It's a Present

Christian treasures his little cars. They must accompany him to dinner and to bed ... and everywhere in between.

Last night at dinner, Christian said, "Here, Daddy!" and handed one of his cars to Jonathan and said, "It's a present!"

Christian then handed another car to me, "Here, Mommy! It's a present!"

Jonathan and I each took our cars and thanked Christain for the presents. And he let us keep the cars ... didn't even ask to have them back.

Awww!

Wordless Wednesday - October 6, 2010

A Lovely Day

Today has been such a lovely day!

First, it is cool outside ... FINALLY! Yesterday afternoon, a storm rolled in and cooled things down to 75, which was absolute heaven for those of us worn out by several months of 100+ days. At long last, the air conditioner is turned off (if only for just today) and all the windows are open, allowing for a nice, cool breeze to flow through the house.

Today, the storm lingers overhead and is dark gray to the east. I see flashes of lightening, rumbles of thunder and it was sprinkling on our drive back from school. The community parks have been "scalped" in preparation for "winter grass," and so in combination with the weather ... it actually FEELS LIKE FALL!

For our readers who don't live in the Phoenix area, I may sound silly gushing about these delights. But when just two days ago, it was 100+ ... after several long, hot months of being 100+ ... and when a cloudy day around here is rare (and a storm even more rare), I sure do get excited!

Aside from the weather, I delighted in the report from Christian's teachers today. He's becoming more vocal and speaking his own thoughts, rather than just repeating what is said to him. Today they told me:

1. Christian said, "I need some space." There is a corner in his classroom called, "The Cozy Corner" and is a place where a child can go if he/she just needs to be alone. There was formerly a child in the classroom who was a bit aggressive with the other kids, and so the other kids were instructed to tell him, "I need some space" if they felt intimidated by him (knowing Christian, I'm sure he avoided the child like the plague). Today the classroom was loud and Christian proclaimed, "I need some space" and went to the cozy corner.


2. The other day, Christian's teacher asked me if at home, he indicates when he's done eating (he does). I learned that at school, Christian doesn't indicate when he's done ... and that he'd sit there all day if he wasn't prompted by his teacher to get up. Today, however, at both snack and lunch, Christian got up when he was done eating and said, "I'm ready to go play."


3. Christian's teacher was coming in late today, so he started off in a different classroom this morning. She told me that when she went to go get him, he was sitting on the floor with every book in the bookshelf on the floor surrounding him ... and he's been looking at every single book! That's my boy!

I'll have to come up with a blog post with his latest "Christianisms." He's been saying a lot of new word combinations lately. He's at such a fun age! :)

Muffin Monday - Mommy Style!

Unfortunately, Papa had to work today. So today's "Muffin Monday" was with Mommy!

Christian and I had breakfast at the Wildflower Bread Company today. As you can see, he really enjoyed his cranberry scone (okay, so it was a scone, not a muffin ... but "Scone Monday" just isn't at catchy as "Muffin Monday.")

Afterwards, we paid a visit to Coldwater Music School and spoke with the owner ... and promptly enrolled Christian in their one year Music Wonderland program:

Parents and children enjoy activites that introduce music concepts and sounds through listening, singing, movement, playful imagery and keyboard playing in a group setting. This course establishes an outstanding foundation for enriched study and skills development in the Junior Music Course.

What fun! Christian will LOVE IT! He was so thrilled to be sitting there playing on a Yamaha keyboard while I was talking to the owner.

The courses are usually Wednesday afternoons, but the owner had another parent waiting on a waiting list - and she was just waiting for one other child to join in order to form a new class. So, we are fortuante to have the new day be on Mondays at 9:30am. PERFECT!!!

A mighty fun "Muffin Monday," if you ask me! :)

The Newsletter Lad

Christian's photo was featured in this month's school newsletter ... how cute!

Click to enlarge

Christian's Prayer

We pray together at dinner each night, and Jonathan prays with Christian in his room as he's putting him to sleep.

Tonight, after our usual dinner prayer, Jonathan asked Christian if he'd like to pray. Christian agreed and immediately launched into a prayer. We couldn't understand most of what he was saying, but we did hear:

"Thank you for school and thank you for friends" (friends are his classmates).

