Reading

Yesterday, Mr. Mister woke up from his nap and yelled, "Mommy, it's no longer dark!"

I laughed, wondering where in the world he got that from. So I went up to get him and asked him where he learned to say, "It's no longer dark." He said, "We read it in Grumpy Morning." That we did. I had forgotten, but of course, he remembered because he remembers everything.

What a picture of how much kids learn from reading, even at such a young age. It made me think of an article I read the other day in Parenting magazine called "The Early Literacy Crisis." It talked about how so many kids in America don't have enough access to books at home or enough exposure to one-on-one reading before entering kindergarten. As a result, many of these kids never catch up in regard to literacy skills. Two statistics blew me away:

• By second grade, educators can predict fairly accurately who will go onto higher education and who will not, based on literacy skills.
• Some states factor in the number of third graders who are not reading at grade level when planning future jail construction.

Isn't that sad? I know this isn't the case for every kid who enters kindergarten with low pre-literacy skills, but it obviously occurs frequently enough to contribute to these trends.

Maybe instead of implementing content standards for pre-schoolers, the government should mandate more opportunities for young children to read. Maybe then we wouldn't need so much intervention to bring kids to grade level in later years. But that's another soapbox....

Work

Here is a conversation Mr. Mister and I had after he woke up from his nap yesterday:

Mr: Is Daddy downstairs?

Me: Yes, but he's working.

Mr: Pey Pey's daddy went to work too, just like my daddy!

Me: Yep, lots of people go to work.

Mr: When I get older, I'm going to go to work just like Daddy.

Mommy, when you get older, you going to work too?

Me: (in my mind) you have no idea how hard I work with you...

Me: (out loud) Well, right now I get to work with you! Isn't that fun?

Snow Videos

Here are two fun vidoes. The first one is Mr. Mister sledding down the hill by himself. The next one is a video we took to email to my sister who is in Haiti right now. He came up with the greeting on his own...it's really cute.

Princesses

Today our neighbor invited Mr. Mister and me over to her house to eat some cupcakes she had baked for him, just because she's really sweet and because she loves seeing him, and because he kind of asked her to make him some the other day. Oh, what that little smile can get him.

Anyway, while we were over there, she showed him a picture of her 3 year old granddaughter dressed up like Snow White on Halloween. Here was our conversation:

Neighbor: Who does she look like?

Mr: blank stare.

Neighbor: She's Snow White!

Mr: blank stare.

Me: I don't think he knows who Snow White is.

Neighbor: Snow White is a princess.

Mr: blank stare.

Me: Um, I don't think he knows what a princess is.

But he can drop the elbow!

If Baby #2 is a girl, our world is definitely going to change a little.

October

Mr. Mister, like every 2 year old, is so curious about the world around him that he asks questions about everything. I try to answer all his questions in a way that he can understand but sometimes I laugh at how confusing it must sound to him when I try to explain concepts to him that are above his cognitive level right now. For example, here was a conversation we had today after he saw a Halloween costume hanging in his closet.

Mr: I going to wear that?

Me: Yes, but not until Halloween. In October.

Mr: Something got knocked over?

Me: October. That's the name of a month. It's in the fall.

Mr.: What falled?

Me: No, nothing fell. Fall is the name of a season. Just like this season we're in is called Winter.

Mr: stares blankly at me.

It just sometimes feels like every explanation requires an explanation of its own! But that is how they learn and it is fun to watch the process of him taking all of this in.

A Snow Family

We played in the snow hopefully for the last time on Saturday. It was 48 today and the sound of snow melting was music to my ears. There's still a lot more to melt, but it's nice to see a little bit of the ground again. There's even grass showing in some places!

We finally had great snowman building snow and took full advantage, creating a whole snow family. Daddy was the one who was most into it, while I just lamented over my snowpants being uncomfortable because they don't fit right anymore. Playing in the snow is definitely not on the list of the most fun things to do while pregnant. Mr. Mister got into the action at the end when he could decorate their faces with nuts and carrots (although we had to save the carrots from going in his mouth instead of on the snowmen). We were pretty excited about the finished product.

This first picture was Mr. Mister hiding from me as I tried to take a picture of him in his snowpants. I think he looks so cute in them. But he was in a goofy mood and wanted to hide behind the door instead.

