Motherhood is even sweeter...

...when shared with people you love!

I have really been blessed by living near my sister since we moved out east.  It's wonderful to be able to share together in the joys and trials of raising boys!  C has always had an affinity for his Aunt Net and it only continues to grow the more time he is able to spend with her.  And my nephew is the cutest little thing!  It's so fun to get to watch him grow and change...he was using words this time!  His "more pease" is pretty much the sweetest.  We went to the aquarium this weekend.  I laughed as I watched my sister chase after B like a crazy person because I sooo remember those days.  And I laughed at the irony of C's sudden fascination with looking at every. single. fish.  The last 3 times we've been he has zoomed through the place with his face buried in the map not stopping at one exhibit.  And this time, when it would have proved very useful not to care about "stopping to look" he spent many thoughtful minutes peering into tanks as B ran laps with his mom taking people out like a defensive lineman to keep up with him.  Anyway, we really enjoyed having our family in town and are already planning our next trip to WV!

                                              

Shoveling snow sucks...and I love my baby

Hate this...

 But this...this I love.

My boy and I have hit another one of those rough patches. 

 And I love these sweet, smiling moments. 

They are what gets me through the day.

"Just like Daddy"

Today we went to the barbershop on base for C's regular haircut.  I told the gal to go short on the sides and back and leave a little length up top.  His typical high-n-tight.  While I was waiting, I heard him mention something to his hairstylist about his daddy and saw that she smiled and nodded along.  Ten minutes later his hair looked great but as soon as she held up the small mirror for him to take a look his little face just crumpled and he burst into tears.  She looked up at me in horror wondering what she'd done wrong.  I was wondering the same thing!  I jumped up as he was telling her, "You did the wrong thing!  You didn't do what I told you."  Apparently what he had told her was that he was getting his hair cut just like Daddy's.  Given the language barrier between the two of them, and the fact that the woman has never laid eyes on C's Daddy...it's easy to understand her mistake. ;)  I made sure he knew that she was going to shave all his hair off and asked him if that is what he wanted.  He looked up at me with those sad little, tear-filled eyes and said, "Yes, just like Daddy."  I wish I would have  had my camera on me because when she started the razor back up his face was just glowing.  I did catch the moment she showed him his reflection on my phone and it is just priceless.  The child has been beaming with pride all evening over this!  He's also been telling me that kids with no hair like him are called Africa America kids.  Umm?  "Where did you learn that?"  "From that tv show on August 22nd."  This was after he told me in the post office that he was a kid in China.  Ok, then.  I think I need to google bald white kids and have him take a looksy tomorrow.  Because he may be the only one he's ever seen!

 See?  Beaming with pride!  Does he look like his Daddy now or what?!?

 And a couple of school pictures just for fun.

Working on our frozen sun catcher project.

 Science Experiment...making soap!

 Doing the proud-mama thing here...but look how awesome his letters are!  I was going to write in Batman for him but he insisted on doing it himself and asked me to tell him the letters to use.  Yes, the spacing is a little off, and yes he did leave a little bit of permanent marker behind on the counter top with that 'N' that got a little out of control...but seriously...I haven't even formally taught him all these letters yet!  So proud. :)

Preschoolers by Day...Superheroes by Night

Batman & Batgirl

 

Saving the world, one bit of cuteness at a time! ;)

For the fam

It has been requested by my husband that I post more often.  Even though I pretty much tell him everything that goes on during the day when I talk to him on the phone at night.  He wants to see pictures of his little man.  Make sure he's not missing anything.  Feel connected to us.  I get it.  So, I am making an effort to take more pictures and blog more often.  Our days aren't too exciting...especially during the cold winter months.  So, for the two of you reading that are not related to me, you might be bored. ;)

A little sorting and counting during school time.

 Showing off his dance moves...

 ...he gets them from his Dad.

 And, of course, no day is complete without a little Batman action!

Holding my own...

The hubs is the resident wrestler/rough-houser/sidekick around here.  But, since he is currently not residing with us, C has had to make do with the next best thing.  Moi.  His favorite thing to do is "play Batman by being a person."  Which basically entails the donning of a mask and cape...for him.  And the portrayal of multiple villains by me...all of whom he beats up until they die...at which point I then play the voice of "Alfred the butler," check the batcomputer for my master's next foe, send out the villain, and then get beat up all over again.  It's serious fun.  Seriously.  Except when a jab to the face from a pointy bat ear leaves a mark on my cheek for the rest of the afternoon.  Yeah, except for that.  The joker, penguin, catwoman, and Mr. Freeze all made appearances during today's battle.  Along with a few villains we've created and copyrighted such as dancing girl and poopy gangster.  Yep.  He tells me that poopy gangster "is one of my old, old emenies." 

The old twirly whirl trick...used to disorient and confuse the enemy.

 Batman means business!

 Wait, what's this?!?  Poopy gangster has defeated Batman with one of his stink bombs?

 Not that easily. 

A call to police commissioner Gordon from Alfred and a guest appearance by Superman have revived the hero!

 Not the fireball shooter!

 The villain has been knocked to the ground.  Batman is struggling to finish him off.  But, the only thing that can defeat this foe is the infamous....

 Raspberry of Death!

It's another victory for our favorite superhero. 

You can rest easy tonight.

Home Sweet Home

Because I had to take some pictures of our place for some adoption paperwork.  And because it's never this clean...I thought I would post.  Some of our family has only seen glimpses of the living room during webcams, so here you go...our home sweet home...

