How do you like that?

That's right!  Two days in a row!  Enjoy it while it lasts!

Daniel and I got to get a little of taste of what life with two kids would feel like yesterday.  My sister AND her husband got the stomach virus, so we volunteered to keep their one year old last night.  She did not like our bathtub and woke up at 4am, but was great otherwise.  Sullivan slept with 'us' since it was storming...I say 'us' because Daniel abandoned me to go sleep in Sullivan's room at some point.  My niece joined us at 4,  but there was really no sleep to be had after that point.  A kid asleep on each arm does not make for comfortable sleeping.  I'm am saying prayers that we don't get the stomach virus.  I'm so paranoid now, any twinge sends me into a panic. ;) The stomach virus is evil. I am prepared with Zofran thanks to a wonderful friend should the worst occur.

Labor day weekend was extremely exciting around the Martin household.  We made a trip to Tupelo, went to Kroger, cooked a bunch of stuff, cleaned a little.  We were going to go to Home Depot, but there wasn't enough time. :)  We did attempt a local 'country fair'.  About 5 minutes after arriving, while waiting for the tractor to come pull us up the hill to the fair, Sullivan managed to sit in an army ant pile.  He got about 20+ bites on his legs.  I got one and it itches like the dickens.  Don't know how he's taking it so well.  Those buggers bite and you have to just about pull them off.  After finally making it up the hill, we proceeded to sweat, eat not great food, and spend a fortune on 'junk for a good cause'.  I bought a pound cake that was either under cooked or totally screwed up, so that went in the trash.  All in all, not the best event.  Not sure we'll be back.  We blew up the swimming pool to cool off once we got home.  Popsicles make all things better.

I also attempted my first silk flower arrangement.  It didn't turn out how I had really pictured, but I'm ok with it as a first attempt.  I do want to change out the moss to a less green moss. My dining room table always looks so empty with just a tray or whatever on it.  By the way, Hobby Lobby flower selection overwhelms me.  It's a miracle I was able to pick out stuff that somewhat coordinated.

Tonight I'm making turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach.  Unusual for me to cook during the week, but I have things that need to be cooked before they go bad.  Isn't my life super exciting? :)

Summer

So it's September.  And, yes, I may be the worst blogger ever.  Whenever I take such a long break from the blog, I find it really hard to play catch up.  Here goes..

In May, we went to the carnival.

In June, we went to the beach.  We rented a house with a pool in Inlet Beach, FL.  It was very nice to have so much space and access to a pool 24/7 without fighting crowds.  The week flew by.  I've determined all vacations should be 2 weeks at least in order to unwind and relax before having to leave.  We also learned that renting a golf cart is an excellent idea!

In July, we celebrated the 4th of July at the Lake, at the Farm , and again in our neighborhood.  It was a big day.

We then traveled down to the Coast to attend the circus and visit with Nanna.

I had a birthday.  Got an awesome new camera, and this was my first photo. :)

Had a Lake gathering.

I believe those are most of the highlights.  Here's to attempt #2562093 to try and blog regularly.  We shall see!

What month is it?

Time seems to be moving so quickly, I really do have trouble believing it's almost mid-May.  I come here often with the intent of blogging, but have felt totally uninspired lately.  Work has been insanely busy/crazy/stressful, and it has really just sapped me.

Since my last post, Daniel and I have hosted Easter at our house, celebrated 6 years of marriage, survived another of Sullivan's stomach viruses, failed at swimming lessons, sweated through Double Decker, and had a more than successful first camping experience with Sullivan.

So, what's up with the Pooh Bear lately?  We have almost fully mastered potty training.  We occasionally have a #2 incident, but if we are watchful, those can be avoided!  He still can't get undressed or dressed without assistance, but he's mastered washing his hands and brushing his teeth on his own.  He's getting so big!  He is such a talker!  He's constantly commenting on the trees, the trucks, the moon, the birds...you name it.  He likes to make up his own lyrics to songs and has quite an imagination.  One of his favorite things is to lay on the floor with one of his tractors and just sing or talk and play all by himself.  He loves to read his books at night and always ask for "just one more".  He's started sneaking into our bed in the pre-dawn hours, so I've got to figure out how to put a stop to that.  It is sweet to wake up next to him though. :)

We went camping in Tishomingo State Park this past weekend and had a blast.  Sullivan got a big kick out of fishing, sleeping in a tent, eating outdoors, feeding the geese and ducks, and hiking.  He got a kick out of the 'swimming' bridge (Swinging Bridge), and counting the rock steps as we went up and down.  We stopped at 'the beach' to check out the creek.  During nap time, we loaded up in the air conditioned car and hit all the sights on the Natchez Trace in that area while Sullivan napped.  Worked out nicely!  All in all, it was the perfect distance with just enough activities to keep us all entertained.  Look forward to taking him to the Nanty this fall!

