TJ's Crib

Ah, children and lyrics

2011-12-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

I love it when kids misunderstand the lyrics to songs. As I kid, I misinterpreted lots of lyrics. Even as an adult, I have trouble sometimes. And once I get it in my head, it's hard to change. It actually changes the song when I find out what it really is saying. So weird. Anyway, kids have the cutest ways of mixin' it up. The other day, TJ asked my mom what "trulips" were. He said, "is that like a flower?" My mom asked if he meant tulips and he said no...then said the following: "No Bondi, TRUlips. Like this...On the first day of Christmas, my trulip gave to me..." Oh so funny!

Since my sister had Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" as her song growing up, my dad changed the lyrics of "Joanna" to "Oh Hannah" and made it mine. Only I didn't know it was really written as Joanna until one day I heard it on the radio as a teenager and I was completely surprised. Ha! I didn't want my dad to find out that I knew because I didn't want it to hurt his feelings. How kind of him to try and make it mine. It's still mine and I think Kool & The Gang got it wrong. : )

My sister and I will never let my brother forget that he used to think "She's Like the Wind" was "Sheet Like the Wind" and "If She Would've Been Faithful" was "If She Would've Been Paid For". Ahh, memories.

Wow - only a few days left until Christmas! It doesn't feel like it this year. I don't know why...maybe I need some sn--, nevermind. :)
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Everyone!!!

The Angel & The Dream

2011-12-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

TJ made me cry again yesterday. Out of nowhere, his little comment made me stop mid-thought and tear up. At times, I forget that he's just 5. Sometimes he acts so deep and thoughtful and mature that I forget. And other times -- not. : )

Here's what happened. We were watching A Dennis the Menace Christmas and an angel (actually, a man in a shiny white suit) fell out of a tree. TJ asked who it was and I told him he was an angel. Then he asked me what an angel was. (Please, stop scoffing at me because my son doesn't know what an angel is. Believe me, I was taken aback myself!) Anyhow, I said that an angel is someone who God uses to take care of and watch over us. He sighed and paused for a minute before he said, "Mom. You're my angel." I, of course, almost lost it and he noticed. He added, "You are!" So sweet.

Let's move on and I will tell you a story that happened just a few hours later...PROVING that I am more like the devil. At about 4am, TJ burst into our room crying. He ran over to our bed and sobbed, "Mom! Mom, do I have a big booboo on my chin?? Am I bleeding?" I woke up but didn't and couldn't open my eyes. I literally felt around for his face and ran my hand over his chin as he was crying. I felt no blood and mumbled, "You're find, Sweets. Get in." THAT is why I am terrible. I seriously couldn't open my eyes, but I did reassure him that he had just had a bad dream...and rubbed his sweaty little hair until he fell back asleep.

TJ is writing so well and picking things up so quickly. It's really fun! So much fun to literally watch him learn. He is sounding everything out. Sometimes he does it when I'm not around and I can hear him whispering the sounds of words. So cool! I went to the library yesterday to pick up some "See Dick Run" kind of books for him. I'm trying to be especially careful about not overdoing it and am letting him choose when he wants to pick out words in a book that he knows...or just sit and listen and enjoy it. : ) He writes "i love u mom" and "i love you dad" on coloring pages and notebook pages and I can't see that enough! He also copies lots of words...

Jack Frost Festival

2011-12-03T22:49:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness, we had an unbelievable day today! In the morning, we made crafts (snowmen luminaries and a cardboard Christmas tree which I'll post pictures of once they're finished and dried) and then decorated the tree. TJ is in love with decorations for every holiday and each time we drive past a single light on a house during Halloween or Christmastime, he shouts so loudly that I nearly drive off the road. That said, he was pumped up for decorating the tree today. : )

We spent the afternoon at Coe Lake with Shane, Beth and little Anna. We saw Santa, made crafts, got free cocoa, chocolates, popcorn and reindeer food, watched amazing ice sculptures being made and listened to some fun music. Then after a grocery shopping trip, we were surprised to see CC for a little while!!!!

I broiled cheeseburgers for dinner and then we headed to the Jack Frost Festival downtown Berea. I wish I had gotten pictures of it but didn't even take my camera because I knew they wouldn't do the beauty of it justice. Everthing was lit up, they had cookies and cocoa for everyone (for free!) and also a merry-go-round and ferris wheel for kids. Again, not buying tickets or spending more money made it even that much more special! It was really crowded and busy, but happily so. I love it when it's "good crowded". TJ loves people and always wants to know who is going to be wherever we are going. We met Brian, Liz, Madeline and little Brian there and also ran in to my brother, my sister-in-law and baby Reagan.

The parade was fun to watch and we hopped from place to place. As we waited for the ferris wheel, we heard the countdown and then watched overhead as a line of sparkling fireworks went off from the top of a building and slid down the line to light up the tree. It was amazing in itself...and was followed by a more gorgeous display of fireworks than we saw on the Fourth of July. They were straight overhead which, I admit, did freak me out a bit. But it was really cool too! We were JUST about up to the ferris wheel when the fireworks started and TJ put the brakes on at that point. We were glad to not have him on the ride during the fireworks...but he hopped on afterward. He went up tentatively, smiled as he got buckled in next to Madeline, and then proceeded to shark-mouth cry the rest of the time. We didn't blame him one bit...I don't think you'd catch Tim or me on a ferris wheel in a million years, but he wanted to go so badly that we had to let him try. TJ gutted it out bigtime and clung to Tim like an octopus when he got off. He was proud of himself for finishing the ride (mostly because he didn't have a choice once he was on it) and I loved that little proud look on his face.

We got home and had some snacks before bed, then read Christmas stories and went to sleep. I love this time of year. But I'm also glad it only comes once a year. I'm beat! G'nite y'all!

We have a (gulp*) ... 5-year old!?!?

2011-11-13T22:11:00.001-05:00

We had TJ's 5th birthday party today and I admit, I broke down halfway through in the kitchen. My poor mom, sister and Gram had to watch it all unfold. My mouth started to melt into a frown as I tried to to hold in a cry...unsuccessfully. Then my whole face felt like it started to melt and the tears started rollin'. How did TJ get so old, so fast? Four is four. When I say that age out loud, I still think toddler kid. But five? Five is, well, five. And that is hitting me hard. I have until Wednesday to still call him four...

We had a great lil party and TJ got mad gifts from his family. Thanks, family! We were all smooshed in our house all cozy-like for afternoon pizza and cake. It was really windy but nice and warm. Phineas and Ferb graced our cake and Agent P peeked out from behind the tree - it was really cute...and yummy.

What happy day and fun celebration!!!! I'm washing new jammies right now and Tim and I can't wait to play with his new toys tomorrow. With TJ, of course. Hehehe.

Birthdays have been sort of strange for TJ in the past.

On the day of his actual birth, he got a bit of a rough start and he spent the first four days of his life in this.

On his first birthday, Tim and I were living in Charlotte and it was just the three of us. TJ got his own little cake (thank you, Harris Teeter) and freaked out when the icing stuck to his hands. (Ha - some things haven't changed much since then.)

Our sweet Scooter also went to live with another family and I was so upset about that, that I unknowingly skipped a surprise bday party our small group planned for us. I will never get over that.

Days before birthday number 2, my PawPaw died. And on TJ's birthday, we drove 7 hours back home from Charlotte. We had a little Elmo cake with Mainwarings before heading back to Ohio.

That was a whirlwind of a memory and a very sad one at that.

On birthday number 3, we were living in a home we were renting until our Charlotte house sold. It was a sweet house, but not home to us. I hate to say that I really don't remember that birthday very well.

We had monkey cupcakes - I do remember that!

Last year, number 4 was a blast!

Our family and some great friends came and there was a special appearance made by Spiderman. I remember the weather on that day last year was absolutely gorgeous as well.

Which brings us, once again, to birthday # 5. Oh how quickly these birthdays come. Happy birthday, my baby! You are my little fella - forever!!! You make us so happy and WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

(Pictures of today's birthday celebration to come shortly)

A few snapshots of our Disney vacation

2011-10-16T21:00:00.005-04:00

My sweet boys at the airport in Orlando

I love this picture...just a few of the Mickey hats at Disney

Hunny

Halloween at Downtown Disney

Look at all these Legos!

Digging for fossils at the T Rex Cafe

These apples for $10 each...but SO cute!

Loved these decorations

Love this one!

TJ got called up on stage to be sworn in as a pirate

Splash Mountain

As cliche as it may be, this is PRICELESS

I snapped this just before we plummeted down the huge waterfall!

Our hotel pool where TJ did the big waterslide by himself

At Wilderness Lodge

T Rex Cafe

Working hard on Lego cars

Just a few pictures from my phone to start with...

2011-10-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

Waiting at the bus stop.

Trying on Mickey ears!

Morning at our hotel.

Pirate TJ!

View from our table at T-Rex Cafe.

the finale

2011-10-15T22:45:00.000-04:00

Our last day came too quickly but at the same time, we were all ready to get back to routine. I did shed a few tears just thinking about going home. Not because I don't absolutely love my life, but because it means reality. I loved living outside of reality for 5 days and realize I was lucky to do it.

We packed up while TJ played Lego's again and then headed down to the beach to say good-bye. Here is a picture of TJ saying his farewell to the sand. We did bring home Sand Friend in a little container. Good thing we didn't have to go through customs. : )

I will never forget the sight of TJ sitting there in the window seat, headphones on, tray table down munching slowly on pretzels and animal crackers listening to Kids Place Live. Quietly. That boy was listening so intently trying to pour his can of apple juice into a little cup of ice. Every few moments, he'd tell us what song was playing and since he could hardly hear, he'd say it so loudly. It was hilarious. On our way up and our way down, he was fascinated by the size of things down on the ground. As we expected. "Look at that tiny car! Look at that little toy bus! Are we gonna go upside down?" What a sweet little ham.

We had a great trip home and now that I'm sitting on my couch in my own, cozy home I can say I am happy to be here. We had an absolute blast, but I'm glad to get back to our life together as a little family.

2011-10-15T22:23:00.003-04:00

In my last post, I wrote that TJ slept well Wednesday night. I should have written that he "went to sleep well" because he did, but was actually up coughing all night. He was very tired and sick on Thursday. Tim had his conference all day so T and I just went exploring. We took boats to the Wilderness Lodge and then the campground where we saw a show and got a popsicle. I had to carry the poor boy (and his dinosaur) because he was so exhausted. We loved the quiet time though, and spent time looking at all the cool stuff in the stores. Disney has really cool things! And Old Faithful at the Wilderness Lodge was awesome too.

We went back to the hotel to see Tim during one of his breaks and then split again for dinner. (Daddy's company won an award, by the way. Go Dad!) I was sad that we didn't go back to Magic Kingdom but it would have been foolish to do so - especially since he was sicky. So we headed back to Downtown Disney for more shopping and fun. There is so much to do there and so much to see. I just love the whole feeling and the lights twinkling all over at night.

We learned that at Disney, you have to make reservations for EVERYthing. That's something that we'll definitely do next time. Everything is booked way in advance. So when I asked TJ if he wanted to see the T Rex Cafe again just to look and play, he jumped at the chance. When we got there, I went up to the front and asked if they have any tables for walk-ups and the girl said we came at the magic time...and seated us a few minutes later! I was SO excited and TJ was ecstatic. We sat right next to some of the moving dinosaurs and this place was phenomenal. What a loud and exciting experience! My pictures don't do it justice, but it was truly amazing.

After dinner, we dug for more fossils, went back to the Lego store, played with the toys in the stores and people watched. Daddy's bus and our bus got back to the Polynesian about the same time and we headed back for some good sleep. We worked for it!

laying low

2011-10-15T00:17:00.004-04:00

TJ slept in til 7:30 (woohoo!) the next morning. We had a day at the pool planned because Tim was at a conference. We floated and swam for hours, then built sand castles and stretched out in the hammocks. TJ went up the staircase to do the volcano water slide with a few other boys. I couldn't believe it when I saw him coming down the slide by himself. I grabbed him up out of the frothy water at the bottom and he kept asking me if he did it all by himself. Ha! He liked hearing that he did - and that I was so happy for him. He did a ton of things that surprised me this week. He is growing UP!

During our swim time, TJ made up a new dance called "the jellyfish". I laughed so hard when he showed me the dance and I practiced it too. Then he asked me to tell him about life when I was a kid. He thinks it's so funny when I tell him we had to crank down our own car windows.

TJ started coughing and sneezing a lot by this time so we decided to lay low for the rest of the day. The three of us had an awesome dinner at the hotel. Tim got the coolest dessert (which I'll post a picture of soon). Afterwards, we went out to the beach for another movie and more fireworks. TJ had recharged by this time and raced on the beach with some kids for an hour. He slept well again that night too.

the magic kingdom and a sweet end of day

2011-10-15T00:03:00.001-04:00

As I began writing this post Tuesday night, both boys were snoring and asleep in their beds. They were almost in unison on opposite sides of the room. Wish I'd gotten a picture of it. They were beat...here's why:

The Magic Kingdom brought tears to my eyes as we entered the gates together that morning. I heard the famous music playing, felt the warm morning sun baking my skin and saw Mickey and Minnie waving as we skipped in slow motion into the famous gates. (Well, maybe not the skipping part, but it felt like a dream.) Insert reality - I also had a bit of a headache, TJ didn't want his picture taken because the sun was in his eyes, I sat in my own gum on the monorail en route and I had to pee like crazy but the bathrooms were on the inside - and we had to wait in line for tickets, etc.

All in all however, the day was incredible. The park was decorated for Fall and Halloween and it was absolutely gorgeous. We spent time in Fantasy Land, Adventure Land, Frontier Land and did just about all of the rides. We didn't see as many characters as I thought we would and we had to wait in line to get pictures with them. TJ hugged Woody and kissed Jessie, high-fived Donald and waited in line to see Pluto but he left to take a potty break before we got to him. Mickey and Minnie must have been hiding out because we never actually saw them. That was a little sad for me, but TJ didn't know the difference so it was just fine.

The Snow White ride was fun and TJ thought the Mirror, Mirror was scary but cool. His favorite was Peter Pan's Flight and I might have to agree with that too. I was really surprised at how well done it was. T also loved It's a Small World and I loved that he thougth it was awesome. As we sat in our little boat together, he kept saying, "Look at that! Look at this! Look, Daddy! Look, Mommy!" at every bend and every turn. Thunder Mountain Railroad was a rough roller coaster for T but he was proud for doing it and being tall enough. Splash Mountain was a huge hit - and I knew it would be. It's a Purdy family favorite and I was excited to go on it with Tim and TJ as their first time. We went back to it at the end and rode it again. It's an event - not just a ride. I took lots of pictures of TJ and Tim on that ride, just looking at each other having a great old time. I loved watching them!

The Haunted Mansion was one we were looking forward to too, especially TJ. And he loved the spooky graveyard before the doors opened for the mansion. But once they scooted us into the second dark, scary room it was over for TJ. He literally went from saying, "This isn't scary!" to doing his sharkmouth cry and sobbing. We were escorted out the emergency exit. : ) We had him shake it off and then got a treat and went along without saying another word about it. He brought it up to me 3 days later when we were looking at our trip pics, and asked if I took any pictures of him crying about it. Ha!

Space Mountain was a ride I originally said I wouldn't do - but then changed my mind for fear of missing out on fun with my boys. I'm giggling as I write that because it was rough. TJ just met the height requirement so he was pumped to do it. Since the roller coaster cars only sat one and not two side by side, TJ had to ride alone with Tim ahead and me behind. He was so excited - and we took off in a flash. I had forgotten how pitch black the whole thing was though! You could not anticipate the next turn or drop or curve so your neck and your brain went every which way. I kept worrying about TJ but couldn't yell up to him because it was so loud. I grabbed his shoulders whenever I could but my hands got thrown off with each new turn. It was a long minute or two. At the end, TJ turned around and I was pleased to see no tears. But he was white as a ghost. He said he'd like to not do that one again. What a trooper! Tim and I are laughing about it as I write this...

Buzz Lightyear's ride was sweet. You actually shot at aliens with lasers on your moving car and earned a score. The aliens all glowed and TJ asked if they used highlighters to color them that way. Dumbo was fun and so was the carousel. The pirates ride was neat too, but even better than the ride was the show. Captain Jack Sparrow and his side kick were dead on as characters. The actors who played them did a great job and gave Johnny Depp a run for his money. TJ got called up on stage thanks to Tim's quick actions and was sworn in as a true pirate. So cute. That boy loves his pirate stuff.

We did so much at the park but missed a lot too. It closed at 7pm so it wasn't dark enough for the castle to light up or to see fireworks there. We didn't get TJ's hair cut at the Harmony Barber Shop or get pixie dust and colored hair gel either. There was no parade either. But we had such an adventure that I didn't really miss it. We were so tired at one point that TJ asked to go back to the hotel and "play Lego's". Ha! So, we did. We left almost an hour before the park closed for the day and I was truly ready too. There's too much to do for just one day.

We met a friend at the Polynesian (where we were staying) who we hadn't seen in quite awhile. Pat came over for pizza and TJ and I scoped out a place to sit at the pool. We decided to go further and venture out to the beach and I'm glad we did! They were playing a movie on a screen on the beach and it was a beautiful, hot night. TJ had recovered from the day and just rolled around doing head stands in the sand. (He STILL has sand in his hair.) As we were finishing up, a light parade began on the water, then fireworks of the castle set to music. Disney does fireworks incredibly well. Best I've ever seen! TJ had a bath and some cocoa and was out light a light. Snoring...

Day 1 at Disney

2011-10-11T23:14:00.004-04:00

We successfully landed (whew!) in Orlando yesterday at noon and couldn't wait to begin our adventure in Florida. I felt so fancy hopping onto the train/tram to the luggage terminal where we skipped picking up our baggage and got right in line for the Disney bus. (With the tickets we got, baggage was taken for us and put in our rooms a few hours later. Splendid!) We sat on the bus and TJ gleamed with excitement. It took a bit for us to get going but then once we started driving, we saw a movie of Disney highlights and short films.

Jumping off the bus to the Polynesian was incredible. The plants and vegetation were beautiful and I got a flower necklace (what the heck is it called again?) when we checked in. Again, I felt fancy! Our room was nice and spacious and we had fun checking out the pool with a volcano and the beach details. We decided to head straight for some food because it was 2pm by that time and we hadn't really eaten much of anything all day.

We decided to get on a monorail and go for food. Well, it was a learning experience to say the least. For an hour, we went from monorail to monorail looking for a bus to take to these restaurants we'd heard about. Then the transportation we'd heard about truly didn't exist ... so we ended up going back to the hotel even hotter and more starving than the hour before. I get a little cranky when I'm hungry so my inner beast was about to jump out at any minute. We ventured in the hotel eatery and finally figured out the system of ordering and paying since there are Disney meal plans and rules we didn't know much about.

We got it though, we got it. And after a very long, long wait and much silence as we stared at the pager on the table willing it to buzz so that we could eat....we ate! Then hit the deck with our swim suits. The pool here is incredible and there are little lizards all over the place. We took a family walk on the beach, swung in the hammocks and built some scary sand creatures. By then it was time to shower and head to downtown Disney.

Already spent for the day, we waited for the bus and climbed aboard. Seeing TJ's eyes light up 80,000 times in one day has been reward enough, and our evening was magical in itself. Twinkling lights, bright colors, beautiful shops with huge pictures took our breath away. I can't wait to post pictures for you to see! I didn't even factor in the Halloween holiday, but there are Mickey pumpkins everywhere and Disney truly spared no expense in "doin' it up" right. (They can afford it since we are paying these crazy food prices!)