HOW CUTE! We are just so very proud of him!

Muffin Monday - September 27, 2010

Big Dog Cloud

Christian has really been using his imagination lately and it's do darn tootin' cute.

The other night, he looked out the window and said, "Big dog cloud!"

We looked and sure enough, there was a cloud that one might imagine is a big dog in the sky!

BIG DOG CLOUD!

Since then, he's looked out the window at dinner for "Big Dog Cloud," but alas, we don't get too many clouds around here.

But you never know what our little Boy Wonder might see in the sky next.

Date Night!

Our last "Date Night" was all the way back in October 2009. So we were thrilled to learn Christian's school was having "Parent's Night Out" tonight.

Christian had a GREAT time at school tonight, and Jonathan and I enjoyed dinner and drinks at the Verrado Grille in our neighborhood. It was actually our first time to eat there.

We sat outside on the patio with lake, mountain and sunset views ... ahhh, it was perfect! Yet another of the many, many reasons why we love living here in Verrado!

Ella Fitzgerald

This morning I walked into Christian's room and said, "Good morning!"

And Christian replied, "Good morning! Watch Ella Fitzgerald!" (acutally, it was more like, "Watch Ehwah Isgerol"). I played Ella on TV, and Christian danced around, saying, "Look at that piano! Look at that saxaphone! Look at that cymbal! Look at Ella sing!"

After Muffin Monday this week, Jonathan and Christian stopped by a music store. It's a store that sells keyboards and teaches keyboarding classes. Jonathan learned the have classes for kids ages three and up. But the lady said that younger kids, like Christian, usually don't have much interest in music yet.

She put on a video that talked about their classes, and Christian was instantly focused, "Look at that music!" After watching Christian's unepected ethusiasm for a few minutes, she concluded he'd do quite well in a music class.

Afterwards, my men stopped off at a bookstore and Jonathan bought a DVD with a Count Basie Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald performance from 1979.

They arrived back home and Jonathan put the DVD in the player, and Christian was soooo very excited to see people singing, and playing various instruments. He was completely focused on the video, so I assumed maybe that was the video he'd seen at the music store and this was his second time to view it.

Nope. It was his first time and he was completely absorbed. That's right, dear readers ... our two year old son loved watching a Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald performance.

For the past couple of days, he's asked to watch the DVD several times. Well, who am I to deny my son something as wonderful and classic as Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald?

Jonathan wants to look into some sort of music class for Christian, and I agree 100%! For several weeks, he's had an interest in our insturments here at home (violin, guitar, and saxaphone). It's time to tap some of that interest (and potential talent!) and see where it takes him!

The Big Kid Bed: An Update

For the past few weeks, Christian has been great about going to bed in his new "big kid bed," and staying there.

Until this week.

We've been noticing that his "Big Pooh" and or "Sponge Bob Squarepants" have somehow mysteriously moves from the corner of the room to Christian's bed overnight and during naptimes. I figured maybe it was a case of "The Velveteen Rabbit" ... where the stuffed animals come to life when nobody is looking. :)

I keep his door open a crack so I can check on him, as needed. Yesterday, I heard the door shut closed. For a moment, I assumed maybe the AC kicked on and the pressure closed the door. But then I heard the door shut again ... and that meant he was up and out of bed.

That little stinker!

And he's up to these same shenanigans today. In the handful of times that I've checked on him after hearing the door shut, he's already back in his bed by the time I look in. Today he even managed to turn on his CD player again (and turn up the volume), and turn off his ceiling fan and air filter. So, he's a busy little boy in his room!

But for now, at least he's staying in his room. I'm sure the day is fast approaching where he'll start coming out of his room at naptime. Good thing my home office is just a few feet away and I can see his doorway clearly. Mommy will be watching you, Christian!

Wordless Wednesday - September 8, 2010

Muffin Monday - September 6, 2010

After much debate (even while driving to our destination), the boys decided Mommy could join them for Muffin Monday.

