Day 244: New Shoes, New Monkey, and Prepping for the Weekend

It was a hot, hot Friday but Little Buddy and I opted to get a good workout in at Boot Camp before beginning our Labor Day weekend.  Thankfully, because it was his Friday off, Daddy picked us up at the end, making it quicker and easier for me to get Little Buddy into an air-conditioned car.  We then headed to mall to get Little Buddy his first pair of Crocs (he needed some shoes to play in the sprinkler with and he already grew out of his Stride Rite water sandals from this summer!) and then went to get some Greek food for lunch.  Little Buddy enjoys eating at the Greek restaurant and saying "Oopah!" throughout the meal.

After Little Buddy's nap, we went to the grocery store to stock up on food for our trip.  All was going smoothly until a freak storm hit and the power went out.  Thankfully the cash registers were tied to the backup generator system, so we were able to finish shopping in the dark and check out, though we did get very wet going to the car.

The rest of the day was spent packing for our trip this weekend.  Little Buddy was also pleased to find that a package had arrived for him, containing one of his new favorite characters: Curious George!

 My favorite monkey with his new shoes and George!

We leave for our New Braunfels Labor Day trip tomorrow after lunch.  We can't wait to have fun at the cabins with our friends!

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend,

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 243: Holy Swinging Sticky Bun Sailors Batman!

Another very busy day around here!  Because I needed to get a run in this week, Little Buddy and I took a three-mile jaunt around the neighborhood this morning.  With it being ridiculously hot and humid and with Little Buddy feeling much heavier in the stroller than he was in winter, I was spent by the end of it.  All I wanted to do was take a cold shower and then take a nap, but Little Buddy had other plans and was ready to play.  Since I was already hot and sweaty, we decided to play outside for a bit because the mosquitoes weren't out yet. 

Master of his pirate ship

Swinging like a big boy!

We even played in the sprinkler for a bit!  It was nice to get outside and play for awhile.  Summer in Texas is just brutal and we can only really play outside in the early part of the day.  Add in the fact that the amount of mosquitoes and West Nile virus cases have been high this year and you end up with a lot of inside time.  Thankfully, Little Buddy started to hungry and came in voluntarily before I had to force him out of the sun.

After his nap we decided to take on a baking project.  I had been trying to make maple nut sticky buns for months, but just had not been able to get them done.  Today, Little Buddy and I decided to tackle the project together.  I made the dough during his nap, and once he was up, we got started.

 Learning how to roll out dough.

"This is fun, Momma!"

Time to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar.

I love my little baker.

 All rolled up and waiting to rise!

Ready for the oven!

 The finished product!  And they were tasty!

I was so proud of him for how good he was helping bake.  Sometimes I only see him as my little baby and forget how much he is capable of now.  I am trying to focus on giving him the opportunity to surprise me with how much he can do.  He amazes me each time.

You would think after our adventure in baking, Little Buddy would have settled down a bit, but no.  A little Elmo and some phone time with Mamaw and Papaw refreshed him and he was ready to go.  First he tried to tell me it was time for another run:

Sorry buddy, one run in this heat is enough for me today.

Then we went upstairs and played on our drums before we decided that we were sailors who liked to read books.  

Ahoy matey!

His energy just kept going, especially once Daddy came home.  We finally got him calmed down enough to eat dinner with promises of bread, peaches, and broccoli.  Then it was time for books and bed.  We'll see what adventures tomorrow has in store for us!

Good night, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 242: Meet the Teacher, Sourdough Pretzels, and Big Shoes

It was a big day today as Daddy and I took Little Buddy to meet his teachers for the school year!  He'll being doing one day a week again and, even though he was shy once we got in the room, we were excited to see several kids from his class last year would be in this year's class.  Hopefully, that will help him get over his initial shyness faster.  Anyway, his teachers were very nice and Little Buddy was happy that there was a play kitchen in the classroom.

"There's a kitchen?  I'm sold!"