We went into the giant Disney stores and felt like we were on a different planet. This place is truly amazing and T's eyes were as big as saucers - and so were ours. He was so good and patient about the million pictures we took around every corner too. The Stitch statue on top of a store was a big hit for TJ because it spit water from a few stories above. He also loved the Pirates, Star Wars, Toy Story and Lego toys. The Lego store was laughable it was so big. And TJ picked out a Pirates Lego set with his money from Grandma and Grandpa.

One of my favorite places was the T Rex restaurant. This place was remarkable. Kind of along the same lines as Rainforest Cafe only with giant, lifelike dinosaurs and everything else to go with it. Dinner there would have been an event - not just a meal. We didn't eat there, but played in the pit where T discovered dino bones and then shopped in the store there. Again, amazing. They even had a Build-A-Bear workshop completely for dinosaurs. Another purchase made with TJ's prize money. In true TJ form, he named his dinosaur, Dino-y. God bless that hilarious kid.

We went back and played with more Lego cars before heading back home. T fell asleep on the bus back to the hotel - just in time to miss the fireworks overhead. It was fun to watch them out the window. Romantic too. Tim and I had been to Downtown Disney quite a few times in college on our Spring Break trips for track. It was pretty cool to be back there 10+ years later, married with our 4-year old. Really cool, actually. I think it made it that much more special.

Tomorrow, I'll write about the day at Magic Kingdom (Tuesday). For now, I need to put my swollen feet up and get some rest as we've just returned and I am beat!

Here's a look back on our vehicle rides: car to airport parking, shuttle from parking to terminal, plane to destination, tram to baggage, bus to hotel, monorail to 3rd stop where we got on another monorail then took it back to hotel, bus to downtown Disney, bus back to hotel...and that was enough wheels for one day.

en route to magic kingdom!

2011-10-10T11:35:00.000-04:00

We are en route to Disney World, my friends! I can hardly believe it. Tim has a conference in Orlando this week and TJ and I got to tag along with him for the whole week! We managed to keep it a secret for the past few months and I'm still not sure how one of us didn't just blurt it out. (Mainly me, since I get a little overly excited about these things.)

Before dinner two nights ago, Tim told TJ he had to leave again for a trip for work. TJ looked down at his dinner plate and then back up to Tim with sad but understanding eyes. Then Tim asked if he wanted to come with him...ON and airplane...AND go to Disney World. I'll have to show you the video if I can figure out how to post it. His eyebrows and eyes literally sparkled and he didn't really believe it. It took a bit of convincing that this was "for real" before TJ got it. "Straight to Disney World? We can straight go there?" he said. We had to laugh at that. Usually he asks that question when we're going to the library or a playground because I usually have to do errands on the way. So we don't go "straight" or directly to a destination most of the time. But this time, we got to say that once we're off that plane, we go straight there.

So, we are in flight and starting to descend. I am on cloud 9 ... literally.

Love, TJ's excited mom

First Day of School blog ... stories coming soon!

2011-09-18T12:14:00.001-04:00

My sweet-face boy!

My proud-face boy!

My silly face boy!

2011-09-02T22:35:00.001-04:00

I've been having terrible knee pain for the past several weeks (or actually months now)...but it's only now gotten to the point where I can't run a step without it taking my breath away. I just hobble around the house and talk about doing something about it. Well today, I went to see our ART guy who is amazing at what he does. I drove out with TJ to his office near Crocker Park and we had to wait an unusually long time. TJ was amazing and I sometimes forget that he's only 4. As I lay on the table, TJ sat behind me on the floor a asked if he could look through my purse for something. I said 'sure' because 1.) I was trying to concentrate on what the doc was saying and 2.) because I literally thought he would get one thing (like my chapstick) and then give up and move on. Ha - I was wrong. When I stood up and turned around, I was shocked to see the entire contents of my purse and wallet strewn all over the floor. It was like those info-mercials where they show you all the stuff you can fit into the "magic purse" or whatever. I guess I cram more into that little purse than I thought! Nevertheless, I looked at TJ like he was 2 all over again and asked him to help me scoop it up, which he did without question. It was not a big deal at all, but it was weird to me. He must have been really bored.

I'm not above bribing my son once in awhile and I promised him a Happy Meal if he could be patient while I was getting my knee checked out - which he was. He really wanted to eat inside McDonald's and I obliged. But when we drove around the parking lot three times and couldn't find a single open spot, I told him that we'd have to drive-thru and he said, 'aw, okay mommy.' No complaints, just a bit of disappointment. We sat in the lane and talked about which Ben 10 character he was going to get in his box and I hoped for the blue one. He hoped for red - his favorite color, of course. When I handed him his Happy Meal box, he went straight for the plastic package and ripped open...a baby toy. From the back seat, TJ said, "um, mom? it's a baby Ronald McDonald in a wind-up airplane that doesn't work". I was so disappointed for him and I said I was so sorry...and that they must be out of Ben 10 guys. As I sat at the red traffic light, I waited for his reaction. He was quiet for a second and then said, "It's okay, mom. Don't be sad. We'll get another one someday. I'm sure it's a fun toy for some kids." I wanted to cry! He was worried about ME being sad. I know this may not seem like a big deal, but it really was to me. That boy has a good heart.

Last night as I was planning in my head, I made a mental note to bring TJ's swim suit in case the splash pad was still turned on. I'm pleased to tell you that I was successful! So we moved on from our picnic lunch in the car to the splash pad. Here are some pictures to save me 1000 words in this blog.

T made friends quickly and they made me laugh out loud. The biggest boy (and I mean oldest when I say biggest), hugged TJ when they left. It was cute. We ended up staying for two hours because he was having such a blast and it was so darn hot. T helped me pick out a few things at Trader Joe's on the way back to the car and then I took him for a sweet surprise. We went on a date to Max & Erma's where I told him he could make his own sundae at the sundae bar. He was so excited and actually ate two bowls of it. The second bowl was mostly just toppings (and chewy sweet tarts) which is the way I like to eat my sundaes too. Minus the chewy sweet tarts. : )

We were beat after that, and Mr. Biggles was nearly asleep as we pulled into the driveway at home in the late afternoon. Tim came home an hour or so later as TJ was getting dressed after his bath. We had dinner as a family and then they moved on to wrestling in the living room. (Barf!) Nights have been emotional for TJ lately. We think it's because he has so much fun playing in the daytime that he doesn't want it to end. I can understand that for sure - but oh, I look forward to the day when bedtime isn't such a challenge.

All in all, today was so great and I am appreciative of how easy T made it. I LOVE good-listening-and-very-little-whining days!

Look Ma, No Hands!

2011-08-30T22:45:00.002-04:00

TJ has been riding his bike without training wheels for 9 days now...and I am amazed! We were playing outside with chalk last weekend when TJ said, 'hey mom, let's take my training wheels off'! The funny part is, we didn't even have his bike out at that point. It must have been weighing on his mind. : ) So, I said we could try it if I could find the right tool. And yes, I found that tool. I spent the next hour holding the back of his shirt and trying, trying, trying. I let him go on a few at the end and he stayed up a few seconds before tipping. That kid did not give up. Tim took over when he got home and much progress was made after another hour. We took a break and then, BAM! He got it! His little wiggle made it so fun to watch from behind. To keep his balance, he would wiggle his little spine and we just laughed in pure awe.

The next day he was riding with less wiggle. By day 3, he was an old pro. Day 4, he wanted to ride from our house to the park. Reluctantly (to myself), I packed up a backpack and we ventured out. It was surreal! We rode down a huge hill into the park and he learned to stay on the right side. He loved the fact that we didn't have to stop at streets and be wary of driveways. It was a new kind of freedom. We rode nearly 4 miles and his strength in getting up the last hill blew my mind. (My quads were burning!)

Yesterday was my favorite day in a long time. Most days I feel like I say that, but yesterday was especially good. I've been really focusing on keeping my stresses quiet and separating work time with normal time. I'm not especially good at it yet but am seeing improvement. Anyhow, we took our time in the morning and then headed to the library on our bikes. We spent the morning reading and playing there and then went to the bakery for cookies. I always ride behind TJ, but he asked me to be the leader for awhile. Since we were about 100 yards from the bakery I figured it couldn't hurt. Ha. I heard a crash about ten seconds later and when I turned around, I saw TJ on the ground with bloody knees. He admitted that he let his hands go - something I've asked him not to do...for that very reason. Lesson learned. He cried and we walked our bikes to the door of the bakery. The ladies there LOVE little T, and gave him a bag of their famous cookies for free. Sweet.

Grabbing our bag of cookies, we walked our bikes across the street to eat on the bench. In the middle of the street, T fell over his bike right onto his freshly bloodied knees. Double ouch. I told him to run up to the curb and I picked up his bike and rolled mine along side. A kiss on the knee and a cookie for each hand, and TJ got better quickly. It must have been a sight for the people at the red light because two men rolled their driver's side windows down and said, "good job, mom!" as they drove by. I felt slightly taller at that moment. And then got back to real life. : )

Our trip wouldn't have been complete without a stop in to the army store. They know him there too - and he picked out 3 army men from the bucket by the counter. I made him pay for those and he was glad to do it. We rode our bikes home and ate a great lunch on our comfy patio. Then T played while I made work calls. More playtime after that and it was time to make dinner. Tim came home and we ate dinner then walked to the new school playground. What a sweet way to wrap up a great day! Together, as a family of 3.

PLAY BALL!

2011-08-29T23:29:00.001-04:00

This summer went CRAZY fast! It makes me kind of emotional to think about because it's over. Just like that. But we crammed so much great stuff into it that I'm fairly amazed. One of the coolest things that happened took place one week ago. TJ got to be the "Play Ball Kid" at the Indian's game. We were blown away at how cool this was. We walked through tunnels and hallways (underground maybe?) at Progressive Field and came up onto the field. We stood on the field and TJ practiced saying "play ball" with the camera man. He did a great job and waited until the right moment on most of the practice runs.

We waited a good 30 minutes on the field for the other pre-game activities to take place. Then his part came up quickly and he was whisked out onto the field while Tim and I hurriedly took pictures and videos while trying not to miss a thing in person either. Slider kept messing with TJ's hair and he was laughing at first - then got serious. Almost as if to say, "Dude, I've got a job to do here. Don't mess with me!" It was so fun to watch and he did a great job!

To see the videos of it on YouTube, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVKyo_OG03M (prep on the field and Slider messing with TJ)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2-9At9MoyU (TJ's name on screen and announced, also "play ball")

We watched the game afterward and the cotton candy TJ got to eat in our seats may have been his favorite part. My parents were able to make it (after much rushing around to and from coaching) and joined us for some hot dogs. I don't think TJ sat down the whole time, but he was inactively excited. In other words, he had tons of energy and was super happy to be there, but he actually stayed put. It made it nice for us to all kind of relax. As much as we can relax, that is. : )

What an awesome summer memory. Go Tribe!

Thank you, PreSchool...I'm OUT!

2011-05-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

Our big boy has officially completed his first year of preschool. They had a nice little picnic (held indoors due to the weather - go figure) and even passed out certificates and awards. What was TJ's award, you ask? When other kids got awards for coming out of their shell, for having great manners all the time, and for being smiley...TJ was honored with "Most Energetic". I had to laugh out loud because it fit so well. I knew Daddy would be proud to hear it - and he erupted into laughter when I told him. I'm glad TJ is the same kid at school as he is at home. And energetic is one way to describe that!

Stubborn

2011-05-25T22:56:00.000-04:00

TJ asked me what "stubborn" meant tonight. After thinking about it for a minute, I said "not changing your mind". He looked at me and said, "I'm stubborn about you." When I asked him what he meant by that, he said "I'll never take my mind off loving you"! Oh my gosh. He was so serious and so sweet!

good day, sunshine

2011-04-03T22:20:00.000-04:00

I desperately miss blogging. Actually, I haven't had the time to realize that I've missed it...but today I'm throwing myself back out there. There is no possible way to capture all that has happened over the past several months so I'm not even going to attempt to do so. What I can tell you is that TJ is growin' like a weed and we're an insanely happy little family. I hope to throw in some fun, short blogs here and there to get back into the swing of things.

As generic a conversation starter as the weather is...I'm gonna have to go with it in this post. I am so overly ready for actual spring weather to arrive. My boys and I need to be outside! TJ and I braved the cold the other day to go for a bike ride around the block. We smelled someone's backyard fire and he started talking about how excited he is for us to have barbecues and campfires again. Apparently he's been talking with Daddy about that too. We're all in agreement that cookouts will be happening SOON and OFTEN! I think we'll pretty much live outside again as soon as this weather breaks.

A few weeks ago when the weather was fantastic, we played outside in our backyard for 6 hours with some awesome friends. We ate lunch outside, got every single toy out of the garage, drew mansions with chalk and dug for worms. Later on, our group of playmates grew and I loved seeing them chase each other with shreiks of delight! Sweaty boys are so full of joy! I will never forget that day and my heart was so light! Sharing warm breezes with a great friend will do that to you - especially when it's not planned and the day falls into place like a gorgeous surprise. I know, that last sentence sounded like a personal ad but it's true. This weather has got to go back to being beautiful. We all deserve that, I'd say!

While playing outside at one point, TJ and the boys were digging in the garden space. Pointing to the garden tool a few feet away, TJ yelled out "Hey! Can you give me that hoe-hoe?" He asked twice in such a serious, hard-working tone that I just about lost it. I guess we love junk snack food as much as we love being outside in the sun!

Here's hoping for some rays in the near future! Until then, enjoy my ray below - : )

He's an actor, folks!

2010-10-17T23:27:00.000-04:00

First watch this one hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/25105/family-guy-lois-mom-mum-mommy

(My sister sent this to me because of the number of times TJ says "mom mom mommy" throughout the day. After watching it first, I let him watch it with me a few more times. Then he wanted to act it out. Seriously! Now watch the video below:

Nicknames, Compliments and Oldness

2010-10-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

TJ is all about nicknames lately. He comes up with a nickname for everything and everyone. For instance, "Mom - Dark Vader's nickname is Dark Vade. Mom - your nickname is, uh, hmmm, I don't know. Maybe, Mmm for Mom." I especially like that one.

Last night, TJ told me that when he grows up, he wants to be a fireman and marry me. He was sure to tell me that he would wear all his gear and hat...and pick me up in his fire truck. Of course, I melted.

TJ slept at my parents' house last night - Tim and I went to Halloweekends at Cedar Point. Holy cow, we hadn't been there in years and year and it made me realize how old I am. Why, you ask? Let me point out a few reasons:
       Number l. I didn't get the memo to wear Ugg boots to an amusement park.
       Number 2  If I had gotten the memo, I wouldn't have been able to wear them. The lack of support
                         would have screwed up my feet or my knees. See what I mean? I'm old.
       Number 3 I felt sick after each ride.
       Number 4 My back hurt after each ride.
       Number 5 I missed my kid. Badly. And can't wait to bring him there with us someday.

I guess getting old isn't so bad. It means I get to spend my time with more people!

Orange!

2010-10-14T14:36:00.000-04:00

Our TJ's hair is orange. No doubt about that and we're not even sure where it came from! Ironically, he is in love with Halloween this year. Even more surprising than that? The boy loves decorations. Anything orange, black bats and monsters, white ghosts and fall scarecrows thrill him. The funniest part about that is that his Daddy is about as far as can be from that interest. Tim is definitely a minimalist in his decor type and I like a handful of decorations for the seasons and holidays. With TJ, however - the more the better! I'm going to have to get myself in gear leading up to the 31st, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If anyone sees cool decs on sale, you know who to call! : )

TJ is really loving school since it started a few weeks back. When I pick him up at the end of the session, he runs to me with his big backpack on and says, "Mom!!! We learned about shapes...or...I know all my senses! Guess what projects I brought home!" It is so much fun watching him learn. Mostly, it's fun watching him LOVE to learn.

I filled out my first permission slip last week and felt weird. Geez, it must mean that TJ is really growing up. And that must mean that I am growing up. Or growing old. Yikes!

Doggies and School

2010-09-26T23:00:00.000-04:00

We were "this close" to getting a dog last week. I was in love with the pup - completely in love. He would have been an awesome addition to our little family. With Lab and German Shepard, he would've been TJ's best friend...and Tim's and mine too, I'm sure. Had he not been such a pup, I think he'd be licking our faces right now. We both agreed that now is not exactly the time to spend training a dog, no matter how perfect. I'm really very sad about this one - but also know we made the right decision too.

TJ started school and is doing great. We're so proud of him and the way he's growing and learning. The boy prays the greatest prayers and says new amazing things every time we turn around. Here are a few pics that capture some of our latest moments. No time for stories today...just pictures. Love you all!

The Inquiry

2010-08-28T17:26:00.000-04:00

It is truly both amazing and hilarious to me the questions that TJ has been asking lately. It makes me so curious as to the way he thinks and I wish I could get into his little head sometimes.

This afternoon when I said I needed to dry my hair before we played a game, he asked me if it was hard to brush my hair and dry it at the same time. He suggested I practice. Nice! : ) At the castle playground yesterday, TJ asked "who made God"? And then started to answer his own question by saying, "Oh I know, Jesus made God. No wait, God made Jesus. But who made God?" I was impressed with his answer and told him so. I asked him who told him that and he said, "Daddy did." Whoa - the girl next to us at the swings was jealous and said so. Daddy got even sexier when TJ answered that way.

I had to admit I didn't know the answer to the rest of TJ's question. I told him I didn't know who made God. That he just was. Any help on this one, people?

Last week, Tim told me T asked him other cute and funny things while I was out...like, "why does God have all the power? what does God make? what do people make?" And then we've both been asked things like "why do fish not have belly buttons?" and "why don't all people have driveways?" today he wanted to know what a brain looks like. he laughed when i told him and said "ew, that's in my head? what i think with? ew."

On a side note, he's been starting to sleep through the night lately. 3 nights in a row without crying out!!! Does tremendous things for my energy level throughout the days. Seriously - he needs to keep this up.

Tim and I just look at him in wonder sometimes. He is so hilarious, so smart and SO stubborn! I cannot believe how quickly he is growing up and it makes me sick. We are so crazy about that kid! So crazy...I want another!

Racing Day

2010-07-22T21:11:00.001-04:00

I love when he stands like this!

Sitting on Grandpa's shoulders, clapping for all the runners!

Hellllooo, baby!

Ooo, ouch. Shouldn't have taken off those glasses!

Grandma and Grandpa met us out at the Johnnycake Jog last weekend so Tim and I could both race. I warmed up with TJ in the babyjogger pre-race and then when they arrived, Tim took TJ over to them. They cheered for us, played with TJ and helped him climb fences. Tim and I cooled down (a joke to say that when it's 90+ degrees outside) with TJ and had a nice family run. Thank goodness TJ loves running the way he does. And thank goodness he didn't beg to race us after the race like he usually does after family runs. It wouldn't have been pretty! We were cooked.

2010-07-22T20:49:00.000-04:00

In the big pool today...

Kick, TJ! Kick!

Superman arms! Doesn't he look serious?

Aw, cute!

Standing proud and tall.

Talking to the fish, and listening to the fish. Preparing for the crawl stroke. Brilliant!

Sweet Flowers & Ketchup Packets

2010-07-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

TJ picked the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for me!

