Life Lesson #1

The difference between people who are late and people who are NOT late:

People who are late

1. Figure out how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B. 

2. Calculate departure time using the following formula: (intended time of arrival) - (travel time) = departure time.

3. Start getting ready to leave at departure time.

4. Pull out of the driveway 15 minutes after departure time.

5. Arrive at destination 15 minutes late.

People who are not late

1. Figure out how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B.

2. Calculate departure time using the following formula: (intended time of arrival) - (travel time) = departure time.

3. Start getting ready to leave 15 minutes before departure time.

4. Pull out of the driveway at departure time.

5. Arrive at destination on time.

First 50 Words, Part 2

Matthew, this news is a few weeks old now, but you are officially Talking.  Capital T.  I managed to keep a list of your first 50 words, which was quite a feat considering you absolutely refuse to speak on command.  Even more impressively, I didn't lose the list.

Regular blog readers may remember Part 1 of this series (Jason) here.  I thought you boys would have more overlaps, but even the 14 common words (starred below) differ in delivery.  Kind of cool that we get to know your "ouch" pronunciations so well.  Jason did this dramatic, two syllable "ow-cha" while Matthew has a soft litte, "ach."  Both so sweet!

Okay, here are the first 50.  At press time you've already added at least 10 more!

* 1) All Done ("Allda" complete with hand motions and an insanely cute face)

* 2) Baby

3) Strawberry

* 4) Apple

* 5) Up

* 6) Daddy

7) Tree

* 8) Truck

9) More (with respect to food..."ma ma ma MA MA!")

10) Flap (with flapping arm motions)

11) Oink (really more of a snort)

12) Tweet (in a very high pitch)

13) Duck)

* 14) Quack

15) Cheese (for cameras AND the dairy product)

16) Fishy ("ishy")

17) Wood ("oof" and so stinking cute)

18) Jason

19) Neigh

* 20) No (nanananana)

21) Nadi (this is what you call me)

22) Hat (and you pat your head)

23) Socks (you are OBSESSED with socks)

24) Eye (while poking yourself in the eye)

25) Book

26) Read (this is the best, you scoot your rear end into a lap for a story)

27) Door

* 28) Ouch ("ach")

* 29) Bubble (for carbonated water and actual bubbles)

* 30) Boom

31) Uh-oh

32) Hi

33) Bye-bye

34) Rock

35) Stuck

36) Stick (stickers)

37) Swing

38) Wee

39) Slide

40) Outside

* 41) Boo

* 42) Ball

43) Sit (pronounced, "shit," so that is lots of fun when you say it in public)

44) This

45) This one (diswaa)

46) Dino ("diiiiiie")

47) Water ("awa"

48) Flower

* 49) Noni

50) Mamo

School Days

Jason,

Last year around this time, you attended your first day of school.  I dropped you off and wished I could tell the teacher something--anything--to make her understand how important you are to me.  To let her know that if she would only look past your unwillingness to sit in circle time, your disinterest in writing, and your propensity to jump around wildly singing Cee Lo Green songs, she would see how smart, funny, kind, sensitive, and wonderful you really are. I wanted her to preserve your innocence, to listen to your stories, to encourage your individuality, to spark in you a passion for learning. I wanted her to love you and protect you. 

Fast forward to bedtime tonight, on the first day of a brand new school year with that very same teacher.  You whispered, "Mommy, did you know that everyone in the whole world has different color hair, and different birthdays, and different color skin, and different Mommies, and different color houses, and different ages, and different talking...isn't that great? Mrs. G told me about that. It would be really boring if everyone was the same.  And I would be very confused."  And I said, "I love you, Jason."  And you said, "I know that, Mommy."  

Sometimes God puts the exact right person in the exact right spot to help you along life's path, and you just need to stop and appreciate it. So tonight in our prayers, we thanked Jesus for your wonderful teachers.  You are so blessed!

Bye Bye Baby

Matthew,

You are officially a big boy after getting your first haircut yesterday. You had these beautiful little curls and people started assuming you were a girl, so I finally broke down and got them cut off.  You're welcome.

Checking out a book...everything seems okay so far...

...until the water and scissors came out.

Then you got distracted by a piece of hair in your mouth.

A little traumatized from the experience, but very handsome!!

Naked Italian Leprechauns

a.k.a. Jason & Matthew

 

KL

We visit Mamo and Granddaddy a few times a year and I rarely get myself organized enough to actually post pictures. Your favorite Keys activities are:

Swimming

Fishing (as long as they are promptly released)

Sleeping

Lunch at Lorelai

Feeding the tarpon at Robbie's marina

Helping Daddy take hero pictures

More swimming

Golf (Matthew is in on the action now!)

Did I mention swimming???

Mom's Work

Sometimes I think about motherhood...

...how others think about motherhood...

...how you boys will think about motherhood...

...and I find myself trying to explain the inexplicable, like what I do all day.  I play. We play. I watch you play. All day long.  Every day.  With laundry and groceries and fish tank maintenance and school pickup and doctor visits and puke cleanup and post office trips thrown in.  But mostly play. So it seems miraculous that a teeny baby turns into a walking, talking, semi-rational human being in just a few years, when all he does is play with his Mommy.

Then I stumble across something like this and it doesn't seem so miraculous after all. Behold a great Mommy in action. Reading a 3 page book turns into a lesson on colors, vocabulary, self-esteem, gasoline, vehicle classification, ownership, personal space, and car noises. Vroom vroom!