Later on in the day, Little Buddy and I decided to work a little bit with the potty.  As I have mentioned before, even though we hadn't planned on working with Little Buddy and the potty until he was 2 1/2, he showed some interest last month so we thought we would give it a shot.  He did really well for a week and then declared he was done.  Since then, for reasons unknown, he screams and runs anytime the potty is mentioned.  I really wanted to remove any negative associations with the potty, so we had been looking for a reward that Little Buddy valued enough to sit on the potty in order to receive.  After a lot of trial and error (he would give any type of cookie we offered him to the dog), we found something that worked: sourdough hard pretzels.

 If he sits on the potty, he gets a pretzel.  So far he really likes this arrangement and sat on the potty five times today.  We'll see if this takes away the potty dislike.  Keep your fingers crossed! 

The day ended with a fashion show of sorts.  Little Buddy came up to me in the living room and I was surprised to see his new shoes:

"Momma shoes!"

I was impressed with his ability to walk in my sandals.  However, he wasn't done yet....

"Dadda shoes!"

Oh Little Buddy, it will be too soon and you'll actually need shoes that big.  Let's just stay my "little" guy a little bit longer.

Night all, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 241: Story Time and Lunch with Friends

Little Buddy and I have had a hard time trying to make it to story time at one of the area libraries.  During the summer, it seemed like story time always conflicted with Boot Camp, nap time, or our travel plans.  Little Buddy really likes story time, so we are making a more concentrated effort to make it to one offering a week, regardless of location.  Today, we made a bit of a longer drive to make it to a story time a little farther away.  Even though Little Buddy nearly fell asleep on the way there (maybe this one is a little too far!), it was a great story time.  He really like the stories, the songs (two little blackbirds was an instant favorite), and the craft.  There is another story hour that is a bit closer to us on Mondays.  It is right after Boot Camp though, so I guess I will be a bit smelly for it!

After story time we met some of our friends for lunch to celebrate Ms. J's birthday.  The kids were a bit wound up, and I am sure some of the other restaurant patrons weren't fans of the noise (In our defense, it is a kid friendly restaurant and we went at 11 AM.  What else can you do with a large group of toddlers?) but I loved it.  I love hearing our kids being happy and healthy and communicating with each other.  Yes, I may have to raise my voice to talk to my friends over the cacophony, but I like the noise.  They're toddlers, that's what they do.

Following lunch, Little Buddy took another good nap and I was actually able to work on our picture albums, a project which was much overdue.  I then had to drop Little Buddy off with Daddy because I had a school function tonight.  Thankfully, Daddy remembered to take some pictures of Little Buddy since I had been too busy with the little guy today to remember!  As you can see, our orange peeling is becoming almost second nature:

Yum!

Tomorrow is Little Buddy's Meet the Teacher.  He will being going to school on Wednesday again this fall, and we may start sending him two days in the spring depending on how he does.  He seems excited to head back to school, so we will see how tomorrow goes!

Night all, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 240: Boo Hoo Brunches, Best Friends, and Elmo Hats

Dear Little Buddy,

We had such a fun day today!  We were back at the park for Boot Camp this morning.  It was hot and made me miss the air-conditioning of the mall, but you were thrilled to play on the playground equipment again.  You climbed right up and started running all over the place!

Once we were done playing, we went to a Boo-Hoo Brunch for our friend, Ms. J.  Ms. J's eldest son, K, started kindergarten today and, even though she was so excited for him, she was missing her boy.  We held the Boo-Hoo Brunch to offer support and keep her mind busy.  You were also pretty pleased that we ate at Zunum again so that you could play more!  As we ate, I realized that in three years I will need my own Boo-Hoo Brunch when you head off to kindergarten.  I know I will be so proud of you for growing up so much, but I also know I will miss our special days together.  I get a little teary just thinking about it.  Just know, that no matter how big you get, you will always be my little boy. 

Later today, a package arrived!  You were very excited when you heard the doorbell ring and saw the UPS man.  Your excitement was warranted because it was a package for you from Aunt K!  Aunt K is Momma's best friend (besides Daddy).  I can only hope that you find a best friend like I have as you grow up.  A best friend is someone you  can talk about anything with and never worry about if they are judging you or just telling you what you want to hear.  A best friend accepts you exactly as you are and is always honest with you.  A best friend supports you, through all the little things and the big things.  You can trust a best friend with anything and you know that they will always be there for you, just as you will always be there for them.  Maybe you and Aunt K's son, D, will grow up to be best friends like your Mommas are!

