Archive | Family RSS feed for this section

Nate Strut

18 Apr

Maybe it’s because he sees his daddy in a blazer and tie each Sunday. Maybe it’s because he wants a break from his fast pants. Maybe it’s because he just likes to be dapper. Whatever the reason, Nate wants to wear his little clip-on tie whenever he can and has been asking for his own blazer for weeks now.

Well, we finally bought him one this weekend and he couldn’t wait to wear it. He didn’t want to take it off after trying it on and then negotiated to wear it home from the store.

As soon as he buttoned it, he began to strut. Oh yeah. He knew he was lookin’ good. He was feeling it. I can’t help but think of the John Travolta movie and Bee Gee’s song “Staying Alive” when looking at these pictures. At the end of the movie, Travolta’s character, Tony Manero, says he wants to strut and then the song plays.

Our little ladies’ man.

image
image

Posted from WordPress for Android

Aisle Magazine Cover Quiz

16 Apr

They’re meant to keep young (or easily offended/don’t want to see it?) eyes from spying questionable subject matter while mom/dad empties the shopping cart at the grocery store checkout. For Nia though, they do the opposite. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been quietly inviting her to look behind them. Her inquisitive mind wondering, why are those magazines covered when the others are not? Now, it’s almost like a quiz – supplying understanding to her constantly growing knowledge bank.

During our latest trip to the store, I actually had all my groceries on the belt and was able to take some pictures of her as she peeked behind the plastic shields. Like always, when she couldn’t figure out why a magazine was covered, she would ask me and I would explain it to her the best I could – with answers like, “Some people may not find that proper.” Or, “Maybe it’s because of certain words on the magazine that some may not want to see while in line.” That, of course, would cause her to ask which words and why. For other covers though, she figured it out right away…

image

What's behind censor cover #1?

image

She's contemplating why this one is covered.

image

The Word "Sexy" Revealed

image

Didn't even have to think about this censor cover...

Posted from WordPress for Android

Tags: , ,

Out But Not Down

15 Apr

I know Nate’s attitude about getting out during his turn to bat  won’t always be this way (in fact, I’m somewhat surprised of this reaction), but I will always cherish it.

Tags: ,

She Held My Hand

14 Apr

I went on a field trip with Nia and learned more than the tour guides taught us. While the guides at the William Harris Homestead Home were interactively telling us about the Civil War, land ownership, cotton and life in the 19th Century, I was learning more about my little girl.

For example:

How she interacts with friends:

  • They would hold hands, whisper and giggle about things I didn’t quite understand.
  • They took care of her. One even made sure Nia could see and told another friend to “let our little one see.”

How her mind thinks:

  • She bravely raised her hand at almost every session to ask the guide a question or to try to answer their questions. She got a lot of praise for getting the question right about what would make the homemade candles a different color. “Maybe they were burned or something.” The guide seemed surprised and told her that not many people answer that one correctly. Nia beamed.
  • She searched for me in the crowd to connect eyes with me when they mentioned Savannah in one of their talks.

What makes her laugh:

  • She giggled at the silly speak that only her friends understood and at the jokes the tour guides told.
  • Hayrides. For sure.
  • She laughed at me when I tried to be funny in front of her friends. (I think I had a 78% success rate on my jokes but I should get extra points because I didn’t have to resort to potty humor for laughs.)

What makes her upset/concerned:

  • She was very concerned about one of her friends lying to me. (The little girl told me she had something in her lunch and Nia waited to see if she was telling the truth. Nia reports that she in fact – did not – have it in her lunch.)
  • She does not like line cutters. Not one bit.

I also learned that she was happy I was there. She genuinely wanted me around – reaching out for my hand several times and including me in her silliness with friends. Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Bean. I love hanging out with you and your buddies.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tags: ,

You don’t like the spicy?

11 Apr

I made some new “White Chicken Chili” tonight after hearing my boss talk about it and it was so spicy YUM. I didn’t have the recipe his wife made but I tried this one and it was so incredibly hot that I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to capture Andrew’s gasp-filled struggle through his one half bowl. Even I thought it was hot and I love me some inferno foods!

image

Getting a sip of beer to douse the flames

image

Bearing through the pain

image

Sweat was wiped next

image

"What did you put in this?!"

image

"You had to make this spicier than it said to be."

image

Cooling Off

image

"Are you taking pictures of me suffering?"

image

It's just so hot!

Are you too chicken to try the chicken chili? I have a feeling I’m the only one who will be eating the leftovers. Next time, I’ll go easy on the spicy.

