Little Moments May ’14 Edition

It’s time for the latest installment of my Little Moments Series where I share all the cute things that my boys are up to…
 

Parker (3 years and 8 months)
 

I’m tired = I’m frustrated

Clint and I have concluded that most of the time when Parker says I’m tired, what he really means is I’m frustrated. It is much easier to respond correctly now that we’ve figured out how to translate that statement.

Clothes (or lack thereof)

Parker regularly cracks us up with the joy he finds in not wearing any clothes. It seems like he is constantly taking his clothes off (apparently this did not end with Christmas). That being said, he surprises me sometimes with how much he enjoys clothes. He has a Mickey shirt and coordinating set of pants that he gets really excited about wearing. I noticed that he gravitates toward more comfy materials, so when I found a sale on some cute mesh shorts, I let Parker pick out a pair (he picked red, his favorite color, of course). As soon as we got home he wanted to try them on. I like that he gets excited about all gifts, even clothes.

Forts

One of Parker’s favorite activities of late is building forts. Whenever a blanket is not where it belongs, I know exactly where it went. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) our couch cushions are not removable, so his forts often consist of a pile of blankets and pillows with some toys mixed in on the couch or the same mix of stuff behind our living room chair. Sometimes he even makes his truck into a fort. Clint and I both remember loving forts as kids, so it is fun to see him enjoying that classic childhood activity as well.

Parker's fort behind our chair complete with bike

Parker’s fort behind our chair complete with bike

Car fort

Car fort

Night person

I’m starting to wonder now if Parker is a night person. I always assumed he was a morning person because he would get up so early and never seemed to show any interest in sleeping in. However, he appears to get a burst of energy in the evening, and he gets super chatty. By contrast, if Parker has to rush in the morning, he does not handle that well— he needs time to wake up slowly and do things at his own pace. All of that sounds oddly like me, and I can tell you without a doubt that I am not a morning person (even though I wake up around 5:00 most days).

Book love

Parker has always loved books, but lately this love has really been standing out to me. One of his teacher’s mentioned how every afternoon while the other kids are playing, Parker requests that one of the teachers read to him. Also, as a boy who is full of so much energy, when I see him quietly flipping through books, it is hard not to take notice. I devoured books as a child, and it is fun to see that he shares that love of reading with me.

Coloring instructions

I enjoy coloring. I enjoyed it as a child, and I even find it relaxing now. However, coloring with Parker is a bit of a challenge for me. You see, I like to color by my own rules: select my color, select where it goes, etc. Parker likes to direct the coloring process though, so I am told which color to use. I am the kind of ridiculously uncreative person who likes to choose logical colors for the picture, and the colors Parker selects don’t usually work with my envisioned color scheme. I’ll try to choose the least offensive location for the color he picks, but just as I have accepted the color, Parker throws another curve ball at me. Sometimes he redirects me to the location he thinks I should be coloring in or he suggests I switch to another color. So the good news is that the picture ends up looking the way he wants it to. The bad, but not really, news is that it forces me to get over my vision for the picture. I mean, I’m ok with just having one little corner that looks the way I want it to, but nope, not gonna happen. It is seriously surprising how hard it is to go with the flow on this, which is why it’s a good thing… apparently this is an area where I have some room for growth. 🙂

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colorful, no?

“You pick. No, not that one”

One thing Parker has been doing lately that cracks me up is that he’ll insist that I choose which one (car, bat, crayon, stuffed animal etc.) I want. Knowing that he has a specific idea of which one I should play with and which one he should play with, I’ve tried suggesting that he pick one for me. Parker insists, however, that I pick. No matter which one I choose, it always manages to be the wrong one, and I’m told, “No, not that one.” Too funny!

“He likes it”

Parker sometimes will give toys or other items to Austin, and then announce, “He likes it.” Of course, sometimes the toy is given as an alternative to the toy that Austin is currently playing with so that Parker can play with it instead, but still… pretty cute.