Sunday evening or Monday morning, our internet went out. Just like that. Well, I do a lot of work from home and after trying everything to get it up again (not by my own efforts...I had Tim on the phone with me from Raleigh), I called it quits and packed us up for the zoo. We had the greatest time there...but we were both pooped from the heat and the crazy crowds! That's what I get for going on Free Monday! Anyhow, we went to Bondi’s and Poppy’s after getting home and seeing the internet was still out. Yes, I used them for their wireless. It's okay because they know that. : )

After a little while, we went to McDonald’s because TJ wanted a cheeseburger before we went home. He actually said he wanted to go to a restaurant (huh?) so I suggested McD’s. He’s was pumped. He ate a good ¾ of his burger so I let him get an ice cream cone – and the funny thing is, he wanted to go up and buy it himself. He asked me to stay at our booth so he could do it. His sticky little hand gripped the dollar as he smoothly sauntered up to the counter, handed the money to the “buyer” and asked for a cone. He looked so little up there at the counter. Little and big at the same time. Hard to explain, but I’m pretty sure most of you get when I’m saying. A few seconds later, he walked back wearing a huge shark-mouth grin holding an enormous vanilla cone. I froze that image in my mind. Forever.

That boy has a confidence about him at age 3 that I am jealous of at age 32! I hope he holds onto that and I hope I can help. (I'm working on my own self to accomplish that. I've not been doing especially well at it lately though. Check my other blog for details on that. Someday.) I once had a moment like this at McDonald's growing up as well. Only mine was completely opposite. I'm giggling to myself as I write this. My parents made me go up and ask for an extra ketchup packet. Yep - and to me, that was a hugely gigantic ordeal. At the time, my little brain was thinking - 'you want me to WHAT? are you crazy?' But I think I did it after much encouragement. I had such issues with confidence and doing things that would seem non-threatening to the normal person. I was not normal. I hated birthday parties. Amber Knopf had a perfectly fantastic birthday party planned in 2nd or 3rd grade and I cried the entire drive there. 2 miles away. (Tim is looking at me from across the room as I'm laughing so hard that tears are starting to pour down my face.) More on this later. Seriously, more on this later...there is so much to write.

Back to TJ...I just can't wait to see what he becomes when he grows up. Not so much the occupation (but of course, I'm dyin' to know what that will be). But mostly what he does, if or how he impacts people, and what he thinks of his childhood. Whoa - that's a very weird thought. Callin' it a night on that note - I'm out!

10 Hours

2010-07-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

I caved to swimming lessons. Since soccer did not go nearly as I thought it would, I was very hesitant to have TJ do swimming lessons and I dismissed the idea of it several times – mostly because it was a daily thing. Only half an hour, but daily nonetheless. But when TJ said he really wanted to do it, I ok’d it on the condition that it was Poppy’s deal. (Poppy is my dad for those of you who don't know.) My boy and I are pretty attached and I knew that if I was the one in the water with him, he’d cling and then not learn a thing...leaving both of us frustrated. We're lucky in that TJ has a great relationship with everyone in our families and Poppy is definitely no exception. So on the first day of lessons, I was giddy inside just waiting to hear the details. Being mostly sure I'd be 100% correct in the outcome. Ha! The results of the first week and a half of lessons are unbelievable to me. I did a sneaky mom thing and hid behind the brick wall for the first few days of lessons. It was crazy cool how TJ took to his teacher, Miss Pattie. She’s a nice woman, but not overly kind and sweet. She doesn’t coddle. She teaches and expects things of her little learners. And boy did TJ love that. He’s learned Superman arms and airplane or “T” arms. He’s learned how to talk to the fish. Then listen to the fish. He’s now floating and learned to crawl stroke – “like a digger”, he says! I’m amazed and thrilled. Our boy is learning to swim, and he loves it!

So why am I calling this blog "10 Hours"? Well, I'm glad you asked. Poppy has picked up TJ at 9:15 every morning these nearly 2 weeks, and brings him back around 10:15. That makes 10 hours of guilt-free (because TJ is doing something productive and I didn't have to ask for a sitter or family member to watch him) time to do what I want! I've run each morning instead of having to wait until night time to do it - which is especially sweet on days I'm in the office. Usually I don't get my runs in those days until 9 or 10pm. Anyhow, each day I've made it up to the pool and watched a bit too. I can hardly tear myself away from watching that boy. You should have seen him TODAY! He was the only one in the class to follow directions and listen to Miss Pattie when it was time to do the song and review of what they learned. It's so fun to watch him from behind - he's got the cutest little back (a little fuzzy, like a chick, hehee!) and I want to pinch his little brown neck. Oh - what fun! I'll have pictures soon of Poppy and TJ at his final day of lessons Friday.

For now, I'm posting some of Pirate T with his parrot and treasure map. We did a little hot-n-cold treasure hunt the other day. Arrrgh, Matey!

Looking tough and mean!

Concerned that his eyelashes are touching the eye patch. Ahh ha ha.

Shelf Life

2010-07-07T21:14:00.001-04:00

Today, TJ and I were playing cars on the floor (which we've done nothing BUT for the past several weeks) when he sat up straight and said, "Ah! Mommeeeee! I am SO excited you picked me!" I looked a bit confused, I'm sure. The conversation then progressed as follows:

Wow, TJ, thanks! But what do you mean?
I'm so excited that you picked me off the shelf!
(Eyebrow raised...huh?) What shelf, baby?
In the store! I was standing there like this (stands up straight with arms tight against his sides. eyes shut) thinking you might pull me off the shelf. And you did!
Oh TJ, that is so sweet. Tell me more about that.
You grabbed the box I was in and the buyer (store clerk at cash register) put a sticker on my nose. Then you taked me out of the store and put me in the car. In my carseat. And then Jesus made me talk!!!!!!! I love you!

I tackled him and smothered him with a huge hug. Where on earth did he come up with that? It came out of nowhere in our conversation too. So silly. We were in Marc's yesterday and TJ got a little prize that he wanted to carry...so the lady had to put an orange 'paid' sticker on it. Hmmmm. The inner workings of a child's mind are so interesting!

That's my story! : )

Mind the Gap

2010-06-26T13:57:00.000-04:00

Oh I my sweet boy's mouth. He has the cutest big mouth, just like his Daddy and I mean that in the best way to both of them. That's about the only thing that makes TJ look like either of us. Anyway, from the beginning of TJ's life, we called his cry face "shark mouth". His mouth literally looks like a shark jaw/mouth when it's wide open. If you don't get what I'm saying, don't worry about it. It's not that important. : )

The title of this post is referring to TJ's little Chiclet teeth. He's got a perfect gap between each and every one of his teeth, but I noticed yesterday that the gap between his front teeth is closing. And I am so sad!!!!!!! I am not good with change - especially when it's change regarding my only child and his growing up. Oh dear how I want his smile to stay the way it is!

Heaven

2010-06-23T00:09:00.000-04:00

TJ goes to a Sunday school class, we talk about God, and we pray before dinner. If Tim and I forget, TJ definitely reminds us and he typically says the same prayer each night.

"Thank you Jesus, for this good day. And for my family. And for running. Amen."

Well, this past weekend Tim and I took him to the park where we took turns doing a workout. While I was doing mine, TJ and Tim played soccer and baseball in the field. At one point, TJ hit the ball "high in the sky". The conversation then went as follows:

TJ: "Daddy! I hit it almost up to heaven! (whispers: What is Nonny's friend's name? Oh yeah, Paw Paw.) PawPaw would catch it and throw it back down to me!

Daddy: "That's right, TJ. He would! What would he say to you?"

TJ (Yelling loudly, since PawPaw is in heaven and would therefore be yelling loudly down to TJ): Vank you, TJ! I love it and I love throwing the ball back to you. Have a good day!

Daddy: not sure he had any words after that right away...so darling.

TJ talks about PawPaw a lot. I'm sure he doesn't remember him, but he remembers us talking about him and sees his picture here and there. It's so sweet.

away so long, i forgot my password!

2010-06-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

i've completely failed in the blogging area of my life over the past few months, and for that i am sorry. for tj, actually, because i've skipped writing about so many great things he's said and done. our life (especially as of late) has been amazing, wonderful, happy ... and completely busy and overwhelming all at the same time. tj is growing up double time right now and he says and does so many things each day that i just can't keep up.

so, i'll be writing little bits and pieces here and there. i'm afraid the days of writing as tj are over. i need to tell you things from his mommy's perspective. this kid is just amazing. AMAZING!

we went through a little rough patch with tj for a short while and it really got tim and i to put a plan into action for discipline and rules, etc. about 10 days after that, tj flew back into "tj mode" and has been easy-going, energetic, good-listening tj ever since.

stay tuned for cute, funny and odd things he says as i update more often than before!

Soccer and Love

2010-04-27T23:28:00.000-04:00

What to write...what to write. Well, Mommy stood in the living room for the entire last quarter of the Cavs game tonight with her hands on her mouth. It wasn't a very pretty game but they won after all. She didn't know it but I was hiding behind the couch the entire time taking stats for LeBron. He's my hero - after Daddy, that is.

9.9 times out of 10, I get more than psyched to see my Bondi and Poppy on the days my Mommy works at the office. But today was a different story. As we were driving over to their house, I told Mommy that this was the best day ever. She gave me the "awww TJ!" look as she peered over her shoulder at me. And then told me every day for the past 3 1/2 years have been the best days ever for her too. And the 11 months before that were the best too, since she married my Dad. Well, we pulled up to Bondi's and Poppy's house and I got out very excitedly. My friends next door were out playing and I took off to get my bike out of their garage. Mommy took that as a 'hit the road mom' sign from me and headed back to the car to head to work. NOT what I wanted. I saw her turn toward the car and let out a scream from the garage. MOMMMMY! DON'T LEAVE! DON'T LEAVE ME! I sprinted toward her and she scooped me up - bike helmet and all. I cried and sobbed on her shoulder and begged her to take me along. I was panicked and I'm not sure why! She tried to talk me through it, said she'd call me and talk to me while she drove to work, described the fun we'd have when she got home and the fun I'd have while she was away. Nothing worked and Mommy tried not to cry herself. I kicked and screamed and acted wounded but she had to go. I think she had more tears on her face as she drove away than I did.

I eventually calmed down but not before telling Bondi that I was going to walk to find Mommy. And I started to, actually. I only made it a few driveways down the street but Bondi knew exactly how to respond to me. And then I had a fun, fun day! Mommy didn't though. She worried about me all day and missed me too. She hates leaving me...but loves coming home to me. Daddy too. I know he doesn't want to go on trips for work but he's good at what he does -- for work, for me, for Mommy and our family. We're a great team.

Chicken Fried

2010-03-31T23:55:00.001-04:00

The other day, I got TJ buckled into his carseat and then started the car. I had driven it home from work the night before and hadn't turned the radio off so it was blasting "mommy songs". Instead of just turning it off, I turned it softer and was about to put one of TJ's favorite CDs in when we both heard these lyrics to what I'm guessing is a popular song right now. I have no idea who sings it but it says, "even when the sky is falling down...dooooown...dooown...."

TJ piped up quickly and said, "What is this, Mom? Chicken Little?" Ohhh my gosh, I almost drove off the road. It took me half a second to catch what he meant but then I had to agree. Yep. Yep, it was about Chicken Little.

---- I just noticed that my Mom wrote this blog instead of me. But I'm too tired to make her change it so it's going to stay for now. G'nite friends!

Love, TJ

i don't know how to say this...

2010-03-29T23:23:00.001-04:00

I really don't know how to tell you all this, but I'm just going to come out and say it. I am the best kid in the whole world. And...I am Iron Man. Oh, and...I am ten years old.

I don't say I'm the 'best kid ever' in a boastful way...it's just that I am the sweetest, lovingest (yes, it's a word) kid on earth and the absolute freaking joy of my Mommy's and Daddy's life. They can't get enough of me and I like that.

I'm not perfect, of course. That's obvious. I have power struggles and trouble listening sometimes...things like that. But on any given day, I listen well and my Mom and Dad know they're lucky. Mommy watched me follow directions wonderfully during Open Gym today at the Rec and she was so proud! I sat nicely when I was asked to, helped clean up, sang songs, ran around like a complete nut, and counted balls in the parachute...then after I chased down a kid for a ball and knocked him over, I said sorry and gave him the ball back.

I have the greatest, funniest personality and I'm just plain fun to be around! And if you're looking for energy - boy, I've got it. From the time I wake up to the time I fall asleep in bed, I am moving a mile a minute. I get that from my Daddy. I'm the perfect match for my family.

Maybe this is all just review...but I haven't written in so long that I wanted you all to remember who I am. I like to tell people I'm "this many...ten...I'm this many...ten" and hold up all my fingers. I tell anyone and everyone 72,000 times a day that I'm Iron Man, Devastator, Bumblebee, "that kid" (and point, yes, point), Timmy, TJ Butterfly, and so on. Then I assign other people names. Like this: "Daddy's a Daddy Optimus Prime, you're a Mommy Optimus Prime, and I'm a TJ Optimus Prime". That's how our day goes. Every day. And the Budic family loves every minute of it. That's us! How are you?

Lovely Ladies...

2010-03-21T23:48:00.000-04:00

Let's try this again...I typed up a long and wonderful blog last week only to have it freeze and delete before saving. So, I'm over my frustration and hoping to post this tonight. Here goes...

Tuesdays was a nutty day! After a good morning, my Auntie Melissa came over to play with me while Mommy went to work at noon. We built mega-blocks castles and knocked them down, played games, went outside to play and ate snacks and goodies all day. I was "Iron Man" or "Devastator" all day long and was sure to remind Auntie over and over. We also had fun with puzzles! See, I pretend that I can't find the last piece of the puzzle, then whip it out from behind my back so that she's thrilled I found it. I'm such a trickster! : ) Around 5, my Aunt CC came over to watch me for an hour and we played too...and ate snacks like Whales. Then my Aunt Val came to hang with me and play even MORE! She was over until 7 when Mommy got home from work. How cool was it that I got to see all 3 of my aunts in one day!!! It was a crazy day and Mommy and Daddy are very appreciative of everyone's help with me. Truly, truly. I'm lucky to have so many people who love me...

Wednesday was pretty crazy too! My Doddy was in Phoenix, Arizona for a few days and took the red eye to be home with me. Want to hear where I was when he got home that morning? Running in the park with Mommy!!! Here's how it happened. Mommy's training for the Cleveland Marathon and needs to cram in the miles whenever she can, but she doesn't like to be away from me. So we tried the babyjogger (or as I call it now...the stroller since there is no baby involved) for the first time in over a year. With a blanket, fruit snacks and a few books along for the ride, I was a champion partner for Mommy. We had the GREATEST time running together through the park - over the thunder bridge, under the train tressel, and up and down hills. We laughed and goofed a lot and then after awhile, I asked Mommy if we could race. So Mommy unbuckled me...and chased me. Then I chased her. I don't remember laughing that hard in a long time - and Mommy too. I shrieked so loud, then as I climbed into my seat, we saw Daddy pull into the parking lot. DODDY!!! It was a perfect moment. A series of perfect moments.

After awhile, Mommy headed to work and Grandma came over to play with me. She brought green cookies and St. Patrick's Day movies and books. It was so fun!! She likes to read to me and play games and is always so sweet to me. Mommy hopes I'm as nice to her as she is to me. She even made me my favorite sandwich and brought it along for my lunch. Woohoo!! We went to the park as well, then Doddy took me to track practice to watch the guys practice the steeplechase. I did some practicing myself. : )

I'm sure I missed a lot here...but my little brain forgets things quickly. Sorry friends!!

I do have to add that Thursday morning was great fun too. Mommy and I did the stroller run in the park thing again...then just stayed out in the park to read books and dig in the dirt for awhile. It was so relaxing and Mommy just ate it all up. She loves that kind of a day!!

Love you guys...
TJ

Go to your HOME!

2010-03-10T23:25:00.000-05:00

I'm home! Home! HOME!

We've successfully and completely moved into our new house...which is my home sweet home until I go to college and it feels great. I can't describe the feeling of it - but this whole family is super thrilled ... and relaxed here. We've felt displaced for a long time now, and can finally get back in the groove.

All the packing and moving took its toll on me. For about two weeks, I was in a toddler funk. But yesterday, Mommy declared that I was back. She literally looked at me and said, "there you are TJ!" She missed me. : )

So you want to hear about our perfect day yesterday? The unperfectest part about it was that Daddy wasn't there. He was at work. But as far as Mommy-and-me days go, it was SWEET!

I woke up early - again - and we had warm blueberry waffles. We read lots and lots of books and then watched a healthy dose of Tom & Jerry...then Super Hero Squad. It's amazing how much I've taken to watching Tom bash Jerry on the head and vice versa. And all of this action/drama without talking. It may be violent, but it's quiet violence. Ha! (Was that a confusing sentense or what!?!)

After a nice warm up of a morning, we went to open gym at the rec center. I am absolutely crazy about open gym and I get so excited as we walk in that I'm practically out of breath before I even get my shoes off. Mommy watches me for a bit, then goes up to run on the treadmill before coming back to see me do the clean up songs and the parachute part. Oh gosh, she just beams with pride as she watches me follow directions and LISTEN to the teachers. Amazing! After that, we went to get groceries to fill up our bare cupboards. I like grocery shopping with Mommy...and she likes having me along. A few weeks back, she went at night while I was asleep and Daddy was home with me. Mommy thought it'd be nice to do it without distraction but man, oh man, she missed me!

We unpacked the bags of food, had a yummy lunch and then hit the road on my new bike. I rode to the mailbox two blocks down to mail a few letters and decided to keep going. The weather was so nice that we decided to check out the neighborhood. Well, our planned 20 minute bike ride turned into a 75 minute bike ride over snow drifts and through enormous puddles of dirty melted snow. It was glorious and we had a ball! When we finally rolled up into the driveway, I said "Shew! That was a LONG bike ride!"

I went pantless for quiet time after that. My jeans were soaked and I didn't feel like putting new pants on so I just hung out in my undies for a bit. Mommy did some work while I had quiet time and I was very good about it. Then we did a few errands, had a cheeseburger at McDonald's and then picked Uncle Ben up for a Bible Study we were checking out at Caden's and Lillian's. Us kids had the entire basement to ourselves...9 of us boys and 1 girl, I think. From upstairs, it sounded horrible and Mommy had a hard time sitting still. We knew we couldn't stay long from the start because I have a sorta strict bedtime (especially since I'm trying to get back on track since the move) so we jetted early. Maybe next time...

After that long and wonderful day, I fell asleep like a champ and slept like a zombie. What a fun day to go back to being myself. Love you! Countdown until soccer starts pretty soon. G'nite!

2010-03-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

Well, I started this blog weeks ago...and I'm only getting to it now. So...sorry! : ) I will call it "Family Time"!

I sure love my family and I'm so happy and lucky that I get to live near them now. The other day (back when I started writing this), my Aunt CC and Uncle Paul called to see if I could come over and play. Well, I jumped up and down like a crazy man and agreed. Mommy dropped me off in my snowpants and all my gear ready to play with the doggies outside.

I built an enormous snow fort (decorated with some yellow snow, no doubt) and had a ball! After awhile out in the cold, we needed to warm up. So, they fed me cheese curls, chicken nuggets, two bowls of ice cream and hot chocolate. Oh - and some marshmallows on top. When Mommy picked me up and heard about my "meal" she laughed out loud and said it would be an interesting next few hours. And it was. I was off the wall for a short while then fell asleep on the couch for an hour. Nice!

Auntie Melissa and Grandma have been coming over to TJ-sit (NOT babysit) while Mommy is at her office twice a week. I wrestle and ride my bike with Auntie Melissa. We color too sometimes but mostly I just tell her to color things. I usually have to poop while she's here with I'm sure she thinks is pretty special. : ) I love seeing her more often and she brings good snacks. Grandma brought movies last time and I talked about them a lot when Mommy got home. She brought a special sticker and coloring work book too. I am really rockin' my colors lately! Grandma reads me books a lot too and makes good voices and she wore me out so much that I fell asleep on the couch as Daddy was walking in the door from his work. I'm so silly!

