Sunday afternoons

I love Sunday afternoons.  Mostly because they are spent with my family with no agendas.  We just eat lots of good food and have lots of fun.  This Sunday my mom was out of town, so my dad was the cook for the day which means he grilled delicious cheese burgers for us.  After lunch we ended up where we usually end up... on the hill.  

There were rocks to be hauled.  

 

But the real fun was still to come... 

About a year ago my parents bought a go-cart.  Many children have enjoyed making laps around the barn in that go-cart in the last year.  But there was one kid in particular that my parents were eager to get behind the wheel.  Yep, you guessed it.  Anderson!    He has enjoyed sitting on the go-cart, sitting in the go-cart with the front propped up so that he could turn the wheels, and being pushed around the barn without the motor turned on.  

 

But this past Sunday, he enjoyed the go-cart on a whole new level- sitting on daddy's lap with the motor running.  And yes, he was wearing his sunglasses and helmet- safety first.  

 He actually was a little overwhelmed by the whole experience and was wanting off after just to laps.  But I have a sneaking suspicion that in the years to come we are going to have to pry him off that thing!

Luke 2:52

Luke 2:52 is a line of scripture that I have always loved, but now as a mother I feel I am learning to fully understand what it means.  It reads, "and Mary stored these things up in her heart" (Luke 2:52).  One of the reasons I have loved this verse is because it seems so poetic for the author to have included it.  I mean did we really need to know that Mary held on to these special memories of her son to understand the Gospel.  I think probably not, but because the author included these words I think all us mothers (and fathers) can better understand what Mary was experiencing and relate to her.  And I have always believed that relationships are at the heart of sharing the Gospel. 

Now as a mom of a son who does not yet have the capabilities of long-term memories, I am realizing that I am storing up memories in my heart that I will treasure and one day share with Anderson even though he can't remember them for himself.  

So on Friday, in the midst of going some place (I am not really sure now where we were going), Anderson and I experienced one of those moments worth storing up in my heart.  We were walking to the car, and I had scooped Anderson up into my arms.  To get to the car we had to pass our enormous lantana bush.  As we passed the lantana I noticed a swallowtail butterfly right at eye level.  Despite being in a hurry, I stopped and pointed out the butterfly to Anderson.  Because it was so close and at the right level he was able to see the butterfly very easily.  And as most toddlers are quick to do with most things in their lives, he reached out to touch it.  Now it has been my experience that touching a butterfly is like catching a falling leaf.  It seems simpler than it actually is. But to my surprise, he was able to touch it- not with a rough, wild grasp (as he is known to often do) but with a gentle stroke of its wing.  The butterfly was so engrossed in drinking from the lantana flowers that it hardly seemed to pay Anderson any attention.  So we stayed close as it flitted from one clump of flowers to the next.  And Anderson was able to pet the butterfly multiple times.  I found the whole experience so surprising that I actually said aloud to Anderson, "You won't remember this, but this is a very unique and special experience."

Later that day, I told Andy about what had happened, and he asked if I had gotten a picture of it.  I told him know.  It all happened so fast and spontaneously that it would have been hard for me to photograph the moment, but also I think that if I had put Anderson down, tried to find a camera and frame the shot just right, the moment would have vanished. So I am glad I just stayed in the moment with my son.  The butterfly whisperer.  Instead of a photo, I have a visual picture that is now forever stored in my heart. 

Photo taken last week of a different butterfly.  We have had so many to watch this summer.

Mr. Independent

My son is at that "I can do it myself stage", 

and he can do it himself about 60% of the time.  

Other times it looks something like this-

This is not any easy stage for this "Type A personality" mom.

I like to be in control.

I like things neat.

And I like things pretty.

This little guy has a lot to teach me about life.  

I hope I am wise enough to pay attention.

H2O

We have been blessed by friends and family members who have given us so many wonderful new and used toys.  And Anderson has already loved playing with most of those toys, but there are some toys that he gravitates to more often then others.  It is no surprise that the water table is one of those toys that he regularly enjoys because this little fellow loves H20 in whatever form we offer it to him- pool, water table, and bath time.  And as a new SAHM (stay at home mom) I love the water table too.  Not only for the kinetic activity it provides, but because it one of the few toys that will occupy him in independent play.  What I mean is that he is 17 months old.  So from the moment his feet hit the floor, no scratch that, from the moment his eyes open in the morning, he depends on either me or Andy to entertain him.  Which I love doing, but man is that exhausting or what.  All you moms out there know what I am talking about you have been there and done that.  But for this first-time mom, that has been a huge adjustment.  So when he points to the water table and smiles, I gladly oblige! ;) 

After 3 days of playing, there is more toys than water at this point.