The garden is coming along nicely this year, so far.  I really tried to follow directions and plant as instructed and use proper nutrients.  I still have a few other things I hope to get planted, but what we have is growing nicely.  I have my first 2 Roma tomatoes on one plant!  We've got 2 kinds of basil, Italian parsley, cilantro, lavender, mint, rosemary, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, a variety of heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and strawberries.  Our pear tree is FULL of pears, so I've been doing some research on that.  Apparently, after they are ready to be picked, you should let them ripen in a cold area (fridge) before eating or they won't get ripe and will be gritty.  Nice to know why last years weren't so great for eating.  I've also had recommendations for doing pear preserves with the leftovers, so I  might try that out.  There is definitely a part of me that would love to have a bigger piece of land and grow more, have a goat, some chickens, etc.  The reality I'm sure wouldn't be as fun as I imagine, but it's a nice thought.

Daniel's youngest brother is graduating this weekend, so we'll be hosting his family.  Sherri, the girls, and Mom and Freddie are going to the cabin for this weekend since it's Mothers Day.  I'm hoping to get over for a visit with them during the actual graduation ceremony.  Going to be a busy weekend, but I'll be glad to get a visit in with everyone.

whew..

I have no idea how to catch you all up on what's been going on with the Martins lately!  Man, big changes around our house!  Here goes!

1. Sullivan has moved to a big boy bed.  I have to say, this was pretty dang easy.  He had a couple of nights where he would get out of bed a few times and we'd put him back, but now we put him down and he stays all night!  Granted, he gets up much earlier these days and comes to wake up Momma, but I don't mind most days!  It's nice to be up a little earlier to enjoy my coffee and some time with my Pooh bear.  Hoping to start walking in the mornings soon!

2. Sullivan is potty trained!  What, what!?!  Ok, we still have issues at night and on the weekends when we are running around, but he stays dry every day at school in big boy underwear.  Everyone told me the 2 year old class's teacher is the potty training master, and they were right!  We didn't have to do anything!  He still doesn't tell us when he has to go, so we just put him on the potty about every hour and voila!  Next we have to conquer going while standing up and the whole aiming thing.  I think I'll let Daniel figure that all out.  :)

3. We have the sweetest boy ever!  Yes, now come the gratuitous bragging on my son.  Move to 4 if you can't take it!  Some of his common statements these days are, "I'm so proud of you" , "Daddy, you have a good day", "Are you ok Mommy?" (if I've said ouch or something), "I stayed dry all day!", "Sophie is a baby jaguar" (we're big into Dora and Diego these days).  Sullivan is big on kisses and hugs and holding hands.  He's learning to do basic addition!  lol.  we've mastered 1 + 1 and 1+2.  He's so smart, and just amazes me daily.  "I'm so proud of him!" (wonder where he learned that, huh?)

4. Daniel and I went skiing in Telluride in February for a whole week!  Did that week ever fly by!  We were in surprisingly better shape than I had anticipated, and had a wonderful time.  There was great snow and we got 17 fresh inches while there in addition to some beautiful blue bird days.  It was hard to be away from Sullivan for that long, but he did great.  It was wonderful to get home to him though.  I think he'll have to go next time.  Every time I saw a little group of kids in ski school, I missed him!

5. My Mom, sisters, and two older nieces all went to Birmingham a couple of weekends ago to see Wicked.  Although the weather was dreary, we had a great time shopping, dining, and watching the show together.  We had taken a cab to the show and there were no cabs after the show, so we ended up riding a city busy to our hotel.  Can't beat 25 cents a person!  I really enjoyed Wicked.  I guess I didn't really know any back story on the show, but I was surprised and I would totally go see it again. 