Thanks, Family!!! I miss you guys!
Love, TJ

Before I forget...

2010-02-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I went to a train museum with Grandma and Grandpa! You heard me...a train museum! It was so cool. They had trains running throughout the place and mini exhibits. Mommy's favorite was the tiny amusement park with teeny bumper cars and roller coasters that moved. My favorite part was riding on a train! I got to ding the bell the whole time!!! We took a video but we're going to upload pictures only. Mommy doesn't have the patience to do a video.

After the museum, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's to have wings with Uncle Bill, Auntie Melissa and Auntie Marcia. We played Hungry Hippos about 72 times and ate chocolate fudge cake. Even when desserts aren't necessary chocolate fudge cake, I still call most desserts chocolate fudge cake. Hilarious.Daddy and I played chase around the house and I squealed more than I ran! We had such a good time!!

The next day, we went to Bondi and Poppy's for the Super Bowl. We ate tons of food and got to see Aunt CC, Uncle Paul, Uncle Ben and Aunt Val. Even GG and Nonny showed up! We ate chocolate fudge cake there too and I polished off my bowl pretty quickly. I played in my office a lot. Bondi and I made it when I was over one day. I have a chair, "computer", American flag, doorbell and all sorts of stuff. Mommy thinks that's pretty hilarious too. I behaved great and helped out when anyone asked me too. I'm a good helper and it makes me feel good about myself.

I know I'm missing a lot here but I'm just really, really tired. Sorry guys, it's been a fun week, but that's all I've got. I need for springtime to get here soon. Can't take much more of being inside. G'nite!

No hands!

2010-02-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends! I am proud to announce that I'll be starting Tot Soccer in a month or so! Mommy and Daddy are sending in my registration this week. Can you believe I'm old enough to join a little kid league? I'll be playing on Saturday mornings and I'm pretty sure I'll love it. If I don't, well, then I don't have to do it anymore. But I'm gonna try!

Soccer is the sport my Mommy got started in when she was a kid. She had a funny haircut and really short shorts and she started playing on an all-boys team. The next year, they added girls teams and she was kind of sad. She liked the boys! At first, Mommy wasn't very competitive and actually feared the ball. Believe it or not, Poppy had to pay her a quarter every time she touched the ball. Hahahaha - she'd be mad if she knew I was telling you all this! I'm pretty sure that my mom and dad won't have to pay me to go after the ball. I'll love running and running and running around the field and listening to directions. I'm pretty good at that.

I wonder if my shirt will fit or if it'll be really big and hang below my shorts. Mommy's kind of hoping for the sloppy cute little kid look. Love you!

2010-01-30T22:19:00.002-05:00

I was watching Super Hero Squad the other day which, along with Tom and Jerry, has become my new favorite show. The Hulk was carrying a big green plant and I yelled out, "hey momma, that matches. the green plant and the huge hulk"! I've said some other cool things lately too. Read on:

TJ: Hey Mom, how did the doctors get me out of your tummy?
Mom: Wow T, thought I had a few more years before you'd ask that question. (avoiding the answer)
TJ: What are you saying to me? I said how did the doctors get out?
Mom: Mmm, lots of medicine.
TJ: Med-cine? But how did I get out?
Mom: Ohhh (sigh), they uh, gosh I don't know how to answer that.
TJ: Maybe your bellybutton?
Mom: Well that's a great idea. Let's ask Daddy.
TJ: Ohhh-kay! That's a great idea!

Bondi and I were watching a movie last week and a kid fell in a hole on the show. She asked me what I would do if I had fallen in. I said, "I'd use a rope!" (Mommy loved hearing this story) Bondi asked me what would happen if I didn't have a rope. I replied, "All the kids in there, we'd hold hands and climb up." Cool!

When Mommy came home from work, I gave her a hug and told her a little about my day. Then I came back around and said, "It's okay to be nervous!" Mommy looked at Bondi and they both shrugged their shoulders. Wonder where I picked that up!

I was fightin' Bondi on taking a nap one day. Finally I said, "Okay! Fine! I'll take a nap! Fine!" I said it while mimicking Mommy's voice. Oh dear. Now you all know that nearly two months ago when I gave up my nap, Mommy's final words on the subject were, "Okay! Fine! Don't nap." Oops.

Guess who came over to play with me all day Wednesday. Grandma!!!!!!!!!! We did fingerpaints and thumb prints, books and games, and ate heart peeps! I also ate her sandwich. Didn't want my food, but loved hers! When Mommy got home, she hugged us both. After Grandma left, I said, "she's a girl like you're a mommy girl. and daddy's a boy like i'm a boy...a tj boy." I talked a lot about how Grandma loves me and that she's good at reading books. I also wondered where Grandpa was. "Remember those trains? And the broken one? Can we see those trains and the hot rod soon?" Mommy said 'absolutely'!

I'm so lucky to be close to all 4 of my grandparents and all my aunts and uncles. Gosh, I love them!
Hi family -- I LOVE YOU!

Picture Page, Picture Page

2010-01-26T23:28:00.000-05:00

This is me making one of my famous silly faces at the indoor track at B-W. It's a special place in my family!

Here I am jumping up and down on the jumping "fing" at Open Gym. I love going to the rec with Mommy!

Bondi and me at the track...waiting to see Stinger (B-W's mascot) who never showed. Nice.

One of Mommy's favorite outfits...

Another one of Mommy's favorite outfits. I love putting on all my gear once in awhile!

Where's TJ?

2010-01-25T22:07:00.000-05:00

The reason for no blogs lately isn't for lack of doing things. In fact, it's because we've been doing so many "things" that I haven't had a chance to write lately.

For example, an 'un'fun thing I did this week was to be sick. I had a fever of 104 over two days and since my fever broke, I've been trying to get rid of a very stuffy nose and a little cough. It's been a little pathetic over here. My 104 fever hit the day my Daddy was driving home to see us from his short business trip. I was pathetically draped over my Mommy while the water heater in the basement was rusting out and breaking. So, we had 3 days without hot water. That was fun.

Yesterday, Mommy needed to get me out of the house (for her sake, I think) so we headed to B-W to watch a basketball game and track meet. There was also a wrestling match, swim meet and racquetball tournament going on at the same time. Needless to say, parking was insane. So, Mommy dropped Bondi and me off and went to park. We cheered and cheered...and I was very excited to get up and down from the stands during the bball game. That made my mom nervous but she let me do it anyway. Probably because we were only in the second row. : )

I've been okay today (Sunday), but Daddy has it now. Ohh Daddy. Pray for us here, please! We've been under attack : ( but we're hangin' in there!

One fun thing I did last week was have my Auntie Melissa over for a morning. Yep, Mommy had to be at work very early one day and Auntie Melissa came to stay with me since Daddy was out of town. We had a great time and even made a sleeping fort. The best part was that in the back of Mommy's mind, she thought "oh, i hope he doesn't have to poop while Auntie is there!" but she decided not to worry since it wasn't too long of a window for opportunity. Well well well, I saved a nice potty time for my Auntie. I'm sure she looks at me much differently now. : )

Love you!

a little bit of this, a little bit of that

2010-01-08T22:33:00.006-05:00

sometimes i watch maggie and the rocious beast, but mommy's not really into it. she doesn't even have anything to say about it, but wanted me to document that i say 'rocious' instead of 'ferocious'. she loves it, actually.

av (emphasis on the "a") is my new friend. whenever mommy asks me who i played with at church or things like that, my typical answer is "av". so...my mom and dad aren't sure if i really do have a friend named "avery" or something similar - or if i've completely made it up. i'll never tell.

i also have a new pet named julie the hamster. i carry her around in a little bag and take care of her by saying, "it's okay. i'm here now. i'll take care of you - no more little (wittle) tears." i also had my bath tonight with my puppy pet and said the same things to him. the voice i use when 'consoling' is so freaking cute. mommy said 'you take such good care of your pets in the bathtub' and i said 'PET, mommy. i only have one in here.' HA! i'm already correcting my mom's use of the english language. nice.

mommy took me swimming after she ran the other day. it was so fun - i nearly had a happy meltdown in the kids area. i ran around and told all my teachers that i was going in the pool and then SHOUTED: thank you! thank you, mommy! thank you for taking me swimming. i'm so excited! geez, mommy was impressed with my speaking and then pumped that i tried going down the slide all by myself. i could only see her hand at the bottom of the pool because it was a tube slide. she could hear me at the top saying 'i don't know about this'. i say a lot of things that make her chuckle. 'i don't know about this'? what says that?

flumm is still a word i can't say. flumm, you know...not your finger but your flummm...

g'nite everybody!
love, tj

Chuck E Cheesus

2010-01-01T16:32:00.009-05:00

I have been wanting to go to Chuck E Cheesus (yes, it rhymes with Jesus) since I was a little kid. And this past weekend, I got to go!!! Uncle Bill wanted to go for his birthday, and I got invited! : )

When we pulled into the parking lot, I freaked - in a good way. I saw all the flashing lights and excitement inside and could not wait to get inside. At first I was a little hesitant to chum up with Chuck on stage, but when I saw the real Chuck, I was cool with it. Gave him a few high-fives.We got right down to the game-playin' and that was just great with me! The coolest part was that I got to do any and all the games I wanted. We had cups of tokens and just put them in each machine, running from one thing to another. I think the roller coaster ride and air hockey were my favorites. Mommy thinks my expression on the American flag truck was the best though. It's so not my personality...maybe that's why.

We took a break for pizza then got back to winning tickets. My family gave me all the tickets they earned at the end and I got to pick out some prizes! Isn't that awesome? We fed the ticket-counting machine what we won and then walked over to choose prizes. I got a sweet Speedracer car and a soccer bracelet. I left like a man too. No tears, no whining. Just GOODNESS! My Mommy and Daddy were so proud of that! After Chuck E. Cheesus, we went to Grandma's and Grandpa's house for ice cream cake. What a fun day!

Grandma surprised me with a stuffed Chuck and he sleeps with me now. I always ask why he only has two teeth. : )

Love, TJ

I'm a tj toothpick, you're a mommy toothpick, daddy's a daddy toothpick

2010-01-01T16:25:00.003-05:00

Mommy asked me to write about this because she wants to always remember me doing this. ALL THE TIME!

About 2-7 times a day, we'll be talking about something, watching something or playing something that triggers me to say while pointing to each family member, "I'm a TJ Christmas tree, you're a Mommy Christmas tree, and Daddy's a Daddy Christmas tree." I've used such comparisons as pigs, socks, poopy-guys, zippers, heaters, rugs, ears, animals and objects.

... or if we're watching a show, I assign characters to each of us. "You're Lola, I'm Charlie and Daddy's Charlie" or "I'm dat boy, you're dat girl, and daddy's dat man". Omigosh, they get a kick out of it every time.

Too fun!
Love, TJ

Holy Night!

2009-12-26T21:20:00.013-05:00

So, I bet you'd like to know how this Christmas went? Well, Daddy carried me in the door Christmas night after ALL the festivities and looked at Mommy and said smiled. He said simply that it was the best Christmas ever. Mommy wholeheartedly agreed. THAT is how good it went.
It all started Christmas Eve when we got home from church and dinner. Mommy and Daddy got me all ready for bed in my Santa jammies and then headed for the kitchen to get Santa's snacks ready. I never really "got" this last year...I was too little. But now I'm BIG! So putting cookies, donut holes (yeah really, Santa likes those) and carrots on a plate with a big glass of milk thrilled me. We put it near the chimney - and I was a bit worried about Santa falling on it. But Daddy assured me he had no worries about Santa smashing the treats.
These pictures are of Mommy and Daddy pretending to eat the things we left out for Santa. Of course they wouldn't actually steal them from Santa but they had fun pretending, I'm told. I like the picture of Mommy considering the milk. I'm pretty sure that's what ironic means. Mommy has a love/hate relationship with dairy...no need to say more.
I went to bed like a champ...and woke up at 8:05am. THAT was Mommy's and Daddy's Christmas present from ME! I haven't slept that for two years! I crept over to them and said, "Did Santa come???" Daddy rushed downstairs to check on the plate of food...and brought it up to show us that he HAD come to our house! I was so excited. We all rushed downstairs and the first thing I saw was my unwrapped present. A horse!!!!! I love being a Cowboy Woody and named my horse "Cowboy" right away. I then opened my stocking and presents right away. I was screeching and talking so fast that Mommy and Daddy just laughed at me...and smiled.
I was very proud of all my prizes and we played for a bit before Mommy made chocolate chip pancakes. Yummy! We ate, got dressed, and played some more. Then we headed over to Bondi's and Poppy's for brunch. We had the greatest meal ever - breakfast pizza! I ate a big pizza with eggs, tomatoes, bacon, cheese and green peppers. Then CC, Uncle Paul, Nonny and GG came over and we unwrapped a few prizes. They all stayed over but we had to get going to our next adventure!
We piled in the car and headed out to Grandma's and Grandpa's. I got more and more presents there and was so overwhelmed all day, I could hardly look at what I opened before I went on to the next gift! Auntie Melissa, Uncle Bill and all my other loving family came over and I even got to see my cousin, Logan! We ate lots of food but I just wanted to play with my toys. I was allowed to get up from the table early. : ) What a fun time with family!!! After being there for awhile, it was time to head over to Nonny's for a late dinner. Yep, another location and another dinner. We haven't been hungry since! (haha)
Here I am riding my new bike...pronounced "bay-k". It's a big boy one so when you push the pedals back, it brakes! I got frustrated at first, but practiced all the next day around our dining room table and got the hang of it before going outside with it. I'm a pro now! Woohoo!!
Here I am working out...with my weights and workout bag. I even have an ID card with my picture on it. "Feel my muscles!!!"
At Nonny's, we had dinner and got to see Reese's and Uncle Max and Aunt Lynnie. Then stockings and a few more gifts. Before we left, Uncle Max read from the Bible and we said a prayer. I jumped up at the chance to say something and grabbed the Bible I had just gotten from Nonny. I mimicked Max and read about "the Lord" and "the Lord Jesus" and paraphrased what he said in my own words from my own Bible. Everyone just watched me intently and Mommy had tears flyin' out of her eyes by the time I was done. It was pretty amazing. Really.

Before we went home, Mommy's Uncle Matt was talking with me. Mommy said, "TJ, can you count to 10 or 20 for Uncle Matt?" I just laughed, put my hands up and said, "I don't have to, Mom. He knows!!!" Everyone roared - it was hilarious! Mommy could say nothing...I was right! Uncle Matt already knew how to count to 20. How silly of her.

So by the time we got home and Daddy carried me through the door, we had agreed that it was the best Christmas ever. We got to see all of our loving families, received the most wonderful and thoughtful and generous gifts ever, and remembered what Christmas is all about. AND...drum roll, please...I behaved like a little man all day. No whining, a little crying (just for a second), and zero meltdowns. For all the running around we did, Mommy and Daddy were quite proud.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!!!!!!!!
Love, TJ

Little Drummer Boy

2009-12-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

Turn up the volume for this one, guys. I am sweet!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is already nearly here! I went to a parade with Bondi and Poppy two weeks ago (yeah, that's how far behind I am in my blogs) and saw fireworks! The people actually shot fireworks out of tubes on the top of a building. It was " a little bit scary " as I describe it, but fun nonetheless. They had merry-go-rounds and ferris wheels and cookies and cocoa. All for free from the city. Pretty cool, huh! It was brrrr coldy! And when I came home, my cheeks stayed red for awhile. I looked like a little toy soldier.

Since then, I've been to a Christmas party at Uncle Michael and Auntie B's where I ate tons of cookies (most of which I thought I was sneaking...but Mommy really did see me do it). I also played with a race track in their basement. Everyone was very patient with me and Mommy appreciated that so much. Grandpa and I raced those cars down the track for nearly 2 hours. Wow! Then I got some super cool prizes! A Transformer, cool ABC and Doggie Domino games (which we play everyday) and color/craft books too. It was so fun.

I'll tell you what wasn't fun though. Worrying about Daddy in the snowstorm. He went down to Charlotte to close on our house and was supposed to be back by 7pm on Friday evening. The 7.5 hour trip turned into a 30-hour mess! Virginia was hit by a massive snowstorm and Daddy was stuck on the highway for about 9 hours without moving. The road was like a big parking lot. A freezing, snowy, lonely parking lot. At 2am when the cars started moving, they were allowed off an exit ramp where most people parked at Walmart. Unfortunately it wasn't a 24hr Walmart and Daddy was wet and freezing from having to dig his car out of the snow banks several times after spinning off the road. Of course, Mommy was a nervous wreck and actually didn't let me see it at all. When Daddy finally got home the next day, we were relieved more than words can say. Poor, poor Daddy.

But now he's on vacation and I get him all to myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, TJ

p.s. Tonight, Mommy was telling me a story to make me fall asleep. I requested a story about Chalk the Boat (don't ask). Well, she said Chalk the Boat gave Sammy Race Car a 'high-five' and groggily, I laughed for a second. Then I said, "But mom, Chalk the Boat would have to do a high-five with his mouth since he doesn't have any hands!" Wow - I was right. I'm a good thinker.

TJ the Photographer

2009-12-08T22:32:00.010-05:00

These are all pictures that I took myself with my very own camera. I got it for my birthday from Uncle Ben and Aunt Val. I may be an amateur but I think these are all awesome. Mommy and Daddy sure think so! They were quite excited to upload this pics! Mommy's favorite is the one with the cupcakes in it : ) Which one's yours?

Polar Express

2009-12-01T23:48:00.013-05:00

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, Whistle Blowin' WooWoo!

We went to the Polar Express on Saturday night and I got to wear my pajamas! It was an incredible trip. I've been skipping my naps lately (much to Mommy's and Daddy's dismay), but I get really tired and cranky around dinnertime. Well, Saturday evening we were driving to the Polar Express about that time and I just up and fell asleep in the car. I'm good at that lately. Anyhow, Mommy and Daddy peeked back at me and saw that I was sleeping - and they laughed.

When we got to the railway, they let me sleep in the car for a bit more. Daddy scooped me out of my carseat and we took pictures underneath the Polar Express sign. Lots of my family members came along and Nonny treated!

I got to meet Mr. Conductor as I boarded the train. We all found our seats and had about an hour to wait before the trip started. So...we went potty a few times, Daddy bought some popcorn in the refreshment car, Uncle Ben bought me a train, and we just hung out all excited to be there. Oh yeah, did I mention that there were elves and Santa's helpers on the train the whole time? Welp, there were!

When the train started chugging along, the main elf-lady (Bev) read us the Polar Express. Her little helpers showed some props and did sound effects. I listened like a very good boy. Then we got hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmm! I sat in my very own seat and then jumped around a bit.

A bit later, we reached....THE NORTH POLE! Yep, I jumped onto Mommy's lap and my sweet, sweaty face was pressed against the steamy window for 15 minutes as we looked at the reindeer, lights, Frosty, elves and SANTA!!!!!!!! The joy in me lit up my little face and I know Nonny got a good look at it from where she was sitting. I cried out that I wanted to hug Frosty. For some reason, he was my favorite. Well, the train started to go back but I couldn't see Santa on the way back. I was a little disappointed.

The elf-lady said the kids should have a pajama parade - so we did! I marched up and down the aisle in my pj's with the other kids and then, ALL OF A SUDDEN, Santa came onto our car! He did! I got very curious and had to wait my turn. Check out these pictures. They say it all.