There is just something about a water table that screams "pants optional"

"Mommy, did you see how funny that was?" insert thought bubble

All smiles.  Mom is smiling too in case you were wondering.

Soaked to the bone and loving every second.

Thanks Angie and girls for sharing your water table with us!  We love it!

Reason #241 that I love The Hill...because my son loves The Hill

Did I mention I love The Hill?  Well I do.  And I love it even more now that my son loves The Hill.

  And what is not to love for a little boy?  Wide open spaces to run.  All kinds of animals to touch and get to know.  So many new things to see and explore every time we are there.  Little toys and big toys.  Green grass and blue skies.  Quilts and hammocks.  Flowers and veggies.  Dirt, mud, rocks, and water.  It is a little boy's paradise (and his mother's too for that matter).

It's official...

he's a genius!

Actually he is only good at about 3 kid games which hold his attention for about 5 minutes total.  He likes the multi-finger drag which just takes you back to previous pages so he usually ends up on CNN or NetFlix.  Other than that he is really great at drooling on it, and he likes the texture of the back of the case.  But he LOVES the iPad!  And if you are using it; he wants it!  But in this picture he looks like he has been browsing the web on his iPad since he was 9 months old.  It cracks me up! 

Just another Wednesday night...

but a little rain had come through town and cooled everything off, so it was a great evening for being outside.  That was the only excuse I needed for getting the camera back out.  Here are some of the moments I captured...

My happy boys!  Anderson loves his Daddy, and his daddy loves him.

We are cherishing the evening hours these days since Daddy has gone back to work.

I know I mentioned it, but this is "surprise" face.

And this is kiss-y face (my personal favorite of the faces!)

He got a haircut today.  He looks so old with the haircut and no drool cloth.

Pa=

So today we got a haircut which was not as tramatic as the doctor's appointment, but it was close.  Mrs. V did a great job cutting his hair despite the fact that he was crying and would not hold still for a single second.  My little man is already growing up so fast.  The combination of new haircut and having his drool cloth off so that you can see he actually has a neck makes him look so grown up. 

 FYI: Today is the 4th week that we have been a forever family.

First doctor visit

We have a great pediatric doctor here in Concord that has been helping us with the medical side of Anderson's adoption.  Today, Anderson had his first doctor visit with Dr. D.  He weighs 28 pounds (75 percentile). He has gained a pound since coming home due to Luvie and Granny Linker's good cooking.  And he is 37 inches tall (95 percentile).  The doctor said he looks healthy and happy.  And that is where the good times stopped because after the doctor left the nurse came in to draw blood.  She only needed 5 valves but it felt like 500 to Mommy, Daddy and Anderson.  He started screaming from the moment we put him on the table.  Now Andy and I knew he was strong and told the nurses such, but I guess they didn't quite understand how strong he was.  In the end, it took 3 nurses to hold him down so that the blood could be drawn.  It took a lot longer than I would have liked because they had to stick him once in each arm.  By the end of the entire process mom had joined Anderson in the cry-fest (but I stuck it out in the room even though it was killing me to hear his screams). 

After the trauma of the drawing of the blood Anderson did not want to out of our arms, and he definitely did not want to get in his car seat (which he only tolerate on average days).  But thanks to some tasty Gerber cheese-y puffs we were finally able to coax him into his seat.  Luckily, we were just going across the street to the food court at the mall to get some lunch.  We were excited to pull into the parking lot of the mall and see a firetruck parked near the food court.  As I have mentioned before, Anderson loves cars and big trucks, and he has 2 toy fire trucks that he loves to play with.  So of course we have to pause for a minute for a quick photo op.  It is actually not one of my finer photographs, but he really wasn't in the photo taking mood yet.

For lunch we had Sogo express.  Anderson thoroughly enjoyed his rice and chicken with shrimp sauce.  After lunch Daddy had to go back to work, so Anderson and I headed back home.  He was asleep before we pulled into the driveway.  I am very proud of my little man for being so brave today.

An afternoon of fun with Tia!

