Thursday, December 8, 2011

So a Nate Walks into a Bar...

This was taken in October... at the lunch after my grandfather's funeral.  I love the goofy face... too cute!



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving from Nate

Nate must have been very busy at school last week because when he came home on Tuesday he had a backpack jammed full with Thanksgiving crafts:

His "Thankful Pumpkin"


His Turkey



His Pilgrim Hat



And a Native American Headband

Sunday, November 20, 2011

N A T E spells Nate

Nate knows how to spell his name, but he is just learning how to write it.  The other day we were playing with Playdough and Nate shaped all the letters of his name entirely on his own.  He then arranged them on the table, and although they are backward it is still pretty impressive

Friday, November 18, 2011

More funny Sh*t Nate says

  • We were talking about how everyone in the house snores and Nate says, "Daddy, I don't even know how to snore."
  • Jon asked Nate" Nate, why does mommy have an attitude?"  Nate replied "Because she has a vulva." (either he doesn't know what he is talking about or he knows too much, I can't decide)
  • While watching a Phineas and Ferb episode featuring chicken soup Nate says to me, "Mommy, I don;t like chicken soup... it makes me allergic to cats."

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Fall 2011

Nate and I have been busy this fall.  We have discovered some new playgrounds and a big hill to climb again and again.



We ate cupcakes... yum!



And relaxed... on dog beds... in Petsmart.




And we were struck down by illness... a double ear infection for Nate just in time for Halloween... He never made it off the couch, poor baby.




But once the antibiotics kicked in he started to feel more like his normal self...

Friday, October 21, 2011

Halloween 2011

I love Halloween!  I decorate the house, wear costumes to work, make caramel apples, carve pumpkins, etc.  Nate, on the other hand, does not really like Halloween.  I got him to wear a costume for his first Halloween, but he was only 10 months old so he didn't make much of a fuss.  On his second Halloween I wrestled him into his Yoda costume for approximately 7 seconds before he ripped it off.  Last year was kind of a fiasco.  We bought him a Buzz Lightyear costume.  Then he decided that he wanted to be Gir from Invader Zim, so I made him a Gir costume.  When Halloween night rolled around Nate decided that he did not want to wear any costume or go out and get candy because... he was coloring.   

So this year, I have really no hopes of anything.  I wasn't planning on making him a costume because he doesn't like to wear them.  I rolled him through the Halloween isles at Target and he didn't see anything he wanted to be.  So I was a little shocked when he told my mother, his preschool teacher, and anyone else who asked or would listen that this year he is going to be "TrackBuzzGir."  What is "TrackBuzzGir" you ask?  According to Nate is it Buzz Lightyear's Body with Gir's head and train tracks for feet.

Lucky for me we have most of the components for this costume already, all I have to do is make some felt train track shoe covers, or not, we'll see what happens.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Nate-isms

The other night while Nate was in the bathtub he accidentally got some water up his know.  If you have ever had this happen, you know it kind of tingles and burns a little bit.  Nate clutched his head, as if in agony, and wailed, "Mommy!!! My brain hurts!!!"

It was hysterical.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Nate's First Day of Pre-school

Nate's first day of pre-school was today and it went way better than I ever could have expected.  He has been excited for this day for a while now, but you never really know how he is going to react to a situation.  And, this is the first time that I have ever left him in unfamiliar surroundings.

I was trying to make this as festive and fun as possible, so I created a school banner and hung it in the living room.


The pre-pre-school breakfast shots:


With back pack on and heading out the door:


We walked to school from my mom's house (I don't know that she will be happy with this pic, but it is SO cute!):


And here is Nate walking in to the Pre-school building:


He walked right in, listened when his teach told him where his back pack went, and then got to playing with the toys.  I hugged him, told him I loved him and then left.  Yes, I cried a little, although the emotions are so complex that I can;t exactly put my finger on why. 

When I went to pick him up he was all smiles and excitement.  Telling me about what he did, who he met, etc.  The teacher's aid said "he has a ball" and with that all of my pre-pre-school anxiety slipped away.

Funny story from the first day: 

Nate: "Mommy when I was in school I farted."

Me:  "Oh, did you say excuse me?"

Nate: "No."

Me:  "Nate, did you tell everyone that you farted?"

Nate:  "Yeah mommy..."

I can see a letter coming home soon... something about good manners... ;)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Just Like Daddy


"Now I have tattoos just like daddy!"

