Somehow I let February get away from me without many posts. This mamma has been a bit tired and sick, so my bed calls at nap time rather than the laptop!
For Valentine's Weekend, my mom came here from Texas for the weekend. Thanks, Grandma! I got to enjoy a date night with Matt in downtown Seattle, starting with dinner at Purple (an incredible wine and cheese bar/cafe) and a night at the show -- the Lion King. The Lion King was SOOO good, and I loved the music and the costumes! When the elephant entered in the beginning and walked down the aisle near us, people were cheering and clapping with such enthusiasm that is was obvious those around us were enjoying it, as well!
Colin enjoyed spending more time with Grandma, and Colin's mom and dad especially enjoyed sleeping in a bit over the weekend (such a rare treat to "see my eye lids"past 7 am!)
The following week was mid-winter break, and all the schools were on vacation, thus we had no preschool. Probably a good thing, though, as Colin joined the masses in getting the stomach flu that Thursday night. Yep, starting at 9:45 pm until 5:30 am I hung out with him, wishing he knew how to hug the porcelain goddess! I finally just built a palate in his room about 3 am so I could rest between sickness. And Matt was a trooper -- he did 2 loads of wash into the night, and we now know Pooh bear can go thought the washer and dryer twice in a night if he needs to and still look and smell pretty fresh! Poor guy must have thought his crib was jinxed. At one point he cried, "no bed, mommy, no bed!"
Then over the weekend our cat experienced a near death experience that we are glad neither Colin nor the neighbor girls witnessed. Elliot, our cat, snuck out the garage door when it opened (he's not an outside cat as he has no front claws!) Our neighbors and the 2 year old, very undisciplined 75 lb dog they are dog sitting saw Elliot and salivated and took off after Elliot. Elliot ran for his life to a bush in the front yard and Matt leaped into action like a Pappa Bear. Matt (a former dog owner of 2 dogs of a similar breed) ran and gave the dog a full body tackle before he chomped the cat. It took all of Matt's 200 lbs to tame the feverish excitement of the dog. I ran & rescued the cat, who at this point was trapped and was leaping up about 7 or 8 feet at the door frame looking for an escape. Bet he won't try an escape from the house anytime soon!
We've been battling the same crud that seems to be going around with others. It's just that time of year! Unfortunately I got it and it turned into an ear infection -- ouch! I don't recall having one of those before, and I woke up literally crying in the middle of the night. I felt like a helpless 12 month old! Is God trying to build my sympathy reserves for our offspring? Hmmmm.
And here we are, towards the end of Feb and we have yet another snow day and no school. The snow can take a hike for all I'm concerned. This one didn't stick around -- the roads are now clear and the lawns are white with glimmers of green grass showing through, but the "no school" thing was not in my plan today! But is it ever? Guess I really should watch the weather more closely before I head to bed the night before...
...and that's the month in review!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
2 3/4 Old Today
Colin "turned" 2 3/4 old today, In light of his 90 day countdown to turning 3, I thought I would capture a bit about what Colin is like today.
In the past few months Colin has begun to use lots of 2-3 word phrases, especially when it relates to something really motivating like a certain toy. Right now he likes to describe things with lots of possessives, and refers to himself in third person. Over the weekend when we left the house he said bye bye to Colin's house and bye bye to Max's house (Max is the neighbor's dog; not the neighbor's house, but the dog's house). He also talks a lot about Mommy's car and Daddy's truck, and reminds us "Colin sits in back."
Colin goes to preschool at a local church 2 mornings a week, and he talks lots about his friend Reggie, and has even named a few of his Little People after Reggie. Each night we ask him to tell us the things he wants to thank God for when we pray; Reggie usually makes the list. Very sweet. He also tells us "no hit" when we ask him about school, so you can imagine he has heard those words often at school....it's a class of 6 boys and 2 girls, so go figure, right?!
Colin still likes to spend time telling us about certain Veggie Tales stories, though we limit him to his Veggies coloring book (which has an abbreviated version of about a dozen stories) and some audio stories...the TV stories were becoming to much of a problem; he would sit and watch them all day if given a choice, so last week the Veggies videos made a disappearing act.
His favorite toys are his Pirate ship (loves pirates) and anything from the Cars movie, including Flo's Cafe and his Mac truck. We usually leave the house with a few cars tucked into his hands, and I am often amazed we have not yet lost McQueen or Doc, as they often make their way with him into a store when we run errands. He has also been known to stick a few cars into my purse as though I am his personal pack mule.
He still hates the camera, although he somehow learned to say "cheese" when I get out the camera (though he says it while looking away.) It's impossible to get him to "pose" for a picture, thus no cute family pictures of us together on the beach from our recent vacation. He squeals when you try to hold him for even 10 seconds and usually sticks out his hand in protest...here's a typical Colin photography moment:
And then there's the lovable side of Colin that makes my heart smile. When he hears me laugh it makes him so happy he has to give me a kiss and then a hug. I suppose he needs to hear me laugh more often so it doesn't seem like such a special occasion. He is tuning in more to the emotions of others, and his teacher tells us he is indeed a more sensitive child.