My sister Megan is called Tia (aunt in Spanish).   Today she stopped by the house to play with us after work.  It was such a fun afternoon.  Each day Anderson is forming closer bonds with our family members.  Today was Tia's bonding day.  From the picture you can see that it went really well!

My sister has been right beside me through the adoption process.  She has listen to my happiness and heartbreak over many long phone conversations.  So I know she was almost as excited for this little one to arrive as we were.  I think the instant this photo captures is the moment she had been waiting for a long time.  The joy on both their faces makes my heart smile.  

And if you are wondering how she coaxed this smile from his face it went something like this-

Start low

   

pull up from the arms

raise higher

and HIGHER (you have to image the sound of giggles)

And thanks to Tia, I also have this photo of Anderson and me. 
Come back soon Tia!  We love you!

Sunday afternoons

Since Andy and I got married, we spend Sunday afternoons at my parents' (now called Pa and Luvie) house.  And we are continuing that tradition with Anderson.

After lunch Luvie and Anderson went up on the hill to play, allowing mommy and daddy to both take a nap.  Anderson is adjusting amazingly well, but we haven't reached the point where he is sleeping through the night.  Any chances for extra sleep are always appreciated!

 I adore watching my child sleep.  Today I got to snuggle up beside him while he snoozed in peaceful slumber.  I cherish moments like this.

 This is the smile of a very amused little boy, and he looks like this most of the time that he is in Pa's arms.

 This is also a smile, but it is the prelude to the all out grin.  I love it when he purses his lips together like this.

 My boys, Daddy and Anderson, up on the hill.  The Hill is what we call the barn, garden and field area of my parents' property.  It is where Andy and I were married.  It has hosted bridal parties, cookouts, and movie night.  And is the place we always ended up at on a cool afternoon.  Now as a mom, I love it for an all new reason.  It is now where near anything else.  Which means my little guy can run around and explore without anyone having to be holding him or holding his hand. 

 Mommy and Anderson.  We are still working on his "cheese".

 Anderson has conflicted emotions about my parents' black lab, Jake.  His head tells him that is a huge monster, so stay away which causes Anderson to latch onto whoever is holding him any time Jake is near.  But his heart tells him that Jake will one day be his best buddy so he wants to be near Jake.  He even holds out his hand a uses his "come here" sign that Luvie taught him.  All this is to say, that this is where Anderson sat to watch Pa train Jake to retrieve his "dummy" this afternoon. 

He eventually walked over to Jake and stood about a foot from Jake while Pa held him.  This is real progress.  We are very close to our first Jake petting.  We have successfully petted Rusty, the horse, and Cleo, the cat.  We have practiced petting, kissing and hugging animals this past week with Anderson's stuffed animal.  I think it is working!

 Luvie's sunflowers are gorgeous this year.

Oh Anderson, there is so much for you to see and do.  We are so excited to experience it all with you!

This is Anderson's "Mommy what's that on your face" look when I brought out our large digital camera today.  He want to inspect it up close, really close actually.

As promised I am blogging a little tonight even though it is 10pm, so it is going to be short one.  But if what they say about a picture being worth a 1000 words than I really don't need to write anything.  So for the most part I'll stick to captions.

 Our sweet boy is one happy child.  His smile is contagious.  He brings so much joy to our lives.

 Anderson came to us with 3 silly faces (stinky face, surprised face, and the stink eyes), but he has picked up a few more silly faces about being here with us- kissy face seems to be the face of choice these days.  This might have something to do with the fact that I kiss him about 10,000 times a day on average.

 Having a little fun with mommy.  It was such a nice day that we spent most of it outside.  Thank goodness the oppressive heat has eased up a little bit so that we can get outside and burn off some energy.

 This is one of those pictures that really doesn't need explanation, but ever since Anderson got shoes that fit him properly he has a new gear- the run with reckless abandonment gear.   Now he is really steady on his feet when he is walking, but once he starts running he sways, totters, and weaves like a drunken sailor.  It doesn't seem to bother him at all, but I have about 20 mini heart attacks each time he takes off in a sprint because I am certain that this time is going to be the time he falls flat on his face (notice the hands are behind him as he runs wide open).  So far their have been no face plants.  Heaven help the day it happens, which I know will come.

 No that is not monster baby. Once again this is the face of pure joy as daddy tosses him up in the air and catches him in his strong arms.

I just love his hair blowing in the breeze in this photo and the shinny wet chin (oh please stop cutting teeth soon).