Anyway, Aunt K, Uncle J, and D sent you some presents.  Obviously, they know you pretty well, because they sent lots of Elmo stuff!

Opening your gifts!

An Elmo hat!  Thank you Aunt K, Uncle J, and D!

You got an Elmo card, an Elmo hat, Elmo PJs, and an Elmo potty-training coloring book (maybe that will motivate you, my stubborn little boy!).  You loved everything, but I think the hat was your favorite; you wore it around the house until bedtime! 

Love you Little Buddy, 

Momma

Day 239: Lazy Sunday

Just another lazy Sunday!  After church, I had a crocheting class and Uncle C came up to visit.  Little Buddy stayed pretty busy and pretty much refused a real nap (he didn't want to miss any excitement!). 

Eating popsicles with Uncle C

Playing with Uncle C and the sprinkler

Once I got home, we played some more, ate dinner, and decided to take Chesney on a walk.  Of course, Little Buddy decided that he wanted to be in charge.

"Mush, Chesney, mush!"

We completed our lazy day with some Skype time with Mammie and Pop-Pop as well as a shower.  Due to his lack of nap, he was fairly amendable to going to bed, which is somewhere I should be headed soon too!

Night all, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 238: We Love Peanut Butter!

Little Buddy has an unnatural obsession with peanut butter.  And when I say that, I don't mean that he just loves to eat it.  He often carries the jars around with him and gives them hugs!  Today, before he would take a nap, we had to put the peanut butter down for a nap too.

Giving peanut butter a kiss before it's "nap time" in the pantry. 

Thankfully, both Little Buddy and his peanut butter got good naps in today!  We were happy Little Buddy was well-rested because we were supposed to meet our friends for dinner and live music at a little place in Old Time Spring.  Unfortunately, the rain changed our plans, but we were still able to meet our friends for dinner at Zunom.  Good food and a play area for kids?  A win-win situation for sure!  Little Buddy was definitely ready for bed afterwards!

Getting sleepy...

Hopefully he gets a great night of sleep tonight so he's not too crazy for church tomorrow!

Good night, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 237: Riding Along in My Automobile

Little Buddy and I actually made it to boot camp in time for warm-up this morning!  It doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment, but making it anywhere on time with a toddler deserves a standing ovation.

After another successful workout in the heat, Little Buddy and I went inside so that he could play with his friends.  He and his friends O and E really liked driving the pink bus!

Taking two of his favorite girls for a ride!

We then had to pick Daddy up at the tire place because he had two nails in his tires.  Because the tire place is so close to Chuy's, Little Buddy got treated to some more quesadilla, beans, and rice.  He filled his little belly and ended up taking a great nap when we got home.  I was glad he slept so well, because I had to get ready for the Journey concert!  Daddy and I were meeting some of our friends for the concert, so Ms. L was coming to watch Little Buddy.  We ended up having a great night out with friends and Little Buddy loved playing with Ms. L.  I am just sad she's headed back to college this week.  We'll miss her!

Night all, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 236: Dough Days and Tricycles

Today Little Buddy and I had a lovely play date with our friends at Ms. J and N's house.  While the mommies made some homemade dough, out little ones had a lot of fun playing with each other.  The kids were great, though the boys snuck off after a bit and started splashing in the toilet.

Lots of kids, lots of fun!

It was a great morning!  Little Buddy had a lot of fun and ended up taking a long nap.  It wasn't long after he woke up that Daddy came home.  Which was good because Daddy and I couldn't wait to give him a surprise!

A new tricycle!

Little Buddy has a big tricycle outside, but he's still a little short for it.  We decided to get him a smaller one so that he could practice pedaling.  He seemed pretty excited by it!

Ready to go!

We played with the tricycle until it was time to get ready for bed.  I can't wait to see our little guy pedaling around the cul-de-sac!

