Week 118: VBS meets Mr. Hankey

This week was a big week at South Caraway Baptist Church. Our quaint little church held it's annual Vacation Bible School festivities.
It was also a big week at 4415 Southbrook.
I was in charge of the toddler class, which was made up of the children of VBS teachers and volunteers. That being said you can imagine how hectic our week was. All week it was work, VBS, home, sleep, repeat. Our schedule was all out of whack. However, a couple of positives came out of this week. First and foremost Tate and his buddies spent time at church learning about God and Jesus. He learned that God made the birds that fly in the sky, the grass that grows on the ground and the flowers and the trees too. There was coloring and finger painting and snack time and story time. At home after a fun-filled night of VBS Tate and I would make a b-line for the restroom. Tate would settle himself on his potty chair, reach for his favorite book (a new one, I forget the title, but its a Veggie Tales book). While he studied Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber he went poo poo in the potty.
I was so happy that he was actually going in the potty instead of his diaper that I didn't mind cleaning the poo from his potty chair. Hooray for Tate! After months of patiently telling him "poo poo goes in the potty. We don't poo poo in our diaper, we poo poo in the potty." It's finally starting to sink in! Praise God!!!
You know what they say, "the Lord moves in mysterious ways."

Week 117: Tate's Knockers

No pictures this week, just a funny story about something Tate said.
While digging through his toy box my little man uncovered some long-lost toys he hadn't seen in, oh, say, a month or two. Among the treasure Tate rediscovered a pair of toy binoculars. Immediately he became inseparable from this particular toy. He carried them around the house with him, even taking them on trips to the little boys' room. He wore them around his neck while playing and every now and then he'd stop, lift the field glasses to his face and look through them. Sometimes he'd look at me while I was sitting just a few feet from him, other times peering at something across the room. Nonetheless, at some point in the evening Tate came to rest on the couch beside me.
The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hey Tate.
Tate: Hi, mama!
Me: Can you say binoculars? Be-knock-u-lars?
Tate: (something incomprehensible)
Me: Binoculars. Be-knock-u-lars.
Tate: Knockers?
Me: No baby, binoculars. Be-knock-u-lars.
Tate: Knockers!
Of course I couldn't hold back a smirk. Meanwhile Chuck goes into a full-fledged full-body-shaking-giggle fit.
That was all the encouragement Tate needed.
"Knockers, knockers!" he kept repeating.
A little bit later it was time for one last visit to the potty chair before bedtime. As Chuck and I were tag teaming Tate into his pajamas I slipped the binoculars from around his neck. This was a move those in the military would call a tactical error. Tate erupted into one of those hold-your-breath-for-10-seconds-before-you-start-to-cry fits. After the initial cry he's reaching for me with this mom-how-could-you face demanding: "I want knockers!"
It felt like one of those "Al Bundy would be proud" moments.

Week 116: Kickin' the tires?

So by now Tate is a professional "weekend warrior." (A term us gung-ho weekend boating enthusiasts so affectionately call ourselves.) I guess since Tate has become so comfortable jumping in the water, swimming with friends/family and even knee boarding, he decided to checkout the boat he's been riding in all this time. He checked out how to open the windshield and adjust the rear view mirror. He also checked out all the storage on our boat. He's such a hands-on kid!

Week 115: Another weekend at the lake

We spent the weekend at the lake again. I know, surprise, surprise! We are so predictable.
Since we've seen cute pictures of Tate jumping in the water, playing in the water and pretending to drive the boat, I thought I'd mix it up a little... because Tate is so finicky about getting his hair cut we have to wait for him to take a nap before we can get it trimmed. So, while we were out and about in Mountain Home Saturday, you guessed, Tate crashed. We made a B-line for the hair-cutting-place, in this insists, the salon just inside Wal-Mart. Tate slept through most of the hair cut. After the hair cut, and a bite to eat at McDonald's (also inside Wal-Mart), it was time to play in the water.
I don't think Tate knows, but I snapped a couple of potentially embarrassing shots of my little man getting his "swim diaper" put on. Later in the afternoon, following some serious wake boarding, Tate helped Chuck wind up the tow rope.
And there you have it... another boring weekend at the lake.

Adventures of Tate: Tate goes kneeboarding

My little dare devil has really out done himself this time. Over the Fourth of July holiday Tate and Chuck were playing on the kneeboard. Chuck put Tate on the board, gave him the handle and pulled him around while we were anchored in a cove. Tate was having so much fun and displaying some natural ability. Chuck suggested I pull them behind the boat, "just go slow," he said. What the heck, I thought. I don't want Tate to grow up being afraid of everything. So I did. With the rope attached tightly to a tow pilon Tate climbed on Chuck's back, the slack disappeared from the rope and away we went.
My dynamic duo took quite a ride, easing in and out of the wake and waving at other boaters as they passed by. The boys even took a spill. Chuck described Tate's reaction. He said "EH!" and made an awful face. Then he hollered "BACK!" and climbed back on Chuck's back... ready to go again.
What will those two think up next?!?!

The Fourth of July has been lots of fun for Tate. He's enjoying hanging out with relatives, eating, playing, swimming and the occasional nap. I'll let the pictures do the talking.