Colin LOVES to take a bath both before nap and before bed. I know, we're not exactly on the low water usage blue ribbon list, but he's such a fish. And he prefers the "big bath" (our master bath) over his own...hmmm, maybe because I have a TV and he is hopeful he could have a bath AND watch a show....not likely!
He takes after Matt in that he loves chocolate. Guess what the flavor of his cake and ice cream will be at his birthday this year? Yep, he is indeed a Sturm, no worries there, Grandpa! He also loves slightly defrosted frozen cherries and watermelon. The kid lived on watermelon and cantaloupe when we were in Mexico, so he should be fine for a few months until they are back in season.
At night, he likes to talk about the moon and the stars on his ceiling (the glow in the dark stickers) but he was so thrilled to actually see the real thing when we were in Mexico. We sat on the pool deck and watched stars each night so he could count them, "six, nine; six, nine" (Colin's current counting method.)
His current book favorites include anything with Pirates, as well as SkippyJohn Jones, Mister Seahorse, and Llama Llama Mad at Mama. We often remind him of the Llama Llama book when we are out shopping, though the little llama gets a treat at the end, so reminding him of the book then reminds him of a post-shopping treat. Not always practical, but it's a good book for my little anti-shopper.
In the past few months Colin has begun to use lots of 2-3 word phrases, especially when it relates to something really motivating like a certain toy. Right now he likes to describe things with lots of possessives, and refers to himself in third person. Over the weekend when we left the house he said bye bye to Colin's house and bye bye to Max's house (Max is the neighbor's dog; not the neighbor's house, but the dog's house). He also talks a lot about Mommy's car and Daddy's truck, and reminds us "Colin sits in back."Colin goes to preschool at a local church 2 mornings a week, and he talks lots about his friend Reggie, and has even named a few of his Little People after Reggie. Each night we ask him to tell us the things he wants to thank God for when we pray; Reggie usually makes the list. Very sweet. He also tells us "no hit" when we ask him about school, so you can imagine he has heard those words often at school....it's a class of 6 boys and 2 girls, so go figure, right?!
Colin still likes to spend time telling us about certain Veggie Tales stories, though we limit him to his Veggies coloring book (which has an abbreviated version of about a dozen stories) and some audio stories...the TV stories were becoming to much of a problem; he would sit and watch them all day if given a choice, so last week the Veggies videos made a disappearing act.
His favorite toys are his Pirate ship (loves pirates) and anything from the Cars movie, including Flo's Cafe and his Mac truck. We usually leave the house with a few cars tucked into his hands, and I am often amazed we have not yet lost McQueen or Doc, as they often make their way with him into a store when we run errands. He has also been known to stick a few cars into my purse as though I am his personal pack mule.
He still hates the camera, although he somehow learned to say "cheese" when I get out the camera (though he says it while looking away.) It's impossible to get him to "pose" for a picture, thus no cute family pictures of us together on the beach from our recent vacation. He squeals when you try to hold him for even 10 seconds and usually sticks out his hand in protest...here's a typical Colin photography moment:
And then there's the lovable side of Colin that makes my heart smile. When he hears me laugh it makes him so happy he has to give me a kiss and then a hug. I suppose he needs to hear me laugh more often so it doesn't seem like such a special occasion. He is tuning in more to the emotions of others, and his teacher tells us he is indeed a more sensitive child.
Colin LOVES to take a bath both before nap and before bed. I know, we're not exactly on the low water usage blue ribbon list, but he's such a fish. And he prefers the "big bath" (our master bath) over his own...hmmm, maybe because I have a TV and he is hopeful he could have a bath AND watch a show....not likely!
He takes after Matt in that he loves chocolate. Guess what the flavor of his cake and ice cream will be at his birthday this year? Yep, he is indeed a Sturm, no worries there, Grandpa! He also loves slightly defrosted frozen cherries and watermelon. The kid lived on watermelon and cantaloupe when we were in Mexico, so he should be fine for a few months until they are back in season.
At night, he likes to talk about the moon and the stars on his ceiling (the glow in the dark stickers) but he was so thrilled to actually see the real thing when we were in Mexico. We sat on the pool deck and watched stars each night so he could count them, "six, nine; six, nine" (Colin's current counting method.)
His current book favorites include anything with Pirates, as well as SkippyJohn Jones, Mister Seahorse, and Llama Llama Mad at Mama. We often remind him of the Llama Llama book when we are out shopping, though the little llama gets a treat at the end, so reminding him of the book then reminds him of a post-shopping treat. Not always practical, but it's a good book for my little anti-shopper.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Beach Playtime
Colin had fun digging in the sand, as most kids do. But this time a year ago he wouldn't even set foot on sand. A lot changes in a year! He and Matt made a mini sand Colin, as well as a sea turtle which was covered in shells on his shell.Food Favorites
Since the resort was all-inclusive, there was an abundance of food all around pretty much whenever you had a tinge of hunger (OK -- who ever really goes hungry at these places?)