Muffin Monday is usually exclusive to the boys ... so thanks, guys, for letting me tag along! :)

And so it begins ... GO BUFFS!

College football season started today. Jonathan has been doing a countdown for months, so I wanted to make the say extra special.

I suprised Jonthan with a new Buffs cap, a new Buffs shirt and socks for Christian (and a shirt for me, too), Buffs streamers, a wall calendear with vintage Buffs program covers and a big ol' "Ralphie" magnet for the back of the car.

The best part of the day was watching Christian. He was so excited to see the game on the TV, and imitate his Papa when something exciting happened. "Go, go, go!" Jonathan would yell ... and Christain would repeat him, "Go, go go!!" Christian was dancing all over the living room and was giddy as could be.

And, happily ... the Buffs won!

A Little Cow

Christian makes me laugh ... a lot!

Today, a small white dog with black spots walked past us. Christian looked down at the dog and said, "Look, a little cow!"

:)

The New Monday Tradition

Jonathan has Mondays off, which means he gets to spend all day with our little Boy Wonder. So Jonathan has introduced, "Muffin Monday." Each Monday, he and Christian will venture out and go have a muffin, or a waffle ... or whatever looks good at whatever coffee shop / restaurant they visit.

Today's "Muffin Monday" is actually "Waffle Monday." That's right, the inaugural "Muffin Monday" was held at Waffle House.

Christian loved the music they played and danced around a lot. And he made sure to greet everybody who walked in the door with a "Hello!" or a "Good Morning!"

Stay tuned each Monday for reports from "Muffin Monday"!

Granny and Grandpa Come for Another Visit

Granny and Grandpa blessed us with another visit this weekend (their second visit this year). It is a really long drive between Denver and Phoenix, and they did it all in one day - wow!

It was an absolute delight to watch Christian visit with them for a few days. He's got two of the best grandparents any little boy could ask for!

Granny also blessed us with some of her excellent cooking (and a bunch of freshly-roasted green chile for our freezer!). For our family gathering this weekend, she made chile, Spanish rice and homemade sopaipillas. DELISH!

Thank you for coming, Granny and Grandpa! Thank you for the good times and all of the many goodies you brought us.

Next time, we'll gather at your house! :)

A Morning With Papa

Sometimes a kiddo just needs a morning with his Papa ... at a bookstore with a Curious George book, a muffin and some coffee.

How Hot Is It?

It has been a really hot summer. I keep waiting for a break from the heat, but the best break we get around here is the occasionaly partly cloudy day that blocks the sun briefly.

It's monsoon season, but it's been rather dry ... and not even many clouds to speak of. The big afternoon monsoon clouds seem to hover around the valley, over the mountains.

Take a look at the August temp calender below. I looked ahead to September and the forecast indicates we won't see a break from these 100++ degree days til late September. And even then, the temps hover around the high 90s.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesay - August 18, 2010

What a Kid!

Today's "Special Moment" that Christian's teacher wrote down:

"Christian was teaching a new friend shapes. He would show it to him, and then tell him what it was. So cute!"

What a kid!

Christian has really been getting more interactive with the kids at school, and I'm so pleased! It's also been easier to drop him off this week ... he's much more comfortable with me leaving.

AND ... day six of the new bed, and he's STILL staying in it at bedtime and naptime!! He doesn't get out until I come in the room. Even if he drops a car on the floor while in his bed, he doesn't get out of the bed to fetch it.

This week is just full of surprises! :)

Two Years Ago Today ...

Two years ago, today, we left the Land of Enchantment to make The Valley of the Sun our new home.

I somehow thought we'd be visiting Albuquerque / Santa Fe a lot. It's a relatively short drive, and an even shorter flight. But alas, I've only been back to Albuquerque twice since the movie, and not once have I returned to Santa Fe.

Ironically, I have no interest in returning to Santa Fe. Not because I didn't like Santa Fe. On the contrary, because I LOVE Santa Fe! I loved the city, loved our house, loved our view. I loved that our little Prince Charming was born in Santa Fe. In truth, it would just break my heart to visit Santa Fe. It would especially break my heart to drive past our former home. So I may end up avoiding Santa Fe forever.

