Changes....

Yes, you read that correctly...it says "I'm the big brother."
Get it?
Here, I'll give you a few seconds to comprehend the meaning....

~one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand~

NOW, do you get it? ;)
Yes...soon...in early 2009, Ice Ice Baby will become Ice Ice BABIES.

New Favorite Game

Nathan's new favorite game is to get all the cushions and pillows off the couch, and jump, run, lounge, play all over them. It has become his nightly routine...and he LOVES it! He has recently started wanting to go "night, night" on the pillows. Right now, he accepts the "no, lets go night, night in your bed." excuse...I am sure at some point he will start INSISTING on "night, night" on the pillows....

Which means it is time for Father/Son "camping" in the TV Room! ;)

Aaaarrrrg!

...And just like a real lawn mower, it doesn't always work accordingly. Nathan has certainly learned that lesson already. I am not sure what it wasn't doing that he wanted it to, but he was not happy with it. He even picked it up and threw it to the ground...he was pretty mad!

Then, after a couple of seconds, he picked it up and started mowing the lawn again. Miraculously, the thing was cooperating!

New Favorite Toy

Ahhh, the lawnmower. After weeks and weeks of Nathan wanting to "start lawn mower" after opening the garage door...I decided to drop $15 at the toy store and get him a lawn mower of his very own (I WISH they sold kid size garage doors!). This one is supposed to blow bubbles, but Nathan just doesn't have time for that. As you can see, he has very serious business to attend to.

Keep in mind that while I was taking these pictures, Jonathon was mowing the lawn just a few feet away, but I couldn't get them together as Nathan will only go so close to the real lawn mower when it is running.

Two Crazy Kids

It's Summer...which means the splash parks and pools are open! Which also means...LOTS and LOTS of water/summer pictures to look forward to!

Yesterday we went to the downtown splash park with Collette and Alexa Mortenson. It was a little packed, and Nathan was a little unsure of the water (it is still a bit chilly). Needless to say, he and Alexa managed to have a great time hanging out in the shade. :)

(Don't be alarmed at how red Nathan's face is. He DOES have sunscreen on...he just has my skin tone, which means his face turns red when he gets even a little hot)

Summer Buzzzzzzz

The other day, Nathan woke up with an entire head of hair...we are talking an entire head of hair. It was like, all of the sudden his hair was totally out of control and thick and long. So, we decided to buzz it all off. I was a little nervous as to how he would look with a buzz cut (and also nervous about the reaction from grandparents and great grandparents and aunts and uncles...). I, personally, think it is cute (and Oh So Easy!!!). The person who gave him the haircut didn't do that great of a job...BUT...it will grow ;)

What do you think?

Skin Treatment

Sooo, apparently, in Nathan's Word, there is a new skin care treatment that includes spaghetti sauce....and rubbing it on your face. ;)

I really, honestly, do not know how he got it ALL over his entire face (and IN his ears), but he did! He is very talented! It took a very long bath and a lot of scrubbing to get it all off, and even then his skin was a tad bit stained....

Big Bucket O' Dirt

Bathtub Fun!

Just Because...

Picture of the Day

Look What I Found!

Look who has discovered my makeup bag? It is now his favorite thing to play with when we are getting ready in the morning. His favorite thing in my makeup bag? You guessed it...the lipstick...or anything that has to do with applying to the lips. I am really not sure where he learned that the lipstick goes on his lips because I RARELY even wear the stuff...but apparently he picked it up from somewhere.

In the blood

I believe the subject title says it all. Golf. Already an obsession.