Here was Colin's favorite snack: Yep, that's pizza with hot dog ON it:
And here was my favorite dessert: Fried bananas and ice cream with a dash of chocolate. You really can fry anything and make it taste better...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Soaking in That Mexican Sunshine
Colin is excited to head to the beach!We have returned from our trip to Mexico relaxed and well rested -- and very happy with our decision to head down south for our winter "defrosting session" rather than over to Hawaii. The sunshine was fabulous and temps were in the balmy mid to high 80's. Both the ocean and pool water temps were great!...Not to mention the direct flight is a bit shorter than the haul out to the lovely islands...
We selected a very kid-centric all inclusive resort so that we could all have a fun time. Because of the Central Time zone, Colin woke around 8:30 am (loud outside our hotel window much after that) and we headed down to breakfast and then the beach. We took digging toys and buckets with us, so he enjoyed making many sand creations on the beach, which is huge for him since he wouldn't even walk on sand this time last year. At one point he was rolling on his belly on a sand mound, and we were just amazed at how far he has come!
He was fascinated by the "sales people" roaming the beach to sell their Mexican wares. The big items were hats, dresses, braids for your hair, trinkets carved out of wood or stone, and silver jewelry. We learned how to say , "no thank you" about 50 times a day. And Colin even learned to look them in the eye and say, "No thank you." Boy did they taunt him, though, with the mini toy version of a parasailer with a superman type of figure attached. They would fly around the mini parasailer right above Colin's head and walk around us in a circle, knowing the kid would beg for one. Sorry, Charlie!
The beach snack bar opened at noon, so Colin had a generous snack of fries and either hot dog pizza, a hot dog, or cucumber. Yep, in Mexico they have pizza with sliced hot-dog on it....how much better does it get for a 2 year old? We did then have lunch a few hours later at the buffet, though I got tired of having a tostada with refried beans, chicken, and pico de gallo. I was staying away from seafood and deli meat from their panini sandwiches, so my options were a bit more limited. I've learned at these things to eat their local dishes, as those are the ones they do the best. Creamed poblano pepper is pretty tasty, as is cactus steamed in butter and seasoning (OK, anything in butter can taste OK...)
After an afternoon siesta for the family, we headed to the Pirate Ship themed kids pool, which had water slides galore, including a froggie toddler slide. Colin had fun splashing around in the shallow end of the pool and playing with the water spray coming from the seal's mouth.
A few of the nights we made reservations at their nicer restaurants, including the Italian and Japanese restaurants. They had kids menus at these places, so while we were eating Dubin Mushi soup, California rolls, and Japanese stir-fry, Colin was chowing down on the chicken nuggets and fries, followed by an ice cream dessert. VERY kid friendly, which I can't emphasize enough. No one minded that he brought several toys with us to the restaurant and he got regular high fives from his waiter "amigos."
After dinner we would go sit and watch the moon and stars for a while, look for lizards coming out at night to snack on bugs near lighted windows, and chase Colin around the resort while he made new friends with other hotel guests. I would say we met very few Americans and mostly talked with our friends to the frigid north (Canada). There was also a large population of Mexicans at the resort, as Friday began a 5 day school holiday for them and many from Guadalajara were there on holiday.
Our room was nice but definitely not luxurious, which we have found to be true of similar resorts. It's not like you're hanging out in the room anyhow, so it doesn't really matter. Mexican resorts have crummy mattresses (read: HARD), so Matt bought us some bed cushions and pillows from the local Wal-Mart, making for much better sleep. Colin had his own mini-room off of ours, which was a nook filled with bunk beds. We brought him a PeaPod tent to sleep in and it worked fabulous! Pooh bear, his pillow and buddy, came with us, so he was cozy inside on his little mini air mattress.
Colin's sombreroOther than some brief outings to nearby shops, we didn't do any excursions. Colin is too young for many of them, and riding around with no seat belt in a taxi in Mexico doesn't seem like the safest way to get around. We were fortunate that we were near the cruise ship terminal and we had a great flea market/Mexican shops nearby to haggle for some tourist items. I got Colin a sombrero and found a nice silver and amethyst necklace for myself. I was successful in negotiating the price of each of those down quite a bit -- it helped that I had limited dollars in my pocket and that I really had no ability to pay more...I didn't have more "on me!" When your feet start walking out the door, suddenly all you have in your pocket is suddenly enough to complete the purchase. I guess it also helps to go on a slow day, as well...
Birthday Celebration
Yes, I am officially in my mid-thirties! We celebrated my birthday with a dinner at the Keg (gotta love their free meal coupon) and the following night we had friends join us out to dinner and then we returned to our house to enjoy a Coldstone ice cream cake -- yummy! And Colin enjoyed having other boys to run around with at the house, which meant he was ready to crash come bedtime!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)