6. I'm on a health kick that may actually stick!  I'm actually doing Shakeology which may be an expensive load of crap, but if nothing else, I'm hoping it gets my cholesterol and triglycerides lower.  I do feel like I have much more energy since starting it, and I've been exercising much more frequently.  Tonight I'll be going to Zumba for the first time, so we'll see how that goes!  It would be nice to add something else to my rotation of walking, yoga, elliptical.  I'm really hoping to lose at least 10 lbs by June...ie, beach trip.  15 would be super awesome, but I'm really trying to be reasonable and not set goals that are so unreasonable I'll never meet them.

7. It's sunny and 75 here today, so  I'm ready for gardening and working outside!  My garden was a huge flop last year, so I'm determined to do better this year.  I hope to get out there this weekend and pull weeds, turn the dirt and start getting it ready for spring planting.  My biggest challenge is watering, since the bed is located at the back of the yard, we have to drag a hose- yuck.  Sometimes we leave it out there and use with soaker hoses, but every time we mow, it has to be moved.  Have I mentioned how much I hate hoses.  what a pain.  We may participate in a share from one of the local producers as well, so I can just grow what works for me. 

8. We got our storm shelter installed yesterday!  It took 4 1/2 hours start to finish.  They cut a hole in the slab in carport, dug out the dirt, lowered the shelter in, back filled with concrete, and done!  It's small, but would definitely hold 6-8 people- maybe more if some were kids and could sit in the open space between benches.  Since we are on top of a hill and have no interior rooms, it makes me very happy to know we have a safe place to go in bad weather.  I'm very glad we found a solution that wouldn't require us to get out in the elements to get in our safe place.  Here is the link to the company we used.  We qualified for a grant through Mema, so they paid a large portion. 

About to head out for a hair cut, so  must close now.  I'll try and stay on top of things!  I have several recipes I want to share!

Please pray for Tripp

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, Tuesday

This will be a random post, but I did want to share with you a new recipe for Chicken Tamale Casserole I tried last week.  I believe it comes from Cooking Light, and we really enjoyed it.  I actually bought and baked chicken breasts the night before, and just baked 2 extra to be used in this casserole.  doing so made the total time for this recipe probably 30 minutes.  Perfect for a 'school night' when I don't have much time to cook after getting home from work.  I would definitely make this again!  I served seasoned black beans with some frozen corn mixed in on the side. 

In other news, I'm shooting for workout #2 of the new year this afternoon.  I'm sure I shouldn't be proud of 2 workouts in 2 weeks, but it is actually an improvement.  We go skiing (pray for snow) in early February, so I have more motivation to try and prepare my poor, out of shape body.  I'm sad to think about leaving Sullivan for a whole week, but it will be very nice to relax and have some adult time.  I shouldn't be already excited about returning from our trip to see Sullivan, but I admit, it's on my mind. I'm hoping once I get there and get settled in, I'll be able to just enjoy each day without constantly looking ahead.

I missed my typical Sullivan's 26 month post, but I did want to share a few of the adorable things he says these days.  This morning in the car it was, "Have a good day! I Lub you!".  Melts my heart every time!  He got a little scared of the fireworks New Years Eve, and since then often tells us or the animals or his toys, "It's ok. Fireworks not scary" or he'll ask "You doing ok Mommy?".  I love listening to him jabber on!  Language and communication are wonderful! 

I'm staring down a huge project at work that is about to take up my days, nights, and weekends, so I may drop off the Earth for a bit. 

2012

A new year is upon us!  I had grand intentions of ringing in the New Year, at least with the East Coasters, but just couldn't make it.  I was in bed by 10:30, but did get to hear, what seemed to be, a never-ending stream of fireworks in our neighborhood.  We had some family and friends over to celebrate, and I got to try some new recipes on them!  I don't know why, but Pinterest has gotten me to try so many new recipes this year!  I get so tired of making the same ole stuff, so I'm grateful for the motivation.  I made bacon wrapped chicken bites and french bread topped with goat cheese, filet, caramelized onions, and yocona sauce.  I got the idea for the yocona bruschetta? from this recipe: http://pinterest.com/pin/148618856422915727/

I also made Korean beef tacos for dinner last week.  Daniel always orders these at a local taco shop, so I thought I would give it a try.  They were wonderful!  A definite keeper in our dinner rotation.  I believe the only modifications I made to the recipe were using the ground ginger in a jar rather than freshly grated and using regular rice vinegar rather than seasoned.  This recipe definitely had some heat to it, but was amazingly good.  The cabbage 'salad' topping was a must! 

