This, that and other stuff

Dear Neglected Blog,

I know. I'm bad. I should have some great excuse for neglecting you like this. I really don't.

So...I'll try to catch you up on the past few months.

First, our Little Man turned three at the beginning of July. Holy smokes, time is flying!! My heart skips a beat when I think that in a few years he'll be starting kindergarten. Terrifying. It makes me want to quit my job immediately and spend every single second I can with him. And then I leave that fantasy land and try to make the most with the time we do have together.

On the personal front, Little Man is still a force to be reckoned with. He's strong willed and strong minded. Once he sets his mind to something, it's practically impossible to get him on another track. Potty training is a great example of this. He's been going on the potty for a year but only on rare occasions would he tell us when he had to go. On the morning of his birthday party he refused to come out of his room unless he was wearing underwear. Absolutely refused. I didn't figure his party would be a great day to start potty training. It wasn't. The birthday boy had more costume changes in a 3 hour party than Cher does at a concert.

But the first day was the worst. After that, he nearly had it figured out. Day 2 he only had 2 accidents. Day 3---accident free! And he has been ever since. The things that boy will do when he decides he's ready!!

The challenge is making sure that we keep him on track, I guess. Wish us luck. :)

The good news is that on very rare occasions we can see a light at the end of the tunnel...signs that the cyclone is being tamed! He's starting to mature, ever so slowly. It has been witnessed (on occasion) that he will--brace yourself--LISTEN!! I know. Shocking.

The tantrums are starting to subside. But lest we think we are out of the woods, he'll toss in a 45-minute screamer about something mundane (such as the fact that my hair is curly, followed by more screaming because I was wearing shorts) just to make sure we know who the boss is.

The upside is that when he's on top of his game, he's boatloads of fun to be with. He has a great sense of humor and loves to joke around. He's getting more affectionate and I'm often the recipient of surprise hugs and whispers of "I love you" in my ear. He's so curious about the world and he doesn't forget a thing you tell him. And he's excited about "sumping new" which can be anything he hasn't seen before. Even the sound of words entertains him (he told me yesterday that invisible was a funny word, and I guess it is).

His physical ability continues to astonish us. He's still quite small for his age, which throws some people for a loop when he scampers up to the top of the playground equipment. He's a natural in gymnastics. And he's riding a two-wheeler! He took up his balance bike a few months ago and is already barreling down hills and riding on the trails with his Daddy. Super cool!

As for family life this summer, we haven't done anything too huge. Lots of music in the park, picnics, hikes in the woods. Little things.

We are so excited that Grandma and Papa are on their way out to see us! They are heading out right now in their motor home. Can't wait and looking forward to finishing our summer off right!

OK. I'm gonna post this before I get distracted and forget.

I haven't forgot about you, Blog. Just finding it hard to make time for things.

What have you been doing??

Pix