I simply had to write this one down.
Driving home from Alabama last weekend, it was lunchtime and Reid started talking about being hungry. I said that we were looking for somewhere good to stop. Right about that time, we passed an exit and he saw the ever-present golden arches. He pointed to them and said, "Can we stop at Uncle Donald's?"
Okay, yes, that's funny. But even moreso that he has probably only been to a McDonald's maybe 3-5 times in his entire little life (we're more of a Chick-fil-a family...). It's certainly not part of our regular vocabulary.
Just another example of excellent marketing by someone, somewhere!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Autumn's Bounty... of Crafts
Wow, do we have a lot of fall-inspired crafts around our house these days. They are all very cute and I do wonder who has time to come up with all these things. Reid is bringing home something from school almost every day now. Here is just a sampling:
Two little pumpkins. Reid helped paint the first one last week (love the yarn "hair") and the other one came home with us today. Apparently several candy corns were lost in an effort to give this little guy a nose. What can I say? My kid loves candy corn. :)
This was painted with a marble rolled in paint. Pretty neat!
The potato family. Okay, technically not fall-inspired, but they were also learning about family at the beginning of the month. Hopefully, all the students had to use potatoes and this is not meant to be a social commentary of the shape of our family. Hmmm?
More pumpkins. I expect the theme to last through Thanksgiving. Maybe I can keep a running tally of all the pumpkins through November. These were made with his painted knuckles...
I love this one. Pretty self-explanatory on how they made it, but it sure is cute!
Two little pumpkins. Reid helped paint the first one last week (love the yarn "hair") and the other one came home with us today. Apparently several candy corns were lost in an effort to give this little guy a nose. What can I say? My kid loves candy corn. :) 
This was painted with a marble rolled in paint. Pretty neat!
The potato family. Okay, technically not fall-inspired, but they were also learning about family at the beginning of the month. Hopefully, all the students had to use potatoes and this is not meant to be a social commentary of the shape of our family. Hmmm?
More pumpkins. I expect the theme to last through Thanksgiving. Maybe I can keep a running tally of all the pumpkins through November. These were made with his painted knuckles...
I love this one. Pretty self-explanatory on how they made it, but it sure is cute!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Terrible 2's?
We're all familiar with the Terrible 2's, and for good reason. Some days, this phrase could not ring more true in our house. But, sometimes, the terrible 2's are terribly sweet.
These days, Reid is learning about feelings... love, empathy, sadness. He is starting to understand how his actions can make someone else sad, like not sharing toys with his friends. (We haven't quite mastered how our actions can also make someone happy, like listening to mommy on the first try, but I digress.) He's learning to say "I'm sorry." When I tell him I love him these days, sometimes he tells me he loves me, too, and it's so sweet because I can tell he understands the "feeling" of it. Sometimes, he even says it without me saying it first - he is such a momma's boy. He gives lots of hugs and kisses these days, as well, which is a relatively new thing since he's never really been a snuggler. Also, a few days ago, I said something about having a tummy ache, and he came over to rub my belly telling me that I would feel better soon. Precious.
His manners are also starting to kick in. He is getting very good at saying "please" and "thank you" without any prompting. I just love this. I have never been one for saying "ma'am" and "sir" all the time, so I only make him call me ma'am when he is being reprimanded. But the please's and thank you's are just too cute. We stopped at CVS on the way home from school today and he insisted on taking in a little pumpkin he painted at school. He said hello to the cashier and asked her to look at his pumpkin, whom he has dubbed "Scooter." (???) Of course, she thought he was precious (how could she not?) and asked if he could have a lollipop. So she asked him if he would like one and he said, "Oh yes, please!" and "Thank you so much!"
I can see that he often is the most mannerly when he knows it will benefit him directly, like asking super-politely for a treat, but hopefully he's seeing that treating people nicely always ends up better than the alternative (though sometimes we adults have trouble remembering this one, too). Hopefully this phase will last for a little while...
(I'm making a point to get all this cuteness in writing so next time I want to strangle him, I can look at this and see the silver lining... which will probably be in the next few hours!)
