad thought it would be fun to capture the memories of all the crazy looks about town. These two people right here drove 8 eight hours to Denver with a 2-year-old little boy. They showed up at registration on very little sleep with a song in their hearts. They enjoyed the whole trip, the singing, the driving, getting to stay at Shae's house with his wonderful wife and kids, and especially the father-daughter talks and time spent together. Even though this girl didn't make it through to the next round, she's so glad her dad and the rest of her family encouraged her to go and supported her all the way through it. (On a side note her husband was extremely happy and grateful that her dad was able to travel with her as he could not this time around.) All in all this was such a good learning experience and so much fun!
This guy could be seen from the back of the line and Dad walked up for a better look!
This guy must have had 4 red bulls and 6 cups of coffee all before 7 am because he was crazy! He was running up and down the line, talking up the cameras, giving speeches and blabbing on and on to the local news channels. I never once heard him sing a song but amazingly he made it through to the next round (due to his extreme craziness I'm sure!)
And this chick was obviously "stoked" to be there :)
Crazy people (including me), awesome city, better hospitality from my one and only Rohrer sister-in-law. Thanks Cathy and Shae for letting us crash your house! We loved every minute of it! And thanks Denver for such a great experience.

A Child's Dream, A Pocket Book's Fantasy

Have you ever looked to buy one of these really nice, sturdy, fancy play kitchens for your kids? They start at about $100 and go up from there! The artist said it cost about $30 to make this whole thing. Head down the DI, maybe Home Depot or Wal-Mart and you've got yourself a customized kitchen. When I have a kid who loves kitchen stuff- I'm totally gonna do this!!

The Cutest Boy (the cutest boy) I Ever Saw (I ever saw) Was...

Hangin out with Papa at the playground by the duck pond- having the time of his life! Thanks Papa!
Refusing to take a nap by me and instead heading over to his table, motorcycle in hand, and crashing there by accident, due to equally extreme amounts of stubbornness and tiredness.
Exploring the deep blue bath water on his belly.

Constantly begging to "drive car" or "drive truck"- so persistently that few can refuse! Also- wearing some of his very own choices- snow boots and a golf hat!!

Showing off his new trick of closing his eyes and opening his mouth at the same time (thanks Uncle Brad!)

Farewell to Hair

So I generally avoid posting pictures of myself because like most women on the planet I'ma bit self conscious about the way I look. (If you're not one of those women- hooray for you. I envy and admire you. And now that we're done talking about you...) Here's my new haircut for the summer! After I had Peewee my hair went dark and curly which made the thickness even more of a mess to handle! It would frizz out look like a haystack if I didn't do something with it.
Goodbye to 15 minute blow drying sessions then 20 minutes of flat ironing. Goodbye to a palmful of shampoo and one of conditioner. Goodbye to ponytails that end up a mess on top of my shoulders. Goodbye to 3 palmfuls of Noodlehead plus one of styling sauce plus harispray for that curly look. Goodbye to hot rollers that take an hour to put in and a half a can of hairspray to make it last. Goodbye to waking up being choked by my hair in the mornings. Goodbye to waiting all day for my hair to dry naturally... Hello to the perfect cut for the pool!

Baby Shower

My neighbor is pregnant! Strangely she is the only person around here that I know that is pregnant! There's usually more this time of year- I know that sounds so Mother Nature of me but it's true! So I decided we needed to throw her a baby shower. I've never done that before but I am having so much fun! Here's the latest gift/decoration made from 84 Pampers Swaddlers (the best diapers for a new baby bum!), lots of rubber bands, an oatmeal can and some ribbon!
The monkey is PW's but he goes so well with the jungle theme I think I'll let him come visit the shower!

Spontaneous Happenings

Well so one day we decided that PW didn't need to wear clothes because we were just going to lounge around the house. So he was running around like a wild goose and pretty soon he comes out of his room like this...



What a stud. And yes- he put that around his neck all by himself!

Jump, Jump, Jump With Me!

First show me your muscles!
Now John Cena style!Now give me a little dance move
Now jump! Jump!

Mommy Down Time

Naps failed all day long so I put on Elmopalooza and ten minutes later I found him like this.
Bath time- it's a jungle in there. Seriously- every animal we own goes swimming at bath time.
The famous show Pingu- he usually watches it on the tv but obviously he's just as content to watch it on the computer!

Blast from the Past

Check out this old photo we found on Mara's memory card- it's from 2007!