Finally, when it was my turn, I couldn't think of a thing to say. I just smiled bright and said I wanted a car for Christmas. I gave Santa a huge hug and we didn't get a very good picture of it. My Mom and Dad were sad about that. But, we'll always have that memory!

Santa and my Nonny got a good pic though. Check this one out!

I got antsy and crabby on the ride back...and it was pretty hot on that train, so it won't surprise you to hear that I slept realllly well when I got home. Thanks, Nonny! We had so much fun!

Merry Christmas, Every One!

Love, TJ

Monkeys and Turkeys

2009-11-27T21:05:00.013-05:00

It looks sort of luau-ish but it wasn't meant to be. It's just fun decorations for my 3rd birthday party!!! We had our very immediate family there and it was a packed house! At first, it was hard for me to understand that everyone was there to celebrate ME! But I got it after awhile. I took my time with each gift and even loved up each card. Wow - I had lots to open...and I can't even think of naming everything I got. I'll just say that I have a lot of new things to play with and wear. My parents are thrilled that we have so many new things to do during the day. THANK YOU!
See my focus in opening prizes!?! "Thank you everybody!" was my quote of the day.
Mommy and CC made monkey cupcakes for me...and they turned out pretty good. Oo oo ah ah!
Happy little family of 3...including a boy who is now 3 himself!!!
"I love you Cleveland!" You should hear my tap-tap-tap 1,2,3,4 ...before I hit the drums.
Mommy and Daddy are truly freaking out about how I'm changing so quickly. I've said "gah-bidge" since I learned how to talk...but I correct myself almost every time I say it now. "Can I take the gah-bidge out, Mom? I mean, uhhh, let me try it...garrrr-bage." Ugh, Mommy's heart crumbles when I say it right. She likes my little accent.
I got to have Thanksgiving at Bondi's and Poppy's as well as Grandma's and Grandpa's! We ate tons of turkey, sweet potatoes and desserts! Actually, I didn't eat much at all. I had a fever for 2 days and haven't felt like myself for a few more than that. Everyone worries about me - and they take care of me like I'm priceless. I am.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!

Snowman with Daddy!!!

2009-11-27T13:59:00.002-05:00

Wow - this morning we woke up and Daddy rushed in to get me. He said "TJ LOOK, THERE'S SNOW!" And we went out and played in the snow to make our first wintery man of the year! It's the day after Thanksgiving...and getting coldies!

I'll be writing about my birthday party and T'giving this evening, but was too excited to share this with you all now. Love you!

Love, TJ

"Three in November!"

2009-11-16T21:07:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

When people ask me how old I am now, I'm going to have an adjustment to make. Up until about a month or two ago, I would answer "2 1/2". But lately, I've said "three in November" when asked about my age. Today...I turned 3 years old. Mommy and Daddy really cannot believe it!

Daddy and Mommy decorated the house last night. Daddy had to leave early for work and when I woke up at 5:30, Mommy crawled into bed with me and I slept a record long sleep...we got up at 8:15!!! When I walked downstairs, I gasped at the decorations and said "you SURPRISED me!" I was so excited.

I wanted to go to the zoo, so Mommy happily packed us up! Mommy and I had the greatest time alone there. She had a hard time walking because she ran a marathon on Saturday, but really thought a forced walk would help. (It didn't.) My big request was to see the sharks which really proves I'm growing up. Sharks used to be one of my dislikes at the zoo. Anyhow, we spent tons of time in the buildings and had fun looking at the fishes and the monkeys. We caught the tram on the way down and ate a hot pretzel. We had lots of fun snuggling up - taking our time and singing 'happy birthday' a lot.

Mommy told me that I used to live in her tummy ... and that I even slept in there! Today, I stuffed a shark down my shirt and said, 'hey look Mom! i have a baby in my tummy.' Mommy took a few more minutes to explain it to me. I still don't get it. (Don't worry - she sure didn't say much. She told me Daddy will have lots to explain to me someday...but definitely not anytime soon.)

After the zoo and an afternoon of fun at home, Daddy came home from work. We had a super family dinner then ate some sweet treats for my birthday. We wore silly birthday hats and got sick on sweet stuff. Mmmmm!

We played a few games together on the floor then I was OUT like a light before my normal bedtime. What a day!

Check back soon for a recap of the past few weeks. It's been awhile!
Love, TJ-3

recap in less than 30 seconds!

2009-11-16T21:01:00.017-05:00

made a robot with cc and paul. named him awesome-o. let mommy and daddy run together. jumped in the leaves. learned new music. sing the wrong words. don't re me. danced to the fresh beat band. went to grandma's and grandpa's for a grandpa's birthday party. ate lots of chocolate fudge cake. fell asleep on the drive home. didn't fall asleep in bed forever. got dressed up for halloween. walked around the neighborhood with mommy and daddy. begged like a dog for candy. ran up and down the sidewalk. kept asking 'can we go to another one' eighty times. went to another one, eighty times. got freezing cold. warmed up by the fire at bondi's and poppy's. passed out more candy. had to look at everyone's costumes before giving them any. hugged lots of kids. scared a lot of kids (kidding). told the princess she was beautiful. told my mommy she was beautiful. got bit by a kid at church. had to see the doctor for antibiotics. wore a different bandaid every 10 minutes. let it heal. went back to church with no fears. found out i'm a big boy. went to richmond, virginia. drove for hours and hours. saw a fort where mommy and daddy ran in college. heard about daddy's weird hair in college. heard about daddy's weird beards in college. laughed about daddy's silliness. made silly faces at daddy. slept in a hotel room for two nights. got crazy hyper in a hotel room for 2 nights. jumped to daddy in the pool a lot. splashed around with happy feet with daddy. squealed when he went underwater. screamed i love you daddy in the pool. swallowed a lot of pool water. burped a HUGE burp because of the pool water. didn't whine about it. found out i'm a big boy again. watched mommy run a marathon. hugged crying mommy after the marathon. gave mommy kisses on her happy tears. asked daddy if he wanted ibuprofen. told daddy to have a drink. drove hours home. slept most of the way. (finally). opened lots of birthday cards. hugged my birthday cards. had a birthday dinner with cake. loved my family. played family games. fell asleep easily. felt my parents watch me fall asleep. heard their prayers. said them too. love my family. love my life. see you tomorrow. sleep tight.

What a weekend!

2009-10-25T23:01:00.014-04:00

What a weekend! Grandma and Grandpa came over this weekend and we ate pizza! They showed us their new car and I got Halloween prizes and candy. It was awesome. I gave them some of my latest artwork and we watched football on t.v. I rode my bike out front with Mommy until they got to our house...and when I got tired, we took a break to sing songs on the front porch. Just Mommy and me. It was fun. I showed Grandpa and Grandma my new room - WITHOUT my crib in it. Yep, it's been about a week now that I've been sleeping in my big boy bed. It is so very cool. I'm still not sleeping very well and wake up a few times in the night. Mommy and Daddy are hoping that I grow out of this stage soon...After that, Mommy and Daddy took me to Mapleside. We went down a steep, steep hill and into the pumpkin patch. They each held one of my hands going down the hill and I kept saying "am I gonna fall? am I gonna fall?" We saw a cool hay maze and tractor ride but I just wanted to get a treat at the store. So, after exploring around and seeing the cool, huge huge horses, we climbed back up the hill. I raced Daddy. I was tired! We walked around in the cool shops and I picked out a donut treat. I was brave in the fun halloween room and I made sure I told everyone that!
Sunday was another busy day! We went to a fall fest and I got to run and play in the woods. Mommy followed me as I ran after "the boys" and was so surprised to see the amazing fort they had built! I imitated every single bigger kid there. Take a look at these pics!
After playing in the woods, we played games for halloween. I waited so very patiently for my turn at bobbing for apples. And I cheered "go Ben! go Ben!" when my little friend Ben was taking his turn. I did pretty well for a little guy. I did pretty well at trying to catch a donut on a string with my mouth too. I kept asking for more games, more games. I'm an entertaining kid - there were lots of people there but Mommy and Bondi and Poppy just watched me and my interactions with the other kids. Yep, they were entertained alright. Pretty soon we had to go home.
Mommy and I ate a special dinner at Wendy's after that then headed to night church. Mommy needed to work in the nursery and it was so crowded. I actually got to be in the pumpkin room to help Mommy this time. I knew it was a big deal. I played for awhile with the baby toys and was really interested in the little baby Mommy was holding. I commented about her little tiny hands and feet, then asked if I could sing her a song! I sang "rockabye baby". I liked that she smiled at me. Another little girl was standing by the door crying and each worker (including Mommy) was holding about two kids each. They tried to calm her down but it didn't work so I went over (without being asked or told) and said "don't cry, girl. your mommy will come soon. i will dry your tears." Then I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the face and said "want me to read you a book?" She didn't answer me but I ran over to get some books and sat down on the floor to read them out loud. Mommy was changing a diaper in the midst of all this and stopped to watch me. She's never been prouder! I was such a huge helper and wow, was I sweet!Love, TJ the Helper

The Donut Man

2009-10-15T21:20:00.003-04:00

Today, a complete stranger totally gave Mommy and me a terrific surprise! Here's the story. We went to meet Mrs. A at the Spudnut Shop for a donut. It's her first week of retirement and so we wanted to celebrate! : ) Well, halfway through my donut (with chocolate sprinkles, of course) I told Mommy that I had to go pee-pee. There wasn't a public bathroom so Mommy had to ask the girl at the counter if there was a bathroom we could use. She bragged about how good I was at using the potty and didn't want to have an accident!

A few seconds later, we were led to the bathroom in the back. After a successful trip, we washed our hands and came back out...and the donut boss stopped us. He said, "Hey, do you have a few minutes?" Well, over the next 15 minutes, he showed us how he cuts the donut dough, then he plopped circles into the oil like big Cheerios! We watched them turn golden brown, and when they were done, he scooped them out and let ME tell him how much glaze to put on 'em. I kept saying "more" and he laughed and listened to me! Boy, did I feel special! Then he dipped one in Halloween sprinkles and put some warm ones in a bag for us. Can you believe it?

It was such a cool surprise tour of the donut shop and the man was so very nice that it just made my day! I couldn't wait to blog about it. I ate more donut at the table with spinning chairs. The man came back out to see how our warm donuts were and the three of us smiled with our mouths full. Know what he did next? Let me sit at the counter on a spinning stool and turned Elmo on the t.v. for me. Then gave me some dough to run my truck over - again and again.

Thank you, Mr. Donut Man! Your kindness to a little kid will never be forgotten. Plus, I'll tell all of my readers to GO TO THE SPUDNUT SHOP in Berea!

Love, TJ

Is it sunny out?

2009-10-10T18:58:00.008-04:00

Well, yesterday it was definitely rainy and chilly. Daddy and I were the perfect, most awesomest (yes, that's gotta be a word) family members ever. We stood out in the cold rain at the middle school track while Mommy did a workout. We cheered her on and she said it helped immensely. I had lots of warm clothes on as well as my yellow fireman raincoat. I chased after Mommy for such a long time and Daddy kept trying to get me to play football, soccer or baseball (catch). I did for a bit, but all I wanted to do was catch Mommy. Daddy and I ran together for a bit to yell "Look! We're all runnin' together" on Mommy's last interval. Whew - in all, I ran about a mile and a quarter. Not bad for just a little guy. I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Made my parents nervous.

So, to answer you Mommy...you're welcome for being yours and Daddy's biggest fan.
Love, TJ Sugarbean

I don't miss a thing!

2009-10-07T12:58:00.004-04:00

So, early this morning I wet my bed. Mommy rushed in because I was crying and she said "no big deal! let's get you dry and clean and then we'll snuggle up in my bed!" That made me feel much better and it was cozy once I got dry. But in the midst of having my wet clothes peeled off me, I whimpered, "Ummm, Mommy? Am I still a man?"

Mommy pretty much laughed and cried at the same time. She reassured me I was still very much a man. : ) Accidents happen...is a theme from Elmo's Potty Time and I do quote that if I have an accident. I don't miss a thing.

Another thing I don't miss is quotes from books. If Mommy reads any little tiny piece of a book differently than the day or night before, I call her on it. Daddy too. Seriously, guys, if you're gonna start skipping phrases in a book, make it consistent. Which Mommy has learned to do. But, she had a slip up last night. While reading one of my library books, Mommy said "he said"...and I interrupted her instantly and said "no no no, mom. it's "Mungo said at last", not "he said". Oh my gosh, she was pretty surprised. Then she started stopping mid-sentence to see if I could finish, and I did. Every time.

At dinner, Mommy asked me who the dedication was to in my Big Wheels book. I said "Shoshi, Shira, and Megan". Ha! I was right on.

Well, my birthday is coming up and I'm starting to talk about it. When I see something cool on tv, I don't ask for it. Nope, I'm too polite for that. I do say "maybe we could get that someday". Over and over. But now that my bday is near, I say "hey, maybe we could get that someday for my birthday!"

I don't miss a thing.
Love, TJ

A Thousand Words (Each)

2009-09-29T21:27:00.010-04:00

Manhood

2009-09-28T08:06:00.004-04:00

To All My Friends,

I am writing to tell you that I, TJ Budic, am now potty-trained. I go peepee (and the other thing) in the potty now. Every time. (Except in the nursery yesterday morning at church. Didn't quite pee all the way when the teacher took me a few minute before.) But anyway, who knew that stickers on a chart would work better than marshmallows and m&ms? After much anticipation and hard work, I earned my beloved DIESEL 10. I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally get it!!!

Mommy carries my "royal throne" potty in the car every time we go somewhere so I can pee in the back of the car if I need to. I can't go in a public bathroom yet because the automatic flushers creep me out bigtime. Mommy and Daddy totally understand that! I have actually asked to use the big potty at home ... much to their surprise. And I do it well. I said, "Oh gosh, I'm a little too little for this big potty. But I growing alllll the time!"

I am so proud. But not as proud as my Mommy and Daddy!
Love, TJ the Man

GG's Tractor...

2009-09-22T21:49:00.012-04:00

Indians Game, Cavaline and an Announcement

2009-09-05T22:47:00.010-04:00

I had a chance to see my FIRST ever baseball game with Mommy and Daddy! We saw the Indians play and win. Hooray! Daddy carried me in on his shoulders, then out the same way. I sat in my seat, ate a soft pretzel and watched e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g around me. I talked a lot too and had people around me just rollin' in their seats. I think the funniest thing I did was totally and utterly refuse to eat cotton candy. Mommy and Daddy were so very excited to buy it for me, and when they did...I wouldn't touch it. I was also afraid of the fireworks and asked the "men to please put the fireworks away". It was awfully cute.

"GO PRONK!" was my favorite phrase. I'd add a little "C'mon Pronk. A little contact here, Pronk" here and there too. After Daddy told me to say it, of course.

I got antsy so Mommy took me up to the Step 2 play yard and we played with the cool toys they had. There was a roller coaster and motorcycles and playhouses and stuff like that. Step 2 too -- which is awesome. Mommy got to watch the game on the t.v. on the wall. Nice. : )

I must also tell you about my newest friends. All named Cavaline. Yes, I no longer just name things/toys/etc by their obvious name. I've created a new name out of nowhere which has left Mommy and Daddy scratching their heads. One day, Mommy found an old stuffed lamb she used to have as a little girl. I got the lamb out to play with and Mommy asked me what I named her. I confidently shouted, CAVALINE! (I pronounce it cava-ween though). Since then, I've named my other animals "Cavaline White Doggie", "Cavaline Dinosaur" and "Cavaline Stuffed Car". Hmmm. I'll leave my parents guessing on that one. Hey - at least I'm consistent!

My last item of the day is this...

My Mommy has been pretty overwhelmed lately trying to juggle lots of things, so I will be even more limited in my blog writing in the future. I need to help her out around the house and play with her more and stuff, so I'll be writing about once a month or so...more or less. Sometimes I'll just share pictures. You get the idea. Anyhow, check in from time to time. See you soon!

Love, TJ

God Bless...

2009-09-05T22:39:00.004-04:00

God Bless Aunt Jane! She went to be with Jesus this week and while she'll be missed here on earth, I think she's happy with God and her sisters and family in heaven. I was very well behaved at her funeral and even had a few people comment about how good I was to Mommy and Daddy. That made them even more proud of me than they already are! I got to pick out a flower to have in memory of Aunt Jane and I wanted to keep it in my room. It's sitting on my dresser in a nice little vase.

God Bless all the people in our lives who are going through tough times. I'm not naming names, but you know who you are. God will take care of you...even when it sometimes doesn't feel that way. He always does. I know that because he lives in my heart and I tell Mommy and Daddy that often. Like tonight. I was crying about the darkness of my room and Mommy said I didn't need to be scared...then asked me if I knew why. I stopped immediately and said, "oh, i know! because jesus lives in my heart!" They love when I say that. And I do too. I also know they come check on me throughout the night and I'm always safe.

God Bless YOU! I love you!
Love, TJ

Love My Grandparents!!!

2009-08-31T22:12:00.009-04:00

This weekend we went to see Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Bill and Auntie Melissa. We had a great time playing golf and running bases. Haha. Daddy and Grandpa were trying to throw my plastic golf balls into the neighbor's (across the street) mailbox. They're such guys. No one made it, by the way, but Uncle Bill got it the closest! And Grandpa had the best form!
Here I am sitting on Uncle Bill's new Harley Davidson. I liked sitting on it but sure didn't like it when he put the key near the ignition. Until I'm buckled in and everyone else in the car is, I don't like the car to start - and I will tell you that! Same thing goes for motorcycles I guess.
Grandma bought me some new big boy underpants and Mommy was showing me where you're NOT supposed to wear them. I think Mommy's sporting Bert and Ernie, Grandma's fashion is Cars, and I'm about to walk down the runway wearing Thomas. I'm...too sexy...for...my...undies!
Last week while Mommy and Daddy were at work, Bondi and Poppy and Nonny took me to the train station! Yep, we went to the Cuyahoga Scenic Railway and I was so excited! Until the train actually choo-choo'd it's way in front of me, that is. I held on so tightly to Poppy and cried some big tears. Then I announced that I was ready to ride.
Just as we got situated in our cool seats (thanks for taking the pictures, Bondi!), a Mr. Conductor Man came over and said that we were in the wrong car and had to move up 4 CARS -- WHILE the train was moving. So, Poppy carried me (I was pretty upset again by now) and Bondi held onto Nonny while we walked through the rocking train and through the doors and the skinny railway aisle IN BETWEEN the cars. I did not like the fresh air in my hair and it was pretty scary. I first got upset because I wanted to sit and ride like we were doing so well. Then, when I saw what we had to do in order to make it to the first car, I was upset because of that. Whew. It was exhausting but we got some free tickets out of it. Woohoo!
Mommy called me from work to see how things went. I was crying into the phone at one of the traumatic moments and Mommy was upset that she wasn't there to hold me. She knew I was being taken care of...that's not the point. She just misses me so much when she's away. Anyhow, Here's a picture of me telling Mommy why I was crying. All in all, it was such an adventure and I still talk about it and ask if "maybe someday when I'm bigger, we could go back?!" Thanks for taking me on such a cool trip, guys!!! It was awesome! : )
I have one final announcements to make: Our dinosaur egg has hatched! Yes, Grandma found me a dino egg and we put it in water this weekend to wait for it to be born. Sure enough - our little guy broke out today. What a wonderful day and how fun to watch. Thank you!

Love you everybody!!! TJ

Muppets Take Manhattan!