A Mess

Remember this post, when Mr. Mister had the booger on his finger? Well, today we had a repeat of that incidence, but with something a little more yucky...

Same scene. I put him down for his nap. I kept hearing him talk, not falling asleep. Finally, I heard him yelling something really loud over and over. I finally understood...

"I have poop on my fingers!"

I ran upstairs, imagining the worst...hoping it wasn't smeared all over his crib or the wall. I walked in and he was holding his hand as far away from himself as possible. He just said, "Poop!" Yes, dear, that is what happens when you stick your hand down your dirty diaper.

So we had a little talk about how sticking his hand down there wasn't a very good idea and that next time, he might not want to do that. Then we washed really well and he went to sleep. I think he learned from this and I'm just thankful all I had to wash was his hands.

Boots

Just found these fun pictures. Same boots. 2 1/2 years later.

Girls

Here was our conversation on the way home from church last night:

Me: What did you do with the kids at church tonight?

Mr.: I played with the girls! (excitement in his voice as he emphasized girls)

Me: What did you play?

Mr.: I touched their backs!

Oh, great. He's two and a half. I thought he'd tell me about jump roping or coloring or singing a song. I know it only gets worse from here, but hopefully not for a little while! And at least he's honest!

Making Connections

Every season with Mr. Mister is different and so much fun. I especially like this time where his cognitive growth is happening so clearly and rapidly. It's fun to watch his little mind begin to connect things in the world around him. Even his errors reveal such an intentional thought process behind them. Here are two of my favorite things he has said lately...

• I had some cooked chicken on a cutting board, ready to shred it to make chicken tacos and he asked me, "What is that?" I answered, "That's chicken for shredding." He thought for a minute and said, "In daddy's office?" That's where we shred paper, so he thought we should shred our chicken there too!

• We saw a see saw that he really wanted to go play on, but it was covered in snow. I told him we could come back and play on it when the snow melts. He said, "Can we put some salt on it?" Because he knows that Daddy uses salt to melt the ice on our walkway. I was pretty impressed that he thought of that!

Speaking of learning about the world, we also had an impromptu fire safety lesson last night. We accidentally set off the smoke alarm near the kitchen, which startled him a little bit. So we talked about what to do if he ever heard that noise. He even practiced yelling for Mommy and Daddy and we explained how important it is that we get outside. He took it all in pretty well but I think he's still a little scared of the loud noise. Hopefully, we won't ever have to deal with it!

Mr. Mister in the Snow

We had two major snowfalls last week. Our accumulation was nothing compared to what the east coast got, but close to a foot of snow is a lot for us. Mr. Mister has loved playing outside in it and we are thankful for a sledding hill right behind our house. Here are some pictures of him having fun!

A long trip to the top.

That's one big snowball!

The snow didn't pack too well, so this was the best we could do. Thanks to Aunt J and Cousin Beybeth for the fun snowman kit they gave Mr. Mister for Christmas!

Daddy's big helper.

Winter Beauty

Here are some scenic shots of the snow. The second snowstorm especially was very peaceful and made for some beautiful scenery.

The #1 reason I love snowy days....

A 2 year old playing in the cold air and deep snow for 1 hour = a 3 hour and 20 minute nap. It's a beautiful thing. Especially because I stayed warm inside while Daddy played outside, which is only one of the million reasons I am thankful for my husband.

Snow pictures coming soon.

The Elbow

If you've been around Mr. Mister in the past few months, I'm sure you've seen him drop the elbow on Daddy. It's his favorite wrestling move and thankfully, he's learned pretty well who he can and cannot do it to.

(If you are unfamiliar with dropping the elbow, it's an old professional wrestling move. Here's a You Tube video that will show you what it looks like. You only need to watch the first few seconds though, because the whole thing is 3 minutes of the same move.)

So anyway, before his nap today, we were reading a Dora book and there was a picture of Dora standing next to Boots, who was sleeping. He said, "Dora's gonna drop the elbow on Boots!" It made me laugh and I gently explained that I don't think that's what was going on.

I love having a boy...even if all the rough housing isn't always my style (that's why dads are great!). While boundaries are necessary in life, I think it is so important to let boys be boys. It is definitely easier said than done sometimes, but I really believe it is freeing and life giving and allows them to be who they were created to be, even if I don't always understand!