These days, Reid is learning about feelings... love, empathy, sadness. He is starting to understand how his actions can make someone else sad, like not sharing toys with his friends. (We haven't quite mastered how our actions can also make someone happy, like listening to mommy on the first try, but I digress.) He's learning to say "I'm sorry." When I tell him I love him these days, sometimes he tells me he loves me, too, and it's so sweet because I can tell he understands the "feeling" of it. Sometimes, he even says it without me saying it first - he is such a momma's boy. He gives lots of hugs and kisses these days, as well, which is a relatively new thing since he's never really been a snuggler. Also, a few days ago, I said something about having a tummy ache, and he came over to rub my belly telling me that I would feel better soon. Precious.
His manners are also starting to kick in. He is getting very good at saying "please" and "thank you" without any prompting. I just love this. I have never been one for saying "ma'am" and "sir" all the time, so I only make him call me ma'am when he is being reprimanded. But the please's and thank you's are just too cute. We stopped at CVS on the way home from school today and he insisted on taking in a little pumpkin he painted at school. He said hello to the cashier and asked her to look at his pumpkin, whom he has dubbed "Scooter." (???) Of course, she thought he was precious (how could she not?) and asked if he could have a lollipop. So she asked him if he would like one and he said, "Oh yes, please!" and "Thank you so much!"
I can see that he often is the most mannerly when he knows it will benefit him directly, like asking super-politely for a treat, but hopefully he's seeing that treating people nicely always ends up better than the alternative (though sometimes we adults have trouble remembering this one, too). Hopefully this phase will last for a little while...
(I'm making a point to get all this cuteness in writing so next time I want to strangle him, I can look at this and see the silver lining... which will probably be in the next few hours!)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Random Tidbits
Nothing too specific to talk about over the past few days. I thought I'd take the opportunity to document some of the completely unrelated - but memorable (well, from a mommy's standpoint) - things observed this week:
1. We may have caused major trauma to Reid when we left him for a week while we went to Chicago. Ever since we got back, he tells me all the time - seriously, numerous times a day - that he misses me. He uses different variations... "I missed you, mommy," "I was missing you," "I miss you when you're gone," etc. It started when we got back from the trip, which seems reasonable, but has not subsided. At first, he would tell me he missed me when I picked him up from school (a 4 hour time frame), and when got back from working out (45 minutes or so). Now sometimes he tells me when I leave to go to the mailbox, or when I'm in the next room. I didn't really give much thought to it until last week when I finally asked him, "When did you miss me?" and he replied, "When you were at the airport." Kind of sad... hopefully he'll move on from that soon. :(
2. Reid has discovered Little Bill - the Bill Cosby cartoon. It plays on Noggin in the afternoons. Personally, I am super excited about this. Prior to Little Bill, he was starting to love Caillou a little too much. (Sorry to all you folks reading this that aren't tuned into the preschool cartoon circuit...) Caillou is a fine show but, for those of you that know it, you know Caillou doesn't always portray himself in the best light (a.k.a., he acts like a real 4 year old). Oh sure, the message is good in the end but you get to see him throw tantrums and backtalk as we learn the lesson. It was so interesting (not necessarily in a good way) to see Reid mimic Caillou's personality. Not cool. Now we have discovered Little Bill - with his sweet disposition - who is nice to his friends, takes care of his hamster, and doesn't talk back to his parents. Now, I wonder how much I can sell our one Caillou DVD for on eBay...?
3. Somewhere recently, Reid must have seen someone making snow angels on TV. I don't know where. He remembers things so well that it could have been something he saw months ago. Well, he has decided that he wants to make them frequently these days, generally inside on the carpet. It's a pretty simple process but cute to watch, especially when he gets so excited that he calls them "snow jangles."
4. Finally got Reid to sing on video. It took a little coaching, but here is his rendition of his own composition called "Water" (notice the familiar tune, I think), and of course the classic, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." I let him watch it afterward and he was cracking up at himself - apparently slapstick with a pillow (you'll see) is all the rage in the 2 year old mind. Enjoy!