I hate making resolutions, but there is something about the end of the holidays and the start of a fresh year that just make me want to start fresh as well.  I have many hopes for the coming year!  I definitely want to be healthier and exercise more.  I also have a huge goal for our family to save a rather large amount of money.  I'm tired of seeing our money go to junk or food or junk food!  I want to get outside more.  I want to do a much better job with my garden this year.  I want to take more weekend trips with my family.  There are so many sites that are driving distance and inexpensive.  I want to volunteer more.  I want to be nicer to my husband and show my appreciation for all he does.  This list could probably go on and on, I'm just glad to start this new year with a positive outlook. Here's to a wonderful 2012!

Christmas 2011

Hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone.  This weekend we will usher in a new year!  2012!  The holidays seemed to fly by quicker than ever this year.  I always hope that things will slow down and we'll be able to sit back and really take in all the magic of the season, but, as usual, that didn't exactly happen.  I was sick the ENTIRE time I was off for Christmas, so that alone was a big hindrance.  We spent Christmas proper in Ocean Springs and came back to Oxford on the Monday after.  My nieces rode with us from Mobile to spend a couple of nights, and it was so wonderful to spend some time with both of them!  I wish I had felt better for all the family time, but at least the mucinex, zyrtec D, nyquil, dayquil, etc kept me out of the bed and mostly present for the festivities. 

this is a video of Sullivan checking out his loot from Santa.  He still doesn't quite understand the concept of Santa, but has definitely enjoyed singing carols, talking about Jesus' birthday, and pointing out all Christmas related decor.  He was also an avid un-wrapper this year!  He really does make Christmas so special!

The next video is of the nieces and Sullivan singing Jingle Bells.

 He had the best time hanging out with his cousins!  They kept him happy and entertained the entire ride back from the coast!  It was wonderful! 

The four of us had breakfast out at Big Bad Breakfast as well.  I sure wish they were closer, so we could do stuff more often!  I hope they'll come up this spring and go to the Tupelo Buffalo Park with us.  I know they would love to feed the giraffes!

For any of you who might not have received an Christmas card in the mail, below are the photos from the card.  We had Bill Dabney come take photos for us again.  He did a great job with what he had to work with.  Of course Sullivan had no desire to smile or sit still! 

And this photo we snapped ourselves. 

May you all have a safe and very Happy New Year! 

25 months?

So, Moms out there, at what point do you stop telling your child's age in months?  And at what point do you stop updating month by month.  I feel a little guilty even asking that.  I know I'm glad I've posted each month of his life so far, because he has changed so much!  I guess I'll keep it up as long as I can.

I watched most of Toy Story 3 the other night.  Holy cow.  As fast as the days, months, years keep flying by, that movie made me so sad!  I kept looking at Daniel and commenting that Sullivan would be going to college before we know it.  Breaks my heart to think about my sweet little boy being all grown up and going off on his own.  Of course, as a parent, everything I do is in preparation for him to become a kind and intelligent adult member of society.  But the reality of that is, he won't be my sweet, cuddly little boy any more.  I totally understand why some parents would tell me to let him sleep in the bed or whatever since soon he would be too old or too cool to want to do so.  Maybe the holidays just have me being emotional and unreasonable. 

On to happier stuff?!  I really don't even know where to begin.  Work has been exceedingly busy, so I feel like we haven't done much of anything lately.  We were in Cleveland for Thanksgiving for a nice, long weekend.  It was wonderful to spend so much time with my family.  I'm looking forward to more downtime over Christmas.  Our Rotary club had the Christmas Store this past weekend, and it was a huge success again.  I believe we bought gifts/books for about 775 children in our county.  This is our club's biggest service project of the year, but so worth the work!  My book club just finished reading The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass?  It was good, but at about 400 pages, it was a struggle for me to find the time to read it!  I hope the next book is 200 or less! 

