Excited to be FOUR!

Monday, Andrew told me he was 4 years old. I told him "that's tomorrow!"  He held back tears and said, "No! It's today!"  I assured him today was Monday the 16th but if he wanted to call himself 4 that was fine. I wasn't going to get into a debate about it.

Tuesday morning, first thing I said, "hello four year old!!"  He looked like he had forgotten and then smiled big. I know he was hoping we'd make a big to-do like the kids in his class do, but I reminded him that we do special things ALL the time!  But it was still okay to be excited that he was a year older. He stood tall and said, "Look how BIG I am!"

Tuesday evening I was laying on my studio floor while daddy and aunt Eese made dinner. I overheard daddy tell Andrew that mommy was relaxing and to be mindful. Andrew stood his distance and asked me why I was relaxing. I told him I was sad because someone had said some unkind things to me and hurt my feelings. He asked, "Was it me?"  I told him no. "Was it daddy?"  No. I told him it was someone he didn't know.  Then he carefully got close to me and laid down on his stomach so he could see me. Then he told me he was sorry I was sad and that he loves me. I kissed his forehead and thanked him and told him he was being very kind. Then he gently and slowly took my glasses off of my face, folded them, and rested them next to my head. Then he asked, "Do you know why I took off your glasses?"  I asked why.  "Because you're supposed to be relaxing."   lol 

Daddy suspects we have more mice, so he brought home some mouse traps. He said the only way he could pry Andrew from school was to tell him they'd go mouse hunting when they got home. So after dinner, they went under the house to set out mouse traps. I'm sure it's a little confusing after playing the game 'Mousetrap' but we did try to explain to him how it works and what it's purpose is, as gruesome as it is.

Wednesday Andrew apparently threw mulch on the playground. Upon learning of it, Ted said he felt like HE was getting scolded by the teacher and some of the kids. Apparently, a kid in another class recently had to have eye surgery because of mulch throwing. Ted nearly snapped because throwing mulch is huge "no-no" but they let the other kids hit and punch each other with hardly a consequence??   I think every 2-3 days Andrew tells us that a boy punched him (and we've witnessed it ourselves too).

Getting Andrew ready, Ted wet his hair and shuffled it so it spiked all over. Andrew said, "I look like a band!" and then started making DJ noises and funny hand gestures. Hmmm ??
Then he put a sticker on the side of his head and said, "I look like a listening burp, right?"  Uhm.. whatever that is.

Thursday Ted talked with the other preschool class' teacher to ask her opinion of the rowdy class Andrew is in. His seems to be out of control, and the things they allow are unacceptable. She had the same opinion and said if she had to be in that class, she'd quit in two weeks. Ted then went to the director of the school demanding that Andrew be transferred into the other class. He would spend a little time in the new class for two days, and Monday he'll be in there full time.

Saturday, Parker refused to come with us in service because he has a major crush on Cairo. One of the Wright boys volunteered to come with us, but their daddy had to bribe the other with a milkshake. Thankfully, the fruit smoothie machine at that gas station has no dye in it, and it made Andrew feel very special to be allowed to have one also. We had a nice morning...
After service, we headed out to Smyrna for Nissan Family Day. He really wanted to swing on the swing set, but we told him we didn't come to swing, and that he has those at home and at the park. So he opted for some kid rides, he enjoyed winning a few prizes playing games, got a tattoo on his hand (after waiting an eternity for the face painter and giving up), and then had a BLAST bouncing in a bounce house with a slide. I let him taste cotton candy for the first time and then we moved out of the kiddie area. He really liked one trailer that was a 'walk in space', it was black inside and you walk across a bridge while the entire room around you spins with colored stars on it.  He got to ride one more ride, an air balloon ride with Annelise, and then spent the remainder of the time going through huge bounce house obstacle courses.
When we left, we met up with Jenn and Houston for some dinner. He enjoyed being with them. When Jenn let him feel Oliver kicking inside her, he asked, "Is he trying to get out?"  and seemed slightly concerned. Then he said, "I think he's going down your small intestines."

"Ata Boy!"

I was lying in Andrew's bed, waiting for him to return from brushing his teeth. He didn't know I was in there, came in with daddy and gasped with a smile on his face, "There's a bear in my bed!"  I laughed and said, "You mean goldilocks is in your bed and she's still there!"  He thinks it's a lot of fun to have mommy lie in the bed with him, and great fun if daddy gets on the other side too when we put him to sleep.  But lately he'll roll over and say, "I wanna love on you!" and give me kisses. One night he just rested his head on my shoulder. So sweet. 

Andrew after drinking a cup of milk I made for him: "Can I have another cup of milk?"
Me: "Sure."
Andrew:  "That's my girl!!"

Friday September 13th was the last day of my exams and I got my massage table. So all of us went to pick Andrew up from school, a jaunt through Costco, and then to Sushi dinner to celebrate passing all the exams. Andrew ordered a "Yummy roll" and ate the entire thing after eating a bowl of Miso soup (and all the handouts from Costco as well as a full thing of Sprite since I forgot to bring a thermos of water for him), and then finished it off with a piece of tempura ice cream. WHERE he was putting it, I don't know! He out-ate us!

Saturday morning Andrew and I played games in the studio while we waited for everyone else to wake up. At one point, he jumped up saying, "Good job mommy! I love you" and almost tackled me as he gave me a hug (and accidentally smashed my glasses into my face.)

Saturday afternoon we went to Arrington Vineyards for a while with Annelise and a few of her friends. Andrew went down to the vineyards and got a pile of rocks. He brought a rock for each of us. A little later, we saw him trying to carry a HUGE rock. It was heavy!! He struggled to keep holding it, and dropped it a few times. At the bottom of the hill, he dropped it and asked for help. When we didn't come help, he stopped and pushed some other kids on a swing. Then he picked up the rock and hiked back up the hill with it. The thing was huge.. I really don't know how he didn't hurt himself carrying it. I hope he didn't anyway!  Besides that, he enjoyed meeting other children running around, doing lots of somersaults, and even playing a couple of rounds of Catch Phrase. That was cute.. it's a game where you have a word and you try to get your team to say that word - without saying it yourself. Of course that was over Andrew's head, so when it was his turn, he'd just read the word, we'd repeat it like we were guessing - and he'd get all excited "you got it!!"  It was fun.

Sunday morning Ted was working on his truck and Andrew was being his little sidekick. Andrew asked for a popcicle and was denied. Then he said he was thirsty. Daddy asked him what he'd like to drink and Andrew suggested lemonade. We don't have any lemonade but daddy said maybe after the meeting they could come up with something. Andrew said, "like Sonic?"  Daddy said sure but told Andrew to remind him after the meeting.  They were literally driving home and Andrew piped up, "Are we going to Sonic dad?"  Ted (who had forgotten) said, "Yes we are!"  Andrew replied, "Ata boy!" 

There is air in my outer space

Conversation in the car:
Daddy: Andrew, can you please stop making that noise.
Andrew: I'm being a rocket ship.
D: There is no sound in outerspace.
A: Yes there is.
D: No there isn't. You need air for sound, and there is no air in outer space.
A: Well, there is air in MY outer space!

After a couple of errands and lunch at a pizza buffet, we took him to play at Monkey Joes. He LOVED that. Daddy used him as a basket ball once and put him through an inflatable hoop and let him hang in it. Andrew thought it was funny.

I forgot to mention in last week's post that one night I was putting Andrew to bed and he said he was ready to give another talk so he could see Nana and Papa at his kingdom hall.  So sweet.

And I think it was Sunday night, I was laying in bed next to him chatting. He asked me how someone get's married. I told him not to worry about it because he has to be much much older. Then he asked if he could marry me.  I told him I was already married to daddy, and that when he is older he'll find a girl that he loves and wants to spend the rest of his life with and they can get married. He asked how he was going to find her. I said not to worry - because he was going to have to be 18 or older, have his own car, a job, and it'd be good to have a house of his own to live in.  He thought for a minute and said, "How about we go to the Arnold's house, I can marry them!"  I just smiled and squeezed him.
Then he started telling me about all the people he loves - he has a big heart.

 Andrew has been so sweet this entire week. He's come home in good spirits and gone right to playing with toys. One evening when I announced dinner was ready, he asked to help and went to get silverware out of the drawer and set the table himself - even folding napkins for each of us. He's made great use of his manners and been mostly cooperative.

On Friday morning I was pulling out things to make my lunch with and Andrew says, "Can we go out to eat?"  I told him "you eat out every morning - you eat at school!"  He said, "No, for dinner!"   Neither of us had even had breakfast yet and he was already worried about dinner?!  We did end up going out. They chose Fulins and we all had sushi. He ate his entire crazy roll and a crab rangoon. And because he didn't sing Happy B-day to a classmate we took him out for ice cream after dinner and let him have an adult small cup instead of a kids cup (waaay too much!)  I can't believe he was even able to eat all of that! He ate just as much as I did!  He did say his tummy hurt on the way home.. so much so he claimed he couldn't talk! lol

Saturday in the ministry, Miranda asked him if he could say "oscillococcinum" and he said, "I can say that!" and he DID!  There was another long hard word she asked that he was able to repeat exactly without asking again to hear it first like I would have had to. 

Sunday we went to Tito's for dinner before grocery shopping. He enjoyed trying to help me quiz Annelise on muscles. Every time she got the answer he said, "yep! I got it right!" 
On the take-out box, he wrote his name perfectly and in a straight line! I think he was 2.5 the last time he wrote in a straight line - after that it was more diagonally. I guess because all the kids around him were just learning to write and were all over the page.

in his prayers Sunday night: "thank you for the bugs that are outside and not inside" 

Heat Stroke

Monday the 26th daddy was home sick. I was getting Ted fed and taken care of before turning my attention to Andrew when he said, "You forgot about me! Take care of me!"  lol 

He still struggles with wanting to call avocados "applecados" but he knows it's incorrect when he tries and ends up asking how to say it. I sliced up several avocados and drizzled them with balsamic vinegar. His first bite he said, "This avocado is too vinegar-y" 

I surprised him by picking him up from school on Tuesday. He was very happy to have me there with him during snack, storytime, and playground fun. On the way home, Annelise helped him send a "thank you for taking me to school" message to Joy. Afterward he started getting super silly. He made a freeze face and a strange sound and then said, "I was just freakin' out."  Then he did it again, "I just freaked out again."  After the third time I told him although he was being silly and it was funny the first time, he'll have to do something else silly to be funny again.  So he put his hands up and froze again and said, "uh! I'm a tree!"  Then he transformed into all the different signs and some restaurants he saw along the way.  I love that he wants to make people laugh most of the time.

He went swimming in the evening with Aunt Eese. She said that he started falling backwards in the water and said he was practicing getting baptized like the people in the 'Jehovah video' he saw on Sunday at the Kingdom Hall (the circuit overseer showed a video about the translation process and there was a clip of someone getting baptized at a convention.)

Wednesday, Ted picked him up from school but called to tell me: Andrew was speaking to the teacher and Ted thought he was talking slower than usual but didn't think twice about it until they were leaving and Andrew was fumbling around and complaining of a headache. We both called the school and the teacher said that he had water on the playground, they're not aware of any falling or hitting or anything - and that after they came in from the playground, the kids cooled down and worked at their activity centers just fine; nothing unusual.  The director, however, told Ted that it sounded like heat stroke or heat exhaustion and he needed medical attention right away.  When he got home is when he told me what she said, and sure enough, he had the symptoms of it. He was headed into the heat stroke category for sure. We immediately gave him some coconut water and juice and got him to recline on the couch. His temperature was 102.1 an hour after being picked up from school (5:20) - which is still high, but we have no idea how high it was coming down from!  His skin was hot to the touch all over but he complained of being cold and did not like the idea of a cold compress on his neck and head, or anywhere. He asked me to read The Stinky Cheese Man book while he relaxed.  He did eat a yogurt and a few bites of tomato soup, but then it seemed like he went downhill again. He took a little nap in his bed, but woke up wet and still very feverish. We finally convinced him to take a warm bath with clove oil and peppermint oil in it. I gave him a tiny amount of baby tylenol and some homeopathics. After his bath I cuddled on the couch with the towel loosely around him and fed him some raw milk mint chocolate chip ice cream (to get peppermint oil in him), and a cool damp rag behind his neck and over his head to his forehead. When he started drifting off asleep I took the towel off his shoulders completely. FINALLY his fever started going down. By 10pm it was 99.7.  I woke up at 3am worried about him and wondering if I should check on him. A few minutes later, I thought I heard him whimper so I bolted in there. He was stirring (wet again from all the fluids) but this time his temperature was 97.9 which was a huge relief. I asked him how he was feeling and he said, "Terrible. Just Terrible." 

Thursday daddy was able to work from home so he could keep Andrew indoors and calm, and he called the school to tell them what happened. They are now going to review their outdoor play policy to make sure it won't happen again. The boys watched a couple of movies and went out to lunch together and had a nice day. He was definitely acting like he felt better, but now he was complaining of a sore throat.

Friday it was going to be 94+ degrees outside. I called the school at 2:30 to make sure that Andrew would not be going outside. She told me no one was going out.  They apparently didn't make it clear to the kids though, because when Ted picked Andrew up from school, he thought daddy was early and he was missing getting to play outside and it was daddy's fault! He was NOT happy about that.

Saturday evening I really needed to get out of the house, so we tried a restaurant we'd not been to before in Columbia. It really isn't worth mentioning. But.. it turned out to be attached to the Mall which we wandered around in briefly. I went into one store hoping to find cheap pjs for him, but instead found some castle building blocks for super cheap (that I'd also just purchased online!) He asked instead if he could have a truck that when you pull the lever, it pushes out a bar from the front. It was a very cheaply made looking toy, but cost $20!  So we told him no. We told him that we would get him the castle blocks. He liked that idea, but said, "but can we also get this truck so I can knock the blocks down?"  Ted and I liked his quick thought process, but still said no.

Andrew has seen the grocery store named Piggly Wiggly several times on our ventures to Columbia and for the past two years has been asking to go in one. On our way out of the mall we told him we'd take him on the way home. He started doing a wiggly dance and was singing the words 'Piggly Wiggly' all the way to the store! He wasn't as intrigued with the store as he thought he'd be.

First Day of Pre-K

Monday August 19th - Andrew's first day of Pre-K1 school.  There were no tears, no fussing as he got ready and went off with daddy.  When he came home he was in good spirits.  I asked him if he liked his new teacher and he said no. So I asked what he did not like about her.  "I did not like the whole body of her."

Tuesday we tried taking some "first day of school" photos since I didn't have time on Monday. It was still dark at 6am so they're not great. We retook them in the afternoon but his smile then was a bit more posed and awkward.
He got to ride with daddy and take Grandma to the airport before getting to school. He was very disappointed when I told him no to his question, "will I get to drive the plane too?"
When they got home, Ted said that Andrew's teachers told him that he is way way way ahead of all the other kids in his class in pretty much every area, including writing. That they are going to have to try really hard to challenge him and keep him from getting bored.

Thursday and Friday both, Ted knew right off the bat he must have been given food coloring. He was mean and difficult from the moment he arrived at school to get him, until bedtime.  He had a hard time staying focused and cooperative during his violin lesson on Thursday too.  He was still a crankypants Saturday morning, saying he didn't want to go in service, and he didn't want to be with Joy and Barry - but he did enjoy being with them/us despite what he claimed afterward. Stinker.

The Best Party Ever

Monday August 12th was my first day at school. He asked me why I had to go to school. I told him to learn massage and ways to make people feel better. He said, "But you already know massage! You do it here at home!"  I love that he wants us to be home together.

Tuesday evening Grandma arrived and we all attended an open house at Andrew's school to meet his new teacher and everything. On the way to dinner, Andrew asked if he could recite his talk to Grandma - and he did. (I was not happy to hear that, as I have been discouraging him from reciting it since he wouldn't know if he was saying anything wrong - Andrew needed to focus on READing it.) But Ted was pleased and impressed.

Wednesday: Finally time to give his talk on stage in front of the audience. He was excited. Several people tied in by phone just to listen to him, and some family and friends came to our meeting for it also.  He did a great job for a three year old, but he read much much better on all of his practice sessions. He got distracted by his hand sticking to the bible page, he kept looking out at the audience and grinning. He lost his place at one point near the end and ended up skipping a couple of lines.  Most people were not following along anyway, they were all beaming with joy watching him read with great enthusiasm and energy.  The conductor told us later that he followed along for the first three verses and then just closed the bible to watch. A lot of the young ones crowded around him after the meeting, some of them saying, "He reads just as well as we do!" and they are in fifth grade!
We went to Sonic with a couple of friends afterward and he got to play on their playground and eat an ice cream sundae.  When we got home, daddy gave him a wrapped present: his own Optimus Prime transformer!