Feeling the Pain

I'm beginning my third trimester and the pain is setting in. I've started experiencing some heartburn and some not-so-fun pain in my butt (literally) that from what I read is technically lower back pain. I mostly feel it when I've been too active or on my feet too much during the day. Like if I work out or go the the grocery store and clean the house combined with playing with Mr. Mister, my rear end is screaming by the end of the night. I just noticed the other day that I think I'm carrying a lot lower this pregnancy, so I'm sure that contributes to the increased pain. But, since I never got sick and have had a really great pregnancy up until now, I can't complain. I just think this is when reality sets in. Everything only gets bigger from here!

On a somewhat related note, I think that all stores should have close parking for expectant mothers or those with small children. Some of the stores near us do and it is so wonderful. Not only now that I'm getting bigger and appreciate not having to walk so far, but even more so when I have Mr. Mister with me. Even just having a couple spots reserved would be helpful, after the handicap parking, of course. Which brings me to one more tangent - I find it interesting that we still call it handicap parking, when that word is extremely outdated when talking about people with disabilities. Just a thought.

Poop in the Potty

After a promise last week of a cookie for pooping on the potty, Mr. Mister has been trying his best to do just that. On Wednesday, he did it for the first time and shouted, "I pooped! Cookie! Cookie!" Oh, the power of rewards (or is it bribery?). Of course, I wasn't really expecting this to happen so we didn't have cookies and it was right before his nap, so if we had them I didn't want to give him one. So he got animal crackers, which I just called animal cookies, and he was perfectly happy.

Actually, he was happy enough to try again every time he sat on the potty. So the next day he worked really hard but didn't get anything out. After giving up the effort, he told me, "I tried to poop but it didn't work!"

So we are making slow progress in the potty training area. I tried last week to go cold turkey and let him run around without a diaper on. After cleaning up two accidents, I put the diaper back on and we'll try again next week. My main goal is that he would be out of diapers by the time Baby #2 comes in May, but every time I buy diapers (which at size 6 gets really expensive) I vow that it's the last pack I'm buying. We'll see.

Random Pics

Here are some cute pictures from December that I forgot to post. The first one is Mr. Mister with two of his cousins at the museum - we went with Grandma and Papa and ended up running into my sister who was there with her boys and her mother-in-law. It was a fun surprise! The other pictures are just funny ones of Mr. Mister's hot chocolate mustache :)

good deals!

I just love trips to the grocery store like today when almost everything I needed was on sale and I had a coupon for half of those things. Good deals make me really happy. Here are some of the best deals I got today by combining the sale and my coupons:

• Chi-Chi's Salsa: $.50
• Ragu Pasta Sauce: $.80
• Daisy Sour Cream: $.50
• Kraft Shredded Cheese: $1.00

On top of good deals, Mr. Mister did so well and stayed in the cart the whole time without screaming or throwing a tantrum (a big accomplishment!). As a reward, he got to ride the horse at the end three times (for a penny each time). He was happy, I was happy. That's the first time a trip to the grocery store has ended like that in a long time.

Spring Fever

I am having a major case of spring fever. I think it's because the last two days have been sunny and in the thirties rather than gray and in the teens like it has been for the last two weeks. As I looked out the window at the sunny day today, I felt like we should be going to the park or zoo or having a grill out with friends. And while it neared 40 and we did get outside, it wasn't quite spring like. I'm longing for the return of flip flops and flowers and the happy moods that come from waking up to birds chirping and a sunny day of outdoor activity awaiting. Ahh, sounds so wonderful. But still so far away.

I do like living in a climate with 4 seasons. I even enjoy the cold and dark nights of winter at times...it's kind of cozy and restful, having to be inside early. But I've enjoyed enough of those nights and I'm ready to not have to bundle up every time we go outside. Getting Mr. Mister in the car seat with his big winter coat is on my list of least favorite winter activities.

I don't mean to complain. I am just ready for the feelings of newness and life that come with the arrival of warm weather and the blooming of spring. My daffodils have been poking through the ground since November. I have no idea what threw them so far off their schedule this year but they have endured the freezing temperatures of winter. That little bit of green keeps me hopeful that there's more color and new life just around the corner.