It went something like this...move all the junk from the table onto the kitchen island...take picture...take junk plus crap from kitchen island back to table...take picture...and so on and so forth...

Our dining room.  Which doubles as our school room.  Actually, that's all we use it for now with hubby gone.

 C and I eat here, at the island.

 Our "computer nook"

 Living room

 This is the playroom...and also where you can expect to sleep should you ever come visit us! :)

 The Batcave

 The super-girly master suite. ;)

There ya have it folks...army living at it's finest.   We may not be under the same roof, but at least it's a nice one.  Seriously...we totally lucked out and moved at the right time to get into this new construction.  Score!

The things he says...

"You're my baseball" said to me while swinging his foam bat a few feet away from my head.

C:  We forgot to pray!
Me:  You're right, we did.  Would you like to pray?
C:  Yes.  Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful day in Maryland and for mommy and daddy.  And bless them.  And if they die, please take care of me.

Excerpts from his conversation at his last doctor's visit.
Doc: You must be Christopher.
C:  Yep.  That's my mom right over there.  Her name's Rachel.
Doc:  Can you tell me why you came to the doctor today?
C:  Yep.  I got a pretty bad cough.  It's been keepin' me up all night.
Doc:  Do you have any brothers or sisters.
C:  No.  It's just me at our house.  But, pretty soon we're gonna adopt a baby and then I'll have a baby sister.
Doc:  Oh?  Is it going to be a boy or a girl?
C:  Mom says if it's a boy...we can keep it.  And if it's a girl...we gotta keep it.
Me:  That's right.  You get what you get.
Doc:  Hmm...what do you think you'll name her if it's a girl?
C:  Rapunzel.
Doc:  Somebody must've seen Tangled.  What about a boy?  What will his name be?
C:  It'll be Batman.  Just like my name is Batman sometimes.

Pointing at the lady dining at the table next to us, "Wow, she's old."

Me: What are you thinking about C?
C: I'm thinking about bad guys breaking into our house so I can fight them.
Me:  Oh....well, I'm glad we have strong locks on our doors.  I don't think any of the bad guys will be able to get in, but I'm glad that you'll help me fight them if they do.
C:  No, no, no Mom.  You should just stay where you are.  I'm the strongest.

C: Remember when my pet chicken died?
Me:  You had a pet chicken?  I didn't know that.  Where were you keeping him?
C:  He was in the backyard eating popcorn.  But, he died.  I still have the chicks though.  They like popcorn too.

"Mom, you're my space man."

After looking between the couch cushions "I found something!  It's a rotten old chicken cat."

Me:  Boys are stinky and smelly.
C:  And girls are shiny and poopy.

"I will never ever stop crying!  I will cry night and day!"

After putting him in the seat of the cart at the grocery store "You're squashing my penis!"

"Babies don't know what they're doing when they're babies, right?"

"It goes baby, small kid, big kid, grown-up"

C:  Mom, is Nana gonna die?
Me:  Hopefully not for a very long time.
C:  But she's getting really old!

"I miss when I pooped in my diaper all the time."

While helping him get dressed
C:  Mom, I hate it when I see my penis.
Me: Why?
C:  Because it's disgustin'!

"Can you make your smile face again because I'm sorry?"

C:  Here's a flower.
Me:  Is it for me?
C:  Yeah because it has love in it.
Me: What baby?
C:  It has love in it from me.

C:  You are wasting all my love.
Me:  What? 
C:  Every time you spank me, you take my love away and you are wasting it.
(Just for the record, he had not even been spanked that day...or in recent days for that matter)

After unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper
Me:  Oh, Christopher.
C:  Mom, I was trying to make it be like blondie from that movie.
Me:  What?
C:  Rapunzel

Me:  You know, it's not for sure that we'll adopt a girl.  It might be a boy.  We just have to wait and see.
C:  It's gonna be a boy?  HOORAY
(giving me a giant hug)
C:  Thank you.  You're gonna adopt me a baby brother.

"Mom!  That lady I was talkin' to looked just like Nana.  Except she had white hair and Nana has black hair."

Snow = One happy boy

I knew I'd have to go out in the snow today. :)  I needed to shovel the drive anyway, so we bundled up this morning and headed out.

 C was so excited that there was snow on the ground.  He has been wanting to make a snow angel for a long time.  He even declared today that winter is his favorite season.  Gasp!  Who is this kid?!

 Showing off his first snow angel!

 The snow angels turned out so well that he concluded, "Maryland has real snow Mom!  Not like Kansas."

 He promptly changed his tune, however, when it was time to make a snowman.  He kept telling me to roll it and I tried to explain that the snow wasn't wet enough.  It was too dry to roll up.  "I don't want dry snow.  I want snow like in Kansas!  Not a snowman like this...make one like the one at Grandpa's."  I was shocked that he remembered our day in the snow at Grandma and Grandpa's last winter.  We did make a pretty sweet snowman though, check out the link. 

 He can't be my child!  He was doing somersaults in the snow!  It was all over his face...snow...everywhere.  It was like he didn't even care about being cold.  Craziness.

 I love my sweet snow-loving boy...and I love this picture!

 And finally...my reward for bearing the cold for the sake of my son's happiness. :)

Warm chocolate chip muffin and white chocolate cocoa.  Mmmm.