Big Boy Footsteps

...That is what I hear coming down the hall these days.  It's no longer a pitter-patter.  It's a full-out run on those size 8.5's!  Things that bring Thomas running these days - the sound of the iced tea maker coming out of the cabinet (he helps fill it with ice and put the tea bags in, making sure to leave the tags out); filling up our Brita water pitcher (he helps "carry" it back to the fridge); any of his favorite shows on TV (Handy Manny, Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse, Chuggington, etc.); running his bath.

We also seem to have a pretty polite child, which is nice.  He almost always says "please" and "thank you" and uses them correctly.  We even walked by a stranger on the sidewalk tonight and he said "excuse me" in the sweetest little tone.  The conversation we have most often around this household goes a little something like this:

Thomas: "Hi Daddy!"
Daddy: "Hi Thomas! How are you?"
Thomas: (through a wide grin) "Duhd" or for those of you that don't speak Toddler-ese, "Good"

We have this conversation over and over and over with anyone within earshot.  Daddy first, then Mommy, then grandparents if they're around, one by one.  He gets such a kick out of this simple little conversation.

Speaking of conversation, he really is starting to take off with the talking.  He regularly says two-word (or more) "sentences" and knows how to address the person he's talking to.  For instance, the other day, out of the blue, he said "Happy dayday Mama!"  That's how he says Happy Birthday, and no, it wasn't my birthday.  He'll also say things like, "please Daddy" and "Mama's car go home"...you get the picture.  So cute!

I'm starting to realize that discipline is really starting to become an issue so that is a hot topic in my life right now.  He is starting to enjoy a little more freedom, so listening to Mama and Daddy is becoming even more important.  I'm sitting here looking at a list of 8 books that have been recommended to me over the past couple of weeks.  I'm going to narrow them down and start reading!  I keep telling myself that it won't be an answer that works perfectly from the get go and never fails.  But, I sure do need more info and knowledge on the subject, from a few different points of view!  We'll see what I find out.

Here is Thomas with his friend Lilly at the park.

The weather has started to get warm and we've been spending a lot of time at the park lately.  We just tried a new park this week that was great and we even got to take a nice long walk around the lake with our friend Amanda and her dog, Cooper.  (By the way, we may just put a saddle on Cooper and bring him to Thomas' birthday party. That dog is huge and was a hit with the kids at the park.  He's such a sweet dog!)

The boys of OIB, enjoying some piano time.

We spent Easter weekend at Cherry Grove with the Williams'.  We enjoyed spending time with family and we even got to see Shawn's cousin Jo, her husband and their baby girl, Holly.  We were able to check out Ryan's new ice cream shop in Myrtle Beach and Thomas got a free scoop!  That's the benefit of having an uncle that owns an ice cream shop, I guess!!  We cooked out the last night and broke in Shawn's new cornhold boards.  Thanks mom!!

Thomas rode his first carousel while at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach.

I think he was holding on pretty tight.

We're headed to the NC Zoo for the first time with Thomas tomorrow so I'm sure I'll have some pictures to share soon!  Hope everyone is having a lovely Spring so far!!

Valentines Day & Dinosaurs

This is one of my favorite funny pictures from Thomas' 21-month pictures at Portrait Innovations.  Ms. Kathleen always does a great job and she loves to see how big Thomas is getting.  He was stuck to Mommy for the first five minutes (which is odd, considering that has been like a second home to us...), but after that he was hamming it up for the camera.  He was, however, more interested in playing with the soccer ball and the bubbles.  I think he thinks it is a play place, where they just happen to have cameras to capture the action.  Here is another good one.

We had a very nice and relaxing Valentine's Day.  I got up and made heart-shaped pancakes and bacon for the guys.

Thomas spent a night away with his Grandma and Grandaddy.  They took him to Myrtle Beach to see Uncle Ryan and Aunt Cassie.  He had a blast riding his 4-wheeler and eating ice cream at Uncle Ryan's ice cream shop.  When we called to check-in, they happened to be at the shop and when we talked to Thomas on the phone, the first thing he said was "ice cream!"  I think he enjoyed it!

Last weekend we went to the Museum of Natural Sciences in Downtown Raleigh.  That place has so much to see, some of which was interesting for Thomas and some...not so much.  He did enjoy seeing the dinosaurs and the fish.  By the time we got up to the butterflies and various other animals, I think he had seen all he wanted to see.  He was very interested in standing in a window sill on the top floor and looking out over the buildings.

We often drive by the tower at the WRAL studios near our house and the NC State Bell Tower.  He points enthusiastically and says "TOWER!!!"  Now, when we drive by any building over 3 stories, he shouts "TOWER!!"  It's cute.  He's saying more and more cute stuff and I really need to get better at writing them down as I go.  Today I noticed him lining up his cars, as usual.  He moved one to the front of the line and said "excuse me".

We typically would have a pancake or a waffle for breakfast, but recently I let him try some of Mommy's oatmeal.  He loved it and ate the entire bowl.  So, now he is enjoying his oatmeal most mornings.  He's pretty good at feeding himself.  I will say, the bibs with the pocket at the bottom are worth every penny!