Ok, so I totally got off track!  Sullivan is 25 months old.  He weighs just over 30 lbs.  Can't recall his height at the moment.  He's doing so well with his language.  We frequently get 4+ word sentences!  He loves to read with us and sing songs with us.  Jingle Bells and Rudolph are big favorites this month.  He's been eating soooooo much better!  Maybe turning 2 turned a corner on that front.  Last night he ate pork tenderloin, carrots I cooked, mac & cheese, roll, and cranberry sauce!  It was like a normal meal!  I shouldn't be this excited I suppose, but it sure will make life easier if I don't have to cook something extra that he'll eat!  Sullivan is loving the Christmas tree.  Daniel says he's just like me in that he wants it on all the time.  First thing he says when he wakes up is "turn on the Christmas treat".  He helped me with quality control while decorating by letting me know if each strand of light or ornament was pretty enough for our tree and where I should put them.  It made my heart so glad to share that tradition with him.  Sullivan and I also made our first snowman together!  Since Oxford got a snow that stuck around for a bit the other morning, he and I made a point to play in it.  Daniel was sleeping...typical lazy bones, but Sullivan and I caught snowflakes on our tongues, built a tiny snowman, and made some snowballs.  We followed this with a cup of hot chocolate...which Sullivan promptly spilled, but it was a lovely morning anyway! 

Sullivan's 2nd Birthday

I'm really going for Mom of the year with this almost month late post!  Never seems to be enough time for reflection or contemplation these days.  My one hour of yoga a week that FNC provides seems to be about all the focusing I get! 

Sullivan's 2nd birthday was a great success.  We had a backyard affair with close friends and some family.  Below are some pictures from the event.

What is Sullivan up to now that he's officially in the 'terrible 2s'?  Well, he can certainly throw a tantrum, but he balances it out with his incredible sweetness.  I must admit, it's very hard not to laugh when he says, "Go to time out Momma!".  He repeats all the phrases I say to him when he's in trouble, right back to me if I make him mad.  I guess I should be impressed he's speaking in sentences at 2 years old, regardless of what he's saying! 

Sullivan has really gotten into emotions.  He'll frequently ask if I'm going to cry or if I'm happy.  When reading Peter Pan the other night, he became very concerned for Captain Hook when the Tic Toc Croc was about to eat him.  He'll say, "Uh Oh, Momma! Uh Oh!" whenever he gets worried about someone.  Cars parked on the side of the road are definite cause for concern since he associates this with Lightening McQueen running off the road in his Cars book.  Our recent walk back from the grove together was filled with "Uh Ohs" since there were cars parked all over the place!  I kept having to explain they were just parked, and that they were ok.

Speaking of the Grove, Sullivan joined us there LSU game weekend.  It was not his first Grove experience, as I had originally thought, but his first since he has become mobile.  And, boy howdy, was he mobile!  He had no fear and would run straight through tents until we finally caught him.  He did get to play football for the first time in the grove, and it was so sweet!  I have memories of watching the Manning boys throw the football in the grove when we were all kids, and I was glad Sullivan got to experience the same.  Daniel and his brothers went to the game, the first half anyway, and Sullivan and I watched from the comfort of Anna's couch.  Painful. 

I would say Sullivan still isn't eating great, except he did suprise me a bit at my Mom's over Thanksgiving weekend.  He ate ham, meatballs, and cranberry sauce!  Not sure why he will eat Bebe's meatballs, but not mine.  Especially since we use the same recipe!  Perhaps my nieces were a positive influence on him!  Either way, I was happy to see him eat something resembling normal dinner fare. 

We go for Sullivan's 2 year check up on Thursday, so I'll have to update stats then.  I know he seems so big and grown up to me!  It amazes me to see the changes mentally and physically since just a year ago!  I am so very blessed to have such a sweet, smart, and handsome boy. 

MISC

This is going to be a random post, but at least I didn't wait until Sullivan's birthday!  2 posts in one month is an improvement, right? 

First, I wanted to share something I stole from the janii . 
Here's a close-up look at St. Benedict, who founded the monastic order of Benedictines and established a rule for living summed up in a book I love: Always We Begin Again ("translated" by a Memphian, too).



The first rule:
live this life
and do whatever is done
in a spirit of loving kindness


Abandon attempts to achieve security,
they are futile,


give up the search for wealth,
it is demeaning,


quit the search for salvation,
it is selfish,


and come to comfortable rest
in the certainty that those who
participate in this life
with an attitude of compassion
will receive its full promise.

I find this to be a nice reminder about life, and what I should be focusing on always. 

