Fa What?

I was reading a friend's blog, and was cracking up at an outburst her son had during church. It reminded me of nice little episode we had last year when we were still in Portland that I don't think I posted. Keep in mind this is a retro post and the LG was only 2 at the time. The LG needed his diaper changed right as the first meeting at church started. After cleaning him up, he was being very reluctant about returning to the quiet and sit still he usually endures (rather poorly). I tried encouraging him by suggesting we get back in there so we could find Gina - one of his very favorite adults, and one of our favorite friends. This seemed to do the trick and he cheerfully held my hand as we walked through the door and started down the isle as he started chirping, "Fa Gina", "Fa Gina". Except that instead of it sounding like "geena", it sounded like "jina". Fagina indeed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

In so many ways, the birth of TP a year ago was the start of a lot of new things for our family. What a blessing she is - a bright, shiny ray of sunshine. I have really enjoyed this day. One day where I allowed myself to make it all about her and not feel guilty. Having 2 children (or more) seems to turn most every day into a tug of war between competing interests, opportunities and activities. So nice to just enjoy her for the delicious little peach she is. As a side note - the LG took it like a champ. He even wrapped (unwrapped) and re-wrapped the gift he selected for her.

She wasn't quite sure what to do with the cupcake, so of course the most reasonable solution was to peck at it like a little chick. She would go down, get some frosting on her lips, and come back up to lick her lips and think about whether she liked it or not. Such a princess. We love her. We love how she just loves to be loved. She makes everyone around her happy. We're happy, and we are so glad that she's ours.

I can't believe she's one. Happy birthday Tiny Princess!!!

Potty Mouth

After wrapping up a timeout session in the bathroom today, the LG was asked to tell me why he was in there:

"I was kicking TP."

And what are the rules in our house?:

"No kicking, no hitting, no "*"ucking, no cucking, no mudding, no budding."

Hmmm. Best to just let that one go.

Scrubs

I haven't been feeling well. Haven't left the house for a few days. Wish I was staying at a hotel where there are no diapers, noise and mouths to feed. That was my state of mind when I had the opportunity to run to the store. You know you are no longer living the single, no strings attached life when going to the store is an "opportunity". Anyway, it was cloudy outside, and combined with not feeling well, I decided to don the following:



Clearly I forgot that I live in San Antonio. Even though there wasn't a glimmer of sunlight peeking through the clouds, it was still 85 degrees, feeling more like 90 degrees with the humidity. The heat, my flip flops, my jacket and my ponytail all served to top off an outfit that made me feel like this:



There really isn't any point to this post, other than to emphasize, that when I go out like this, I just keep my fingers crossed that I don't run into anyone I know so that I can get back to my exciting life as soon as possible.

Tact

Scene: The BK's mom arrives at the airport and is greeted by her progeny.

LG: Hi Grandma. Did you turn into the Old Grandma?

Me: (Speechless, eyes wide and wishing I were deaf)

Grandma: Uh, no LG. I'm just Grandma.

LG: Don't worry though. You don't look dead, you just look like the Old Grandma.

Me: Laughing hysterically, and not nearly as embarrassed as I should be.

Grandma: Not laughing nearly as much as she should be.

Lovely Locks

No, I'm not talking about the TP. I'm sure she'll get there, but in the meantime, the LG has some LOVELY hair, and when I decided to cut it (note to self, don't use clippers if you only intend to trim), tears started to well as I stared horrified at the amount of hair falling to the floor. I got over it.









Once the transformation was complete, I was reminded of how much the LG resembles the BK. When his hair is long and shaggy I think he looks like me, but with military do in force, he definitely looks like his daddy. The haircut also induced the Samson effect and for a few days, the LG was a docile little lamb. Seriously, there can be no other explanation. It didn't last long enough though, the Hulk has returned.

Goodbye Saturdays, Hello Soccer

As we were walking to the field for the LG's first soccer game, the BK said, "Well, this is it. The first Saturday of the the next 20 or so years." We have entered the soccer/basketball/baseball/ballet/who-knows-what-else mom/dad days that come with kids. The LG was ready. Fully decked out in his soccer gear - new cleats, shin guards, and matching shirt, shorts and socks, he was better dressed than ANY of my pictures from similar eras.



I have been coaching him at home through many lectures on the NUMBER 1 RULE in SOCCER - No Hands. Only Feet. The BK was kind enough to question my advice on the drive over, admonishing that actually the only rule was no hands. Thanks. I figured that providing the LG with a specific focus for his energy (feet) was the best approach at this point. Perhaps practice on Wednesday helped to lower my expectations (it was so bad I was actually in tears), but I thought the game actually went really well for his first time. The picture below would make you think that he was engaged. The truth is a bit closer to the pictures that follow, but he did make mincemeat of a few plants and bugs on the field, and ran with great speed off the field, through a fence and over a bridge. He did kick the ball, on the field once, and managed to stay on the field most of the time when he was in. It was a pretty good start.





As you can see from the picture below, we have a few things to work on, but thankfully, his coach is AMAZING, and we are so grateful for his energy, enthusiasm and understanding. I'm not sure many coaches would get down on hands and knees in the middle of a game to find out what a child is looking at. Thanks Coach Matt!



His number one fan.