Big Helper

Nathan is getting to the age where I can ask him to start helping me with chores around the house...and he enjoys it (take advantage of this, I know!). So yesterday we went to the Grocery. He was very helpful and sat in the little grocery cart car and ate his "crackers" while I meandered around Kroger, trying to push this semi-truck sized cart. He didn't fuss at all, and was very helpful in making sure that I wasn't feeling lonely by turning around and yelling "Hi, Mama!" over and over again. ;)

Anyways, when we got home he really really really wanted to go and open and close the garage door (because he NEVER wants to do that...ever! ;)). I told him that we could go outside and open the garage door AFTER we got all the groceries put away. He seemed to totally understand and was very eager to help. So...I put him to work. I had purchased some toilet paper for both bathrooms, so I asked him to take one of the t.p. packages and put it on the steps so that I could take it upstairs when I go. He did this with excitement. Excitement that he was big enough to help, and excitement that once we got the groceries put away, he could go outside and open the garage door. Once he put the t.p. on the steps, he ran back to the kitchen to find out what his next chore was. I gave him the second package of t.p. and told him to go put it in the bathroom down stairs. Which he did with the same excitement as he did with the first package of t.p. Except...he didn't run back to the kitchen...which I found as odd. So I continued to put some groceries away, losing myself in the "how the heck am i going to fit all this stuff in the freezer" thought that I seem to go through everytime I go to the grocery and get stuff we "need". Realizing that Nathan was not yet back from taking the t.p. to the downstairs bathroom, I decided that I had better go check on him to see what he was doing (it was awfully quiet!). So...I walked to the bathroom....and this is what I found:

Apparently the word "bathroom" means "toilet" to Nathan. Which makes sense, because we do say "going to the bathroom". And oh yes...he was flushing the toilet, trying to get the t.p. to go down. You could tell he was a little confused as to how to make it go down, so that he could finish his chore and go outside to open the garage door. :)

Candy?

Every day, at least once a day...normally when Nathan wakes from his afternoon nap...the following conversation occurs:

Nathan: Candy? Candy? Candy?

Me: No candy, how about a snack?

Nathan: Garage door?

And by "candy" he means Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The mini ones. He LOVES them! I normally let him have two or three a day...and he insists on opening them himself. I was able to catch the special moment he has while opening his candy....as you can see, it is a very private, intimate moment for the little guy.

(Also: notice the tiny bit of chocolate on his mouth...)

Pool Party!

Gianna the Diva. :)

Gianna

Ahh Gianna. Quite the diva already, but oh so adorable! Gianna is the granddaughter of one of Beth/Grand-Mom's friends. Gianna and Nathan are 9 months apart (Gianna, being older). While in Arizona, we got the kids together and let them play in the park and then go swimming...I have to say, 9 months doesn't seem like much, but Gianna is a true little girl. She doesn't have any "toddler" in her at all. It was fun to see what Nathan will be doing when he is 9 months older. I didn't even think that at some point even the word "toddler" would no longer describe my little baby boy. I guess pretty soon he will just...be...a boy.

What a sweet, sweet boy.

O-R-E-O

So while we were in Arizona visiting my Mom (more photos to come of our trip, I promise!), Nathan discovered the glorious goodness of the OREO. She had the little individual size packages of the mini-Oreos...perfect for little toddler hands. Anyways, as you can see, Nathan enjoyed them, immensely. He ate them as if they were a delicacy. It was quite entertaining.

Garage Door...Open?

Nathan's new name is "Rainman". For those of you that have been around him in the last two weeks, you know exactly what I am talking about. He is obsessed with the garage door. Slightly scared of it, but completely, 100% OBSESSED with it. It is all he talks about. All he dreams about. All he wants to do. The following is what I hear a minimum of 1,000 times on any given day:

Me: Hiii, Nathan....

Nathan: Garage door? Open garage door? Close garage door? Open it? Close it? Garage door...?

It is garage door, all the time around here. Once it is opened, he wants to close it. Today, I just gave him the garage door opener and let him go to town....he stood at the door, looked out the window and opened it, then closed it. Opened it, then closed it. Then he would run to me and tell me about it. Then he wanted me to watch him do it. Then he would open it and close it. Open. Close. Open. Close. Open. Close. (I know, I know. It isn't good for the garage door. I know. But after the 2nd week of hearing "Open garage door" every 30 seconds, all day long, my ears are about ready to fall off and I have run out of excuses and energy to explain to him why we cannot open the garage door.)

And it isn't just our garage door...it is everyone he knows. He asks if we can open and close the garage door where ever we go, and whomever we go to visit.

It was cute about a week ago...now it is...just well...exhausting. :)

Picture of the Day

Life is rough.