We are in big time birthday planning this week since Sullivan's party will be on Saturday.  I probably should have been doing some of this planning for the past month, but I'm a procrastinator and have had a bit of trouble deciding on anything.  I'm still maintaining low key, but there are still logistics to arrange and food to prepare.  I'm sure it will all come together in the end.  As long as we have family, cupcakes and candles, we'll be good to go! 

On the cooking front, I've tried several new recipes in the last month.  I'm addicted to Pinterest and all of these recipes came from there.  I wish I had taken pics, but the pinterest pics are better anyway, I'm sure!

Corn and Potato Chowder : I did really enjoy this recipe.  Next time: more liquid because the crockpot had almost none when we got home from work, and probably a little less corn.  I also added a bit of red pepper to mine.

Ham and Cheese Sliders : my older sister made these on one of our visits down there.  They are easy and delicious! 

Pioneer Woman's Olive Cheese Bread : SOOOO easy and delicious.  NOT HEALTHY, but a great fast appetizer or side!

Baked Egg in a Ham Cup : This recipe is so easy, relatively healthy, and looks beautiful.  I made this for my mother's birthday breakfast and it was a big hit...even with kids!

Weicht Watchers Bubble Up Enchiladas : I added corn and a bit more sauce to this than the recipe calls for.  It was good, but definitely bready. 

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Spinach : Daniel really liked this recipe, but it was a little bland for me.  Next time I would probably do a little garlic butter or caper butter to toss with it?  Just needed something to balance the dirt taste from the spinach and mushrooms. 

Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls : This was easy, delicious, and easy to carry to party.  I used mini muffin pan instead of regular sized.

23 months

It's the final count down (cue music in head).  Less than a month until Sullivan is 2 years old!  I'm shocked, sad, excited, happy, blessed...many things. 

Today is probably not the best day for this 23 month update as we've had 'one of those days' today.  You know when you are doing time outs during breakfast, it's not gonna be a good one.  I have new respect and pity for my dad.  I had his temper/stubborn nature and Sullivan has my temper/stubborn nature.  Although it takes quite a lot to ruffle my feathers, once I cross the line..oh boy.  I know it is impossible and unreasonable to expect logical/reasonable behavior from a toddler all the time, but man, sometimes I just want him to make the connection!  Throwing your cup/food/fork/etc on the ground and then yelling "mine!" until it is returned to you does not win you any brownie points.  Anyway, Daniel had already scheduled a hair cut appointment for Sullivan today, so we went ahead and kept that.  What time was this appointment?  Well, right at lunch/nap time of course.  It did not go well.  Probably our first really embarrassing, screaming kid incident.  We did finally get him calmed down enough for the poor girl to finish cutting his hair.  Next time, I will cut it.  I would rather it look terrible than go through that again.  Whew. 

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, on to the good stuff!  Most days Sullivan is really sweet and inquisitive and curious and playful and fun!  He has really mastered his shapes this month!  He loves to point out triangles, pentagons, squares, circles, ovals, rectangles, etc while we drive down the road.  He has the vision of a freaking eagle!  He'll spot something and it will take Daniel and I minute to realize it's some tiny sticker on the bumper of a car or something barely visible through the trees.  I'm pretty sure he could be us at 'I spy' any day. 

He is really enjoying counting objects as well. We typically don't get accurate totals after 3, but I'm impressed he can do 1, 2, & 3! 

Sullivan was the only kid from his class to participate in fire safety day at school since he's so far ahead of his classmates.  He got to see the fire truck, hear the sirens, see the lights, meet the fire dog, and learn about fire safety! 

He loves to hand out "big hugs" to everyone in our family.  Last night it was "big hug Momma", "big hug Daddy", "big hug Sophie", "big hug Bailey".  Nothing better in this world than a Sullivan hug. 

He now runs anytime you call him to do anything.  Bath time, diaper change, get dressed, dinner, etc.  He'll either run in circles around the house or go hide behind the dining room or kitchen curtains.  He, of course, thinks this is hilarious. 

He has also started saying "change diapers ok?" when he has a dirty diaper. He still makes us chase him down to actually do the changing, but it's funny to hear him say it.  I don't know if it was his Spanish speaking teacher in the 1 year old room or what, but he definitely says some words in a funny way.  Change diapers, colors, and papers all sound funny to us.  He also likes to say "Momma do it" or "____ do it".  He has started memorizing the words for our nightly prayers, so he now contributes more than just an Amen at the end.  He likes to do the Pookie responses when we read "Whats Wrong Little Pookie".  He knows all of the chorus to the song "Loving You".  I would love to get that on camera, but since I'm usually singing it with him, I may have to pass on that.  Trust me, your ears will thank you!