 

Posted from WordPress for Android

Tags:

“Perfect 8th Birthday (fun)”

10 Apr

That is just one of the many wishes Nia has added to her birthday list. No pressure, right? What I find even more innocently sweet is that it is not even the first thing on her list. It’s sandwiched between “dresses (gouns)” (I love that she sounded it out and spelled it to rhyme with nouns. Yes, wrong but still – it’s a young brain thinking!) and “a sock monkey mini (with a little hat).” (I’m going to have to google that one.)

Little growing up Bean, I hope your party is perfect to you. Even if you don’t get everything on this wishful list that I’ll always cherish.

Tags: ,

Have Injury, Will Play

9 Apr

"I look like me again! Only three days and my face came back!" Nate, this morning.

Nate didn’t let his boo-boo face get in the way of this second ball game of the season. Just to capture a few memories:

  • He slid out at first but got a RBI on that. (Of course, I thought he was safe – or at least should have been given some “safe” points for the slide effort. I’m only half serious.)
  • He had to hit off the tee for his second at bat because Coach Daddy was pitching pretty wild in the 3rd inning. (Andrew was really beating himself up for that – two kiddos even got hit by his pitches. No one wants that pitching job, that’s for sure! Too much pressure!) Nate got to come home from that hit though – after a sweet slide into Second Base and then running around to home on the next few hits of his cutie teammates.
  • After a few missed catches at First, he caught two throws to him in the last inning and made those outs. (Sadly, I missed them because I was doing what mommy’s like to do sometimes – talk!)
  • He would look each runner on First up and down – kind of sizing the kid up. Pretty funny but then it also caused the other base runners to advance because he didn’t throw it to the pitcher quick enough for time to be called. Next practice topic.
  • He was chewing his gum all tough like a pro-player and when it fell out on the field and he took his glove off to figure out what to do with it, I actually shouted, “Put it back in your mouth!” I still don’t believe that came from my mouth. Thankfully, he really objected to that and Andrew was behind him to make it disappear.

Next game is Thursday!

In-field pop up on First Base Line

Ready

Fan of Her Little Brother

Daddy and Son

Tags: ,

A Bat, A CAT and A Nate Face

8 Apr

It hurts him. It makes it hard for him to breathe. It is swollen. It is NOT broken.

It happened at the batting cages last night. Nate and his team were practicing and (from what I understand) Nate was gathering the pitches and the batter brought the bat back to swing. That’s when Nate’s little nose took the blow.

Tears poured. TLC and ice flooded in. And he still wanted to take his turn batting.

After batting (with some great hits despite his injury), we realized we needed to do more than ice and hug. We couldn’t take the chance of a broken nose but we also couldn’t take the reality of a broken nose. They may have to re-break it or he may have to see a plastic surgeon. Those thoughts scared us for our little man. His tiny 5-year-old nose.

Thankfully, the CT Scan (which Nate said he was very still for) showed no breaks, just soft tissue damage that will swell worse and turn purple before it gets better. Nate first noticed that as he was brushing his teeth. He looked wide, teary eyed at himself in the mirror and reacted in heartbreak, “My face! My face looks funny! Kids are going to laugh.” I consoled him and told him that he did not look funny. That he was still Nate. That he looked tough, like a boxer. It would get better soon. I asked him what if mommy or Nia had it, would he say we looked funny? He said, “No, but you wouldn’t look this bad!”

Hugs and kisses, little man. For your sweet worries and your boo-boo.

image

Right After It Happened

image

One Hour and a Gatorade Moustache Later...

image

Morning After

image

Taking It All In

image

Owie

image

Right after this picture: "I play the Yankees tomorrow!"

Tags: , , ,

Science Experiment

4 Apr

That’s what Andrew calls his home brewing and now he’s teaching the kids. Not with hops and malt but with brown sugar and root beer flavor.

Andrew asked for a Mr. Root Beer kit for his birthday so he and the kids could brew together. They yummed at the smell of the packets and took turns helping pour, measure and stir their cola concoction. Once it was bottled, they had to wait a few days until it would be ready for sipping. Nia faithfully reminded Andrew to check on the bottles and was brimming with excitement when he announced it was time for floats.

To the kids, science is delicious.

Tags:

Strange Bedfellows

3 Apr

The objects I find in Nate’s bed after a nap or night’s sleep surprise me more and more with each discovery. I’m not just talking about the mountain of plush animals he has avalanching on his feet each night. Those are a given. I’m talking more about the:

  • Books
  • Valentine card from his girlfriend, Madeline
  • Wristwatch
  • Race cars/trains
  • Superhero action figures – including putting on his Spiderman costume
  • Baseball bat
  • Multiple baseball hats – one often being worn on his head as he emerges from his room
  • Baseball glove
  • Yep, baseball
  • Baseball trophy (I bet he won that pretend game he was playing.)

Sure seems like he’s having a blast in that bed. So much so, he falls asleep from exhaustion.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →