In general a toddler can only be occupied with a single task or toy for about 5 minutes max…and that is only when he is well-rested, well-fed, baby (his stuffed animal) is nearby, sippy cup is full of milk, and there is global harmony among all. To my surprise though, Nathan can be occupied for up to an hour with crayons, markers, and play dough! We purchased an easel for him a couple of months ago and he loves it, but it’s not until you sit him down at the table strapped in a chair that he really gets going. But he’s not just scribbling so allow me to explain some of the masterpieces in this album. The piece on the easel has an interesting story. I drew a turtle on a blank page and then Nathan added to it. Ben asked him what the blue stuff was, he told him water. We can only assume he got the idea of the turtle in water from the “Goodnight My Duckling” book that we read to him every night before bed. As for the other two pieces taped to the wall, well he explained to me that he was drawing circles, triangles, and happy faces. If you look closely you just might see these for yourself! To add to my amazement, Nathan named the colors as he was drawing. He can identify blue, green, red, yellow, brown, purple, orange and black. I’m left with only one thing to say…watch out Uncle Seth, there is another artist and smarty pants in the Kersey family!
Filed under: tidbits on August 14th, 2008 by Charlotte | No Comments »
Ben and I thought it would be a good time to add to our growing little family. We decided on a sweet furry little blonde boy. We worked with a fantastic Golden Retriever rescue organization here in Atlanta. After meeting a few other great dogs we finally met and fell in love with Scout (formally known as Dudley). He’s about one year old and is perfect. He’s potty trained (you have no idea how much this means to me), understands a few basic commands, great on a leash, and is very lovable. He’s good with Nathan and hasn’t eaten Coco yet. Actually, Coco seems to be accepting him a bit faster than some of the cats we’ve brought home. I’m not sure she will be cuddling with him anytime soon, but she is tolerating him for now. Nathan is still a little apprehensive because Scout knocks him over once in a while, but he’s starting to hang with him as you can see in the pictures. Nathan likes trying to use him as a pillow and of course Scout loves the attention. I think they will be best buddies soon. Ben is acting like a kid of course. He is probably the most excited since he finally got the Golden Retriever he always wanted. As for me…well I like him too, but if I get doggie poop on my fingers one more time while scooping it up…he’s going to have to learn to use the liter box! Oh and the random picture in this album is Nathan cooking us dinner in his little house…yummy!
Filed under: tidbits on July 30th, 2008 by Charlotte | 2 Comments »
It’s been about 15 years since my last visit to Chuck E. Cheese and it wasn’t a good one to say the least. It smelled like body odor, sweaty feet, the ball pit was disgusting and I remember feeling sick after eating the week old pizza. So when Jodi suggested we meet there for a play date, I was a little skeptical. But to my surprise, our local Chuck E. Cheese was nothing like the one I had gone to back home years ago. To begin with, it didn’t smell like a locker room, it was relatively clean (we all know how much that means to me) and there wasn’t a germ infested ball pit! The pizza was even pretty good! It also had a toddler section of which Nathan, Charlie and Jack remained in for about two minutes and then took off exploring. Charlie got a kick out of wandering around watching the older kids play games and even tried to “help” them play. Jake (Charlie’s friend) had a great time making movies and getting printed images of himself (he knows he’s a cutie). I’m sure you can tell from the pictures that Nathan loved the monster truck…I couldn’t get him out! Charlie, on the other hand, wasn’t so fond of it. Jack was a little anxious too, but he did give it a try…kudos Jack. Oh and did I mention that Charlie ate 4 pieces of pizza? Charlie dude…where are you putting it?! Jodi, you really need to feed him more often!
Filed under: tidbits on July 21st, 2008 by Charlotte | 2 Comments »
Danny came to visit Nathan over the weekend and it was fun to see the two boys play together so well. I would have to say that the days of parallel play are probably over for these two cuties. They were so eager to interact with each other and it was adorable the way Nathan made so much effort to include Danny in play activities. I was equally surprised that Nathan was talking so much (non-stop) and so clear that even Joey and Kelly could understand what he was saying. He made us so proud! All said and done though, I think the best part of the day was when Danny gave Nathan a bite of his cookie…so sweet that I’m at a loss for words. Kids can display the most unconditional affection that it inevitably tugs at your heart.