Thursday Grandma and daddy got to experience his violin lesson where he learned robot arms and robot wrist for using his bow.  We went to Mellow Mushroom for pizza after that and they had live music on the square. After dinner we stayed and listened and Andrew did some fancy footwork dancing to the music. 

Saturday was our big summer splash party! We rented an inflatable bounce castle with a water slide, and also an inflatable slip and slide with a pool on the end. They were a HUGE hit! Andrew got to play for a while all by himself before lunch and a nap, and when he woke up our friends started arriving.  The only thing that didn't show up was summer. It was a high of 69 and there was a light breeze sometimes... Andrew turned blue twice! But that didn't stop any of the kids from having so much fun. There was sheer joy on all their faces. There was a lot of colliding and crashing - but no fighting or hurt feelings. Everyone played so well. When it got dark, Ted gave each of the kids sparklers to play with, and then he shot off some fireworks - also a huge hit!  More than one child, even some of the older ones, said, "This is the best party ever!!" 
Sunday August 18th, it was the most mellow all the kids in the hall have ever been.

"I'm a Genius"

Tuesday morning Nana and Papa surprised Andrew by coming out to swim and have lunch together, since this is the last week we'll both be out of school together until holidays arrive. The air was not hot and the water felt cold - but they all enjoyed the time together. 

The weather was perfect for taking Andrew to the Williamson County Fair on Tuesday evening. He was 1/2 inch too short for a bunch of rides, but he enjoyed the ones he did get to.  It was all a pretty nice set up and they had cute things for the younger crowd.  He started rubbing his eyes around 7:30 so we shared a funnel cake with caramel, chocolate, and walnuts on it. That sugar got him through the rest of the evening.


Wednesday, we had prepared a scripture for him to read during the congregation bible study. He sat on my lap and raised his hand high. You could tell the conductor was a little nervous calling on him for reading it, but he did... and Andrew read it perfectly - much to the relief of the conductor I'm sure. He was very excited to participate that way too.

Thursday the Laffertys came over to swim for a couple of hours and in the evening it was time for another violin lesson. He's doing a really good job progressing. We are on a new schedule and now Taylor Buffington has her lesson after him, so we stayed and he got to see Taylor practice for a few minutes.

Friday, I heard him talking in his bed. So I snuck in and he was completely under the covers, talking away. I whispered "where's Andrew?" as I sat on the side of the bed. He threw the covers back, smiling, and sat up. He took a deep breath, and then just kept.on.talking.  I don't recall what he talked about, but he hardly took in a breath between sentences and subjects. I just leaned back and listened and smiled - soaking him in. We had some giggle time and then I told him I had something special for him today. I was taking him to aMuse'um in Columbia to play.  He had a lovely time there despite a couple of girls being really mean to him several times. He was a trooper, so kind and polite to them anyway. I was proud of him.
I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he said pizza, so we tried out a new pizza joint in town. It wasn't great, but he ate two pieces and we enjoyed being together. I even let him get root beer.  They had a little dessert menu on the table and he read through the entire thing. As he was reading he said, "Cole Slaw ...."   I stopped him, "Cole slaw??"  He said, "Yeah. Cole slaw" as he pointed to the word 'Colossal'.  LOL  He's so cute.

Saturday, he helped daddy mow the lawn. He's okay at driving it and controlling it, but his best job is cleaning it. Ted said he's showing himself responsible enough to get the blades clean after the job is done.  He was also helpful in washing windows with Aunt Eese.

Ted saw a shirt at Kohls in Andrew's size that says "Boy Genius" on it. We thought it was funny given how smart he is. But, no, I do not think he is a genius like some have asked or suggested.
Sunday morning I was folding laundry and I showed it to him. He read it to me correctly and I asked, "Do you know what genius means?" He guessed, "Happy and proud?" LOL I told him it is when someone is really really super smart; smarter than most of the other people the same age. Then he started prancing around singing, "I'm a genius! I'm a genius!" *sigh* I told him he was not a genius, though he is really smart.

Last week of Summer School

One of my past clients has a little boy who is in Andrew's class.  She told me that Monday, when she was picking up Cooper, Andrew came up to her all happy and said, "My mom is coming to get me too!"  It broke my heart to read her message. Daddy comes to get him.. not me. But he is still holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, I will walk through those doors early to get him.

He is doing an amazing job on his bible reading!! When we timed it, he read the entire thing in 4 minutes and 5 seconds, and that is with him fumbling just a couple of times briefly. We are SO proud of him!  Tuesday we both cheered when he finished reading and we startled him which scared him and he started crying and yelling out of genuine fear. We both felt so bad and tried to apologize. It took a while to calm him down and explain that we were just excited - but that we do understand that we scared him. Daddy reminded him how we don't like it when he is loud, especially in the car, so we do understand how he feels. (I'm so thankful we can reason with him!)

The other day he was walking around the house singing, "Sinful Passions! Sinful passions!!"  Its a phrase he picked out of his bible reading.

Wednesday night after the meeting, he practiced the reading from the podium. I expressed concern that so many people are going to want to see him read, that there will be a bunch of people standing in the back school and that might become a distraction to him. That and if anyone laughs or anything - he is extra sensitive thinking he's not doing a good enough job.  Ted took that to heart and decided maybe the front will be better. So the brothers got step stools out for Andrew to try reading from the stage podium, and lowered the microphone to his level but didn't turn it on. All the stools were too short. He did the reading, but he had trouble seeing the words and keeping his place because his own hand blocked his sight. So, daddy is building a tall step for him to stand on.  Andrew LOVED being on the stage and wanted to touch and feel everything. I think he's starting to get excited - and I'm glad that we are introducing him to the podium and stage beforehand so it's not so new. Ted has planned to let him practice with the microphone on at the podium Saturday after service.