2009-08-26T10:57:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday, Mrs. A took Mommy and me down to Playhouse Square to see The Muppets Take Manhattan. I was so excited about it when Mommy told me Mrs. A was coming over. I love her! I was a very good boy and went pee pee in the potty before and after the show AND stayed dry in between. Pretty neat, eh? Anyway, back to the stuff you want to read about...
We got there exactly on time but the theater was already dark. Mommy rushed us in there before I could get out my "uhhh, i'm a witto bit scared" and I immediately forgot my timidity. Yay for Mom! We found our seats and I ate some popcorn and chocolate covered raisins from Mrs. A. I sat for awhile on Mommy's lap. Then Mrs. A's lap. Then on my own foldy seat. That didn't last long because I was too small to keep the bottom part from flipping back up on me...and it was so funny. So funny, that I laughed about that and about Gonzo for a solid 10 minutes straight. I asked Mommy if I could go down the aisle and she whispered "no way, man!" I was content with walking up and down our row of seats. Sitting still wasn't a skill I mastered in the theatre, BUT we had a great time and left before it was over...like A LOT of people did. I think I did pretty well and Mrs. A told me so. Thank you, Mrs. A!

Pools, Pee Pee, and Surprises! (But not all combined!)

2009-08-21T22:14:00.013-04:00

Now THAT is a long title, isn't it? I've just got so much to say...
I've been going strong on the potty for the past few days. At least 6-7 times a day I've been going pee pee on the potty. I've only had one wet diaper each day and Mommy and Daddy are excited. It's a lot of work for them to stay on top of things with me all the time, but they're pretty committed. I'll admit, Mommy is way scared about this whole thing but she's doing a lot of research so she doesn't screw it up! I've been ready according to lots of studies and questionnaires, but we haven't taken the plunge (get it?) until now. It just happened! So...we'll see how it works out. Tomorrow, we're going to the store to pick out big boy underpants. I get two mini marshmallows each time I go potty...and it's a great motivator. I like the game of keeping my diapee dry too.Today we went to Memphis Kiddie Park with Miss Amie and Jackson. I went peepee in my potty in the back of the car before we went in...and when we came out. It was so awesome. Mommy almost peed her pants she was so proud of me. hehehe.
I was a little worried about a few of the rides early on, but got over my fears. I loved going there and asked if I could come back "when I'm bigger". Mommy said 'of course' and whirled me around til we were both dizzy. She's crazy about me!
Yesterday, I got to see Auntie Melissa and swim in her pool. I only swam for twenty minutes or so but had a blast. Mostly I liked looking for Moo and Boo (her kitties) and sitting at the table on the porch, then in the house, then on the porch again. I was a goof and talked a lot. Mostly they understood where I was going with my conversation, but I had them confused at a few moments too.We went to surprise Grandma at work after that. We were sneaky and crept up to Grandma and yelled "surprise"! She ran over to us and I hugged her a lot! Then we went upstairs and Grandma read me some firetruck books in the big fire engine. It was great. I picked out a video to borrow for the ride home but when Mommy turned it on, it scared me because it was too loud. We watched some of it when we got home. It was fun surprising Grandma! : )
Love, TJ

Little Explorers

2009-08-10T22:57:00.010-04:00

On Monday, Mommy took me to the Nature Center in the Metroparks for Little Explorers Day: Salute to Snakes! Oh my gosh, we had so much fun. We got there really early so we could look at everything and play first. Mommy wanted to make sure I had my fill of the regular part of the center...before the class started. Then, she got to see me in a classroom setting.
Mommy sat on the chairs with the other parents while the kids sat on the carpet. Below is a picture of me with a "mom-please-don't-embarrass-me-by-taking-pictures" look on my face. She still took pictures.She said it was so fun to watch me sit down, get up, sit down, get up, sit down...and get up. I was just really excited to touch the snake skin, look at the real snakes in their cages, and hold real snake eggs. I learned a lot and was a good listener. The teacher even called on me by name, which really kind of stunned me. I didn't answer her question, but I gave her a big smile. I looked at my mom a lot and went over to her a few times to make sure she saw what was going on. It was pretty sweet.
After we learned stuff, we went on a nature hike to look for snakes. We found some frogs, toads and mud but no snakes. I ran up ahead several times on the walk, and kept yelling "C'mon guys!" to all the other kids and parents. While others were whining about how long the walk was (they were really cute though...sweet whiners, not nagging whiners) I was having fun running and singing my ABC's for the last quarter mile of the hike. We made our own snakes after the hike. My snake's name is....Snake! I bet you already guessed that though; given my track record with naming. I did a great job on my craft.

Look how brave I am! I touched the snake! : )
Look how grown up I am! Sittin' with kids.

Today, Wednesday, Bondi and Poppy took me to the County Fair after my nap. Mommy was at work and Daddy had to go to the Terrace Club and Indians game so it worked out perfectly. I was insanely excited about the petting zoo and was very inquisitive about the "hanging thing" on the goat. I was not very thrilled about the rides and Bondi and Poppy had to take me off two of them because I cried. Silly TJ. I had so much fun with them that we were there a really long, fun time ... and Mommy was missing me badly at home! She scooped me up faster than ever when I got home! Poppy even won me a basketball by doing pull-ups. Not too shabby, Poppy!

A few funny things about me this week:

Using code, Mommy asked Bondi if they were going to take me to DQ. I said "NO MOMMY! Not DQ. It's P-Q-R-S-T-U-V".

Also, reading Okie Dokie, Artichokie, the book says that Marklee made snow monkeys in the winter. Everytime Mommy reads that I shake my head and say, "Not snow monkeys...snow monkey. Just one!" And yep, I'm right. They only show one snow monkey so there shouldn't be an 's' on the end. I'm pretty detail-oriented. Wonder where I get that from?

Love, TJ

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2009-08-09T15:37:00.014-04:00

Last week we went to a surprise birthday party for my Grandma...it was so fun!!! It was her 50th birthday (okay, not really but she'll love me even more for writing that). We had cake, cupcakes, brownies and ice cream. Oh, and dinner too. It was all very yummy. My favorite part may have been the musical card Grandma got. She let me play with it and I talked about it for 3 days.

I played cars and trucks with my cousin (second cousin, technically). His name is Logan and I call him "Wogan". But if you repeat me and say "Wogan", I will correct you and say NO, WOGAN ... meaning Logan. Well, that was a complicated way of explaining it but I think you understand.

Uncle Bill and I played in the big backyard A LOT while and Grandma and Grandpa got out my golf toys and bowling and stuff. I learned how to climb a tree and I followed Daddy around as his caddy while he played with my plastic clubs. Then, I met three huskies and they liked me. It sure was nice seeing my Auntie Melissa and Uncle Bill, Auntie B and Uncle Michael, Lauren and Peter, Lisa and Auntie Marcia. Oh and my Grandma and Grandpa too, of course. Everyone liked sitting outside and just smelling the grass.

It was Grandma's birthday but I got a present. Grandma and Grandpa gave me a new pet dinosaur. I named him "dinosaur triceratops". Yeah, I really did. He purrs and growls a nice growl so I sometimes sleep with him too. Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA! I love you lots and lots...see you soon!

Love, TJ

Jumpin' In!

2009-08-01T14:24:00.009-04:00

I went swimming at the incredible cool on Friday with Mommy and CC. It started out as a rainy and semi-cloudy day, but got to be gorgeous by 10:15 when we got there. We were the ONLY people at the pool for awhile so it was even more fun. We played torpedo and alligator-crawl. I also jumped into the water ALL BY MYSELF! Mommy was so excited she captured it on film. Someday, we will buy a video camera and my every move will be on tape. Hehehe. Won't you all love that!?!?
Saturday was a fun day of doing "nothing". Ahhh - sigh. It was great. Daddy and I washed Mommy's car while she ran, and then we all played kickety kick ball. I'm a good kicker.

I'm really into saying a few new-ish things. When people leave me...or when I'm leaving somewhere, I say "OH! OH! I fuh-got!" And then they ask me what I forgot...and I say "Um, be careful! Don't walk in the street and uh, look both ways and uh, don't walk on the house and the roof and ..." and it stops making sense from there.

When Mommy leaves for work or puts me down for a nap or bed, I always say "You always come back." Sometimes she reminds me that she does, but most of the time I just say "Cuz you always come back, Mommy." Gosh, she loves that. Have I told you that before???

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My next blog is about Grandma's surprise birthday party!!! I don't want to post my stories until I have the pics to prove it! : ) Love you all! TJ

Hilton Head Island

2009-08-01T14:19:00.020-04:00

I can't even begin to tell you what we did last week on Hilton Head Island. I'll post a bunch of pictures that will start to tell the story...but none of it will do it justice! I went with Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Paul and CC, Uncle Ben and Val, Bondi and Poppy!First and foremost, I was a CHAMP during the long drive down. But Mommy and Daddy made the mistake of telling me we were going to the beach but that it would take awhile. They soon learned that they should've saved the surprise til we were almost there. Oops! I asked them if we were at the beach yet about 70 times...per hour. It was cute though. I never really whined or anything.The tidepools at the beach the first few days were incredible. Deep enough for me to swim like an alligator in, but not so deep that anybody worried about me. I jumped in and played in the water (wearing my "jams" bathing suit with spiderman on it) and a sleeveless shirt, hat and sunglasses. People probably thought I was a celeb since I was all covered up in disguise. But I didn't even get one bit pink or hurt from the sun. Anyway, Daddy made me a sand ramp so my big huge truck would slide down it and flip into the water. A few days later, he worked really hard on a big sand alligator. He actually had quite an audience and not just kids. Mommy loved it!

I begged for a body board because I liked Tyler's so much. He was a fun kid on the beach. Well, once I had my own, I actually did use it! Daddy helped me body surf and I did so great. I swallowed a ton of salt water, lost my glasses a few times but just wiped off my face, laughed, talked a lot about it, then went right back in. I think EVERYONE was surprised at how much I loved the water.The house we stayed in was awesome! It was less than 1/4 mile away from Harbor Town and right across from tennis courts and playgrounds. We went there almost every day. I got to go on a night trolley ride. I sat between Mommy and Daddy. Mommy actually hated it...it made her feel funny in her tummy. But she pretended she liked it for me. I wanted to go again another day and Bondi and Poppy took me this time. We had a great time. Mommy and Daddy got some alone time and had help with me because of the family. That was nice. They got to run together and go gator huntin' on the golf course. Every time they ran together, Mommy said it was her favorite. She likes my Daddy a lot.One day, Bondi and Poppy took me to a horse farm. I got a cowboy hat because I was such a good boy! Here I am riding on a "p-tend horse". It was fun!!!

The trees at Harbor Town were beautiful and fun for climbing. Uncle Paul bought me ice cream there and CC almost beat up a clown because she wouldn't make a balloon animal for me. Long story...but hilarious.I also got to play tennis. At first, I wanted Uncle Ben to teach me. But then I just wanted to do it by myself. That's pretty much how I am now. So I hit the ball by myself while Mommy threw it to me. The girls cheered for the guys while they played against each other. This family is pretty competitive. : )

Well, I'll tell more stories as I think of them. Enjoy the pics! LOVE, TJ

Zoo!

2009-07-26T21:51:00.006-04:00

Mommy and Grandma took me to the zoo a few days before my big car trip down south. We had so much fun! I have to admit, I talked more about the cranes and construction workers than the zoo animals, but it was too cool to pass up.

Grandma walked me around nearly the whole zoo and I held her hand most of the time. I was a good boy! So good that she bought me awesome zoo vehicles that I just HAD to sleep with when I got home. She asked me if I wanted something else in the store too and I said "no, just these cars." How sweet is that!
I must tell you all that it took a LOT of convincing to get me into the dinosaur exhibit. And I mean A LOT of convincing. But somehow, Grandma and Mommy "tricked" me into thinking that I did want to see the dinosaurs. About 7 strides in, I started to cry and Mommy had to run me through to the end. I sobbed and hated that they moved. At the end, I got brave enough for a picture on one that DID NOT move. But cried a little more on the way out.On the drive home, Mommy asked me which part of the zoo/animals was my favorite. Wanna know what I said? THE DINOSAURS! Oh my gosh, Mommy just laughed, shook her head, then called Grandma to tell her. What a silly guy I am!

I played in my new tent after that. Grandma and Grandpa got it for me as a surprise. I loved it so much that I took it to the beach in Hilton Head...I'll write about that very soon.What an awesome trip to the zoo. Thanks, Grandma! Love, TJ

How many funnel cakes?!?

2009-07-11T22:20:00.006-04:00

I got to go to 2 fairs in the past several days. How awesome is my LIFE!!! Last weekend, Bondi, Poppy, Nonny, Momma and I went to Retroland (Grindstone Festival)! I got to play games like Pick Up Rubber Duck and won a CAR! I even rode on the Merry-Go-Round. Bondi held me tight so I wouldn't fall off and I made sure I said that a few times. "I won't fall off!" : ) Then Nonny bought me some french fries and I ate them with lots of ketchup. The funnel cake was my favorite...and Mommy's too. We looked at all the fun rides, but I was too nervous for most of them. Poppy showed me a cute puppy and helped me color my lion mask. I wore that lion mask proudly all afternoon and all night. Rarr! It was so fun!Daddy and Mommy took me back to Retroland the next day and I got to ride the Pumpkin Ride with Daddy. He twirled us around and I didn't feel sick at all. "That was FUN, Daddy!" We got another funnel cake...oh yes, we did!Yesterday morning, CC and Momma took me on a walk around town and got me a cookie. We saw dump trucks and diggers everywhere! I got to help walk Julius, but he was a little too strong for me so I let CC help. I asked if we could go to the cool (pool) and Momma said YES! So, CC went to Chicago in an airplane and we went to the Incredible Cool (my name for it since I can't say Middleburg Heights pool) and had tons of fun. I jumped into the water holding Mommy's thumbs and counted "1,2,3 JUMP!" at least 40 times. (Her arms are sore today!) Then after my nap, we went over to Uncle Bill's and Auntie Melissa's house to pick up some shirts. They have a cool shirt business, so keep them in mind! (www.project13designs.com). I got to see their new cool in the backyard. : ) I'm gonna go swim there soon.
After that, we hopped on over to Grandma's and Grandpa's house. I just wanted to play with the hot rods and trucks there so badly. When we pulled in the driveway, they were ready to go to the fair. WOW! I got to ride on a choo-choo 3 times...once with Daddy, then Grandma, then Grandpa. I was a little too afraid of the slides and other rides. Note my face in the picture below. I got to play games and then Grandma had me play a passing game. I threw the football and made it through the hole on my third try! I won a huge hammer and it squeaks when I hit Mommy on the head with it. Then Daddy stepped up and hit 3 bball shots in a row. Nice work, Daddy! He won me a stuffed choo-choo! And yes, the night ended with a funnel cake. Yum! Then we went to Grandma's and Grandpa's to play with the Matchbox cars...as promised. What a week!Today, we had a family reunion and I played in a big red barn and in a cabin and a tee-pee. Daddy and I played football with some kids and I caught on how to play rough. My arms are all scratched up...and Mommy is trying to fathom watching me play pee-wee football someday. She might be pretty nervous about that. Poppy was happy to see his relatives and I was glad to meet them. We had a great time and I was red, sweaty and exhausted when we left. After a bath and dry clothes, I was ready to nap like a champ!

Whew...I'm sure you're tired of reading this so I'll quit for now. Later! : ) TJ

Doggies and Castles

2009-07-06T16:03:00.008-04:00

"Momma! Wook at all that wood!" That was my boisterous quote from this morning's trip to the "Castle Playground" we frequent. Mommy's friend Miss Amie told her about it and we love it there now. Hopefully, Jackson and Nate and Cooper and my other friends can come soon too. My favorite parts are the red chair swing and the tunnel slide. I like the swing because I close my eyes and "p-tend like I flying like Buzz White-ear". Except I don't want to fall down and break my arm off. Yes, I said that to Momma today. She laughed so hard she nearly needed one of my diapers.
This is the puppy Mommy discovered on Thursday at Retroland...also known as Coe Lake. (I'll explain later). He's a beagle-bulldog mix and pretty much exactly what my Mommy has always wanted in a dog. I got to meet him...he's the Mayor's dog. Maybe someday we can be brothers or at least play together. Mommy got teary-eyed when he came over. She loves him as much as I do.

Petey Fish is Sleeping?

2009-07-02T10:14:00.003-04:00

This morning (about 10 minutes ago), I ran over to my Momma and said "PETEY FISH IS SLEEPING! LIKE THIS!" and I acted it out. Mommy smiled but deep down she looked kinda sad too. I'm not sure why -- Petey was just sleeping!

Mommy took him upstairs so he could finish his nap. I wonder if I'll remember to ask about him later today. (Mommy hopes not.)

Stay tuned for what happens next. WE don't even know yet!

Love, TJ

Petey Fish

2009-06-28T21:22:00.003-04:00

I got a pet! His name is Petey Fish. Not just Petey, but Petey Fish. We're friends and I will tell you that many times a day. No kidding! I have 3 rules regarding Petey Fish. Rule #1: Only Mommy or Daddy can move Petey Fish. Rule #2: Petey Fish must swim and not walk, so no taking him out. #3 Only fish food goes in Petey Fish's bowl. Not my hands or my food or my toys. Just his food when Mommy or Daddy says. Then there's an unspoken rule, and that rule is that I can talk to him as much as I want!!!

I take him everywhere. Actually, in honor of rule #1, Mommy or Daddy helps me take him everywhere. He eats at the table with us, he plays with us in the living room, and he even sleeps in my room at night. Petey Fish is pretty portable. I had a fish once and his name was Joshua. He didn't live very long and he's permanently a part of the sewer system of Charlotte, NC right now. I hope Petey Fish is with us longer than that. "He doesn't have teefs like me!" is what I said before bed tonight when I was going up to brush mine.

Love you guys! TJ the fish-tamer

Encore

2009-06-20T23:44:00.006-04:00

Mommy tried on a dress of CC's that she was totally, overly excited to wear to Shane's and Beth's wedding this weekend. She came down the steps and asked Daddy what he thought...and I came over to her and said "angel". Oh, it made her so happy. Then I grabbed both her hands and danced with her so the fabric 'swished' when we turned. It was cool.

Then Mommy asked if I wanted to go to another wedding party with cake and I said, "Is there? Is there? Um, is there airplanes on the wall?" They cracked up. Last weekend at Uncle Ben's and Val's rehearsal dinner, there were airplanes on the walls and that obviously made a big impression on me.

While getting dressed this morning, I asked Mommy if I could wear my Chuck Terriers. Aha! Yes, she said...and then I raced around in them all day.

I was very good at the store and I asked for a kissy roll. Once Mommy figured out that I meant a tootsie roll, she conceded.

When Mommy was putting in her contacts this morning, I paused from brushing my teeth and asked, "Is that? Is that your eye tacts?" I'm smart.

I found two pictures framed of Daddy when he was 16 months old...and me at the same age. Mommy asked who I thought he was, and I didn't believe her when she said it was Daddy. I said boldly, "that's not Daddy. that's just a kid."