 

Austin (14 months)
 

If there’s trouble, he’s gonna find it

Austin seems to have this innate ability to select the worst possible thing to play with. He loves throwing toys in the toilet… ick!! He is pretty sure that trash cans are really toy bins, so he is constantly sorting through those to see what treasures he can find. He has reached a similar conclusion about our recyclable bins, so we regularly find cans and bottles scattered throughout the house. Sometimes I am just following the trail of destruction…

Going down steps

One of Austin’s main goals right now is to master stepping down. Sometimes he can go down a small step by himself if there is something nearby he can use for support. Most of the time though he finds it works best to scoot down in a seated position or climb down backwards, and he’s getting pretty good at it. Fortunately he knows he hasn’t mastered this skill yet though, so he often looks for someone to help him with any significant steps.

Slides

Austin really enjoys going down slides, and he is totally fearless about it. He’ll climb the steps to get up to the slide, then when he gets to the top, he’ll start cracking up before launching himself down it. Sometimes he goes down it sitting up, but lately his preferred method is on his belly, feet first (which is less scary than Parker’s preferred way as an infant of going down on his belly, face first).

Bouncing & head shake

Austin always makes us laugh when he starts bouncing. By this I mean moving his upper body up and down— often while in a seated position. Sometimes he’ll add in a head bob or a head shake. He even started throwing his hands up in the air recently. I think he enjoys testing what his little body can do, and when we start laughing and imitating him, then it becomes a fun game.

Signing “more”

When Parker was an infant, they taught him how to sign “more” at school. We found that it was incredibly helpful for both him and us to have such a useful word at his disposal before he could say it. Remembering that experience, we taught Austin how to sign “more,” and he caught on to it very quickly. However, for some reason both Austin and Parker sign it with their own flare.

This is how you're supposed to do it.

This is how you’re supposed to do it.

This is how the boys do it.

This is how the boys do it.

Babbling

Austin is also verbally communicating a lot more. His words still remain “mama” and “dada,” but he does lots of sweet little babbles that I find to be the perfect soundtrack to my days.

Waving

Austin has finally learned how to wave. His wave involves opening and closes his fingers over his palm. It is very sweet, and it’s just another way that he is learning to communicate.

Love of our dog

Austin absolutely adores our dog, Cider, and the feeling seems to be mutual. They give each other kisses (sorry Mom, I know that grosses you out), and he gives her hugs (which she patiently accepts).

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Favorite foods

Austin used to be all about the breads and crackers. He still likes those things, but his favorite foods right now are yogurt and mac n’ cheese (which Parker loves too). His least favorite food is meat. Usually he will just spit it out or throw it (lovely).

Weird locations

It seems like Austin is always ending up in all sorts of interesting locations and positions. He enjoys putting himself in boxes for some reason:

Little Moments

He also climbs everything now, and the other day he did this:

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He is fascinated by the dishwasher:

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Brother imitation 

Austin absolutely adores his big brother, and more and more he tries to imitate him. Parker was pushing a toy around our rocking chair, and a few minutes later, there is Austin pushing it around the rocking chair. Keep in mind, this is not a toy that would typically be pushed, so he was clearly following Parker’s lead. It’s fascinating to watch.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of the special moments that make up my days as a mom. Happy belated Mother’s Day!

2 thoughts on “Little Moments May ’14 Edition

  1. Jennifer, I loved reading about your boys. It’s so funny how Parker takes after you with being a night owl and loving forts. My son is the same way. Your descriptions of playing and coloring, brought back such fond memories of those days when he was little. Happy Belated Mother’s Day!!
    Crisi recently posted…God’s Cleansing MercyMy Profile

    • I just noticed that my reply to your comment was never published. Here is what I wrote back on May 15th:

      Hi Crisi. Isn’t it funny when you see yourself in your kids? I’m glad the post brought back fond memories for you. Happy Mother’s Day!

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