Thursday I had a photoshoot so he had to hang out with Annelise for a while. Amanda O'Gorman let Jillian play with Andrew while we focused on Kerrigan who is 9 months old. Before they left, Kerrigan was standing in front of the couch and Annelise was stroking her arm. Andrew came over, "Can I pet her too?" 

Friday was his last day on the summer schedule of Primrose. He will be home for two weeks before starting back full time. 

Ted built a nice step stool for him and took it to the hall Saturday for Andrew to use while practicing with the microphone on. Andrew was really excited at that idea all morning. Ted said he did a great job reading despite a thunderstorm that was literally rattling the building. He did it in 3 minutes and 18 seconds, and he did giggle a few times.  He told me later, "I thought it was cool, and it was."  

Uncle Mary

One thing they do at Primrose school is a fill in the blank statement that they then draw a picture of.
Recently, the statement was "If I lived in a castle, I would have _____"  All the other boys said a dragon, but Andrew said "a moat." Another one: "under the stars I see .... an alien."  And, "If I were a cowboy I would fall off my horse!"  He's so funny. 

So remember that I learned a few weeks ago that I have 9 great grandson's - one named Patrick Olivia? This last week he has been talking about his grandson Mary. Yes, Mary. He lives in a light black house that has been painted blue, and he lives in Kentucky. I am happy to report that our southern accents are what have confused him - not the gender. Tuesday he was telling someone about Mary and said, "You know, like Uncle Mary!" I thought for a second and said, "You mean Uncle Murray?" "Yeah, Uncle Mary."

Tuesday evening he was in the pool with Annelise and asked her if she'd throw him. She said she wasn't sure she's strong enough. He swam over to her, "Let's see."  She put her arm up and he felt along her arm and up her wrist, "Yes, you're strong!"  

Wednesday evening, since he was all dressed up, I got a few photos of him in my studio playing the violins (the one we rent that is the right size, and one that his great grandfather sent him that he'll grow into!) They are lovely! At the meeting, he got to answer a few times. The first time it was "Loyal love" After hearing Parker give the same answer right after, he asked, "again?"  Everyone chuckled.
Another answer was "don't say the pledge of allegiance" (it was a discussion about challenges kids face at school) and Brian Stockholm didn't understand what he said (though he said it twice.) Someone else told Brian what he'd said.. then Andrew looked at us and smiled as he said, "He didn't know."  The whole backside of the hall chuckled at Andrew. Brian didn't know what we were all laughing about so daddy told him after the meeting what Andrew perceived - Brian got a good laugh too. 
Earlier in the meeting, Annelise raised her hand for a comment and brother Pingle couldn't remember her last name, and in the moment he paused trying to recall it, Andrew blurted out "Werme!" 
It's nice to know he's in tune to what's going on. 

Thursday was his last day at Spring Hollow. The teacher looked like she was holding back tears saying goodbye to him. She told me afterward that he was patting her back and rubbing it as he hugged her - that he is just so sweet, she's really going to miss him. 
After a really good violin lesson, we found a little park and played for about 20 minutes before meeting Charles and Marion Hailey, Annelise, and Daddy at BurgerUp.  He enjoyed trying to entertain them though when he got too loud and I reminded him to be quieter, he got very embarrassed. We went around the corner and hugged on him for a few minutes until he felt good again. Then he asked me if he could invite them to come home with us. I told him sure - and they said yes!  So they followed us home and we had dessert on the back deck and enjoyed a leisurely evening.

Saturday I had my last wedding to shoot - so the boys got a good full day together. They played at the park for a long time, and then had Moes for dinner and ice cream for dessert - a very good day!  Daddy said that they were running and Andrew was really close behind and Ted quickly stepped aside. Andrew went plowing past him and did a faceplant into the ground, but laughing hysterically at the same time.
Sunday morning he coaxed Annelise to get in the pool with him even though it was a bit on the cold side. He liked pretending he was a shark.  On the way to the meeting, he asked us if we could go to the big park after the grocery store. We told him probably not since we'd have groceries in the car.  Well... we got invited to have a picnic at the park, but we managed to get groceries and go home and change first. So we had a picnic with Sam and Stephen Pingle and Alexa Sparkman at the big park (gorgeous day!) and then the kids got to play on the playground for a while. Once Andrew came up to me and said, "I need some instructions!" So Ted said, "run up and down that hill five times!"  And he did! That was after he'd already run up and down it several times - falling almost every time when he got near the bottom of it.   All in all - a good, fun weekend for him!

Sunday night I was reading a book to him, and he stopped me and said, "It's still Sunday. Monday I go to Primrose."  We talked a little bit and I finally discerned, it's not that he doesn't like Primrose - he doesn't like being there ALL day. Poor guy. I really hope he starts to love it there.

Pescatarians

Andrew was looking at the photos on my studio wall. There is a young man with a tattoo of his wife's lips on his chest. Andrew points to it and says, "who is that person with the stamp on them?"

Sunday evening when it was time for bed, Andrew told me his ear hurt. He said it hurt deep inside. He woke up about every 20 minutes or so crying because of it.  I put some homeopathic drops in his ears, gave him some homeopathic pain killers and put tea tree oil and helichrysum oil all around the outside of his ear.  Ted ended up sharing the bed with him to help comfort him. Ted said he kept reaching out all night to make sure daddy was still there, and at one point, reached over and squeezed daddy's nose closed!  

