Mystery Solved

Okay, I know I said that I would post the word that Paul has been saying lately, but I figured it out before I could ask for my bloggers help. Paul has been pointing to the top of the frig lately and saying, "buy-ease." I would ask him to show me and then he'd follow up with, "Go buy it." He has been asking for strawberries. Ha! Those three syllable words are tricky. I love a good puzzle, and I feel like Sherlock Holmes when I figure it out. In the past I have kept frozen strawberries in the freezer to make smoothies with, and that's why he's pointing to the frig. I just happened to buy strawberries a few days ago and when I asked him to show me this time he opened the frig and pointed to them. So really I didn't do anything intelligent to figure it out, but...oh well. I love my little Paul, and the only reason he likes strawberries is because I give him a dish of sugar to dip them in.

I'm So Glad When Grandpa Comes!

Pat's dad came to visit a couple weeks ago and we had a good time. We went to the zoo, which Paul loves. We are still trying to figure out what Paul is talking about occasionally. He'll be ranting and raving about something and I'll catch most of the words, but the subject is sometimes sketchy. It took me a long time to figure out the zoo one. He'd often say something like, "Let's go amals." It wasn't until we were out and about with a friend that they thought he was saying "animals." Another one is, "In In the box." He'll also say "game" with the box comment. So I'd go to the closet with the board games and tell him to show me what he's talking about. Then the tantrum starts. Well, in Lacrosse the crowd shouts "GET IN THE BOX" when an apposing team member goes into the penalty box. He's been asking to go to a Lacrosse game. OOOhhhhh, got it. I enjoy figuring out what he is trying to say. However, Paul doesn't seem to care for it. He gets frustrated when I don't respond appropriately. One I haven't figured out yet is Paul will point to the top of the frig and say something, but I can't remember what it is at the moment. Next time he says it I'll write it down and see if my blog friends can help me out.

While Pat's dad was here we also went to the Train Museum. Paul was in Hog Heaven.

Paul was pretending to drive this train. It had a bell you could ring by pulling an overhead rope. That was his favorite part.

It was a pretty cold day, and since trains do nothing for me, and Caleb is too young to care, we just kept each other warm. I just want to eat those chubby cheeks!

Unimaginative Title

I realize the blog has been neglected for quite some time. Our computer has been on the fritz and it is difficult to maneuver websites without inappropiate pop-ups and the computer was running very slowly. It has been getting worse and worse. Hotmail wouldn't let me open emails, Internet Explorer would frequently wig out, and then last week the computer would start, and then restart, and then restart, over and over. We have not since been able to get the computer to start and stay on. So I am pleased to announce that I am posting from our new computer! Pat built our old computer and consequently we don't have any reboot/wipe your computer and start over CD's, nor does Pat have the time to fix it. So a new one is what we ended up with. It will take me some time to get used to Vista, but I am sure once I get the hang of it I won't want to go back.

Caleb is 5 months! It is going by much faster the second time around. I am sure that would be a consistent comment for all second children. Luckily for me, Caleb is an easy going, happy little guy. Paul has always been a little more tough. I am trying to enjoy it day by day, but we all know that kids are a lot of work. Paul and I have been butting heads a lot lately, and I think I finally came to the conclusion that the remedy will take an attitude adjustment on my end. I've always known that taking him outside will redirect his focus and his whining and crying will cease. However, lately I have found that outside is a very short fix. I think the other half of the problem is me. I would love to blame it all on someone else, but there it is. I am trying to focus on the good aspects of Paul's age; it's a work in progress. Patience is a virtue I wish I had more of. I know the day I send him off to school will be a difficult day so here are some things that I do love about my two year old:

I love his hugs and kisses
He misses me when I'm away
He's glad when I come back
Watching popcorn pop is exciting
His animal noises make me laugh
He forgives easily
He never tires of rocks and sticks
He loves helping me put on makeup
The look on his face when I sit and play with him
How tall he sits when he knows he's done something well

I sure do love him despite any quarrels we have. The majority of this post is about Paul, but I don't have any pictures of him on the new computer, so here are a couple of 5 month pics of Caleb.