That's all for now! Love you! TJ

Tidbits of Funnies

2009-06-15T23:21:00.006-04:00

Me and my Daddy. My best friend. Here we are just before leaving the wedding this weekend. My eyes may look like they're open at this point, but I'm really sorta sleeping...
Here I am asking Mommy for a dogfish. Actually, a goldfish. One of the books we have out from the library is called Dogfish and it's made me very aware of pets. So, when we drove by the pet section at Walmart in our cart the other day, we looked at the fish. (I am still fish-less so you know Mommy hasn't caved yet). Here's a funny thing that happened: Mommy was telling me about the different fish in the tanks and I was saying "I want that one! I want that one!" and pointed to every single fish I saw. Well, we saw a floater and Mommy said "and that fish is on it's last leg." She didn't think twice about saying that until Daddy walked over and we showed him the fish. Really loudly I yelled "DADDY! THAT FISH LOST IT'S LEG!" I said it twice and my Mommy and Daddy nearly cried it was so funny.
While climbing up the ladder to the slide yesterday, I was eye level with Mommy and I paused to just stare her in the face. She was real quiet. I think she was wondering what I was thinking. After an eternity of about 20 seconds, I said: "Your eyebrows is cool. They're brown. I like them Mommy. That makes you happy?" Oh my, I'm the best kid ever.
Mommy was cleaning the sinks this morning and came in to my room only to find me "mailing my diapers". I was very proud...and got about 30 in there before we had to open up the toybox and move some over so I could keep working. I kept telling Mommy what a hard worker I was and how strong my muscles are. She thoroughly agreed.
This orderly picture is to prove that I am not losing any of my likeness to Daddy. Do you like the Little People parade I made? Scuba Steve was looking for a turtle's mommy in the bathtub and they all had little situations going on. My "make-believe" creativity is really goin' right now!

Uncle Ben's Wedding

2009-06-14T23:05:00.010-04:00

Well, friends, I got to be in my second wedding! Care and Uncle Paul had me be in theirs last year and I was clean and cool in my tan suit. And this past Friday, I wore Chuck's and a tux as a ring bearer at my Uncle Ben's and new Aunt Val's wedding. Check out some pictures below!

The ceremony and reception were at the Rainforest and it was really cool to be able to eat dinner while watching the rain come down in the exhibit and see the alligators swimming around too. I did pretty well walking down the aisle with my pillow...but it was so sunny that I couldn't see all the way down the front to where I was supposed to go so I weaved a lot. Like a drunken old man. But then I saw Poppy and ran down to give him the pi-yow with the ring on it. Mommy released me as I ran down the aisle and then she ran up front to meet me but I didn't see her on the side of the row so I just ran back up the aisle to where I started. I'm pretty sure it was cute. Does anybody have it on video?? : )

I was really well-behaved and had tons of energy. Mommy and Daddy were very tired from chasing me around but they appreciated my cooperation. I really loved being dressed up and having people pay attention to me. LOTS of people giving LOTS of attention. I actually stayed up past 11pm and partied at the zoo. Even when the monkeys went to bed, I went upstairs at the Rainforest and held hands with Baylee and Benny. We explored the exhibits a lot. (With Mommy or Daddy close behind).

The only meltdown I had was near the end. They were playing a song and we were doing a choo-choo line...and when it was over, I was so tired and zombie-like that I just lost it. CHOO CHOO SONG! AGAIN DO IT AGAIN PEEEEEZ! So Mommy and Care did the choo-choo with me a little longer and then we ate some cake. I felt better after that.

I'm sure I'll remember other things to tell you, but for now just enjoy the pictures!
Love, TJ

Velcro, Bike, Nature Center...Oh my!

2009-06-08T21:16:00.012-04:00

Saturday morning was a perfect morning...filled with pancakes, bike rides, and playground time! Mommy got back from her run and Daddy and I met her at the door for our walk to the playground and fields where Mommy used to play soccer. I rode my bike with my feet on the pedals! I'm very proud about that. I won't ride my nice new bike outside yet because I don't want to get it dirty. I only ride it inside. Mommy's trying to break me of that habit. We'll see.

Do you see the red mark on my cheek? We're not totally sure where it came from, but Mommy says it looks like I got in a fight with some velcro...and the velcro won. Anyhow, it's now scabbed over and healing very nicely. I like to have a boo-boo or two at any given time.

Mommy and CC love the back of my neck and Mommy has taken lots of pictures of my neck! : )
I am pretty brave but also cautious at the playground. Daddy helped me do the rings because I wanted to so badly! He's got strong muscles and I like to say so. About myself too.

Auntie Ta-Mewissa (I added a "ta" in there a lot today) came over this morning and we went to the Nature Center. It was pretty drizzly and wet out - and humid too. But we had a great time! We looked at all the cool stuff in the building then walked on the trail outside and threw rocks into the river. We found a turtle and I told him my name, fed him a snack (rocks) and walked him to the water. He's a special guy to me. When I talked about him at dinner, I called him Franklin.
After the park, we went to McDonald's where I got some ice cream. I say ice cream now instead of "i mean". And now I say Uncle instead of "uh" and a few other changes that make Mommy sad but happy too. I was so worn out after our morning that I slept nearly 3 hours. Mommy got a nap (last one before going back to work after a little vacation) and ran AND made dinner all before I woke up. Nice!

At night and at bedtime, we read a series of short books about Woody, the Prospector and Bullseye. I point to all the animals (critters) in the story and say "that one have teef. that one NOT have teef. that one have teef. that one doesn't have teef." It goes on every single time we read it and it's hilarious.

Have fun watching me and Franklin at the Nature Center. Love you guys! TJ

What DIDN'T we do?

2009-06-04T22:58:00.005-04:00

I'm gonna say it again...so much has happened in the past week! I'm bad, bad, bad for not writing more. Sorry, fella!

Well, in the past week or so, I went to a huge garage sale with Grandma, visited her library, played cars with Grandpa, went to a party at Auntie Melissa's and Uncle Bill's, went to the mall with Mrs. A, had Jackson and Miss Amie over, played in Bondi's and Poppy's sandbox, went for a bike ride with them too, dug in the mud at my own house...just to name a few. Whew...
But this evening is even more blog-worthy. In a bad way, actually. The day started out great! Mommy took me on some errands (which I love) and we had fun at the Post Office with the cool workers there. Then Nonny came over for lunch after that, I got a cookie at Dick's Bakery with Nonny and Poppy. (Mommy got to run in the middle of the day - woohoo!) I got very excited for Bondi's new hair color and hair style and made her feel good about it too. When I came home, I was very tired and told Mommy "I need to take a rest". It was exactly naptime so Mommy scooped me up and read me Lulu's Shoes before my nap. I went down without a fight.

Mommy was very excited about her plans to see her friend Tracy after dinner! And I was excited to see my new friend Cooper and go with him to the playground! So, after eating chicken, watermelon and tuh-tae-toes, we got in Mommy's NEW car and drove to Westlake. I sat quietly in my seat and just held my sucker (which I didn't even lick). Mommy thought that was odd but she had given me Claritin an hour or two before so she thought it might be a side effect. Anyhow, we parked in the driveway and walked up to the door.Mommy knocked and Tracy let us in to their beautiful home. I saw Cooper and Tracy and as I was about to say "Hi ---" I started throwing up buckets...buckets of puke went everywhere. Mommy was trying to catch the streams of puke with her arms and legs so that it wouldn't get all over the foyer. I was scared because I felt sick and could hardly breathe. Mommy started backing out of the door but her friend pulled us back in and took care of us.

We went into her bathroom and they cleaned me all up. We even got to borrow some clothes! I was pretty upset but amidst my crying, I asked if we could go to the playground. "Ummm, no" was Mommy's answer.

When I got dressed, we went back downstairs and Mommy apologized again and said she couldn't wait to try it again very soon. As soon as we started talking to Mommy's friend and her nice husband, I started puking again. A TON! Oh, it was so sad and pathetic. I actually threw up directly into Mommy's ear and hair...with some force. It was not pretty.

Mommy loaded me up into the NEW card (yes, the shiny new car) covered in puke again ... and Tracy gave me some more towels and helped wipe me off. Mommy winced a "good-bye" and we were on our way. I only cried a few minutes in the car, and then slumped to one side while we drove home in a very smelly car.

Daddy met us in the driveway a little while later and we got all washed up and cozy. I wanted to watch Jimmy Neutron -- so that's what we did. I'm really hopeful that this episode is over. I'd like to have a nice day tomorrow with CC and Mommy and playing outside. I'm supposed to get my hair cut for the wedding too. Gotta get some things done tomorrow...but if I'm sick, we'll just take care of me. I sure am loved. Even by people I just met. Thanks, Tracy.

Love, TJ

My Tenley's Wedding

2009-05-28T22:02:00.010-04:00

Mommy's best friend from high school is no longer Dr. Tenley Palisin. She is now Dr./Mrs. Tenley Murphy...and I got to be there to witness it! Mommy, Daddy and Bondi drove with me down to Pawley's Island, South Carolina for the weekend. I was an amazing traveler! I got prizes every so often and sat like a big boy watching movies and playing with toys...for 13 hours each way. Don't tell Mommy, but I would have sat in that carseat for 3 weeks straight if I kept getting prizes every few hours! : )
I got to play in the sand on the beach too! Daddy and I played in the sand the first day we got there and it was kind of cold because of the wind! But the next day, Mommy and I got our suits on and played in the tide pools and crawled around the water like alligators. Bondi helped build castles and watched us being goofy. It was so fun!
Bondi was a good traveler too! : ) She and I got to hang out a ton while Mommy and Daddy did some rehearsal dinner stuff and golf. Thanks, Bondi! As you can see from the pics, the elegant wedding was at Brookgreen Gardens http://www.brookgreen.org/ and Mommy just loved the spanish moss that hung from the trees. I loved seeing the gator slide into the water right in front of me!
I sat like a big boy during the ceremony with my sucker and tractor, then ate lots of food at the reception. I danced like crazy too. Actually, Mommy danced like crazy and held me the whole time. Everytime she tried to put me down or walk off the dance floors, I squealed and pointed to the floor and said "MORE DANCING!" So, Mommy's left arm was really sore the next day. I had fun! Mommy met a lot of new friends last weekend and hopes she gets to see them again someday. Congrats again to Tenley and Brett! We're so happy for you!

Love, TJ

Thankful on Memorial Day

2009-05-25T23:30:00.007-04:00

"I can't see you guys - cuz it's dark." That's the last thing I said tonight before I fell asleep. My reasoning and thought process is really amazing my parents right now. I love to talk too. Man, it's hard to get me to stop sometimes! (not that they actually want me to stop.)

I got home last night from a long weekend in South Carolina. I will tell you ALL about it when I get pictures of it. But until then, I will WOW you with pictures from today. Memorial Day.

I played at home in the morning with Mommy and Daddy. I crawled into bed with them after Daddy got me out of my crib. I snuggled in then slid off the bed about 10 times whispering, "I go get something. I be right back guys." And then I'd bring in a toy and show it off.

Then we went to a parade where I was afraid of the big, tall "float" army guy. He went past and I just kept saying, "He's not comin' back. He's not comin' back. He's not real." Then Mommy told me I was brave and I said, "I not brave. I TJ!" Ha! I showed her! : )
After the parade, I saw fire engines with Mommy and Daddy and then had brunch at Bondi's and Poppy's house. I took nearly a 4-hour nap after that. I was so tired from my big trip!!!Enjoy the pictures and I promise to write about the wedding weekend tomorrow!
Love, TJ (not "Brave")

Good Job, Lisa!

2009-05-17T21:58:00.007-04:00

Great job in the half marathon today, Lisa!!! We're so proud of you...here I am clapping for you and telling you my thoughts. Hooray! : )

Love,

TJ (Mommy and Daddy too)

Mike

2009-05-15T22:26:00.007-04:00

Mommy had a big MUMS (Moms Uplifting Moms) meeting at church on Thursday and I went with her. It's something we do once a month and it makes Mommy happy! Well, it's all the same to me because I get to go "play friends" and have snacks. I still want Mommy to "stay here!" but I let her go without too much of a fuss.

When the meeting was over and she got me from my classroom, we went back into the main area where I ran around for awhile. People were hanging around, cleaning up, talking and stuff like that. I took off the moment I wasn't holding her hand, and headed STRAIGHT for the stage. I grabbed the microphone and held it with two hands. Speaking loudly and clearly, I said "Hullo? Hullo? Can ya hear me? Hello Mommy! Hello Momma. Where are you?" Bondi nicely took the mike away while Mommy laughed out loud as she ran up the stage steps to get me. It's really her fault anyway. She found a cool microphone for me at Target in the dollar bins one day and I got it as a prize for something. It sounds really cool because it makes my voice echo and I always start by saying "hullo? hello?" into it. Maybe I'll be a rock star someday. Or maybe I'll give talks on how to be the coolest red head in town!

Mommy and Daddy got last-minute tickets to see Dane Cook on Thursday night. CC and Uh Paul came over to babysit me and Mommy didn't have much time to worry about how it would work out. I think that was the best way for her! Anyhow, I kissed them goodbye and played with CC and Uh Paul in the back yard for over an hour before it was time for bed. I was a good boy and whined a little about bedtime, but went to sleep like a champ! CC had to come in a few times to sing me more songs, but I think everyone was really happy with the outcome. Yay!

I've been going peepee in the potty a lot lately and I tell Mommy sometimes that I'd like to go. Well, yesterday I actually went poopy in the potty and it was a celebration day in this house! : ) I was very proud and went again today. I got a marshmallow and the way I say it is so cute...so tomorrow Mommy will get a video of me asking for my treat. No videos of what I actually DO to get the mallow though (Auntie Melissa!). So no worries.

There are so many other things I've been meaning to write about the past few days, but I'm suffering from writer's block right now. I hope I remember soon!

Love, TJ

What a Weekend!

2009-05-11T21:11:00.006-04:00

What a weekend I had! Friday was a swimming day for me, Mommy and CC. We went in the morning to the "cool" (for some reason, I can't say 'pool') and I acted like a fish! I literally could not wait to get in the water and was very good at cooperating with Mommy so she could get me in my bathing suit fast. I held CC's hand (so she wouldn't be scared, haha) and waded in up to my neck pretty quickly. I splashed around, jumped around, went on the tire swing in the water and then went into the deeper end (with Mommy and CC) to play with the bubbles and twirly whirlies. (That's the part of the pool where the water goes around and around and pushes you with the current.) I talked non-stop during our swimming cool time and then crawled around on my hands and floated my back legs while groaning like an alligator. I'm so fun! We got nuggets after that, went shopping at thrift stores where I got prizes and so did my girls.
Saturday, I got to see my Auntie Melissa (which I can actually say now instead of Wissa), Auntie Marcia and Grandma and Grandpa. I wished Uncle Bee-o (Bill) could have come but he had to work. I talk about him a lot...mostly when I play with my plush UPS truck. Today when we were driving we saw a white truck with the UPS symbol on it. I yelled "MOMMY! Uncle Bee-o's chuck! Uncle Bee-o's chuck!" She was pretty impressed that I knew the logo even when it wasn't on a big, brown truck.
We had fun cooking out (well, our grill is back in Charlotte with our home that is still waiting for the right buyer...so we used a big George Foreman) and eating burgers and hot dogs. I got to show off my new scooter that Mommy found for me at a garage sale for A DOLLAR! We climbed on Liam's jungle gym and ate desserts too. Yummy! Then Mommy got to go out for awhile - just the two of them - while Grandma and Grandpa stayed with me. They missed me but had a good time just themselves too.
Sunday, I got to see Bondi and Poppy, Uh Ben, Uh Paul and CC! My G and Nonny were there also as a special treat for Mother's Day. We ate chicken and goodies...and pies from Amish Country. We played with my remote car outside and had races with it. Bondi timed the car through the obstacle course and when the game took that kind of competive turn, I didn't get to play anymore. But I interrupted corn hole and put a new spin/challenge into that whole game too. I sneaked over to see Caden after awhile and played with the boys next door for awhile. Mommy and Daddy said it was fun to watch me interact. I'm such a little man and I'm entertainment for all!

Daddy surprised Mommy with thoughtfulness and prizes that made her cry. I think it was a good cry because she was laughing and smiling too. I said "Happy Mudder's Day, Mommy" a few times during the day and that made her a little teary too.

My you, guys! TJ

Skater Dude!

2009-05-06T21:43:00.010-04:00

I have loved skateboarding for as long as I can remember. One day, long long ago, I was skateboarding in the house and Mommy asked me what I was doing (since I don't actually have a skateboard). She thought I was side-skipping, but that's not what I was doing at all. I answered, "I just skateboarding" very matter-of-factly. Well, she thought that was hilarious and so did Daddy when I told him later on. And I've been skateboarding ever since. Outside. In the house. Upstairs. Wherever my little heart desires.

So when Grandma took me to the skate park this week, I was in awe! Unfortunately, there weren't any kids there at the time but someday I'll get to watch real skateboarders. Here is a video of me doing my thing at the skate park. The weird sound you hear in the background is Mommy trying to keep from laughing. It's obnoxious and she apologizes. You may not notice it unless you watch the video 18 times because you're bored. (This means you CC)

After the park, Mommy and Grandma and I picked Grandpa up and we went to McDonald's. I ate like a big boy and played with Daddy's Matchbox cars. They let me bring a couple of cars with me. I had to leave the other 700 cars at their house until we got back. It was hard for me to do since I wanted to take ALL of them with me, but I behaved well.
After lunch, we played outside for awhile and then watched monster trucks on tv. I had such a fun time and I think I'm going to sign up for story time at Grandma's library this summer. That'll be fun because Grandma can show me off to her coworkers and I can flirt! : )

At dinner last night, I was in a show-off mood. When we were done eating, I put my hand on Daddy's arm and looked him straight in the eyes. "You a good Daddy", I said. Mommy got all teared up. I think Daddy did too. They aren't sure where that came from but I know it's because they tell me I'm a good boy all the time and I wanted to be sure Daddy knew how I felt also!
I got to play with my friends at church for awhile today and then we went home to play outside. Mommy and I got so filthy dirty and had a great time. I love going outside so much that it's the first or second thing I ask to do when I wake up in the morning. Mommy says 6:15 is too early to go out and play. I'm not sure I agree, but whatever. I found some great worms today and chose one as my special guy. I put him in my new bulldozer truck from Bondi and drove him around. I peeked in at him in the driver's seat and Mommy asked how the wormie was doing. I said "Good. He's just playin'." Mommy liked that.

We got the hose out to make the dirt turn into mud and went crazy. Pretty soon it was time for a late lunch so I had to get nakey on the back porch. When I went inside, I started to pee but Mommy said "STOP! WAIT" and ran me upstairs. I sat on my potty and went a whole potty full of peepee! Isn't that great! I'm proud of it and hope this new trend continues. I'd like to be out of diapers soon and I think Mommy will be happy when I tell her that...

More stories soon! Love, TJ
p.s. Check out my zoo shirt from Grandma in the middle of the blog. I'm a zookeeper! Cool huh!

How do ya like me now?

2009-05-02T14:25:00.009-04:00

So...are you impressed with my new layout? I am! Daddy put it together as a surprise for Mommy and she's totally crazy about the new design. Thanks, Super Dad! You're my hero : )

Here are some of the cute things I've done lately that Mommy hasn't written about yet:

1.) Everytime I get in bed to take a nap or sleep at night, I say "But Dad, all my friend'll be there!" and then, "But Jimmy, all my Dad's will be there!" The first is a quote from Jimmy Neutron and Mommy has no idea why I just said it out of the blue. But it's now a habit! The second quote is what I changed/flipped around in my own brain. How funny is that!

2.) I like to play with taboe-bugs and wormies. I was outside with Daddy when I crushed my first ant...accidentally. I said "On no, Daddy! I broke it!"
3.) Mommy came to get me from my nap yesterday and she was very happy to see me. I said "Oh Mommy, I so happy. You pitty!" She melted. Over the next few hours, I said "Mommy, you wook boo-tiful" about 7 times and she was so grateful every time. I think I saw a few tears in her eyes too. I do that kinda thing to her!