Purses and Trust Issues

There's an article on msn.com today about women and their purses. In the beginning it is quite witty and cute- and then streams into this...
"Although a confessed pursaholic, Los Angeles psychotherapist Nancy Irwin says carrying 20 pounds of “necessities” every day may indicate trust issues.“If you don’t have a really good reason to carry around a lot of stuff — like you’re traveling or nursing a baby — then you’re burdening yourself unnecessarily,” she says. “You’re not trusting that what you need will be there in the environment.”
Um hello??!! Did I just read that right? If just a regular woman with my regularly large bag then I have trust issues?
Let me tell you a little story. Last month Jake and I went to a concert. It turned out to be one of the coldest nights of the year so far and the wind was particularly icy. The artist didn't even show because he was sick (remember how I signed up to do Amos Lee karaoke?) so we just sat in the venue and the band gave us a show. We were just sitting there, kinda bummed. I think I even left my coat on for half the night. But...

My purse held several things which I never thought I would touch but took "just in case". A can of hairspray, a brush, all the make-up items I had used to get ready that night, my zune (who needs an mp3 player when you're going to a concert right?), and a whole bunch of other stuff irrelevant to this story. So some people would say that the hairspray. brush and make-up was unnecessary and the zune was silly. Well guess what- I needed those things. I signed up to do karaoke right? So I had to make sure that if I was going on stage I would look ok. The freezing cold wind didn't do wonders for my hair but it was fine for sitting in the dark- but not if I was going to sing in front of 2500 people! Dinner had worn off my lipstick and so a touch up was definitely needed.
Then when I signed up they told me I needed a backup song. So i got out my zune and searched for another song that I really liked!! How was the environment supposed to provide me with my shade of lipstick and an mp3 player with all my Amos Lee music on it?
A wise man told me :) that there are two types of people in this world: those who adapt to their surroundings, and those who adapt their surroundings to them. I believe that when I leave my home I have basically no control over what my surroundings will be like. I cannot hope to change them to conform to my needs. I can only hope to survive in them with what I bring (whatever happens to be in my purse!) So this lady is right- I DON'T trust that the environment will provide what I need. But it's not really a "trust issue". It's just life. It's the way we live.

A List of Strange Things PW Likes to Eat

Steak- wouldn't ya know!
Fish- he can gobble up a couple ounces at one sitting!
Chicken- most often served with rice, lots of rice! (maybe some of these aren't so strange I'm just glad that he actually eats them!)
Spicy things- like the chipotle cheddar pretzel ritz crackers
Sunflower seeds- I buy just the seeds (no shell) for our snack time
Green beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower- again, just glad he will eat these!
Shredded wheat, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Honey Bunches of Oats, and other hearty cereals
Chicken wraps- they have tons of cabbage in them along with other veggies and a soy sauce dressing. I think they're great but I never thought my baby would like cabbage!!
Rice- he'll eat it all by itself. Yuck.
Chocolate protein shakes- it's like milk is out of the question without it.

And on the list of things he won't touch...I think maybe eggs is the only thing. I love my healthy little eater. :) I bet my next won't touch any of those things :(

Hiding: A game or a cry for seclusion?

This is PW's newest favorite thing. He will go into the bedroom and shut the door. Then he goes into the adjoining bathroom and shuts the door. Then he climbs into the cupboard and shuts the door!

Bowls, Books, Blankets & Beanies

I may have to wash this before I use it again!
Apparently the box of books is the prime spot to eat fruit snacks!
Sometimes I let him run around without a shirt- it's adorable!
He put this on himself and thought he was sooo funny!

Singing Time!

My guy was feeling generous this morning and actually let me tape him singing. Of course after a while he just wanted to hold the camera so you get video of cars but the sound is terrific! He can hum the twinkle twinkle melody all by himself but decided to sing the words this morning. Oh and sorry about the booger nose (we call them MOCOS!)- he's been sick but it didn't stop him from performing!

I'm training a handy man. He loves to help put things together and uses all the tools in the toolbox.
Of course "shows" are important too but must require the football to be nearby.
I'm not sure what this face means but I love it!

Well what can I say for my goofy boy? He knows how to make us laugh! He can now say anything we say- Like dramatic which turns out "matic". I love it. And he sings to himself all day long. He's getting so big and tall! And all the strangers he meets tell me he's going to be a heartbreaker. Don't I know it!

Amos Lee

So we went to the Amos Lee concert last night only to find that he was sick and wouldn't be singing. He'll come back soon though so we gott o save our tickets. In the meantime his opening act performed and his band did some really fun and funky songs!! It was such a unique experience to get to be with them while they just had fun. And they even did a little Amos Lee karaoke! I signed up to sing but I didn't win the lottery!! Oh well.
I was brave enough to wear these skinny jeans! Whoo Cha!