Questioning my Parenting Techniques

I have been trying to teach Clark how to play alone, that he doesn't need me to initiate fun and that he has an imagination that needs a workout. This is what happens when Clark initiates fun.

Please notice the shoes, a cookie cooling rack and every book and play kitchen item has made an appearance. There are days I try not to say NO. I opt for the word  "Danger"  if he is playing with something forbidden or doing something that is going to end up with a trip to the ER and a 3-10 being filed. Granted, this is not every day, I don't want a spoiled rotten kid, but I also don't want the word No to be the most frequently used word in our house.

This, however, did get a NO.

Off Brand Butter is not a suitable dinner choice for anyone.

And here is proof to the claim that Clark is faster than a speeding bullet.

Have a good week,
Colie

17 Months

Hi

Clark is growing at light speed. I can't keep up with his energy, his vocabulary, the way he figures the world out or his caloric needs. He moves so fast that I have a hard time keeping up with the camera and just realized that I haven't printed off pictures since FEBRUARY! To think, I used to have so much free time and spent it watching HGTV.

I thought I would take a few photos of what our morning snack time routine looks like.

Step 1- Look excited every time you open the snack container

Step 2- Empty out the contents of snack container and repeatedly ask for "moooore, mooooore" just so you can have more snacks to crush under your feet.

Step 3- Increase the surface area of your crush by using hands, knees and feet.

Step 4- Make snow angles in the dust of pulverized Cheerios.

Final step- Call in the Clean Up Crew.

This weekend we went for a family drive and stopped to take a few pictures a long the way. Things always sound better in my head. I imagined taking some lovely fall photos of Clark playing in leaves with beautiful wooden fences, barns and vast fields rolling in the background. The reality was I couldn't figure out the settings on my camera to allow for good lighting, I couldn't get any face shots of Clark because he moves faster than a speeding bullet and someone always had their eyes closed in the family pictures we tried to take.

Where did Clark's face go? It disappeared into the sunlight.

 Matt and Clark got swallowed up by the shadows.

If only Clark was turned towards me and not trying to fix that rusty nail.

And I have finally fallen into the Williams' curse. I closed my eyes as soon as a photo was taken, it was only a matter of time.

Happy Weekend
Colie

Frosty Day and Some Vacuum Love

Hello

Today was 27 degrees when we woke up at 6:04--Thanks Daylight Savings. The frost was so thick that it looked like snow.

 Let me get this straight, Mother Nature, you give us days upon days of 100+ degrees with no rain in the summer time and then jip us out on a fall season? You just go straight into winter? Someone is getting lazy.

Clark wanted to go outside first thing this morning, like always. I took him out and he said "buuuurrrr" then immediately turned around to go back inside. He was convinced we needed to start a fire to warm up.

Krum was a sunshine lovin' poodle this afternoon. That's when you know it is cold, the dogs don't go outside and they lay in any sliver of sunshine that comes through the window.

Along with kitties, Clark loves the vacuum cleaner. On most days he insists on having it out in plain site so he can touch it, take it apart and hug it. I don't understand it, but I go with it. A lady Matt works with, Nicole, gave Matt a mini vacuum to bring home for Clark. It was love at first sight.

He brings it everywhere--up, down, in, out and even on car rides. That was a fun day!

This is photographic evidence that he smiles! He just never does it for the camera, he goes all Blue Steel on me.  When is isn't hugging the vacuum, he actually uses it for its intended purpose.

Is there anything sweeter than a silhouette of a little boy vacuuming the foyer? Perhaps a boy trying to open the door from the wrong end? Awwwww.

 
Stay warm and remember to hug your vacuum, it works hard
Colie

Happy Haloween

Hello

Big news! Clark grew--this is big news because he is in the 10 percentile for height, maybe now he has been inducted into the 11 percentile!!!! We can only hope. I don't know how much he grew, but I know he has grown. For starters, he has been eating about 4,000 calories a day and sleeping 16 hours a day. I no longer have to roll his pants so they don't drag on the ground. And this....

Last week he couldn't climb on anything, the extra height he has gained was all he needed to be a professional furniture climber.

My little NBA star was the Pacman ghost, Blinky, for All Hallows Eve.

He was running around the yard so much that I couldn't get a very good picture of his little outfit, so you're going to have to mix and match pictures to get the full effect. Kids move fast.