Good night, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 235: Fun Day = Late Bedtime

After a day of peeing on the entertainment center, going to boot camp, new baby visiting (welcome to the world Baby T!), lunch quesadillas, long naps, and dinner with Mr. M, Ms. S, Mr. A, Ms. A, and Ms. K, Little Buddy was finally ready for bed.  And so were we.

Almost two hours late for bed time and we are all wiped out.

Good night all.  I am going to get some rest!

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 234: So We Went to See a Doctor about a Belly Button...

My little boy has a weird belly button.

That may seem like a redundant statement because, as I think most of us can agree, the majority of belly buttons are "weird." But my guy has a little extra addition: an umbilical granuloma.  Back in the day when his umbilical cord fell off, it left a little extra scar tissue behind.  We've always known that the granuloma would eventually have to be removed (they are prone to infection as kids get older), but the pediatrician said that if everything was going well, we could probably wait until Little Buddy was two years old.  Well, we've reached that point so it was time to consult the surgeon.  We left this morning to go to the doctor.

Little Buddy now insists on having his picture taken before we leave to go anywhere.  I think he believes himself to a be a celebrity and me to his personal paparazza.

At the appointment, the surgeon looked at Little Buddy's belly button and said that the procedure would take 30-40 minutes with an hour in recovery.  Also, since Little Buddy has a small umbilical hernia (which is very common and which we were also aware of), the surgeon said that he would just fix that during the procedure as well, instead of waiting until age four to see if it closed on its own.  The entire appointment lasted maybe ten minutes, at the end of which the doctor told us that his office would call us to schedule the surgery date.

It was over so quickly, I didn't have time to start fretting until we got to the truck.  I know it will be a very quick and easy procedure, but I still hate the idea of Little Buddy being put under anesthesia and being cut with a scalpel.  I don't think any parent loves that idea, no matter how trivial or even necessary the procedure is.  I also am not relishing the idea of restricting Little Buddy from meals and drinks (No food six hours before surgery and no water two hours before surgery.  No water?  I smell a temper tantrum.) or keeping him still for the twenty-four hours that he'll need to heal (Guess I will be recording several hours of Elmo).  Thankfully Little Buddy isn't old enough to worry yet; he just played with his rubber glove balloon as we drove away. 

Hello big blue hand!

Maybe I will get a few dozen of those balloon gloves to keep me relaxed when he finally does go in for the procedure.  Lord knows I will need the distraction!  Now I just need to stay calm as I wait for the appointment call.

Night all, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 233: Hungry Boy Lunches

My Little Buddy doesn't miss many meals.  And during those meals, he rarely misses a crumb.  He's so into his food that we often outlast everyone else!

Case in point, we had lunch with all of our friends after Boot Camp today.  After a little over an hour, this is what the table looked like: 

Just Little Buddy and I!  Everyone else had finished up and headed home.

Was he ready to go yet?  Oh no, there was still more grilled cheese crust!

"Momma!  It's just so good!"

He makes me smile.  We worked off all that grilled cheese and fruit with two hours of Wonderwild play later with our friends.  Little Buddy was actually really brave at Wonderwild, jumping on the bounce pillow and going down the alligator slide by himself.  Grilled cheese must be a super food!

Night all, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 232: The Dating Game

Dear Little Buddy,

Nine years ago today, events were put into motion that led to you being born because it was nine years ago today that your Daddy and I started dating.

Now I guess you could argue the events really started when your Daddy and I met ten years ago this month, but then I would counter that you could make a case for the day I decided to go to Marietta College, or the day that Daddy decided to go there.  In any case, let's stick with the importance of today's anniversary on your existence.