Monday was Andrew's second whole day at Primrose again. I was really reluctant to wake him up when it was time after having such a rough start to the night before. He was in good spirits, and he said his ear was fine!! 
He told me he had a good day at school. He got to paint a cactus (last week it was making castles) and play games on the computer that had to do with letters and words. He chose an activity that had to do with people, and there was a guy in a wheel chair and the wheels moved (i'm guessing it's a toy?). I asked if anyone was nice and he said yes. I asked if anyone was mean and he said RC kicked him in the stomach and it was on purpose. But then he said the teacher said something kind to him and told RC to say he was sorry and that made him feel better.  He told me wanted to cry at nap today but didn't, and that he was able to stay quiet (he expressed concern earlier that he's not able to stay quiet and not cry.)  I smiled big and gave him a high five and told him I was so proud of him and I knew he could do it. I asked if he had to pray to Jehovah for help and he said no, he did it all by himself.  He was in good spirits all evening. We played a few rounds of chutes n ladders, and after dinner he did his entire bible reading (with lots of questions in between about the little reference letters or what some words mean).   I gave him a little "treasure chest box" that I found at Hobby Lobby today and he was super excited about that. I also found a neat whistle at Scarlet Begonia that Nana ended up getting for him since she was already checking out. It's pretty cool and he enjoyed whistling and figuring out different noises and tones with it.  (it has a stick that you pull in and out to change the sound) 

 Tuesday and Thursday he enjoyed his time at Spring Hollow, but Wednesday and Friday he started the mornings off crying because he didn't want to go to Primrose. The teachers say he does fine during the day. 

Saturday we moved Annelise so he had to go elsewhere. Originally he picked the Pingles so he could play with Samantha, but she ended up sick. So he spent the day with Joy, Barry, and Lauren.  Joy said that Brice and Nevin were there (young teenagers) and they all played well together and played with Legos.  They played at the park too and he was showing other boys how to go down the fireman poles, climbing the dome and swinging down from it.  While on the dome there was an older boy watching him go up and down on it, Andrew was talking the entire time and the boy wouldn't reply. Finally Andrew asked, "Can you talk?"  The boy said, "i can talk."  Andrew finally begged him to talk with him. 
Later when they were making fish tacos, Andrew was playing Legos with Lauren. Joy and the boys were having a conversation about vegetarians who still eat fish. Lauren yelled from the living room that they're called pescatarians. Joy couldn't hear so Andrew volunteered to tell her. He walks in the kitchen and says, "They're pescatarians."  Then he told them, "That's Spanish for fish and bread."  LOL 

Long week

It's been a difficult week.
Monday July 8th: With little warning, we got Andrew out of bed (he was just waking up) and sent him off to his new school. Daddy signed him up for breakfast there, and dropped him off and went to work. The teachers said he was having a good day and fit right in and made himself at home - and that he particularly enjoyed the playground. Daddy said that when he came to pick him up, Andrew saw him and seemed to hold back tears. Probably tears of relief that he hadn't been forgotten since it was then after 4pm.

Tuesday he went back to Spring Hollow from 9-2. He was very happy to see me and wanted to show me some art he created. I looked at it and we talked about it for a moment, but then I told him to get his socks and shoes on and he fell on the floor crying saying he wanted to play outside. I told him we had an appointment and had to go - but he wouldn't cooperate. I got up to gather his things and he followed me trying to grab my legs like he was afraid I'd try to leave him. I ended up carrying him out.  At our visit to Adam Roberts, he was complaining of his stomach hurting. AR said that Andrew is stressed out about something and it had to do with Spring Hollow and the new teacher.
Wednesday morning he told me that while at school on Tuesday, another girl put her hands around his neck and squeezed really hard and hurt him. He demonstrated and made his face turn red.  I contacted the lead teacher and she knew nothing of it but when I mentioned the name of the girl she said that Andrew was no doubt telling the truth and she'd talk to their family, and also tell Andrew next time to tell her if someone else is hurting him.

Wednesday I took him to his first real dental cleaning. He was nervous, but a champ. They said he does have one small cavity in the back upper right that they'd like to clear out and seal. lovely.
I took him to Primrose after the dentist, in time to have lunch with him. He kept telling me he didn't want to go - that it wasn't going to be as much fun as Spring Hollow is. When it was time for nap and me to go - he fell apart. I sat with him for just a minute and told him that I would come back after my appt and check on him. It only consoled him long enough for me to get out the door. When I came back, the teacher said he was still unsettled and was upset for 45 minutes but they couldn't sit with him any longer.  He saw me and burst into tears so we went out in the hallway and talked and cuddled. I told him it was okay to be scared with all the new changes and that I was so proud of him for trying anyway.. that it will get easier when he learns the routine of it all.  I left again when there was only an hour left before daddy could get him and he was about to go outside to play.

Thursday he was coughing more so I didn't send him to Spring Hollow and I cancelled his violin lesson. He was a pill all day. I'm not going to write out how it went because I'd rather forget - but he was very rude and defiant and disagreeable all day over everything. I know it's just because of all the upheaval in our regular routine but it's very taxing on me.

Friday was the same as Thursday. I kept him home so he could get proper nutrition and rest - but it was a very difficult day dealing with him.
Daddy took us out to dinner Friday night so I could have a little break. We went to Olive Garden. It was cute when we were almost done he was conversing with the waitress and then pointed at her and said in a super cute way, "Don't you smile! Don't do it! Don't you smile!"  We all laughed. That's what people end up saying to get him to smile when they want to take a photo.  He was very agreeable while we were there. He even tried ravioli's, and bread with bruschetta instead of his usual soup.