1. We may have caused major trauma to Reid when we left him for a week while we went to Chicago. Ever since we got back, he tells me all the time - seriously, numerous times a day - that he misses me. He uses different variations... "I missed you, mommy," "I was missing you," "I miss you when you're gone," etc. It started when we got back from the trip, which seems reasonable, but has not subsided. At first, he would tell me he missed me when I picked him up from school (a 4 hour time frame), and when got back from working out (45 minutes or so). Now sometimes he tells me when I leave to go to the mailbox, or when I'm in the next room. I didn't really give much thought to it until last week when I finally asked him, "When did you miss me?" and he replied, "When you were at the airport." Kind of sad... hopefully he'll move on from that soon. :(
2. Reid has discovered Little Bill - the Bill Cosby cartoon. It plays on Noggin in the afternoons. Personally, I am super excited about this. Prior to Little Bill, he was starting to love Caillou a little too much. (Sorry to all you folks reading this that aren't tuned into the preschool cartoon circuit...) Caillou is a fine show but, for those of you that know it, you know Caillou doesn't always portray himself in the best light (a.k.a., he acts like a real 4 year old). Oh sure, the message is good in the end but you get to see him throw tantrums and backtalk as we learn the lesson. It was so interesting (not necessarily in a good way) to see Reid mimic Caillou's personality. Not cool. Now we have discovered Little Bill - with his sweet disposition - who is nice to his friends, takes care of his hamster, and doesn't talk back to his parents. Now, I wonder how much I can sell our one Caillou DVD for on eBay...?
3. Somewhere recently, Reid must have seen someone making snow angels on TV. I don't know where. He remembers things so well that it could have been something he saw months ago. Well, he has decided that he wants to make them frequently these days, generally inside on the carpet. It's a pretty simple process but cute to watch, especially when he gets so excited that he calls them "snow jangles."
4. Finally got Reid to sing on video. It took a little coaching, but here is his rendition of his own composition called "Water" (notice the familiar tune, I think), and of course the classic, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." I let him watch it afterward and he was cracking up at himself - apparently slapstick with a pillow (you'll see) is all the rage in the 2 year old mind. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Apple Picking
Fall is HERE! I love Fall. I enjoy the colors, the falling leaves, but I think I really just love the cooler air, the respite from the hot, sticky Summer. Of course, we all like Summer at first but then it gets really hot and it loses its appeal pretty quickly.
So, back to Fall. Our windows are all open, and have been so mostly for a few weeks. The new screen door (yay, Ross!) is used all day long to let the cool air in and keep the flies out. And, we are not currently paying $$$ for heating and/or cooling - hooray! What more can you ask for?
Along with the cool air comes new fruits and veggies. Apples and pumpkins are my favorites. We went pumpkin picking last year in late October, which was awesome, but the drought had been bad that the apples were few and far between. I think the place went to even had to ship apples in because of it. Not this year though.
Sunday, we went to Sky Top Orchard, just over the state line in North Carolina. It is a super fun place - very simple, but with everything you need for an enjoyable day. The location is awesome. It is high up on a "mountain" (people in the Rockies might call it a big hill, but here it is a mountain) and the view is awesome. You can see neighboring hills and valleys and the lines of apple trees stretch out as far as the eye can see. They have play areas for the kids, as well as some animals, a bamboo forest, and tractor rides across the property. Not to mention apple cider slushies and apple cider doughnuts. Yum-o. We packed a picnic lunch so we were able to go pick our apples, have lunch under a shade tree, then go back for doughnuts and a tractor ride. So fun!
Reid loved walking through the trees, picking apples. He thinks he likes apples. He really does. He has been successfully brainwashed to say things like, "Apples are delicious. So juicy!" He's so excited to take a bite and then... promptly spit it out, the whole time saying how great it is. He will do it over and over. So, I now have a peck of apples that we won't be able to eat as-is. I know I will make some apple crisp, but we can't have that lying around all the time, so I may try prepping and freezing some for use later. We'll see.
Here are some pictures from the apple picking trip - enjoy! (I'm sure we'll have pumpkin picking photos in the near future...)