We got smart and gave the Tasmanian Devil a KitKat to keep him focused for 30 seconds. It worked for exactly 30 seconds.

First he sat on the pumpkins and ate his Kit Kat--which did you know Kit Kat means Good Luck in Japanese? More like "good luck taking a picture of a 1 year old"

After he ate his first good luck kit kat he politely requested "moooore". We weren't done taking pictures soooo....he got another.

Of course he kicked the pumpkins over. Why wouldn't he kick them over?

 

 

We cuddled up and waited for the first wave of kids to come by. The whole time he was trying to bite through candy wrappers to get to the good stuff. Sorry to the children who get Twix with tiny teeth marks in them.

 



Belive it or not, he was actually having a good time in the picture.

Bedtime took about 45 minutes. Kit Kat does not mean good luck in English.

Hope you had a Happy and Safe Halloween
Colie

Happy Anniversary

Hello

Matt and I celebrated our fourth year together. How is it that time goes so fast when you're an adult? And the happier you are the faster time goes. That doesn't seem fair.

Four years ago we were walking down the isle and I was tearing up as we said our I DOs. I was dressed in a mermaid gown and had my hair pinned up behind a bird cage veil.

Yesterday I was sitting on the sofa dressed in yoga pants and a sweatshirt, popping Niquil and passing out at 8pm because I am STILL SICK. Ahhh, how times have changed. For the Fourth Wedding Anniversary the gift is flowers/silk. I got a beautiful Canon Rebel t3i and some pretty flowers from Matt. I got him a vintage Colts sign that I drew a flower on the back of. I have a whole new respect for people who can take photographs. It is very difficult. Remember, I have only had this camera for 3 days and I am only on page 70 of the instruction booklet, but here are a few snapshots from the week.

Black Jack is a messy eater.

Mud Pie.

I couldn't resist.

Magnanimous.

The food spread from the Baby Shower for my friend Emily.

 

Happy Weekend!

Colie

Its Been a Long Time

I found the camera charger. It was in my underwear drawer. The only explanation I can come up with is that it got mixed in with all the clothes from our Florida vacation when I was unpacking and then it got put away with my underwear. Can't blame me for not checking there to begin with. Also, I should mention that there was a washer and dryer at the condo and I washed all our clothes before we left, that's why I was putting away my underwear after vacation--Just in case you were thinking that I put them away dirty, I assure you, I did not.

We have been enjoying many fall activities over the last few weeks. First up, we went to Oktober Fest. It was raining, but it was only a one day festivity so we sucked it up, brought an umbrella, paid the 10 bucks a person to get in and had a blast.

 We went on a hayride. I thought for sure we would see cows and some pretty scenery. We saw 1 goat and it was so bumpy we had to drain our beers quickly so they didn't spill.

Clark got his face painted to match Black Jack the Kitty Kat.

 .05 Seconds after we was transformed into an adorable kitten, he tried to wipe off the awesomeness. He then looked like an adorable, slightly maimed and slightly deformed kitten.

Here is some sweet Black Jack love for you all. He eats every meal with him. Who am I kidding, he does everything with him. 

Mouth full of ???

This last week has been uneventful, we have all been sick and haven't done anything more than watch Mickey Mouse Club House and cuddle. Poor Clark had the worse of it, he had a runny nose, fever and horrible tummy troubles. He would only sleep if I was holding him, he would only be awake if I was holding him, pretty much I held him for 3 days straight. Then I got sick. I'm still sick. I blame Matt, he brought something funky home from Denmark that our American immune systems just can't fend off. 

We bake him a cake, he gives us the flu.

We went to Zoo Boo, but didn't dress up. It was more of an effort to get out of our sick hole of a house.

We spent a lot of time with the elephants. Something about them amazes me.

Clark enjoyed them too, even though it seems like he never smiles--I swear he does, just not for pictures.

It was a nice day and it felt good to get some fresh air in my congested lungs.

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather and the pretty colors.


Colie

We are not Dead

Hello
We are all alive and fine. Camera died and I can't find the battery charger so I can't upload photos.

Highlights: Clark made some funny faces, Matt went to Denmark for a week and we had a blast at Oktober Fest. Hay rides, pumpkins, face paint and beer. It was awesome.

Hopefully pictures to come soon. If you were me, where would you have put the charger? Not in the junk drawer, the catch all bowl or the office....