Saturday we started off the day with a major fight and meltdown over breakfast. I think it was good for him to let out a lot of his frustration and rage in the way of screaming and hitting - but it was very hard to listen to. That was finally diffused and we headed out for field service. He really wanted to read the scripture at the meeting for service but I couldn't get to it fast enough... but I did let him read it at one of my calls. He did a great job and they were very impressed.  We had a pleasant morning and went to Sonic with the Buffingtons so the kids could eat together outside and then play on their little playground. That was very good for all of us.
After nap we headed out to Annelise's to start moving some of her things here. Andrew was really good and helpful - and was disobedient only a few times and we avoided some meltdowns. On the way home, he told me he had a grandson. I explained to him that HE is a grandson, not a grandfather but he insisted otherwise.  Then he told me a very elaborate story.
  His grandson is named Patrick Olivia and lives in Mississippi next to Alabama. He lives in a blue house on a farm. But the house is not built yet because when Andrew was visiting last, a tornado came and sucked up the bricks and Andrew got stuck inside and was very scared. And it sucked up more bricks and he and his grandson were trapped and crying.  He went on and on and I didn't quite follow some of it and at this point can't remember either. It was quite long though. At some point he said that he died and would never be seen again. So I asked, "well, did he serve Jehovah?"  Andrew said yes. So I said, "Then he can be seen again!"  And Andrew recalled that when Jehovah turns the earth into a paradise, he will bring people back to life and he got excited that he'd see Patrick again.
Sunday we had a decent start to the day. He got to help daddy pick a big bowl of blackberries, and later he got to use a remote controlled boat in the pool. He practiced his Bible reading too:
Tuesday I had told Ted I had an idea. His mom would be out here in August, wouldn't it be neat if Andrew could do the Bible Reading that week. His first one, and she'd get to be here for it. So I made sure Andrew could read that week's assignment. Saturday morning Ted asked the brothers if that was a possibility and they said sure! So.. for now, Andrew is assigned the Bible reading for the week of August 12th. We'll see if we can keep him interested long enough and if he can stay focused on it.

Sunday when we got to the hall, we took the big bible and let him try reading from the podium in the back school. He did pretty well, but he kept losing his place because he'd get distracted by the kids coming in to listen. We'll keep working at it. 

Trying new things

 Monday we went to tour two potential preschools for Andrew.  After the second one, all three of us chose that school, The Primrose School. Afterward we took daddy back to work, wasted some time, and then met him for lunch at an Indian Buffet. The food was amazing!! It looked terrible but tasted great. Bombay Bistro.  The manager came out and talked with Andrew at good length and told him if he eats all his lunch, he'd give him a chocolate bar.  He made friends with the older couple at the table next to us and chatted a bit. They all loved seeing such a young person willing to try all the different foods and liking them.
 While at a stoplight:  Andrew: "Mom, what's a canoe?"
Me: "It's a kind of boat. You use paddles to push the water and make the boat move forward."
Andrew: "Oars. You use oars, not paddles mom." 

Tuesday morning Andrew came running in to my room... "mom, there is food in the toilet with my poo! Come see!" You could see the noodles from last night's dinner and he pointed to the toilet with a big grin on his face. He was a slightly concerned but thought it was cool. And then he said, "but you can't see the carrots or peas."

We had an appointment with Adam Roberts later and I asked him what he was working on. He told me the intestines. I told him about the noodles being undigested and didn't know if it was relevant. He did some more muscle testing on Andrew and told me that Andrew was stressed because he's been given too much information and doesn't know how to process it, and it's resulting in his digestive system reacting. Nothing serious or to be concerned about, that Andrew would be fine.
The convention maybe?  I know he was listening because he'd ask me questions. And for the entire drama he was asking me "which one is Mordecai? Who's the king? Is the queen in the pink dress? Why are they wearing those long shirts with belts? Who are they? What are they doing? .....  you get the idea. I was narrating the entire drama the best I could.  But then Monday we toured the schools so maybe he's trying to analyze all of that too.  Or maybe it's just because we were completely off our usual schedule and he's trying to sort through that. 
I realized a lot about Andrew that Tuesday.  After our visit with Adam we went back to the Primrose school to give the paperwork and pay registration. They let Andrew visit with the class he'll be with while I did paperwork. He immediately  made friends and felt comfortable enough to join in the activities. The children were friendly even to me, so that is a good sign.  Anyway... talking to the director, I told her one of my concerns is that it's such a long day for him. Right now he's used to 9-2 or 9-3, and he knows how to read the clock enough and knows when to expect me. I don't want him to get anxious when much time goes by and he hasn't seen us again. And I asked if it was normal for children to be so concerned about what time it is and what is going to happen next, and after that too.  She didn't tell me it was normal, but she told me I'm not going to change him and that he had to have gotten it from one of us.  That he is the type that wants to know what the entire day holds and has it organized in his mind how it's supposed to play out. And anything, even the question 'do you want to go to the park' will throw his entire day off even if he would enjoy that venture - it's just that he wasn't expecting it and doesn't know how to process it right away. It wasn't in his plans.  I realized at that point - that is exactly how I am too.  I don't have to have everything planned out for the entire week, but I make a plan for the day when I get up, or maybe the day before - and I'm good at following that plan. When something all of a sudden changes, I can go with it, but it throws me off mentally and emotionally and will stress me out a little bit as I process the changes.  poor kid. 
I realized then, he NEEDS a regular schedule that doesn't change. Right now, Mondays and Fridays are whatever we need to do days. Tuesdays and Thursdays have been for school at Spring Hollow. Wednesdays Gymnastics.  Although he knows what to expect each of those days for the most part, I think he will thrive on every day being the same. I'm feeling better about him going to school full time.  I can't really explain why he is obsessed with knowing what is the name of each road we're on, and where we are going, and what roads we need to take to get there and why. I've never met another child like him. But because of my visit with Adam and my revelations while at the school - we're just going to have to indulge him and answer his million and two questions. If we don't - we're only going to stress him out because he's not getting the information he is wanting to process. We try to tell him not to worry about it, to just enjoy the time right now. Even though he'll say, "Okay"  he is still
stressing about it.  It breaks my heart that he stresses so much, now that I'm recognizing it better.