Taking a big bite... seems like he likes it....
On the hayride, minus the hay.
Awesome view!
Gotta get those good ones!
We'll do anything for those high apples at the top!
So, back to Fall. Our windows are all open, and have been so mostly for a few weeks. The new screen door (yay, Ross!) is used all day long to let the cool air in and keep the flies out. And, we are not currently paying $$$ for heating and/or cooling - hooray! What more can you ask for?
Along with the cool air comes new fruits and veggies. Apples and pumpkins are my favorites. We went pumpkin picking last year in late October, which was awesome, but the drought had been bad that the apples were few and far between. I think the place went to even had to ship apples in because of it. Not this year though.
Sunday, we went to Sky Top Orchard, just over the state line in North Carolina. It is a super fun place - very simple, but with everything you need for an enjoyable day. The location is awesome. It is high up on a "mountain" (people in the Rockies might call it a big hill, but here it is a mountain) and the view is awesome. You can see neighboring hills and valleys and the lines of apple trees stretch out as far as the eye can see. They have play areas for the kids, as well as some animals, a bamboo forest, and tractor rides across the property. Not to mention apple cider slushies and apple cider doughnuts. Yum-o. We packed a picnic lunch so we were able to go pick our apples, have lunch under a shade tree, then go back for doughnuts and a tractor ride. So fun!
Reid loved walking through the trees, picking apples. He thinks he likes apples. He really does. He has been successfully brainwashed to say things like, "Apples are delicious. So juicy!" He's so excited to take a bite and then... promptly spit it out, the whole time saying how great it is. He will do it over and over. So, I now have a peck of apples that we won't be able to eat as-is. I know I will make some apple crisp, but we can't have that lying around all the time, so I may try prepping and freezing some for use later. We'll see.
Here are some pictures from the apple picking trip - enjoy! (I'm sure we'll have pumpkin picking photos in the near future...)
Taking a big bite... seems like he likes it.... 
Inspecting the apple. Notice all the bite marks from previous attempts.
At our picnic lunch. He is literally saying, "No mommy, don't take a picture of my picnic."
The measurement might not be so accurate, since he wouldn't stand up straight and the sun was in his eyes, but it sure is cute!
Peeking out of the Apple House.
On the hayride, minus the hay.
Awesome view! 
Trying to convince him to actually eat the apples... Look at his little face. He's like, "No, I don't think so."
Gotta get those good ones!
We'll do anything for those high apples at the top!Guitar Hero
So, I went yard-saling this past weekend. I LOVE yard sales. The thrill of a bargain, looking through other people's totally unwanted "junk," and the haggling that makes me feel like I'm in control. Super fun.
The community across the street from ours had a big yard sale, so I got up and went early Saturday morning. I spent a whopping $7.50 on an unfinished bird house (future art project for Reid, $.50), kid-sized guitar (teal green with flowers, $2), and the bargain of the day - a Little Tikes Kitchen in really quite good condition ($5). Woohoo!
I am really most proud of the kitchen. Yes, it is kind of girly, with the pink and purple accents but, 1) Reid could care less about the color, 2) it is a great imagination toy, and 3) five bucks is a STEAL! After about 10 minutes of cleaning, it was good to go.
Reid was very excited about the kitchen. He does still like it, but he has been infatuated with the guitar ever since I showed it to him. It is teal green - very Elvis-like - and originally had girly flower stickers on it. I almost passed it up because of that, but thank goodness I realized it was only $2 and that I could probably get those suckers off. And, I did. Piece of cake. I don't mind the teal green - it looks kind of cool, I think, especially since I just got a toy catalog in the mail today that has a similar one in it for $50. Rock on!
The guitar is kid-sized, but still a little big for the Reid-man. So, we play it on the floor for now, like a mandolin. Of course, he keeps trying to make a violin and tries to a "bow" (aka, whatever is lying around, as you'll see) on the strings. I am trying to discourage this because the sound is horrendous and because I don't want to be replacing snapped guitar strings just yet.
Here's a video of Reid and his current favorite musical instrument. Not the most entertaining video, but definitely a sampling of what I am hearing throughout the day this week. Maybe I can get him on tape singing next time...
