9/30/2008

Brothers

Being a mother to two boys can be exhausting. But it is also FUN! Tristan wasn't very interested in Logan when we first brought him home. (To be fair, Logan wasn't very interesting... eat, sleep, eat, sleep, etc.) Now that Logan is older, Tristan is quick to tell you that Logan is his best friend. It is so much fun to see how they interact these days. Interestingly enough, Logan is usually the leader in activities. He doesn't normally join Tristan in play. He does his own thing, and Tristan follows his lead. If Logan wants to play on the couch, so does Tristan. If Logan wants to rock in the chair (see previous post!), Tristan wants to help him. If Logan gets on his "bike", Tristan goes to find his too. They obviously love each other very much, and this mommy thinks it's a joy to watch them together!






Rock-A-Bye Baby

Rock-a-bye baby
In daddy's chair
I could get hurt
But I just don't care

First stand up tall
Then bend at the knees
Throw myself backwards
Mom, look at me!

I found a new game
What a fun way to play
I don't want my toys
I'll just rock all day

I know that I scare you
'Cause I'm only one
But you know what, mom?
That's part of the fun!










9/29/2008

Tristan's FUN Playdate

Today, Tristan went on a playdate. This morning, my friend Kirsten came to pick him up about 11:30. Her son Spencer is about Tristan's age, and the boys are friends from church. First they went to Sonshine Academy for some gymnastics, then they picked up some McDonald's and had a picnic at the park. After that, it was back to Spencer's house for an afternoon spent playing cars.


Tristan got home about an hour ago, and he is still talking about all the fun he had today. I think we'll definitely have to do this again!


Here are a couple of pictures of Tristan with the ambulance that Spencer let him borrow.

9/28/2008

35 is gonna be great!!!

Here are some pictures from yesterday. I celebrated my 35th birthday with the girls. We went to my favorite restaurant, Fuji Japanese Steakhouse. The food was yummy, the show was pretty good (I think our chef was new), and I even got cards & presents! But the very best gift of all was being able to spend my birthday with such good friends. Thank you! I love you all!









CARS

**update - I've had a few people ask me, so I thought I'd add a note to this post... yes, Tristan did draw the cars himself. (Pretty good, I think!)



STRAWBERRIES




SISTERS







9/24/2008

More Park Pics

Yes, I know I've posted lots of pictures from the park recently. But we've been to the park a lot recently. For the longest time, we didn't go. Logan wasn't content to just sit in the stroller, and he was too heavy for me to carry around for very long. Plus, Mommy really doesn't like hot weather! So I promised Tristan that once Logan learned to walk, and it was cooler outside, we would go bunches. :)



















9/22/2008

Tristan

Tristan is an absolute joy! At 3 1/2, he is kind, compassionate, funny, (usually) obedient, curious, and 100% boy!

His favorite thing is still any kind of vehicle. That hasn't changed since he was 6 months old. He knows the names of literally hundreds of vehicles (from Dodge Charger to Audi to Mini Cooper to a Duesenberg!) He has a couple hundred vehicles (mostly Hot Wheels cars), but always begs for a new one when we go to the store. A boy can never have too many sets of wheels, I guess.

His cars go with him everywhere. He takes them to church, to the store, to visit friends, to the bathtub (where he gives them very thorough baths), even to bed. Most kids sleep with a favorite stuffed animal or blanket. Tristan sleeps with cars!

Tristan has a strong sense of fairness. He really took to the concept of bullies, and tries to be careful to never be one himself. He is quick to share, and also quick to tell other people that they have to share, too! He asks me repeatedly to tell him stories of bullies doing bad things. He loves the part of the story where they're stopped - by a parent, a teacher, or if they're really bad, a policeman.

He's amazingly empathetic. If someone is hurt or upset, he always wants to help. One day at church, a girl in his class was really upset & wouldn't stop crying. His teacher told me that Tristan kept going over to her, and saying, "It's ok. You don't have to cry. You can play with me!" If someone gets a "boo-boo", he wants to give them kisses & a band-aid. Recently at the park, a little girl fell down & got hurt. As her mommy was trying to comfort her, Tristan walked over and told her, "I'm gonna say something nice to you to make you feel better.... It's ok. You're gonna be ok."

Forgiveness is another concept he really loves. Several weeks ago at church, he learned that you should forgive someone 70 x 7 times. Ever since then, he's very quick to apologize when he does something wrong, and the correct answer is always, "That's ok, Tristan. I forgive you." He's also quick to forgive others. He loves forgiving so much that sometimes he'll hit himself, just so he can say, "That's ok. I forgive me!" :)

Tristan is a quick learner, and wants to know about everything around him. All day long, I hear, "Why?" and "What?" I think he has his daddy's photographic memory, because he rarely forgets things. Unlike his mommy, he usually only needs to hear something one time. We continue to expand his vocabulary, not because I think it's important for kids at this age to know lots of big words, but because he loves learning new words. His newest is "non-negotiable". He'll tell you that it means that mommy will not change her mind. :)

Tristan also has great potential as a parent. He loves to "help" me parent Logan. He knows all the things Logan shouldn't do, and never hesitates to forcefully tell him, "No, Logan! No, no, no, no, no!" He tries (unsuccessfully) to block Logan from things he shouldn't have, and is very careful to keep toys away from him that Logan could choke on.

Finally, Tristan is just plain funny! He has a great sense of humor, and is always cracking me up with the things he says. I've tried to list several of them on the blog, because I know I'll forget them otherwise. He loves playing games. Board games and puzzles, yes, but also games we make up. Last week we had "backwards day", where we said & did things backwards all day long. When he got hungry for lunch, he told me, "I'm really full! Don't give me any food now." When he sat down, he told me he was standing up. His vehicles all drove around backwards. You get the idea. We really had a blast!

In case you haven't figured it out by now, today is a day for getting my favorite memories down in writing. I've seen several friends do it on their blogs, and I think it's a great idea! While I think I'll remember these things, I know that I'll probably forget a lot if it's not written down somewhere. Someday I'll use one of those sites that turns your blog into a book.

One last word, although I doubt I'd ever forget this....

I am a very proud mommy!!!!





Two of Tristan's favorite things... vehicles & finger paint!