Dating is a very important thing.  It helps you decide which qualities you want in a spouse (and which qualities you don't want).  When you start dating (you know, in about thirty years), I hope that you look for someone you enjoy being around, who brings out the best in you, who you can always trust, and who likes you because of your quirks.  That's what your Daddy was for me (and still is).  Besides being smart, funny, handsome, and driven to accomplish his goals (one of the most important attributes to me), he was a good person.  He was nice, respectful, honest, and he loved all the crazy, funny things that make me who I am.  Being around him made me strive to be a better person.  You should always date people who inspire you to grow, who encourage you to succeed, who enrich your life, and who love you for being you; those who don't meet those qualifications aren't worth your time.  You should also (please) attempt to date people that respect your Momma and Daddy. ;)

Your Daddy is my best friend.  Because of the love we share, we were lucky enough to be blessed with you, our perfect, silly, smart, wonderful boy.  If not for this day nine years ago, we may not have been able to see this smiling face:

So remember, always treat "dating" seriously; you never know where a first date will lead.  We love you so much, Little Buddy, and are so grateful for every choice that led us down the path to you!

Love you always,

Momma


PS: Much thanks to Uncle C for playing with Little Buddy today so that Daddy and I could go celebrate our dating anniversary!  Little Buddy had a great time!

Day 231: Birthday Parties and Kitty Cats!

It was a busy Saturday for our family today!  We started the morning off with not one, but two birthday parties!  Little Buddy had a great time celebrating both J and H's birthdays today.  He was more than happy to play and eat cupcakes.  Sadly, since he was so busy, Momma didn't get a chance to take any pictures!

Little Buddy was starting to get tired and a bit fussy at the second party, so Daddy and I decided it was time to go.  However, Little Buddy had been too distracted to eat much.  Because we were close to Ms. K's house, we decided to stop for an unscheduled visit so that we could try to get some food in his tummy.  It was great to see Ms. K and Little Buddy was especially excited about her cats!

Little Buddy checking out the kitties.  We were trying to work on him being quiet and not scare them away, but we had limited success.

Ms. K coaxing the kitties down with some treats.

Chasing after those poor cats (again)!  He didn't understand that you don't yell for cats and expect them to come to you like a dog would.

After all the excitement, we were sure Little Buddy would take a good nap.  Once again he proved us wrong, waking up as soon as we got home.  Instead of crying and throwing our own temper tantrums like we wanted to (naps are important to parents too!), we scooped up our alert little boy and headed out for grocery shopping.  We got some errands done, came home and got some dinner, and still he was ready to keep going...

"Giddy-up, horsie!  We have to escape bedtime!"

Thankfully, his energy died down enough for me to rock him to sleep.  Normally Daddy rocks him, but tonight I got to so that Daddy could take care of a few things.  I loved it.  As Little Buddy caressed my cheek, gazed at me, and said "A wuv ew", my heart melted.  He was so adorable, I almost forgave him for his lack of nap.

Almost.

Good night, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma

Day 230: Pictures and Pool Time

It was Daddy's Friday off today, so we had scheduled some family pictures with our favorite photographer at a local studio.  Little Buddy was very excited to have his pictures taken, but, due to a mix-up, our photographer wasn't there.  We weren't very happy initially, but the manager offered to take our shots and they came out pretty well.  I'll let you judge a few for yourself:

Possibly the cutest pirate ever!

"Surprise!  I'm two!" 

Because Little Buddy did such a good job, we rewarded him with another carousel ride on "his" tiger (he may be getting a little obsessed) and lunch at Chuy's.  We then decided to keep the fun going after nap by taking Daddy to one of the area pools!

Just as we were leaving for the pool, it started pouring.  Notice that the sky was still blue and that the sun was still shining.  Little Buddy was pretty confused!  As we were fairly certain that it would clear off, we told Little Buddy to keep an eye out for rainbows 

This was Daddy's first time at the pool with us and I think he had a great time!  With Daddy there, Little Buddy was even brave enough to try the slide.  Our little guy was having so much fun, he didn't want to leave to get pizza!

Little Buddy trying to wriggle off to head back to the pool.

Daddy telling Little Buddy it is time to go.

Even though he was sad to go, some pizza, peaches, and the opportunity to shake our vitamin bottles like maracas seemed to cheer him up!

Wahoo!

We love when it is Daddy's Friday off because it means we still have two more days with him!  Yay!

Good night, 

LBM

Little Buddy's Momma