Little Pumpkins

 Hendrix loved stuffing pumpkins with leaves. And Zane was awesome to help him. They make a great team.

Keep it rockin'!

Grandma is pretty strong to get this boat to rock with her grandkids on board!

Brace Yourself

Hendrix is always asking me how to climb to the top of things. I appreciate that he asks since it makes me aware he's contemplating things and then we can talk about what is reasonable and what isn't. He'll ask if he can climb the fridge doors. Of course I say no. He asks to climb the windows, knowing he can't quite figure out how to get enough leverage to do so, like he did as an infant/toddler.

On this particular day above, he asked me to help him and I told him that Mommy didn't have it in her at that moment to do so. But I also went on to tell him that he should figure out how to do it on his own. He's just getting tall enough to span the distance of the door frame. And he did it! He can't quite scale yet, but that will be here before I know it.

V & Z are basically too tall for climbing up this door frame, at least to enjoy it. And just when I thought I was done cleaning footprints and handprints off the white frame for at least a short while, Hendrix is showing me we still need to brace ourselves for cleaning extra much and for staying on standby for any possible injuries.

Letting Loose

This is the kind of ball playing Zane enjoys the most -- just random moments of kicking, throwing, and catching with friends or family, with no expectations or fear that he's letting anyone down. He can be so patient waiting for these loose moments. He's learning that patience sometimes scores him bonus moments too, like extreme hayrides. :-)

Bonus Points

Vanessa was so very kind to make this target board for her little brother Zane!

Scarlet (and maybe a little green 💚😄)

So Daddy did it. And he made it a big surprise. On Zane's birthday he surprised V&Z with a joint birthday gift. Zane had requested Chick-fil-a for his birthday dinner. As Daddy pulled in and I hopped in the van to leave to pick up the food, Daddy pulled a box out of his car.

I then realized Adam had stopped on the way home from work to buy the kids a ball python. But I asked Daddy to wait to surprise the kids until I returned home, since Zane came home from school with a pounding headache and threw up from feeling so bad, I didn't want the adrenaline rush to set him back before I got food in him. Daddy understood.

But Daddy could hardly wait too. And so while the kids started to eat and Vanessa was gabbing a hundred mph, he casually walked in with the snake wrapped around his arm and just leaned over the chair. It took the kids about 5 to 10 seconds and below you can see where V's eyes lock in and start to process what Dad had in his hand. You'll also notice how Zane was trying to keep it together and how he processed the surprise and shock -- his facial expressions say it all for him!

The kids fell in love. And because it was Zane's birthday, he got to name her, so he named her Scarlet. The kids are visiting with her in the mornings and holding her a ton in the evenings. She seems to enjoy their love for her. She's small, maybe 12-15 inches long, and about 8 months old. She can grow up to 6 feet but will keep to the size of her terrarium.

Vanessa immediately started messaging all of her friends, some of who are not sure they will come for a visit with a snake in the house, and others who want to come over just to touch her to feel her skin. These discussions and responses reminded me that my own father refused to visit Adam's and my first house as long as there was a snake there -- Adam's ball python Frankie, which he received when he was 17 years old. I laughed because I recently couldn't remember why my parents rarely visited our home in Gallipolis and figured it must've been the amount of time we spent at theirs, and then now my dad's refusal came flooding back.

When it came time to feed Scarlet. the kids were eager. Once Scarlet grabbed hold of the mouse, Vanessa wasn't quite sure she likes to witness the process. Hendrix thought at first that he needed to help the mouse. He ran off to get toys to offer to Scarlet, possibly to try and distract her from "playing" with the mouse too hard. What a sweet guy.

Conventional With a Twist of Unconventional

One of my most favorite things I observed recently was Hendrix acting out a variety of activities. It felt like he was sort of acting like a YouTuber as he narrated every move.

Basically, he got out his blocks, he got out his trucks, and he was pretending to video and describe what was happening. He ended that part with holding up the iPad facing him and saying "Don't forget, if you like my video . . .[gibberish]... till next time, bye!"

Then he ran off to get paper and markers. Changed the photo app to the clock app and placed it beside him. "Ready, set, go . . . 10, 9, 8, 7. . .! OKAY! Good job! You did it! Now let's see if I can beat it . . ."  He repeated this for a while. I was tickled. And I was nonexistent as he ventured off into his own view of the conventional world.

And then that night his daddy got to witness a unconventional moment for a 3-year-old. Hendrix showed us his amazing math skills as we were preparing for bed. Hendrix held up his fingers and said "3. Need to 2 more!" Our jaws dropped.

Now, if we ask him to *perform* these skills, he becomes silly and reluctant and sort of a jokester, much like his older siblings. But I know he's building a strong and solid foundation while bypassing the conventional way society says we should do it.

Zane wants the video. . .