The community across the street from ours had a big yard sale, so I got up and went early Saturday morning. I spent a whopping $7.50 on an unfinished bird house (future art project for Reid, $.50), kid-sized guitar (teal green with flowers, $2), and the bargain of the day - a Little Tikes Kitchen in really quite good condition ($5). Woohoo!
I am really most proud of the kitchen. Yes, it is kind of girly, with the pink and purple accents but, 1) Reid could care less about the color, 2) it is a great imagination toy, and 3) five bucks is a STEAL! After about 10 minutes of cleaning, it was good to go.
Reid was very excited about the kitchen. He does still like it, but he has been infatuated with the guitar ever since I showed it to him. It is teal green - very Elvis-like - and originally had girly flower stickers on it. I almost passed it up because of that, but thank goodness I realized it was only $2 and that I could probably get those suckers off. And, I did. Piece of cake. I don't mind the teal green - it looks kind of cool, I think, especially since I just got a toy catalog in the mail today that has a similar one in it for $50. Rock on!
The guitar is kid-sized, but still a little big for the Reid-man. So, we play it on the floor for now, like a mandolin. Of course, he keeps trying to make a violin and tries to a "bow" (aka, whatever is lying around, as you'll see) on the strings. I am trying to discourage this because the sound is horrendous and because I don't want to be replacing snapped guitar strings just yet.
Here's a video of Reid and his current favorite musical instrument. Not the most entertaining video, but definitely a sampling of what I am hearing throughout the day this week. Maybe I can get him on tape singing next time...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Misc. Fun Pics
I'm being a slacker today, using pictures instead of words. :) Here are some fun pics of things we've been doing lately...
I know I've posted pictures from previous puddle-jumping sessions before, but we've been at it again. Is this not the cutest picture ever? They had SO much fun that day...
I know I've posted pictures from previous puddle-jumping sessions before, but we've been at it again. Is this not the cutest picture ever? They had SO much fun that day... 
Random picture... this is a field of sunflowers in North Alabama. My little camera can not do it justice. It was breathtaking. It's on a highway - people were slowing down to look at it and there were two other cars pulld over taking pictures. (I'm not the only looney one to do it!)
Ross and Reid at "Touch a Truck" last weekend. Lots and lots of trucks, tractors, etc. to touch!
Reid, ready to use the heavy machinery.
Gramma and Grandpa Weaver stopped in this weekend. Here we are the Greenville Zoo.
Better Late Than Never!
Okay, it has taken me forever to get the Chicago pics up. Sorry. It seems, somehow, that we have had so much to do the past few weeks even though I can't figure out what it all was. Just lots of time-stealers. Plus, since the era of no-napping has begun, my blogging time is limited.
So, here are a few pics from the Chicago trip:
So, I lived there for three years but this picture just never gets old. Here we are before the Cubs game.
The whole group during our Wicker Park/Bucktown food tour. Here we are in Wicker Park.
Toby, me, and Ross at Houndstooth (the Bama bar) watching the Bama game before the Cubs game. We even saw some UNA folks there. It was a big sports weekend!
So, here are a few pics from the Chicago trip:
So, I lived there for three years but this picture just never gets old. Here we are before the Cubs game. 
After the game, elated because we were there when the Cubs clinched a spot in the playoffs. Woohoo!
At brunch with some of my Chicago frends before the Bears game: Casey, Fred, Tracy's mom, Tracy, and us. FYI, Yolk is yummy...
Before the Bears game vs. the Bucs. We lost in OT... but did I mention that the Cubs are in the playoffs?
The whole group during our Wicker Park/Bucktown food tour. Here we are in Wicker Park.
The day before the Cubs game, on Michigan Avenue.
Ross and me with our good friend, Harry Caray.
I was determined to do a self-pic with Harry. I'm not tall enough to get all of us in the shot apparently.
Toby, me, and Ross at Houndstooth (the Bama bar) watching the Bama game before the Cubs game. We even saw some UNA folks there. It was a big sports weekend!
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