Great Grandmama Maline

Christmas pictures. I know. You want to see Christmas pictures. Well, there a quite a few of them but I really wanted to tell some stories about my Grandmama's brief visit. She made things interesting! And it deserves a post of it's own!

First things first. Grandmama cannot say Kingston's name. It comes out Kinston, Keenston, or any other version other than the correct one. Her last name is King. Her son's name is Winston. She can't seem to put it together.

Grandmama watched as Kingston opened his stocking and Uncle Mark helped him get things working. She spent most of her visit sleeping in this chair. She would stir just long enough to put some Bath and Body Works stinky hand sanitizer on her hands. To quote Kingston, "Eeeeeeew!"

Kingston showed Grandmama his mini Pound Puppy (remember those?!). She thought it was a frog at first. Ummmm, OK. Then she posed with him. Kingston thought she was crazy. Ummmm, maybe.

Great Grandmama Maline gave Kingston a two dollar bill for Christmas. She called him over and wanted to explain what it was and how he would always have money if he kept it in his piggy bank. He didn't care.

Family photo. Not sure why the camera put a green splotch on Nana's neck. Otherwise it's a good family shot. Notice how my dad is having to hold his mother up. She didn't want her walker in the picture.

Nana and Grandpa took Great Grandmama home Christmas night. She had a good visit but it was time for her to go. Oh, Maline. What a piece of work.

Merry Christmas, Great Grandmama! We really do love you.

Where to Begin?

Kingston is 2 years old.

We started a new tradition this year where he wears new, special pajamas the night before his birthday and then gets to wear them on Christmas Eve before they get put in the regular jammy rotation.

I made a special choo-choo breakfast.

Kingston opened presents.

We had a birthday party.

Kingston cried. A lot. And hard. Kids were playing with his toys. The nerve!

We ate choo choo cupcakes.

Twice.

We lit an extra girlie cupcake in honor of my cousin's new baby girl, Kori, who was born on Kingston's birthday! Congratulations, Jason. We cannot wait to meet that sweet treat of a baby! And soon. Hooray!

Kingston opened presents.

Riley helped.

What a great day! It was Kingston's best day ever, I think. All choo choos, all the time!

My baby boy is 2 and he will tell you, too. Just ask him!

Santa's Lap!

Kingston sat on Santa's lap! I am so excited about this because I wasn't sure that it would happen this year. Or at least that it would happen without him screaming his head off. Now, I'm not saying he really loved it, but he at least tolerated it. Which is enough for me!

To quote Kingston, "Ho, ho, ho lap." Success!

We are getting geared up for a big birthday on Sunday! Kingston will be 2! We are having a very few friends over for a very small, low-key birthday party on Sunday afternoon. Keeping it simple is what will keep us sane!

And Kingston has already gotten his biggest birthday present from Nana and Grandpa. He got it about a month ago so that he could enjoy it before the weather got too cold. Thanks Nana and Grandpa! Kingston loves his car today just as much as he did in November when you gave it to him!

My Brave Boy

Kingston is such a brave little boy. He took a bath in our bathtub tonight. Can you believe it? What a very brave boy. I am so proud of him.

What in the world, you ask? Well, on Sunday I was participating in the dreadful act of scrubbing the tub. Kingston came in to supervise. I took the handheld sprayer and wet down the whole tub in order to sprinkle it with Comet and commence to scrubbing. I haphazardly replaced the sprayer and began huffing and puffing and scrubbing. Midway through the ordeal, the sprayer came flying down and conked me in the head. Do you know how heavy one of those things is? A 15 pound sprayer make of solid steel and granite came crashing down on my head. (I may or may not have exaggerated that part about the composition of the sprayer. I cannot be sure.) Anyway, Kingston was standing next to me when this catastrophe left me dazed and confused. I shouted a few words of surprise and anguish. He looked at me like I had grown 2 heads, when in fact I had, what with the giant knot that formed on top of my original noggin.

Ever since then. . . impossible to get the kid in the tub. He looks up, frowns the biggest, saddest frown, then pats his head and says, "Get out! Get out!" and tries to scramble out of the tub as fast as his little naked self will let him. My name is Lori and I let my child go 3 days without a bath. There. I said it. Eeeew! Something had to give.

Tonight I gave the sprayer a good scrubbing and let it dangle in the tub. I coaxed him in (after he sat on the potty an pee-peed, said he was all done, got off, flushed and put down the lid then went into the living room and peed some more on the rug) and he semi-enjoyed his bath for about 10 minutes! I turned the sprayer on and he enjoyed playing under the spray as long as it was only a few inches above his head and hands.

Hooray! We have a bather. Now Social Services can scratch me off their list of people to do a home study on.

Why I Don't Post Videos Anymore

Curious as to why there haven't been many videos recently? I thought you were. This should explain things.




Note to all new parents and/or new video camera owners: Never let the kid see the videos that you have just taken of them on the screen of the camera. They will NEVER want to be on the other end of the camera ever again. If Kingston sees the video camera come out, he stops what he is doing so that he can see what was filmed. Can't seem to get him to understand that I haven't filmed anything yet because he stopped doing whatever it was that I was trying to film!

Basically, Kingston is just way smarter than I am!

Chapel Hill in the Fall

Kingston has a few words to say about his weekend in Chapel Hill:

Mommy, Nana and I went to Chapel Hill for the weekend. We went to see Nana's friend Miss Mrs. Katie get married. Mommy went to college in Chapel Hill so she is always real excited about telling me stories and showing me things about her time there. If I have to hear about the Core 4 and where they ate dinner every night one more time. . . I have been to Chapel Hill twice now, and both times in the fall. Man, it really is pretty there this time of year. I can't wait to go in the spring one day.