I miss my friends. And I especially miss the view of the Sandia Mountains. Oh how I love those mountains:

But in the past two years, I've come to love living in the Phoenix area. I love our home and our community and Christian's new school. I love living in the country's fifth largest metro area - it means there's always something to do ... somewhere!

And I love the weather! Yes, it's unbearably hot during the summer and these 110+ days have become too numerous for my taste. It's crazy when I'm watching the 10:00pm news, and its still 104 outside. I will claim, as others do, that you just get used to the eat. Yes, it's true ... but getting used to it doesn't mean a 113 degree days is necessarily pleasant.

When I say I love the weather here, I mean overall. If you've ever been out here in the middle of the winter, you know what I'm talking about.

We're really enjoying our home and have completed lots of projects: three ceiling fans, three rooms painted (including my Tiffany Blue office and our newly-red kitchen!). If we can ever pick a green paint for our bedroom, we'll be painting that room, too. We've planted plants and trees and are in the process of planning what we're going to do to our big ol' backyard. I thrive on the planning and dreaming stage of a project!

Truth be told: I can't think of anywhere I'd rather live!

I was looking at some pics of how Christian looked two years ago. Awww, my baby!

Wordless Wednesday - August 11, 2010

A New Milestone: The Big Kid Bed

As Christian approaches the Big Three, we've been pondering getting him a "big kid bed." While he didn't mind the shrinking confines of his crib, it was obvious that his days in the crib were numbered.

We checked out a couple of furniture stores a couple of weekends ago, but didn't really see anything. So we looked at IKEA on Sunday and VOILA! Christian now has a new bed.

We weren't too sure what he'd think of the new bed, but he didn't really care. I bought him "Cars" sheets, and he was pretty excited about them (which, I later learned, might be a problem since it keeps the movie active in his mind and he wants to watch the movie as soon as he wakes up!).

The first night in his bed (Sunday) was a few hours after returning from our Scottsdale resort adventure, and he'd only had a short nap in the car ... so he was exhausted. I laid down in the bed with him and told him we'd practice pulling the covers up (he loves getting "under the cubbers" in our bed). To our amazement, he slept through the night without incident. We chalked it up to fatigue.

The next day (yesterday) we waited for the real challenge: nap time. Christian still goes down for about four hours after daycare each day. Some days he gets really upset when I put him in his crib and walk out, closing the door behind me. Occasionally he's so angry about it the bangs his head on the wall. It's actually quite comical: I hear a loud bang and then a quiet, "Oww ..." I was prepared for the worst yesterday, but it didn't happen. I shut the door behind me and he stayed in his bed. Took him a while to go to sleep (as it often does), but he stayed in his bed.

This morning (day three), I heard he was awake and went in to get him. He was just sitting up in his bed waiting for me to come in. Surely he know he can easily get down onto the floor, if he'd like. He was doing it the first day the bed was set up. But he's used to having to wait until somebody gets him before he can get out. We'll see how long that lasts!

And right now, he's napping again. He never got out of his bed after I put him down, as far as I can tell.

We've seen enough episodes of "Super Nanny" to know that bedtime can become challenging. But for now, we're just thankful that the transition is going so smoothly!

A "Staycation" in Scottsdale

A "staycation" is the word to describe a vacation where you stay at home and do "vacation things" while at home. We modified the defintion a bit by staying in the Phoenix metro area (Scottsdale) and enjoyed a weekend at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa.

Summer is the slow season for the hospitality industry out here, because it's so blasted hot. So there are some really great deals out there to attract the locals. It was a tough choice, but this particular Hyatt won because they are the only resort to have a sandy beach. And we figured that even if Christian didn't care for the swimming pool itself, he'd enjoy the sand.

However, Christian surprised us! Our first visit to the pool, shortly after checking in, was just supposed to a reconnaissance mission. He walked into the sand, and kept on going into the water - with his clothes on.

We spent as much time at the pool as possible during our stay because Christian LOVED it!

It was a really hot weekend. But, somehow being at a resort makes the obscene temps more tolerable.