Kapow!

It has come to that time. That time when I need to start recording things my baby is saying. First, it was Gabe. When he started saying words I dismissed them as flukes and didn't record them for a while because he was certainly much to young to start talking (right?). Then Zion with her funny little "Ididit!" as one word while she threw her hands up in the air in triumph. She was less than one at that time and I didn't care if she was really saying it or not, it sure sounded like it to me and others so I counted it. Now it's Gideon's turn. He's got "Mama" (or has he prefers, simply "MA!"), "Dada", "hi", "bye", "yay", "Kay-Cue" (thank you) and those sorts of things. And "Kapow!" which he says while smacking himself on the head and that makes us laugh but not as much as how he says "up". He doesn't. He says "pow".

Then I say "no, say UP".

Him: POW!

Me: UP

Him: POW!

Me: UP!

Him: uuPOW!

And we both laugh and I hope that he doesn't learn to say "up" the right way for a long time because it's just too cute.

Wacky Hair

Who is that dashing fellow? It's OK if you didn't recognize him right away. What with that wacky, wacky hair and all. So, maybe it's not all THAT wacky but it is for Gabe. Really. Really wacky. The reason behind all this wackiness? It was Wacky Hair and Goofy Glasses night at AWANA.

This is about the face he was making while I was doing his hair. (In fact, he just about cried. Real tears because "I don't like messy hair!" Wail!)

He had fun though and one two pieces of candy for his wacky hair. One candy he gave to Zion. You can mess up the boy's hair but you can't mess up his sweet heart I guess.

Batman Is Finished!

And I don't mean that in the same way one of Batman's enemies might. No. In fact, Batman is finished in the way that I hope one of his biggest fans will love and appreciate. Back when I first started knitting, nay, even before I could really be called a "knitter" because I still had to look at directions to finish one row of knitting, my sister bought me that Stitch 'n Bitch book that I've mentioned in previous posts. In that book is an illusion scarf. A scarf in which a picture of an alien comes and goes depending on how you look at the fabric. I thought it was pretty cool except for, well, the alien. One day I had an inspired thought. What if I replaced the alien with the Bat symbol? It would make a perfect gift for Jessa, my niece.

I had no idea what I was getting into. First, find picture of Bat symbol online somewhere and print it. Second, put said symbol under graph paper, tape to sliding glass door and trace. Third, color in Bat symbol on the graph paper so that you have a new and blocky symbol. Fourth, get empty graph paper pages. Fifth, color in Bat symbol on graph paper only use every fourth row. Sixth, color in third row on graph paper (and then every fourth row after that) with the negative image. Voila, you have your pattern.

Then knit. And purl And keep knitting and purling. In fact, knit or purl 28,800 stitches. Then bind off and add fringe. SO easy! ;) Actually, it was fairly easy, just time consuming. I'm glad that I gave myself three months to do it because it meant that I didn't have to totally rush and did get to work on - and finish, a number of projects while I had this one on the needles.

Just before I finished it I had Rob take a picture of me working on it while wearing it. It's long. Oh yeah. Long. But, you know, it will keep her really warm. 100% wool. Really, really warm. Now, the picture of me isn't the greatest. Almost so not the greatest that I hesitated to even let anyone see it, but that's beside the point. Just wanted you to know that I know that, yeah, I look really bad in that photo. But the scarf looks great. See, you can't see the Bat symbol AT ALL.

In the next photo with it laid out on the table you can kind of see the symbol because the light coming in the window at it sideways like that makes it show up a little. But in the last photo, taken from the side - KAPOW! There it is in all it's glory.

And I can post about this FINALLY since I was able to give it to Jessa for her birthday over the weekend.

Random

Our life lately in random photos.

Gideon in one of the cutest pictures of him ever. Look at those cheeks! He's a total walker these days. I think I may have mentioned this but before he was just "mostly" walking, now he's "totally" walking. All over. And he's mischievous. Not a good combo. He loves to get in trouble. He laughs his head of when I say "No!" no matter how stern I say it.


My MOPS group started back up again on the 15th. I am lucky to be a table leader again this year and have the added joy of being the Publicity gal too. At the start of the year I like to give the ladies at my table a little welcome gift. This year I made little scripture blocks. I started with plain wood blocks picked up at the craft store, some paint, Mod Podge (like watered down Elmer's glue), and some cute papers. First paint.

Then Mod Podge on the papers.

Then Mod Podge on the scriptures that you picked out and printed onto regular paper. While things are drying in between steps also Mod Podge a cut pencil box for your daughter who is suddenly into doing homework. Just like big brother. Big brother who is the "Kinderstar VIP" next week! Way to go, Gabe!


A second ago there was a little bird there. No. Seriously. It was so cute. It's probably been eaten by a cat by now. OK, maybe not (but maybe still) but Maisy is a whacko after those birds. Poor birdies. I'm luring them to their deaths.

