Go Get 'Em Tiger

Zane participated in his first pinewood derby recently. It was fun to paint the car and have Dad help plan the project. Car #8 did pretty well for a first time!

Zane's car came in second pretty consistently. I was impressed.

And how fun to be ranked between two of his older sister's classmates during one of the heats! Not bad!

We are very proud of Zane for trying out the experience and for hanging in there to support his friends. He took notes for next year! ;-)

Potty Power

This picture is a tad old but makes the point. ;-) Hendrix has had a deep interest in the potty, probably just to imitate the rest of us but even so, he's insistent on "peeing" and "pooping" on the potty.  So he places the stool and climbs on. He'll practice wiping, but beyond that, not much has happened. . . until last night. . . .

While we were all in the bathroom brushing our teeth before bed, he insisted he sit on his new potty seat. (He's not digging the little potty chairs.) I helped him up and didn't pay closer attention since it's become a common uncompensated request. But as Vanessa and I stood over the sink washing our faces, we started to hear what sounded like pee streaming into the potty. Sure enough, Hendrix was peeing in the potty! We celebrated with hoorays and positive reinforcement.

Now, do I expect mastery anytime soon? Shoot no, but like with Vanessa and Zane, we'll let him decide when he's really ready to do it all the time. I'm prepared for it to be a control thing as it is with many toddlers and preschoolers, so the less attention I give to making it a full commitment, hopefully he'll just casually start doing it sooner rather than later. And then maybe once we get out of diapers we can think about a dog . . . ;-)

Close

There's nothing I value more than to watch these three happily together.

Catch Sight Of

Love catching glimpses of my kids hanging with their friends. Zane in Sunday School . . .

Riding off into the sunset . . .

Bottomless Pit

I remember people teasing my grandfather about being a bottomless pit. He would pile his plate high, food on top of food, and everyone would stand back in amazement. It was fun to go to Morrison's Cafeteria and Duff's and guess what Pappaw would pile on his plate. I have vivid memories of salad bars at Ponderosa near the Barboursville Mall where I would also stand in amazement while watching him cover every visible spot on his plate. When asked how he could pile something like cottage cheese on or near his salad, he would confidently reply "It doesn't matter. It's all going down the same hatch." Once I threw away any public etiquette for show, I eventually adopted his approach to making a plate.

His buddies would said that he could eat anything and not gain an ounce. I remember what might be considered Pappaw's heaviest weight was a slight pooch that puffed out over his pants when he was about 70 or 75. But his heaviest weight only lasted a few years, before old age took the 10 to 20 extra pounds away and he was back to eating everything and anything while remaining a thin bone structure. Seems to me, about the same time he started wearing his suspenders more frequently again, and this time it wasn't for the sharp look, it was to hold up his pants!

Zane seems to be very much like that as well. This kid can eat and eat and eat and still look like a starving child. I think he had 4 or 5 pancakes here, along with eggs and bacon and a couple of glasses of orange juice. I'm not sure where it goes or how far his stomach stretches, but it's amazing to watch.

Nothing Too New New Year

 A new pic of these guys.

 New games to play.

 New slime recipes to try.

 A new picture of old friends.

 New kids in old pose.

Closing our eyes and the chapter on 2017 to begin a new year.

Complete Break

 We have a few pics from break, aside from Christmas and New Years. The kids had a fun and free time. They launched right into lightsaber battles, ate favorite their breakfast, played a bunch with Hendrix, explored keepsakes, enjoyed new homemade recipes (BBQ Pork Pizza was loved by the kids) and yummy popcorn from family, built forts in interesting ways, tons of crafts (which I can never keep up with), and even enjoyed slime since Audrey S was so kind to lead making a batch.

Christmas Highlights in Hilliard

 All nestled in bed.

I power napped with Hendrix earlier in the day. 

We made our ginger molasses cookies for Santa. 

Zane was extra eager to aid in the prepping for Santa.

And Daddy read The Night Before Christmas.

The kids were awesome with following directions to wait in the morning. Vanessa and Zane were eager to share Hendrix's stocking with him.

 Hendrix got Duggee! Which he exclaimed "Duggee!" He loves him.

Zane's funniest gift was a remote control pile of poo, with buttons for special sounds. (How do you share that with friends and your class when you return to school?!) ;-)

One of Vanessa's favorite gifts was awesome kneehigh socks.

Hendrix also got a motorcycle. He helped put it together and rode it around the house before bed. 

There were other highlights that I'm sure will sneak their way onto this blog, in some form or another.