Here is Mrs. Katie in her wedding dress. She was so pretty!

Here I am in the reception hall, trying to hide from Mommy and Nana. I got tired of hearing them tell me not to touch things.

I stayed in the church nursery for the wedding and a small part of the reception. When Nana came to get me, she said something about playing outside and chasing the squirrels. I didn't really know what she meant at first, but then I figured it out. The squirrels were SO fun! Boo, squirrel!

My favorite part of the whole tripwedding? Cupcakes.

Before:

After:

See the squirrels? Up in the tree?

Two of them! Boo, squirrels!

Mommy really wanted to get a picture with me on the steps of the Old Well. A cute couple was getting engagement pictures taken when we got there. Mom said something about them not wanting me in their pictures so I had to stay out of the way. Not sure I really understand that since someone is always telling me to smile for a picture but now this time I can't be in it? Go figure. We settled for a picture on the bench while we waited.

I did get a chance to drink from the Old Well. Supposed to bring good luck or something. It tasted like poop but it was wet and I like all things wet. In fact, I liked the water so much that I threw the biggest temper tantrum of my life when Mommy and Nana made me leave the well. I could have stayed all day. I didn't care that other people were waiting to drink from it. Oh, well. Get it? Well? Anyway. . .

We had a fun weekend in the Hill. Mommy says that I was a great little traveller. She says she is proud of me. I only had a few meltdowns, which was good! Mommy also says that we need to work on me being a better listener and not running around when she puts me down or lets me out of my stroller. She wants me to stay right with her. She is so lame. But we will battle that another day. For now she just needs to be happy with what a good traveller I am. Baby steps, Mommy. Baby steps.

Good News!

I'm sick and I'm having a pity party. Oh, wait. That's not good news. Bear with me. I'll get to the good part in a minute. Let me have my pity party. Because apparently a wife and mother doesn't get to have them in real life, only on her blog. When you have to lift up so many other people in your life, when do you have the chance to be down yourself? I mean, it is virtually impossible to have your own pity party without someone else needing you more. But that's OK. I am ever the optimist for everyone else, and I enjoy it for the most part. Tonight, though, I just want to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. Thanks, bloggers. I needed a little sympathy. From someone other than my mom. She's done a great job. Love her!

OK, so now to the good news! Check it!

http://www.darecountyschoolsonline.com/moxie/schools/NHES-Ballard_02-10.shtml

After months and months (well, maybe only 3 or 4) of being without Aunt Freda, she is coming back! I am excited to have her around again and my Mom is thrilled to have her partner in crime around, too. She will be in Charlotte just long enough to meet her new granddaughter who is due towards the end of December, then she will head our way. That just means my cousin, Jason, will have to come visit more often and I will get to see that sweet little Kori grow up!

Congrats, Aunt Freda! Go have a party. And not a pity one. That is reserved for me!

Happy Halloween!

I've mentioned before that I am a member of a great local organization called Mommy and Me. Did you know that I'm actually a very important member? Did you know I am on the board? I mean, I'm co-in charge of parties with my friend, Michelle. We are almost as important as the President. Almost. Michelle and I are in charge of putting together about 5 parties a year for our members and their families. We had one very successful beach party in August and Friday we had our 2nd party, a Healthy Halloween and Hay Ride party.

Our party was a huge success, if I do say so myself! And I do. Believe me. We had a great turnout. There was a blow up slide, there was a cupcake walk, there was a hay ride, there were healthy snacks and crafts. SpongeBob Squarepants and Squidward were there. Nemo and Squirt were there. Elmo came. Scooby-Doo made an appearance. There was a doctor in the house, as well as an Indian (Native American?) and some cowboys and girls. I think my favorite guest appearance was this handsome little pirate.

He and his dad went on the hay ride and wandered around the park. We tried our hardest to keep him away from the table full of cupcakes. He ended up only eating about 3 cupcakes. So much for the Healthy Halloween party!

By the end of the party and on the ride home, Kingston consumed his 3rd cupcake and pretty much ate his beard off.

I've never really been into Halloween. I just never got into walking the neighborhood asking for candy. It always made me nervous or something. So we didn't take Kingston Trick-or-Treating on Saturday night. We dressed him up and went out to dinner with his Pappy and Miss Brandi. Here's our tough pirate, sporting a full beard this time, and a little bling.

That was enough for us. That should do it until next year. I'm not sure what I'll do if he ever really gets into it. I guess I buck up and play along. Until then, cheap homemade costumes and minimal candy seems to work for us. Maybe we can convince him that the holiday is only about hay rides and pumpkins. . .

The Great Pumpkin. Patch

Saturday was the perfect day to go to the pumpkin patch. So that's was Kingston, Nana and I did. The Grandy Greenhouse has hay rides and fun for kids of all ages and I had heard nothing but good things about it. I wasn't sure if Kingston would really be into it so I hadn't planned to go but since we had nothing better to do, we tried it out.

It was so fun!

We rode through the fields of cotton, through a path in the woods, over a few fairly big bumps and arrived at the pumpkin patch!

Kingston grabbed the first pumpkin he saw! We convinced him to check out a few more options before committing.

He eventually found just the right one!

Included in the hay ride/pumpkin patch experience was a free cup of frozen yogurt. Yum!

We also got to check out the big pumpkins, scarecrows and gourds.

Only one Time Out was threatened towards the end.

An apology was made, we got in the car and headed home.

We will definitely do the Grandy Greenhouse Hay Ride again next year! So fun.