Friday, August 5, 2011

Nate Napping

Yes, at 3.5 years old Nate still naps everyday... it is wonderful!  But, with the bathroom under construction we can;t get to his room during the day with the contractors are there.  So, I set him up on the sofa with a nest of blankets and his nummies and hoped for the best.  It isn't the longest nap in the world (45 minutes to an hour tops), but it is a little bit of down time.

They are so cute when they are asleep :)


Painting

Nate LOVES to paint.  There isn't much that holds his attention, I mean really HOLDS his attention, but the other day we painted both with a brush and our fingers for 2 solid hours.

Conked Out

I always check on Nate before I got to bed... he has a tendency to kick his covers off and then get cold.  This is how I found him.  I guess he got out of his bed to read a book and play with his Duplos and then just conked out.

Friday, July 1, 2011

First Trip to the Dentist

Nate went to the dentist for the first time today.  He was EXCELLENT!!!!!  He did everything that was asked of him, I was so proud.

We have been reading a lot of books about going to the dentist and he came with me for my last cleaning, so nothing was really foreign to him.  He sat in the chair like a big boy, had his teeth counted, had his teeth polished, had a little plaque removed and had a floride treatment.  Then for the best part, he got to show off his spitting skills by spitting in the sink.

Then came the best part... a new toothbrush, Scooby Doo stickers, and a red (Nate's favorite color to paint with) balloon. 

Sitting in the chair


Getting his teeth tickled polished
Having the dentist count his teeth (he has 20 in case you're interested)

A Second Visit with Thomas

Recently we made our second pilgrimage to the Strasburg Railroad to see Nate's favorite mode of transportation... Thomas the Tank Engine.  Interestingly enough, I actually have no pictures of the engine in question, only picture of my little boy having the time of his life.

This is our second visit to see Thomas in the flesh, so to speak.  We went on a weekday, which was a very good thing, as the crowds were manageable and the lines much shorter.  Less people meant that we got to do some of the other things there like ride on the cranky cars and take a ride on the Cagney train, both of which Nate loved!

A bonus ride was in the school bus that acts as a shuttle between the railroad station and the corn field parking lot.

 On daddy's lap in the school bus

Having a snack while taking a ride on Thomas

Watching out the window as we pull back into the station

Friday, June 17, 2011

Phantom Picture

I really don't remember taking this picture, but here it is on my phone, so I must have... and I love it.  This is Nate in the morning, still sleepy, binky (or nummy as he calls it) in place, coming in for a cuddle.

Fun at Linvilla

For something different, I took Nate to Linvilla Orchard yesterday to run around. We saw two still-spotted fawns, touched a sheep, fed the ducks, but clearly the highlight of the trip was the wooden train in the playground.


 
 
 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Potty Training Style

Nate and I are potty training this week.  Today is day three and I am starting to see some progress.  I took the advice of lots of other moms who said to dress him in just undies and a T-shirt to make getting to the  potty in time easier.

Here is Nate rocking his own person potty training style: a tie dye, gerber training pants, and flame Chuck Taylors.



Wednesday, May 25, 2011

BICYCLE! BICYCLE! I want to ride my bicycle....



P.S.  This is my tricycle from when I was Nate's age... :)

Friday, May 20, 2011

Lunch with Nate

I was off yesterday, so after a morning visit with Nana and Zayde, Nate and I went and had lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen.  Nate decided he wanted to make silly faces for the camera... so this is what I got.

Busy Coloring


Making a Pseudo Fish Face


All cheeks!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Relaxing at the Depot

Last weekend we went to Home Depot to get a bazillion bags of mulch, plants, etc. to spruce up the front yard.  Nate decided that he wasn't going to stress about yard work, he was going to relax... by laying sideways in the seat of the car cart.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I Think We Found Nate's First "Chore"

And that would be mowing the law.  We had to go to Sears on Friday to buy a new lawnmower as our old one caught fire the last time it was started.  Nate had fun with the lawn tractors.


Thursday, April 21, 2011

Easter Egg Hunt

Every year the University that I work for hosts an Easter Egg hunt for the children of employees.  I had my mom bring Nate down so that he could join in the fun.  It was a rousing success!



Waiting for the hunt to start



Hunting!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Coming and Going...

My little boy, or should I say big boy, learned to ride a tricycle this week.  Here are two short videos of him riding.  He is good at peddling, not so good at stopping or steering, but those things come with practice.


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A New Adventure

I had to run some errands the other morning and promised Nate that I would take him to the playground if he was good.  He was really good, so off to the playground we went.  I found a new playground that had a stream behind it.  So we did a little a climbing, a little digging in the dirt with construction vehicles, and then we took a walk down by the stream where Nate delighted in throwing stone in the water.  It was a good day.