I admit, I take all my cues from Daddy. Daddy compliments Mommy all the time and treats her like she's very important to him. She's very lucky and she knows it. She tells me all the time she hopes I grow up to be like my Daddy.

4.) There's a lot of construction going on down the street, so Mommy and I walked down there Friday morning. Oh my, we had so much fun! I rode on my bike and then we sat in the grass to watch. It's a pretty big, main street so traffic was heavy. Lots of cars smiled, beeped or waved at us because I think they thought I was cute sittin' there watching the bobbies, dumbies, trucks and bulldozers. I didn't say much, just sat there with my legs straight out ahead of me, my hands in my lap and my mouth hanging open in awe. WOOK AT THAT! is the phrase I shouted most. I could've stayed all day but after half an hour, I needed a break. Mommy carried me home and dragged the bike behind us. I love trucks!

Mommy raced downtown Cleveland this morning at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Diversity 5k. Daddy got me all ready early in the morning and we went down to the race together. Later when we were reading my new comic book on the couch, I pointed to the characters running a race and said, "no numbers! they're not wearin' numbers like mommy!" Daddy and Mommy laughed out loud because I noticed the guys racing weren't wearing race numbers like they do. I'm fun!

Well, I gotta go to bed now. Enjoy my new layout and visit Ebenezer Flea on Twitter to see what he's up to lately! Love, TJ the Artist (see furniture sculpture pictured above)

Zoo-Bee-Doo-Be-Doo!

2009-05-02T14:10:00.004-04:00

On Monday, I went to the zoo with Grandma, Auntie Wissa (Melissa) and Mommy. It was amazing! I held Grandma's hand most of the time, and Auntie Wissa held me up to see all the animals. It was so much fun looking at the bears and feeling their soft fur at the exhibits. I must admit, some of the coolest things I saw that day were the construction vehicles and bobbies. The giant cranes were the greatest zoo feature.

I've never ever been to the Rainforest and I got to go there also. (I took my sunglasses off inside.) We saw lots of creepy, crawly things and when I would get scared of the neon frogs, I'd say "it's not real! no, it's not real mommy!" I said that phrase about a hundred times at least.
It was lunchtime and Grandma said she was treating, so I ordered one of everything on the menu! Actually I ate a hot dog (most of it in the car on the ride home), a hot pretzel, some grape tomatoes and a juice box. The food there was really good and I think all my ladies were impressed with it. My Uh Ben is getting married there in June so I'm glad I get to go back soon.

Do we look good in our shades? My Spiderman glasses are pretty important to me.

After we ate, Auntie Wissa told me I could go shopping for prizes! Yep, I got to pick some things out to take home with me!!! I didn't go right up to a big stuffed monkey (it was $200 mind you) and grab onto him or pick out something a typical 2-year old would choose. Nope, I chose a silly old pink snake, a cool helicopter, and a sweet pair of binoculars. I watched a movie on the way home through my binoculars (the whole way home) and took a bath with my snake! I had to have all my prizes in bed with me for my nap too. I'm smart though, and washed them all off in the tub before snuggling up with them to sleep.We had such a great time and I can't wait to go again. Grandma found a super cute shirt for me that will be a great picture when I wear it next. I'll keep it a secret because it's better if I don't describe it first. Thanks, Auntie Wissa and Grandma!

Love, TJ the Lion Tamer

Runnin' Man

2009-04-22T21:55:00.009-04:00

What can I say? Running is in my genes -- this past Saturday, Mommy and Daddy and I went to Finnie Stadium's new track for an alumni event. The Sparky Adams Invite was being held there and about 5 other events were happening on campus as well. The day was beautiful and could not have been any prettier!Love was in the air, I guess, because I fell in love with Maddy Adkins. She's a young lady nearly a year younger than me (10 whole months, maybe!) but all I wanted to do was chase her and hug her. Daddy had to run out onto the field a ton of times to get me back. I'm tellin' you, I've been bitten by the love bug! I sobbed when Mommy took me home and kept asking to "See Maddy! See Maddy!" I hope to see her again one day. Daddy said he'd hook me up. He's good for it!
Mommy ran a race the next day and I cheered my heart out for her! I jumped up and down and she loved it...more than I will ever know! I ran like a mad man afterward and cheered for other runners too. I even joined Mommy for her cool down while Daddy pushed me in the baby jogger.
No wonder I love to run! I put a mop down on the floor today and jumped over it during my usual evening routine of doing laps around the dining room table. Take a look at my form. Not bad for a little guy! Love, Runnin' Man TJ

Muddy Mud

2009-04-22T21:41:00.005-04:00

Well this might be the dirtiest blog I ever write! : ) I got to hang out at my friend Jackson's house last week and had the most fun there! Mommy drove me there so we could hang out with Jackson and Miss Amie in the sunshine. It was a little chilly but all in good fun!

We played inside for awhile but being boys, we needed to get out pretty quickly. So we took shovels and buckets down to the "ceek" and splashed around. At first, I couldn't believe Mommy was letting me get all muddy and jump in my boots and stuff, but I had to obey her and jump right in. Jackson and I explored the creek and then I crouched down to get into digging for a very long time. Maybe I should be a catcher? Anyway, we got so dirty and wet and Mommy and Miss Amie got to watch us and laugh and talk. Everyone had such an awesome time.

After the muddy part, we had snack at the picnic table and played around with dry pebbles and wagons near the house. Their garage had a HUGE tractor in it and I got to touch it!!! Wow-maybe I'll get to have a big tractor like that one day. Lunchtime was fun and we had more playtime after that. But I got tired and crabby near the end so we had to go home. I took a super good nap too. Thanks Jackson and Miss Amie!!!!

Love, TJ

Newest American Idol

2009-04-15T23:37:00.006-04:00

This morning, Mommy was talking with excitement to CC on the phone in the car and I was in the back seat (obviously). At one point, I yelled out "Mommy, are you freakin' out?" Yes, I actually did say that and we're not sure where I picked it up. She didn't say "I'm freaking out" at any time during the conversation so...anyone have an idea?Mommy worked all day in the office on Tuesday and met Daddy for a lunch date. JUST THE TWO OF THEM! Daddy picked Mommy up and drove her to the Union (her request) where they shared lunch. Actually, they each got their own lunch but you know what I mean. Anyhow, they felt so old going in there...and looked a little out of place too but it was so much fun. Mommy was giggly and Daddy was smiley. Giggly and Smiley love each other and it makes me happy. It was really very romantic.Here are a few pictures of me playing with my glow-in-the-dark foam - a cool Easter prize. I like the google eyes the best. Mommy asked if I wanted to sing Wheels on the Bus after lunch and I did. After my first round, she grabbed the camera for this video. I get my singing ability from my mom. Sorry guys. By the way, I like to sing in a very low voice. Kinda funny.

Goodnight all! Love, TJ

Max and Wooby

2009-04-14T19:51:00.014-04:00

Don't I look like a baseball player here? At church on Sunday, a lady asked me how old I was and she was surprised to hear me say two. She guessed I was 3! She said I looked like I'd be a good football player someday and Mommy answered, "we're hoping for a left-handed pitcher." The lady laughed and said I should play for the Indians right now! Haha. It was kind of funny and kind of sad. I'm not sure why people keep thinking I'm so big for being two. I'm actually under the average weight (almost 31 lbs). Maybe it's because I'm so smart and so darn cute!

CC had a day off on Monday, so she and Mommy took me to the mall. I GO MALL! I GO MALL! When Mommy asked if I wanted to go to the mall, she was surprised that I got so excited. Thinking that I'd be tired from the long weekend, she thought she'd have to prep me a lot more for the trip. I made it easy on her. I sat nicely in my neon green stroller and let her push me around. We window shopped (half the stores weren't even open at 10:20am) and got CC's glasses fixed.

Then...it happened.
We walked by the Build-a-Bear Workshop and CC asked me if I wanted to make a new friend. She wasn't sure if I'd "get it" but surprise, surprise, I got it alright!!! I ran around like a happy, crazy man and picked out my animal. A doggie!
The nice lady filled him up with fluff and I squeezed him to see if he felt soft enough. Then I picked out a heart...and she had me rub it on my nose so he'd be funny like me. I rubbed it on my head so he'd be smart like me. And, well, a few other things I forget. Then I kissed the heart and put it inside.
Next was BATHTIME! It was really fun to give my doggie an air bath because I felt like I was taking care of him. I was a little shy of the air bath at first, but then "washed" him and brushed him. I talked the whole time too.
It came time to name him. I couldn't think of a name so Mommy came up with some and said "How about Sam? How about Marty? How about..." I said nope to all those. She suggested Max, and my eyes lit up! MAX AND WOOBY! MAX AND WOOBY HIS NAME! One of my favorite shows is Max and Ruby and I wanted that to be my doggie's name. The rest is history!
I had fun typing out MaxAndRuby's birth certificate and put him in his box home. I listened like a very good boy and jumped back into my stroller so Mommy and CC could push me around a little more. Then we went home and Max and Ruby sat on my lap the whole time. Awwww.
At bathtime last night, I came up to Mommy and tapped her leg. "We best friends, Mommy?" Her heart burst. I asked her again and she squeezed me so hard and told me that we were definitely best friends. (I had just seen Dora's Best Friends Day episode) When I got into bed, I jumped up and down a little and said "Best kid in da world! I'm best kid in da world!" Mommy laughed so hard. When Daddy got home, she found out that he had told me that a few hours earlier. A million times. I don't forget much, folks!

G'nite everyone!!! Love, TJ

Easter Ears...

2009-04-13T22:58:00.011-04:00

Oh gracious, this week was crazy. Mommy started work in the office on a more regular (still part-time) basis and had a big Ebenezer Flea day at Redwood Elementary School. Daddy left for Canada on Friday for a bachelor party (yes, on Easter weekend) and that's when my fever flew into action.I had a high fever for 3 days following a 10-day cold and my ears hurt so badly that I winced in pain for hours upon hours. Mommy felt helpless to make me feel better but she tried everything she could. Mostly, she just rocked me and played with my sweaty hair. She sang to me for 3 days straight. Mommy took me to see the doctor and I was sad when we sat down on the crinkly paper. I hid my face in Mommy's neck and answered the doctor's questions between sobs and tears. "Mommy's doctor. Not TJ's doctor" I kept saying. My chest heaved and I clung to my Mom for dear life. She saved me and even gave me fruit snacks.

The doctor said I have a double ear infection and a sinus infection. I am SUCH a good boy about taking my medicine...pink bubble gum flavor! Mommy smelled it and lots of memories came back. Not good ones, either.

Why is it that I'm always sick on holidays? I puked all Thanksgiving Day, had a bad cold for Christmas and now, Easter was a sicky day too. Oh boy, what's the next holiday? I need to prepare.

I wore my suit and tie (the one I wore when CC married Uh Paul) to church in the morning and then went to Bondi's and Poppy's for Easter brunch. I got an Easter basket and looked for eggs all over the back yard. Each time I saw one, I said "ohhh wow!" and my green eyes got really big and wide. Daddy came home in the afternoon before we left for Grandma's and Grandpa's Easter dinner at the Santoriella's. I didn't eat much of anything - I actually ate like Tiny Tim. Had some crust of bread and maybe an olive or two. But I got Easter baskets from all my friends and family there too. WOW! I did have some room in my tummy for cookies and candies. It seriously was like Christmas Day. Thanks Easter Bunny!

Love, TJ

The Wipers on the Bus...

2009-04-08T22:56:00.007-04:00

Hi kitty-cat! Where you going? Bye kitty-cat. Have a good day! Go home, Kitty! Go home!

This was the conversation I had with the black cat outside our house today. This cute kitty likes to sun himself on our back deck and sleep on the slide in our backyard. I think he's an outdoor cat who "lives" next door, but he sure likes coming to see me! Mommy likes it because there's a glass window/door separating us! (She's got silly allergies that make her eyes itchy...but don't let her take any Benadryl. She gets goofy.)

As Mommy, Daddy and I were walking outside today (after talking with the cat) another mom and dad walked past us with a baby. I waved and said 'hi baby' then looked up at Daddy. "Daddy and Mommy, I said. You my Daddy. That her Daddy. You my Daddy. Her Mommy and Daddy (pointing to the other family). Anudder one. You my Daddy - you my Mommy. Mommy and Daddy. And TJ." (Mommy cried.)

I want to see Jackson and Miss Amie at MUMS tomorrow at church. But no friends. I don't want to see friends and I made that clear to Mommy. "We'll see", Mommy said, but I know what that means. We're going to see friends tomorrow. I just might cooperate - and I might now. Either way, my Mommy thinks I'm the coolest.

I went simming in the cool with Poppy today. Daddy bought me a Spiderman suit this weekend and I got to use it today so Mommy could work. I worked up such a huge appetite that I ate 2 hot dogs for lunch and slept 3 hours. I think Mommy is going to take me swimming a lot more now. I went last week with CC and Mommy and had the best nap then too. Hmmmm. It was worth it. I had so much fun!!!

At dinner Sunday night, I got to see Auntie Wissa, Uh Bill, Damma and Dampa. I'm going to phoenetically spell their names because it's kinda cute that I say their names this way. When I grow up enough to call them Grandma and Grandpa, I'll spell it correctly. Anyhow, their doggie Vader went to heaven last week. It's very sad because Vadey was such a good boy. Mommy and Daddy didn't tell me and weren't sure that I'd notice he wasn't there - enough to say anything. But, I did. Dampa was playin' trucks with me on the floor and I said "Where's Vader?" It kind of blew everyone's socks off.

Need a keenex, Mommy. I got boogers. In my nose, I got boogers. I said this very loudly at the grocery store the other day. Lots of ladies in the dry pasta row laughed. Mommy did too, and then she wiped my boogers.

You not goin' running today. You not going running. I not nap now. I not tired. No, you not workin' today, Daddy. This is my new way of saying that I don't want something to happen. Aww!

By the way, Daddy got Mommy windshield wipers for her birthday on Tuesday, and I am taking notes. That must be so romantic!!! Good job, Daddy! : ) Actually, Daddy treats Mommy like it's her birthday every day. She's very lucky and she knows it.

Love, TJ who's-the-cat? who's-the-cat? who's-the-cat?

Sidewalk Chalk and Wormies

2009-04-02T21:27:00.006-04:00

This is gonna be a good one. I'll start with the other morning...I was brushing my "teef" in the sink while Mommy was putting on her makeup. I hopped down from my stool, grabbed her eyelash curler and took off laughing. When she found me, I was lying/laying (whatever!) on the bed and had taken off the two rubber rings. I put them on my tummy and said "Wook Mommy! I a snowman!" Am I creative or what? Mommy tackled me and I'm pretty sure I peed my pants from her tickling me.

Mommy learned a very big lesson yesterday. She was very excited that the library had Ratatouille and we watched some of it last night. Well, I was totally entranced in the movie and watched almost 30 minutes of it. Wow! After we watched the rat cooking, I wanted to cook and said so. We cooked in my play kitchen for awhile and then it was time for bed. After the bedtime routine, Mommy left my room and I shrieked out in fear about 4 minutes later. She came right in because I was actually hysterical. "I see Ratatouille! I see Ratatouille! I sared! I sared!" Oh, and I was scared. Mommy had to sing to me for almost an hour until I would let her go - I had my shark-mouth cry goin' and everything. So, Mommy learned that I'm getting older and my brain is getting more developed and more creative so EVERY SINGLE minute of tv I watch is going to be happy and not scary. No more Disney movies (except Cars) and even no more Peter Pan for awhile. Mommy feels bad that she made me scared...

Hey, guess what!? I have nipples! Actually, I have two nipples! Last night I was rubbing my bewwy (belly) and ran into a nipple. I asked Mommy "what's on my bewwy?" She told me it was my nipple and that I had two! It was exciting to me. I looked at them in the mirror today and laughed.

This morning, Mommy and I went out in our backyard. We haven't been in the backyard much since we moved here, so we decided to do some raking and sweeping and playing on the slide and swing. I climbed up high on the slide and made sure I yelled "I so tall!" to Mommy each time. By the 4th time down, I wasn't scared anymore. In fact, I skipped saying ready, set, go and just went for it.

We took a break from sliding and raking to draw on the driveway. I got sidewalk chalk from Grandma and Grandpa so we broke that out and colored up the cement! Mommy drew me a dinosaur and a sun and wrote some fun words like "worm" and "tj has boogers". I drew some things and talked about what I was doing, but then got distracted by all the squirmy wormies. What'zat? What'zat? We named them all Shermie the Wormie after a Backyardigans episode. Mommy was surprised that I wanted to pick them up and didn't have much of a problem with it until they wriggled around in my hand. I carried them around and then threw them once they tickled me too much. I learned over and over that if you pick up a Shermie the Wormie too tightly, they break in two. Gulp. Mommy felt a little sick after I sent a few worms to heaven. The pretty, chalked-up driveway became a little worm graveyard when I was through.

After my nap and some inside play, Daddy took me outside so Mommy could make dinner and get some work done too. We went to the Metroparks and I got to skip rocks and swing with my strong Daddy. He's my new favorite verse in the song "Wheels Bus Around". More on that later. We had a great time and I got nice and hungry. I ate a great dinner and then went BACK OUTSIDE for a final round of playtime. Daddy and I finished in the backyard while Mommy ran. What a day!

Love, Mr. T

Can ya hear me?

2009-03-30T21:28:00.006-04:00

These are for you, Daddy. Can ya hear me? I love you!!! : ) Mwah - my you!
Love, TJ and Mommy

T J spells TJ

2009-03-29T22:36:00.000-04:00

The other day, I asked to pray at dinner. I said "pay, mommy! want to!" So, I did. I said "Day doo --- for D-jus! AMEN!" And then I threw my hands up in the air. It got a good reaction.

I also love to come up to Mommy when she's doing dishes and hug her leg. I pat it nicely and say "Mommy, I so glad you're here." Oh, she gushes everytime. I say it to Daddy too when he comes down from his office or back from a run. I'm a sweet kid and I like to show it even when I'm acting badly. The other day, Mommy and I were playing in my kitchen. I hit her in the face with a spatula (can't ya just picture it?) and she said that I shouldn't do that because it's not nice. Of course, I did it again and she gave me a timeout. When she let me up from timeout, she went into the other room and was pretty quiet. Concerned, I went in and put my hand on her arm and said "Mommy are you sad? what's the matter?" Oh my, she loved that.

I like to run a lot. Always have. But sometimes I fall down....like yesterday. I cried a bit and amidst the tears I told Mommy that I fell down because I ran too fast. She smiled and asked me what I hurt. I said "I hurt feelings!" Classic. Classic!

I got to see a steeplechase at B-W with my Daddy this weekend. It was great! We went to Finnie Stadium and watched some races and splashed in the water pit. I was exhausted from doing stairs and hill repeats too. Whew! Earlier that morning, I got to see Mommy run in a race. She won so she got a trophy and when she showed it to me, I said "thank you for the trophy, mom!" I have since been calling it my Piston Cup. (I watch Disney's Cars movie a lot!)

Grandma and Grandpa came over yesterday for dinner and we had a great time!!! I showed them some of my best behavior and some of my worst. We played Legos and ate brownies with chocoloate candy on top. Grandpa and I talked a lot about hot rods. I wasn't in the best of moods because I'm sick again. Yucky colds! My poor nose has been running like crazy and I was up ALL night last night coughing. Mommy and Daddy and I spent a lot of the night sleeping on the couch downstairs because I was wheezing so badly. Let's hope tonght is better!

See you again soon, guys! Love, TJ