Project 365: July Mosiac

212/365: College Station squirrels...

...are so tame. I had forgotten how friendly they are and was a bit surprised when I looked down and saw one standing right next to my foot. Turns out he liked cheerios and was enjoying the ones that Landon had dropped. He started eating them straight out of Morgan's hand and even crawled on her to get more. She said his belly fur was really soft like a cat.

211/365: Monkey on the bed

210/365: Where I met your father

Boys, this is the spot where I first met your father. I was 18 and he was 20 and we had just finished our first day of our first class at A&M. I didn't remember seeing him in the class that morning but he was there. The class was a bit daunting and we were all reeling with our first taste of college level expectations and I was gathering a list of names and phone numbers for a study group. A guy named Justin who I did meet in class and who would later become a mutual friend was the last to come up to our little group and he brought your father with him and introduced us. We had three out of four classes together that semester and through our common trials became friends. We didn't have any classes together after that but halfway through my Sophomore year I ran across that piece of paper with the phone numbers for our study group and Justin and I decided to have a little "Fairey's class reunion" dinner at the dining hall and he walked back into my life. Our friendship was re-kindled and our story began to unfold and the rest is history.

209/365: Sunbeam cat

208/365: Wishing for a star

Ethan saw the stars from the window and said, "Hello Stars, what are you doing up there? Do you want to come into my house?" " I want to hold two stars. They are too far away! I can't reach! Daddy, can you get them for me?" When Garrett explained how far away they were Ethan said, "I'll fly into outer-space with robot wings and reach them".

207/365: Intent

June photo dump: June 20th-30th

 

 

Night time routines

  

Ethan: 3 & 1/2

Ethan,

At 3 1/2 you:

• Weigh: 35 lbs
• Wear: Size 3 and size 4 pj's, Size 3T pants and shirts and size 8 shoes.
• Sleep: You no longer nap. You go to bed anywhere between 8-9 pm (sometimes 10) and you wake up sometime around 7 am.
• Eat: You are still extremely picky. However, we have started to rationalize and barter with you and sometimes this works. Usually it only works on food that you have liked in the past but very occasionally we'll get you to try something new. (yay!)

• Favorite color: You have changed it from yellow to green.
• Favorite animal: CATS. You are so into kitties right now.
• Favorite cartoons are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Garfield Halloween, and Dinosaur Train. Favorite movies are still Toy Story 1, 2, and 3. 

• The kitchen timer has helped with many a battle of strong wills. Through setting time limits on the timer we have managed some difficult sticking points by turning them into a win-win solution. You keep me on my toes, my child!
• You are fascinated with the idea of going to the doctor and ask all the time if you can go.
• You call Cheetos Tiger food and you ask for it often at lunch. Sometimes the promise of Tiger Food is what will get you to eat your  meal.
• You started calling me Mom instead of Mommy.
• You are fully potty trained. Hooray!
• Your play has become more imaginative.
• You still don't like it when I wet down your hair to fix it. Some days I choose not to let it be a battle and as a result you have crazy hair whenever we are at the house. (and as a result, in most of your pictures) 

I tried to ask you a series of questions. You got side-tracked talking about your fear of storms and I wasn't able to get you to answer all of my questions but this is what I got from our "interview":

• What brings you the most happiness? Daddy
• When do you feel the most loved? Daddy
• What are you afraid of? Bad storms
• If you had one wish, what would you wish for? Red cupcakes
• What makes you mad? When the sun goes down
• What is the meaning of love? Ethan's happy (um, we're going to have to work on that one)

Some funny things you have said lately:

• Landon has to get ZZZZ's, you have to put him to sleep!
• (Ethan on opening his blinds in the morning and looking out the window) Hi Sun! What are you doing up there? Are you playing with Sun toys?
• (During a rain storm you looked out the window and said) "What's your name rain? Rainy Storm? What you doing Rainy storm? Are you playing with Rain toys? (turns to Garrett) Rainy Storm wants to come inside and play."
• (Ethan at a sit-down restaurant....waiter comes around asking for our orders. We order Mexican food and when the water passes Ethan, Ethan says) "I'd like m&m's? M&m's please?"
• "CLOUDS, Mommy yelled." (tattling on me)
• Me, "What is your favorite color?" E,"Trees!" "What color are trees?" " GREEN!" " Mommy's favorite color is sky...what color is the sky?" " BLUE!" " What color are the clouds?" " Very very white! And they turn into animals"
• "Landon! You wake up in the morning! Are you a kid that's like a baby? Do you like to roll around? That's precious Landon."
• (Ethan on getting an owie)..."And Landon used his SPIKEY hands!" (I had clipped Landon's nails the day before.)
• "Wasps are not food. Wasps are not very yummy." (just some random advice from him while we were talking)
• (while cuddling on the couch) "I love you Mom. Thank you for taking me to the library and getting me Halloween books and for buying me buzz light year and lots of toys." (buzz was bought second hand months ago and was sitting on the couch with us but the library books acquired were that day)
• "MOM, can we learn about peacocks today?"
• (While we were driving you were very quiet in the backseat) Me, "Ethan, what are you thinking about?" E, "The sky". (You never elaborated.)
  

You are so funny and random. I'm so glad that you are starting to freely express what is on your mind.

I can't believe that you have already reached 3 and a half!

206/365: Breakfast

205/365: Tandem Bike

This was their idea not mine. Landon was fascinated with the trike so I set him on it and he made it rock back and forth. Ethan decided to jump on the back and help his brother along.

204/365: Alphie

Alphie is still one of his favorite toys. All ready for bed and playing Alphie while he waits up for Dad to get home from work.

203/365: Singing songs

Lately Ethan has taken to playing the piano daily. His version is to get on, get the demo song to play, and while it plays he hits keys as he sings made up songs about pumpkins. This day he took it a bit further and got his library books (which were about Halloween/pumpkins/cats) and he "read" the books and he sang along with the music. I have yet to get a video because he usually clams up the moment he catches me trying to video him. :-)

Riding the Carousel