Filed under: tidbits on July 13th, 2008 by Charlotte | 1 Comment »
Nathan and Charlie got together today to reminisce about the good old days when they were trapped in Nathan’s playroom surrounded by safety gates. Oh the days of confinement! Almost a year later and there are still safety gates everywhere! One might ask why Jodi and I still have gates up. Well, how should I put this gently? We have very curious and adventurous boys! Not to mention that as “boys” they have already learned that “no” must somehow translate into “go for it.” For now, all is well with graham cracker in hand and both moms trying to snag a picture of the cuties.
Filed under: tidbits on July 10th, 2008 by Charlotte | 1 Comment »
“Helicocer Touch”
We live in a military flight path so at least a couple times a week we have a helicopter or other military aircraft fly over our house. Nathan has taken a special interest in them; just like his dad. He runs to the window when he hears them approach…just like his dad. If we are outside, he starts looking at the sky yelling “plane.” A few weeks ago I asked Jer if it were possible for Nathan to see one of his work helicopters up close when we visit. After Jer said yes, I told Nathan that he would be able to touch the helicopter when we visit his uncle Jer. Well today we had a mini-air show right above our house thanks to an event sponsored by a nearby church. When Nathan saw the helicopters flying over our house, he said “helicocer touch” (he can’t quite pronounce the “pt” in that word yet). We couldn’t believe that he actually remembered what I told him a few weeks ago about touching a helicopter! Kids are amazing little sponges!
Happy Birthday Jennifer
Nathan attended Jennifer’s 2nd birthday party today and it was a blast! Jennifer woke up from her afternoon nap a bit confused about why there were so many people in her house, but it didn’t take her long to realize that she was the center of attention. Jennifer had several guests, but the highlight of the party was when the special guests arrived. The kids go to meet a very cool clown with a pet raccoon, Abby Cadabby, and Elmo too! Although Nathan loves Elmo, he didn’t quite know what to think of a life-size version of him. He was a little apprehensive at first, but then started “petting” him. You have to wonder what was going through his mind…
Filed under: tidbits on July 6th, 2008 by Charlotte | 2 Comments »
As many of you know, I can’t stand a mess. I’m constantly cleaning or straightening things because I’m obsessed with having a tidy house. I’m sure you can appreciate how difficult it has been for me over the past year trying to encourage our son to “explore” various foods on his own while hovering over him with a wet cloth and paper towels. Teaching him how to use a spoon and a fork has been especially challenging for me. Now he’s trying to use a cup on his own…ARG…need I say more! No doubt my inability to deal with these little spills is compromising our son’s fine motor development.
Well in honor of Independence Day I allowed him the freedom of drinking milk out of cup without having me hover over him ready to intervene. To my surprise, he only spilled about a dime-size drop on the table. And the loving son that he is, who I’m sure is taking after me when it comes to tidiness, asked for a napkin so that he could wipe it up! It almost made me cry! I’m not sure what made me happier, the fact that he drank the entire glass of milk without dumping the whole thing all over himself, the table, and the floor or that he wanted to clean up the small drop of milk that did get away!
Filed under: tidbits on July 5th, 2008 by Charlotte | No Comments »
So I came home from running errands the other day to find my house had been captured by pirates…Pajama Pirates! Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the captain who was wearing a pajama shirt on his head. However, photos were obtained of the captain’s first mate, Nathan, who was sporting pajama pants on his head! They captured the entire living room and left me in tears (from laughing so hard of course)!
Filed under: tidbits on June 27th, 2008 by Charlotte | 1 Comment »
Nathan explored the Chattahoochee Nature Center for the first time today. He loved the snakes…oh no! He had a great time chasing the geese around too. But the real excitement was the Animal Encounter exhibit. He got to see a red-tailed hawk up close; or as he called it an “owl.” Although I desperately tried to explain that it was in fact a hawk, he kept saying it was an owl. It wasn’t until we arrived home that he ran up the stairs to find daddy while yelling “hawk.”
Filed under: tidbits on June 19th, 2008 by Charlotte | No Comments »
Father’s Day started off great. Nathan proved to be Ben’s son by eating his scrambled eggs with ketchup! Yuck! Then it was off to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Nathan enjoyed exploring the gardens and especially liked the colorful flowers. He thought the frogs, fish, birds, butterflies, and bees were pretty cool too. He couldn’t seem to figure out why a cow had a toothbrush though…neither could mom and dad. As always he wore himself out trying to see everything!
Filed under: tidbits on June 15th, 2008 by Charlotte | 1 Comment »