No change on the food front.  I guess it doesn't take veggies or meat to make a smart kid, so I'm not fighting it too hard.  He gets lots of fruit and healthy items, so I'm picking my battles. 

Second birthday party planning is under way.  We plan to borrow several toys/ride/a jumpy thing from a friend and just have a handful of kids and family at our house.  Fingers crossed the weather won't be rainy or too cold for them to be outside in the yard.  Backup plan is currently the garage, so we'll see.  Sullivan wants to sing Happy Birthday every day, so he should be really ready when the time actually comes!  He loves to add the "and many more" to the end of it!  Some of his classmates have birthdays which he will come home talking about, so I'm sure he's getting pumped for his own. 

Here's hoping I blog more than once a month one day soon! 

22 months

Hard to believe my sweet boy is already 22 months old.  It seems like only yesterday I was still pregnant with him!  Where does the time go?  Sullivan has been a busy bee over the last month.  He jabbers on and on...well, until you try to get him to speak to someone on the phone!  He amazes us every day with all he is learning.  He is truly a little sponge.  When he gets home from daycare, he immediately goes to the letter magnets or his puzzles or his trains!  I find myself afraid we aren't providing enough new things for him to learn!  I'm trying to work on more crafts/artsy things in addition to taking more walks and going new places.  He's mastered counting to 10, saying his abc's and can identify most, if not all, is letters.  we've downloaded many new flashcards, but he has those memorized before we know it!  I certainly want to do all I can to foster his love of learning! 

Not much has changed on the food front!  He regularly eats spaghetti-o's in the letters and numbers shapes (refuses to eat the meatballs, so those go to Daniel), pb&j, mac & cheese, cheese pizza, whole wheat waffles, carrots, sweet potato fries, chips and rotel, cheese, any carb, any sweet, tons of fruit.  He will occasionally eat a chicken nugget, but not regularly.  I'm open to any suggestions on alternative protein sources that don't look/taste like meat or veggies! :)  We've started giving him the V8 Vfusion fruit/vegetable juices in the reduced sugar/calorie version mixed with water.  I hate to give him artificial sweeteners, but hate for him to be sugared up while getting his veggies too.  It's a vicious cycle. 

He loves, loves, loves trucks, tractors, helicopters, airplanes, motorcycles, cars, school buses, trains...you get the picture.  He enjoys kicking the soccer ball around, watching wiggles, elmo, or baby Einstein videos on his dvd player.  He wants to help do anything you are doing- unloading the dishwasher, putting away dishes, folding laundry, watering plants, pulling weeds, taking out the trash, checking the mail, etc, etc.  He brings Julia her pacifier and sleep sheep whenever she gets upset or rubs and pats on her.  He goes to get a towel if he notices a mess on the floor and then goes to put the towel back when he's done! (he obviously gets this cleaning thing from Daniel) He likes to sit on Bailey, hug on Bailey, feed Bailey, and boss Bailey around.  He's very helpful and sweet. Although his behaviour has been much improved over the last month, he has gotten back into a 'No' phase.  He actually lays in his crib and says No, no, no, no over and over again in different pitches and volumes.  He practices this with us when he doesn't want to eat his dinner. (pretty sure he gets this from me)  I definitely don't want to encourage it, but sometimes you just have to laugh.  :) Some new phrases he frequently uses are: "they 'e is" which is used for people and things. ) Example: where's your cup? 'they 'e is'.  where's daddy?  'they 'e is'.)  it's adorable.  'Bless you Momma' is said every time I sneeze- so sweet!  'Boool Bus' is something we here on the way to daycare.  'Bailey heal' and 'Bailey hushhhh' are regulars.  He enjoys saying his own name these days as well.  He identifies body parts as his or ours- Sullivan's back, Momma's back, etc. 

A few other things he's gotten good at:
blowing his train whistle
brushing his teeth
washing his hands
closing doors
OPENING doors- not cool

anyway, sorry for the long wordy post.  you know this is mainly for me to remember.  :)  As usual, we feel so blessed by Sullivan every day.  His sweet hugs and kisses make life worth living.