So, Thomas is now 22 months old and we are hurtling toward his birthday.  Can't believe my little man will be 2 soon.  He's such a sweet boy and has such a kind spirit.  Recently he's been holding out his arms to ask for a hug.  Instead of saying "hug" he just tilts his head to the side and says "awwwww" with a grin on his face.  That's the same thing we hear after we take his picture.  He says "cheese" and then does the head tilt, awwww thing.  So funny and so sweet!  I love my little man.

The Blizzard of 2010

Yep, we got snow.  Not much, but enough to have fun with...and enough to be tired of it 3 days later.  It snowed on Friday night, overnight, and sleeted for most of the day on Saturday.  We tried to get out in it Saturday afternoon, but not for long.  It was cold and windy.  So, Sunday we made it out before lunch.  I put together a sled out of a cardboard box, garbage bags and duct tape.  It was perfect for the few times we sledded down a little hill in our back yard.  Thomas had fun and kept saying "adin, adin" (again).

For all the parents out there, can I express a frustration?  When are they going to come up with gloves that actually stay on my child's hands.  We spent most of the time pulling them back on and then we just gave up.  He played in the snow with bare hands.  I just checked them often and figured we'd head in if they got too cold.  The mittens don't work and we haven't even tried the gloves with fingers yet.  I can't even get his thumb in the right place in the mittens, much less every finger where it belongs in a glove!  Am I the only one that feels this way?

Moving right along, after playing in the snow, we came inside and had hot chocolate and grilled cheese for lunch.  We also had chili this weekend.  There is something about those foods when you've been out playing in the snow.  Makes for a perfect day!

Thomas has been playing a lot of basketball on his kid-size hoop recently.  It is on the lowest setting and the rim is still about 2 feet above his head.  He likes when we pick him up, but he'll also throw it himself and does a pretty good job.  He'll make a real basket every once in a while.  When he doesn't make the shot he smiles and says "misssssssssssss".  Makes me giggle.

So, the snow is finally melting away and we are getting back to normal.  I felt like I'd been freed from jail when we were able to drive somewhere yesterday!!  If you had snow, I hope you had fun in it.

Amen. Now eat!

So, my post was just a little premature this afternoon, as there was a noteworthy funny at supper tonight.  Mom, Whit and Devin were over for supper and we were all sitting around the table.  As we do every other night, we held hands and Shawn said a blessing.  When he was through, Thomas wanted to hold various hands and say "Amen" again and again.  Finally, he said "Amen.....now eat!"  We couldn't help but laugh.  I can't believe he just said that.....hilarious!

So, I hope you all had a wonderful evening and a wonderful supper.  Amen.  Now eat.

Catch Up??

I don't even think I'm capable of catching up......  How about we just start over?

My name is Lauren, my husband is Shawn and we have a 20 month old named Thomas....okay, I guess we don't have to go THAT far back.  Christmas was great, busy, but great!  New Years was uneventful, as usual, except for a fun gathering with some of our friends while Thomas rang in the New Year in his crib under the watchful eye of his Mamaw and Grandaddy.  January has been just fine.  Typical NC weather...75 one day, 32 the next.  In fact, Thomas and I went to the park to play in jeans and t-shirts last week and we're supposed to get snow this weekend.  Why can't I ever seem to get used to this weather??!!

Thomas is sending us (or should I say me?) on a roller coaster nearly every day.  He'll be an angel for most of the day, listening to me when I ask him to do something, laughing, eating his snacks and meals and then he'll take on the personality of someone I wouldn't choose to be around.  He throws good ole' toddler fits, slings food across the table, throws toys, screams at the top of his lungs with his fists clenched.  Can you picture that??  Really try to picture that.....  Seems cute, doesn't it?  It's not.  But, I must say, he is a wonderful little boy with a great demeanor and some of the trouble lies with me.  I need to work on patience, consistency, and many other things I'm not even aware of yet!

Some random notes about Thomas:
-- He is learning many new concepts and is really starting to converse well (for a 20 month old).
-- I was in our room the other day and he was playing next to me.  Next thing I know, he's walking out, shutting the door and looked right at me and said "bye bye" with a big smile on his face.  He also says "bye bye" when he pushes his high chair away from the table.
-- He repeats everything!  Our conversation in the car the other day went like this.
Mama: Did you have fun today?
Thomas: Today.
Mama: What did you do?
Thomas: Do.
Mama: Did you play with your new toy?
Thomas: Toy.
You get the idea....  :)

The child will be TWO in a little over 3 months!!!  That is just insane!!!  Where's the pause button??

Christmas Time is Here!!

So, here we are 2 and a half weeks away from Christmas and it's been too long since my last post. Just to let you know, in my ideal world, I would be able to hop on to our blog once every other day or so and just give you a short little taste of what our world is like. Instead, we seem to be doing the "once or twice a quarter, family buffet." So, let's hit some high points. Shall we?


