Overdue

Hmmm, I know that a post is long overdue. I have been on a "staycation" since last Friday. We sent Mema home for the week and I stayed home with Kale. It was great. And exhausting. I will update the blog over the next few days or week...and will hopefully remember most of the stuff. I will add pictures as well.

One of the funniest memorable things this week was when I asked Kale if he wanted to go to McDonalds. He proved his lack of consumerism by saying E-I-E-I-E-I, which is how he sings Old McDonald. He hasn't quite grasped the O at the end. So, as he sang E-I-E-I-E-I, we pulled in and ordered some nuggets and fries.

Actually, the entire week was filled with that kind of stuff. It was great!

I did round out my week by going to garage sales this morning all by myself. It was nice to have some quiet time too. I scored a couple of really good deals. I got a Little Tykes slide for $5 and what looks to be like a brand new hot wheels type rug with roads on it for another $5. It also has a Home Depot store as part of the artwork on the rug and Ep says we might have to cover that up...whatever, as long as Kale likes it! I got a thing or two for Mema as well.

Weekend in pictures

A weekend in pictures....

Ice cream from Granddaddy

This is what happens when you let Ep, Granddaddy, and Kale loose in a Sam's Club

Ok, really I was standing there the entire time...

but just think what they might have tried if I wasn't standing there!

Where did he go??? How do I get out of this thing???

I want THAT! (breakfast on Saturday)

enjoying a yogurt on the deck while daddy does the grilling

Kale's first McDonalds trip with mom...the food started out neatly on the napkin...

and ended up not so neatly everywhere (eww...)

Kale learned a new trick this weekend. He can now climb into mommy's truck and get into his seat unassisted. There is lots of grunting and false starts involved.

Of course, he still needs help with the buckles!

As the picture shows, he doesn't always land centered in the seat...

Just enjoying some front porch time with momma...

We had a Starbucks strawberries and cream frozen treat...yummy!

He ate more than me!

I have some other pics on my camera, which I don't have right this second....so more to come...

Morning Rituals

Kale has some morning rituals. Some he shares with me...and one he gets directly from his dad. I will leave it up to you to figure it out...

1. If I am still in bed when he wakes up, he must get in bed with me. Usually, this is just long enough to get under the covers and then kick his way back out. The only way to keep him there long enough to get a good cuddle is to get out the trusty iPhone.
2. This morning, before he even got in bed with me, he put his hand to his head and rubbed while saying "pwwweeaase?" Let me decode that for you. He was asking if I was going to take a shower and if he could take the shower with me. It takes strategy and help from MemaNana if I want to take a quick and solo shower these days...and this morning he got in with me.
   
3. He knows that after the shower, I brush my teeth. Thus, he believes he should brush his. I can't complain about this idea! However, he usually does not want to wait to be dried off from the shower before he is already at the sink for another round of "pweeaaase?" complete with banging his hand on the sink area. I give him his toothbrush, complete with toothpaste and rinsed in water and banged on the side of the sink. Skip any of these steps and he will let you know about it. And off he goes with this toothpasty toothbrush....until he gets distracted and drops it on the floor. We are working on that part...picking up the toothbrush and laying it on the bathroom vanity. Its a work in progress.
   
4. As soon as he sees me with shoes on, a jacket on, or my keys in hand (or all three)...he goes bonkers for the door. MemaNana can NOT get her shoes on fast enough. As soon as the door is opened into the enclosed garage, he is gone. He beats me to the exterior door most mornings. He does not care whether he is clothed or not...he MUST go outside to wave and tell me bye-bye. I get a goodbye kiss most mornings. Its a great way to leave the house, if I have to leave him behind.
5. Somewhere along the way, he gives a morning "gift" of the stinky variety. It lands in his diaper. Even people who can't smell well usually don't miss the clues that something has happened in Kale's diaper. Most mornings he waits until I have left the house to deliver the package. Poor MemaNana.
   

Now...all that said...aren't my mornings great? Can you tell which part of the morning process comes directly from his dad? Hahahahaha!!!!

Just call him Flinstone

I don't remember if it was before he was born or before he was big enough to even sit up unassisted, but I bought Kale a plastic trike at a garage sale for $3. In the past week alone, I have gotten my $3 out of it in the form of pure joy on Kale's face. Pictures, although helpful, don't begin to really tell the full story of this boy and his trike. I will try to get some video and add it when I can...

He can't quite reach the peddles yet, so for now he does the "flintsone" method. Let me tell you, those feet can GO! Every once in a while he goes so fast that he runs over his own foot and will sit there stuck until someone helps him remember to back up. Also, note that his left hand is on the outside of the handlebars. That is his own technique and he consistently rides that way. Right hand correctly on the bars, left hand on the outside (to steer?). God love him!

He finds great joy in any downhill he can find. Around our house, there are plenty of steep downhills that we are hoping he won't yet brave. Its only a matter of time on those though. But for now he finds much joy in the little downhills. Yesterday, he discovered that on the downhill he can pick up his legs and go even faster....GREAT!

Oh, and remember the car that he so adored? He still loves his car, but now rides it all over the house like he is going over speed bumps. Its like he is practicing for ramping when he gets older. Instead of going around toys, he just tries to lift up the front of the car and go over them. We probably should start pricing car insurance for him now...

Little helper

Just wanted to make a quick post about our little helper. Kale was starving by the time that Ep got home with pizza last night. I cut up his piece into Kale size bites, put it on a plate, and then put the plate on his table. I was trying something new. He likes to eat and roam. He ends up eating more food if we let him do this. So, I was trying the plate option to see how that went. As Ep and I were preparing our plates, Kale was trying out his. As we watched from the kitchen, he emptied out his plate and all the pizza went into the floor. Did I mention that room has carpet? (yep, another great idea by me--give my son food and let him roam on the carpet!) Then, our son says uh oh and comes to the kitchen, where he picked up the dustpan and mini-brush and then headed back to the mess. We laughed and laughed. It was the best thing to watch. I helped him pick up his pizza and we managed to not need the dustpan involved. Ep commented that it just made his day and was the best thing he had seen all day. I had to agree!

I suppose he has really been paying attention when MemaNana cleans up his messes! :)