Look With Your Eyes, Not With Your Hands

Dear Sweetness,
The other night we were snuggling together.  You looked up at me and said, "Mama" as you stroked my cheek.  Then you started patting my cheek and saying, "Just a minute.... just a minute".

I was watching you closely, trying to figure out what it was you meant.

That's when you jabbed your pinkie up my right nostril.

Yeah... I didn't see it coming either.

"Whoa!", I said, "What are you doing??"

"Mama," you said, 'I'm just looking... I'm just looking."

No, you're VIOLATING, that's what you're doing.  :)

If your grandma were here, she'd tell you to look with your eyes, not with your hands.  We might have to have a talk about that.

After I stop laughing.

I love you, Sweetness.
Mama

It Would Be Creepy if I Didn't Have a Toddler...

Dear Son,
You might have an addiction.

It was darling when you asked for "masha-ta-toes" for breakfast this weekend.  Both days.

It was very cute when you wanted them for dinner as well.

Then there was waking up this morning to a raw red potato on my nightstand.

It had bite marks in it.

And they weren't mine.

I, myself, have been known to order loaded mashed potatoes for BOTH of my sides at restaurant.  If it is an addiction, you probably get it from my side of the family.

I've got the morning off from work anyway.  How about we head out for a breakfast of hashbrowns, just the two of us?

We can ask for a side of mashed, if you want.

I love you,
Mama

P.S.  Just wait until you see Thanksgiving!

It's My Tow-un!

---Found this one in my drafts.  Never got it posted quite....  Should have been posted at the end of August--

It's been busy 'round here at Casa de Nathan.  A week ago we had Nathan's first birthday party - for his third birthday.  Papa grilled burgers and we had 40+ family members over for a little party.  

Our house isn't really designed to hold that many, but we do have a 3 car garage space, where Brent's treated the floor so it isn't "concrete-dusty".  Brent even installed some big fans in the garage to try to keep Nathan's guests cool.  Hopefully everyone had a good time. 

Nathan had a "fun-yata" as he kept calling the "pinata".  I think I like that name better, anyway!  I love to hear him say it's "his tow-un" ("turn") to do something

All Nate's cousins came.  Thank you everyone for supporting us!

Our camera batteries died, so I'm stealing some of these pictures from my sister-in-law's blog.

Halloween Preview

Dear Nathan,
Your sweet Auntie Chris realized that you'd probably be a little freaked out by the whole "costume extravaganza" coming up this weekend, so she had a family Halloween party last weekend for you to get used to people dressing funny in a safe surrounding.

You looked pretty sharp, if I do say so myself.  Daddy picked out your costume.

You hated Momma in a costume with the fires of 1000 suns.  I didn't wear it very long (or put the wig on very well) because you were very unhappy with the whole idea of Mama not looking like Mama.

You had fun with your cousins, though, and loved all the fun treats Chris had made.  And you loved playing on their staircase... particularly laying at the top and pretending you were Toothless the Dragon.

Although for some random reason you started yelling "We quit, Mr. One Man Show" (which is a line from Cars) at all the other kids.  I never did figure out what that must mean to you.

Thanks for a fun afternoon, Auntie Chris (and for the pictures I stole from your FB just now...)

I love sharing these new experiences with you, Nathan.
I love you,
Mama

Toofless

Dear Nathan,
"How to Train Your Dragon" is your current favorite movie.

You like to pretend that you ARE a dragon.  It's very cute to watch you go into "dragon mode".  You crawl around on all four, you narrow your eyes like you're trying to hunt something and you curl your fingers under to be claws.   And you roar to the best of your ability.

I'm always amazed at the details you find in things.

I'm pretty much in love with the way you say the name of your favorite dragon, "Toothless":



I'm grateful every day to be your Mama.

I love you,
Mama

Rodent Response

Dear Nathan,
I love that when I told you something "would make a mess" you thought I said it "would Mickey Mouse" and were VERY excited to try it.

It's a good reminder of your sweet little Kreyol accent because "meka mess" is how you pronounce "Mickey Mouse" right now.

I love you,
Mama

What Are You Doing, Sweetness?

I saw Nathan doing this tonight:

I asked him what he was doing and he said....

"I'm listening for Daddy".

Daddy hadn't come home from work yet, so he was listening for his truck.

I know... makes you want to just eat him up, doesn't it??

Dear Nathan

You've been home for 260 days now and our lives with never, thankfully, be the same.

You turned 3 in August.  We had family over for your party and you had a "fun-yata" (as you called your pinata).  We'd managed to mostly avoid candy up to that point and now you talk about it quite a bit.  I can't wait until you have your first Halloween in a couple of weeks.

You came home at 22-24 lbs and now you're at about 30 lbs.  You've grown an amazing 4 1/2 inches since you've been here.  Mama was right... sometimes you do get taller overnight.  It's amazing what proper nutrition will do.   You've also blown thrown 3 shoe sizes.  If you grown into your feet as an teen, you'll eat us out of house and home.  And I'll love every minute of it.

I'm constantly amazed at you.

Just the last few weeks your language skills have skyrocketed.  The other day, for example, I had picked you up from daycare and we had stopped at a street light.  You were in the car seat in the back.  I was trying to ask you how your day went.  "Did you have fun today, Nate?  Did you play?  What did you do?"  You were looking out the window and seemed not to be listening.  I kept trying, "Nate?  Nathan?  Did you have a good day?  Nate?  Did you have fun?"  Finally, you turned and looked at me and in your most exasperated voice you said, "Ma!  I'm lookin' at the trucks!!" and went back to the looking out the window.  The "Woman! Can you not see I'm BUSY" in your voice made me laugh so hard.  It's a good thing we weren't driving at the time, I guess.

Why is it always THOSE moments when your English is perfect?

I'm so grateful you're home, Little Man.  And so happy to be your Mama.

I love you,
Mama