Thomas is having a blast with all the family fun going on this time of year. We spent Thanksgiving together, just the three of us. What a blessing! Don't get me wrong, it is great to be with our families and extended families, but it sure was a nice relaxing way to begin the holiday with a yummy "mini-Thanksgiving meal" on Thursday night. We watched the parade that morning and watched a lot of football. Speaking of parades, we did go to the Raleigh Christmas parade a couple of weekends ago and Thomas had a blast. He was still and watching the floats go by for a much longer time than he's ever been still before. :) We spent Friday with my Mom and Sunday evening with my Dad. In between, we went to Wilmington to visit some of Shawn's extended family for an oyster roast. Shawn enjoyed the oysters, I enjoyed the desserts and Thomas enjoyed all the many toys that Aunt Nanny keeps at her house (and the dogs). Both places we spent time at in Wilmington had one or two dogs so Thomas got well aquainted. He actually woke up at Cousin Jo's house on Sunday morning and the first words out of his mouth...."ruff ruff".

Thomas has really been enjoying coloring lately. Grandaddy couldn't resist giving Thomas one of his Christmas presents a little early. It is a table that you can write on with dry-erase markers. He loves it! We have to watch him closely with the markers but he enjoys them.....

and so does Daddy.... (notice that my 19 month old son has a beard!) Hmmm, Daddy, how did THAT get there??

This weekend, we got our tree up and decorated. I really think Christmas is more fun with children around. The past few years I've just had a hard time getting motivated to get into the hoopla of decorating, etc. This year seems to be different. I'm loving it! We're even decorating the outside of our house, which is new for us. Now, after a few hundred trips to Lowe's and Target, I think we're about done. We changed from glass balls on our tree to garland and ribbons (to prevent much breakage!) I like the new look. What do you think?

Thomas is continuing to do well. He is talking more every day. He repeats almost anything you say and says many things on his own. I love hearing him say "Thank You" when we hand him something. He's also recently started saying "uh huh" when we ask him a question. This morning, I said "Are you okay?" after he took a tumble and he looked right at me and said "uh huh" with a big smile on his face. Not sure how I feel about that....but it sure is cute for now. He really loves bath time and usually goes "swimming" at some point during his time in the tub. He gets on his belly and kicks like crazy. The little butt cheeks peeking out of the water are so cute! :)

We'll soon be going to see Santa and get Thomas' picture taken. Wish us luck! I'll try to post some pictures when we get them.

That's Elmo's World

Yep, Thomas has discovered the world of Sesame Street and he loves it!! He particularly loves Elmo's World, which comes on the last 20 min or so of each Sesame Street episode. He grins from ear to ear when he hears the intro music...you may know it. "La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's world, Elmos loves his goldfish, his crayon too, that's Elmo's World!" (I've only heard it a few times) ;)

We've discovered one of many things that is different about Thomas' growing up years and our own. He knows how to make the DVR work for him. He doesn't know how to actually use the DVR but boy does he know the concept! When it comes to a part that he's not enjoying (anything that doesn't involve a muppet), he points towards the remote and says "Melmo, melmo", which is what he calls Elmo. He knows that we can then fast forward to a good part. He also doesn't have to wait for it to come on TV, we can just cue up a saved episode any time. What in the world did we do without DVR when we were kids??!!

Thomas is also recognizing characters and can name them. Big Bird, Elmo, Zoe, etc. When he sees The Count, he says "ah, ah, ah"... you know, the way The Count has that creepy little laugh. "One. One baseball. Ah ah ah!" It is terribly cute! He also loves to laugh and clap when others are laughing and clapping. He may have no idea what is going on but he will join right in! Again...so cute!

What have we been up to recently? Shawn's dad works at the Firestone plant in Wilson, NC. They had a family day so we went with Shawn's mom, dad and his brother (who also works there). They had fair rides and food and had hot dogs, chips and ice cream for supper. This worked out well because it was a much smaller scale but we sort of got to experience some of the fair without having to actually go. Me being the terrible photographer that I am, I forgot to get a picture of Thomas and his Grandaddy. Grandaddy was even in his work coveralls. Oh well, maybe next time!

We also had fun last weekend for Halloween! Our playgroup had a Halloween party and all the kids were dressed in their costumes and we had a yummy lunch and a pumpkin cake. Yum! On Saturday, we celebrated our friend Evie's 5th birthday in the afternoon and then stuck around for pizza and trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Thomas did great and eventually got the hang of holding out his bag to collect candy. Once he had a few pieces in there, he was ready to sit right in the middle of the cul de sac and eat it. He hasn't had any of his candy (I've eaten most of it - there wasn't much, thank goodness!) He was a boxer for Halloween and he was pretty darn cute. I wouldn't have picked out that costume but when we tried it on in the store, I changed my mind.

Thomas has his 18-month check-up tomorrow and turns 18-months old on Friday. Hard to believe it's been that long. He'll be getting shots, I think, and also his flu shot, so I hope it goes well. Fingers crossed!