past & present

Just some school work M brought home that made me smile. He has no idea how far we've come.

Roach Jockey M

The Bug Bowl was going on at Purdue this weekend so we packed it up and made the trip to Lafayette. M has been studying insects in school so the timing was perfect and we never want to pass up a chance to visit Gabe, Bobbie, and the boys. We invited our cousins from Indianapolis to come join us on Saturday. 

We couldn't help but go back on Sunday with another set of cousins. M rode a (too big) bike to lift some ping pong balls...

...while daddy and Gabe rode these bikes to be nothing but fun.

The weather wasn't as nice as we would have liked so we ventured into one of the buildings to discover we were just in time for some roach racing. M wanted to put his name in the hat to be a Roach Jockey so while we waited for bets to be placed and more people to arrive, the kids "practiced college".

Then M's name was called to be the green Roach Jockey! I think he was a little stunned to up there in front of everyone, but he got a cool green hat and he was holding some bugs...so he was alright.

And they're off! They told the kids they had to eat their roach if it lost, and I'm pretty sure M believed him for a second. He looked over at me with some really wide eyes...

His roach came in 3rd...and he didn't have to eat him. He did get to keep the hat though and he got a fun certificate.

...of which he did NOT want me to take a picture.

Rules to live by...according to M

Step 1 - Dance
Step 2 - Sing a Song
Step 3 - Sing the ABCs
Step 4 - Play with your Cat
Step 5 - Help People and Ellis
Step 6 - Clean Up
Step 7 - No Wrestling
Step 8 - Listen
Step 9 - Be Nice to Ellis
Step 10 - Do Not Burp on Purpose
Step 11 - Do Not Brag
Step 12 - Do Not Whine
Step 13 - Do Not Cry

he earned it!

Today, M got the last hole punch (of 13) on his Good Deed Card which earned him a new BeyBlade. He has been working on this card for about a month, so he was pretty pumped...

He earned it with good behavior, unsolicited good deeds, and exhibiting kindness (mostly to his brother). Finally, a reward system that seems to work for M...we'll be hanging up Good Deed Card #2 tomorrow.

ridin' bikes

We weren't expecting to get to do this until spring, but mother nature had other plans. Let's try out those bikes Santa left for us!

This guy was ready to go! He's been riding it around the living room for a couple weeks now, so he was happy to get out into some open spaces.

M is still just a tad short in the leg and I think this bike weighs as much as him, but he got it going and does really well with it despite that. He just needs to practice to build some confidence now.

may i introduce...batman.

 M loved him immediately...

...couldn't stop looking at him, talking to him, reading to him??

& if you see him now and wonder why he looks a little different. I have no idea. ::wink::

As interesting as watching grass grow...

In this case, whatever that may be would be really interesting.  I'm talking, carry it all over the house and stare at it incessantly to see if you can actually see the grass grow kind of interesting.

At this rate, M should have a nice little pot of grass by Easter.  Now, let's just hope we can keep the cats out of it.

I didn't think I would EVER get to write this post...

For the last month, M would use the potty 100% of the time, as long as he was bare-bottomed.  That was only okay at home, when it was only us here.  As soon as we put a pair of underwear on him, he would make a mess of it so we continued to wait for him to make the decision to use the potty.

On Monday, M told me that he thinks his diapers are too small for him.  I saw an opening.

I promptly told him that they don't make diapers any bigger than that, and I guess that means he is just going to have to wear big boy underwear now and put all his potty in the potty.  "I think you're right, mommy", he said.  WIN!

On went the big boy underwear, and he is doing really well!  There have been a couple of expected accidents and the addition of pants over underwear has created another small hurdle to get over, but that's already showing improvement.  He is wearing "nighttime underwear" (aka Pull-Ups) at naps and at night and has actually woken up dry from nap more than once in the last week.  We've had a few dry outings, so I think there might just be a light at the end of this poop-filled tunnel for me and M. ::sigh of relief::

AND - While it was fun for me to make this sweet little sticker chart...

 ...it did not work for M.  

Stickers did not prove to be enough motivation.  Here's what is...

That's right!  The simplest of things.  He gets one for #1 and two for #2.  It's like winning the lottery for him when he gets three M&Ms. 

What.the.heck?

I was making my way to the bathroom at 3:00 this morning, when I noticed an interesting scene in the kitchen...

1. A chair was placed in front of the now open cabinet that houses the glasses.
2. The once full Brita was now only half full and sitting on the floor in a puddle.
3. An unopened pudding cup sat on the kitchen table.

I immediately went into M's room to find him sound asleep with an empty glass of water on his nightstand.  Guess he was thirsty, huh?  Could you imagine the mess I would have found if he had got that pudding cup opened (because he DID NOT have a spoon out)?

There are many, but the really scary part?  We heard none of this!  Now, all the "what ifs" are racing through my head.  What if he fell?  What if he decided to explore the cleaning supplies or the knives or the package of raw chicken in the refrigerator?  Suffice it to say, I didn't sleep too well for the rest of the night.

I was as equally horrified as I was proud of his growing independence, but since I can't lock him in his room, I suppose the baby monitor will be coming back out.

Encouraging good behavior...

It's no secret that M is a 3 year old and really acts like one at times. He readily resorts to whining and is difficult to get moving in a direction different from the one he's already in. He screams in frustration every now and then and likes to pretend he doesn't hear you if he doesn't like what you're saying. This is par for the course for a preschooler, but daddy and I get close to the ends of our ropes sometimes.

We always remember how sweet he can be and how much fun it is to watch him experience the world, with lots of narration, of course. BUT - we need some behavior modification in areas. So, in addition to consequences for bad behavior, we're adding a reward system for good behavior. Here is where this comes in...

...encouraging good behavior, learning you must earn and work for what you receive, delayed gratification...

When M displays good behavior, a puff will go in the jar. When the jar is full...he will be rewarded with a small prize. Ohhhh...I hope this is enough motivation. ::sigh::

Maybe a little top heavy...

This was only one of M's creations.

I cut out a bunch of snowman pieces, put magnets on the back and set M to work building his own snowman...in the nice warm house instead of outside. I love getting a glimpse of how his mind works.

Growing up...right before our eyes.

The boys came home after a morning outing to tell me that M is pedaling his tricycle all by himself! You know, because that's what big brothers do. Mommy had to check this out on our way to the beach this afternoon.

Look at this! Daddy is NOT allowed to help.

He's pedaling and...keeping it on the sidewalk!

What a big boy!

Hadley-Bear

Now that Miss Hadley can read (smarty pants), she is great entertainment for M. Not that she wasn't before, but M does love to read. Anyway, I caught them having a fun moment reading some obviously hilarious books. She would laugh at Grover thinking there was a monster at the end of this book, and M would follow her lead. That Grover, he's so silly!

This and That

M got a Jack-In-The-Box quite a while ago and it startled him so much that it sent him running from the room every time. If he even so much as heard "...all around the mulberry bush...", he was out.of.there. Suffice it to say that it hadn't left the drawer in the closet since. Well last night, Andrew decided to give it another shot. So, we just gave it to him. He studied it intently for quite a while, then he flipped the switch himself for the Jack to POP...now he is totally sold. It appears he just needed to understand the "whys" of this toy to be able to enjoy it.

...study...study...

"I like it, mommy!"

M has also been demonstrating his ambi-dexterity lately. It is most obvious at meal times. This isn't a complete surprise since I was told daddy used both hands to write up until about 3rd grade. Still daddy's boy...

righty...

...or lefty