Overheard

...while the kids were watching Lilo and Stitch and also running off to play "dogs" for a few minutes here and there. Gabe had stopped to watch the movie again:

Zion: You wanna be a dog?

Gabe: I am. *pause* I'm just a dog who likes to watch movies.

What Does Your Future Hold?

Just ask the Magic 8 Ball, AKA Gideon. He has a number of words down pat that he uses for every situation one of my favorites being a chipper little "Sure!" Such a positive little fellow. He also sings "Ring Around the Rosies" all the time. It is one of Zion's favorite games to play so I guess he picked it up from her. I didn't realize how well he knew it until I found him in the kitchen the other day - alone - toddling in a tight little circle singing "ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes" until I said "we all fall down" and he plopped on to his bottom.

He is walking quite well these days. Often times, while he walks he says "wa', wa', wa'..." (walk, walk, walk). I think I could learn a thing or two from him about keeping on task. "Making breakfast, making breakfast, making breakfast... or driving the car, driving the car, driving the car...". I betcha I'd stop walking into a room only to realize I couldn't remember why I went in there in the first place. "Getting a pencil, getting a pencil, getting a pencil..."

"Going to bed, going to bed, going to bed..."

Vacation Videos

Rob's camera takes short videos. Here's a couple from our vacation. (Scroll down to the bottom and hit "pause" on the music player if you want to hear the videos. If you don't, no worries, you aren't missing much.)

We thought we'd just put our feet in. We thought we'd just go to lunch afterward. Then Gideon plopped right down. Since I knew there was no way to make him not wet I just let him play. We ended up having to strip him to rinse his clothes and get the sand off of him so we took him to lunch naked but for a diaper. Only a few people in the restaurant looked at us strangely.

We could hardly keep the kids out of the pool while we were there, visited it every day. Gideon was especially funny. He loves to stick his face in the water. Over and over. Sometimes he didn't seem to realize he needs to come up for air.

Gabe and Zion had their fun, too. With water wings they were pretty much independent (with us keeping close by of course). By the end of the week they were jumping into the pool. I stopped cutting at a weird spot, don't know why, but no matter, they didn't do the "big jump" anyway.

On Tuesday we had the joy and privilege of seeing Gabe off on his first day of Kindergarten. Gabe has been waiting to ride a school bus since he first new what one was. He's been counting school buses that pass us when we're driving around for years now and asking which one is his. I am hoping that he will still love school as much once the newness of riding the bus has worn off.
All ready to go. Back pack. Check. New shirt. Check. New jeans. Check. Old shoes that barely fit because he's been wearing sandals all summer and we didn't realize he'd outgrown all of his shoes nice shoes. um ... check?

He even let me gel his hair a little. OK. So what I really mean to say is that I actually remembered to gel his hair a little. (I even had to go buy hair gel.)

The school asks that parents put their kids on the bus the first day then drive to the school to meet the bus, help them find their class and get them settled. The bus stop is a around a couple of corners (lucky us, the school district had to make cut backs so they no longer have bus stops in neighborhoods, so we have to walk a ways) so I drove us down. That way I could just hop in the car and head right to the school after he boarded the bus. Wouldntcha know it started to rain right after we pulled up to the stop in the car wiping out any doubt of which state we live in. Luckily I had thought to grab him a jacket and I was even able to spot an umbrella in the car (the umbrella being for my camera of course) so we waited outside in the rain.

And there goes my baby. Just like that. He doesn't even look back.

And *poof* just like that, he's back.

It had stopped raining so I surprised him by bringing his bike down.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Tonight at bedtime I asked him what his favorite part of school was and he said "my teacher". Very cool.

Olly Olly Oxenfree

Come out, come out, wherever you are?

I think I'm hearing y'all yell that. Where have I been anyway? Well, shortly after my last post we all went on vacation. I didn't blog while we were away. Shameful, I know. Then when we got back we were preparing for Gabe to start school. AHHHHH! My baby. It's too soon. For Gabe though it's not soon enough. He's been talking about going to school - or more specifically, riding the school bus, since he was two.

So Tuesday we saw him to the bus and we've been trying out our new routine for the last few days. This means a new nap time for Gideon and Zion so that they will be awake in time to meet Gabe at the bus stop.

I have a ton of pictures to post though so I promise to be back soon. For now I'll leave you with the fact that Gideon is pretty much walking all over the place now. His mimicking the tones and cadences of our speaking has cranked up a few notches as well. While he can actually say a few things and sign a few things, he'll mimic an entire sentence nearly perfectly just with sounds. Right now he's walking around with a stuffed Big Bird under his arm. Experiencing an extreme cuddle need at the moment I guess.

Well, ta ta for now. Back soon armed with many photos.