Andrew was in his carseat and told me, "My stomach hurts. I need to eat some ginger to make it feel better."  Not sure where he learned that.. but that's my boy!!!

Thursday it rained. All day. Daddy was working in the workshop and I put a raincoat and boots on Andrew and let him play outside. Ted told me that he was jumping in a puddle for a little bit, but apparently that wasn't enough. Andrew went and found a chair and pushed it by the puddle so he could jump off the chair into the puddle and make a bigger splash. 

I overheard him in the other room saying  "I'm in the town of Joppa. I'm in the town of Joppa. (pause) I don't know how to spell Joppa.  Papa rhymes with Joppa."  

Andrew calls me to come wipe his bottom and then puts his feet up on the seat. "Look mom, I was standing on the seat, and that was silly."  Then he says, "When I was little, I fell in and someone flushed me down."  I told him that didn't really happen and he asks, "Why? Would that be scary?"  I told him he's too big to fit down the toilet, even when he was little.  He said, "even when I was an eeny teeny tiny baby?"  I told him when he was that small, he was still inside me.  He had nothing to say to that.

He tells strange stories. For a while he was telling everyone that daddy climbed a tree, fell out and hurt his head.  Lately he has been telling everyone that he went to the circus and fell off an animal. They ask which animal and he says he was riding a tiger and the elephant caused him to fall off.

He almost always wants to help me do whatever it is I'm doing - especially if it's cooking. Some days I really just want to get it done quickly and without mess, but then I feel guilty that I'm not including him in the experience.  I sometimes let him measure out all the ingredients when I'm baking (and have to send him off to wash his hands repeatedly because he can't resist tasting every ingredient.)  Thursday evening he helped daddy pick all the banana peppers and jalapenos from the garden. Then he helped me cut the tops off (yes he got to use the knife) and de-seed them. He also helped grate all the cheese. Then I put cream cheese and bacon bits in them as he stuffed them with cheese and chopped spinach. We made a good team - albeit a slow one. He'd pick up 2-3 threads of shredded cheese at a time and I'd have to tell him to get more, or he'd squeeze the cheese into a big blob and I'd have to tell him not so much. Same with the spinach. Silly boy. He's an extremist sometimes.

Andrew has been asking every day since visiting the Primrose School when he gets to go back. Friday morning, I decided to call the school and ask if they have any part time availability now.  He'd love the interaction, I could really use the extra un-divided time to get things ready and done before I start school in August.  So, he starts Monday.  He'll go to the new school according to Ted's work on M W F, and Spring Hollow from 9-2 on Tues and Thurs.  Spring Hollow is only for the next three weeks and then he's done with that.  I think this will help him ease into the longer schedule and new environment whilst phasing out the old one. This will also allow me to catch up on my work, and get done all the other things weighing on me that need to get done and I just haven't had the ability or energy to focus on.  Lots of changes for all of us!

He told us he wants to do a Bible Reading at the podium in the back school. I told him he had to show me that he could focus on reading from the bible for 4 minutes.  Sunday he asked if we could time him while he read from a new brochure. I told him we could, but it had to be from the Bible. I flipped to a chapter in the Psalms that looked relatively easy and set it down in front of him. He started reading and came upon a few big words he had to have help pronouncing. He got frustrated and said he couldn't do it. I explained to him that when someone on stage is reading - it's not the first time they're reading the chapter, they practice it over and over and over again before getting up to read. Andrew was doing *awesome* at reading the chapter. I told him not to worry so much about how long it takes to read, but focus on reading all the words and reading each line without losing place.   In less than 8 minutes, he read the entire chapter, and that was with him stopping after a few verses because he thought he couldn't succeed, and also getting up and moving to the couch instead of being at his table.  Ted and I both were very impressed. He stuck with it and read the entire chapter, line by line. Ted said he's going to talk to the brothers and see if there is a reading coming up that we can go ahead and let him practice and see how he does. 

To Huntsville

Sunday evening (June 23rd) Andrew built a pretty awesome looking car out of Legos. He built a rectangle and said it was the engine, and then kept adding to it once that was in place on the truck.  Monday morning he modified it to be a street sweeper "road cleaner" and then later it became a garbage truck with an arm on the side to lift the trash into the truck. 

Then he said to himself, "I want the house to be red" and he started building with red blocks, making an outline. Soon it turned into a maze instead with lots of colors used.  He was so proud of it he couldn't wait for daddy to get home to see it.

We had four trees each planted in 5 gallon buckets. Our friend Paula came by to pick them up. Andrew desperately wanted to help and insisted he could carry one. He had to stop and set it down three times between the garden and her car - but I was very proud of his effort. He'd say, "1-2-3-go!" and pick it up again and wobble toward the car saying, "I'm strong!" "I can do this!"

Tuesday he didn't have school so he got to have a nap before violin lesson. It seemed to me like he focused better being tired than he did today!  I could tell he was imitating her and things she's said and done in past lessons. Today he deliberately making a 'fox' with his hands instead of a bunny and said 'oh! look what I made! It's a wild animal that starts with F' as if he's trying to quiz her. When she asked him to get out of the chair and stand in position, he pretended he was stuck to the chair. Later she was instructing him on hand placement and he said, "Hold on. My phone is ringing" as he reached for his pocket (I had no idea he had his pretend phone in his pocket).  Usually he's 99% focused and cooperative, but today he seemed all over the place.

On the way home, to avoid traffic lights and backed up traffic I took 840 to Carters Creek Pike.  He saw the sign for it and asked if this was the way to Nana's house. He'd asked me that before and I thought it was a silly question since it's the opposite direction, but I finally made the connection today. We get off of 840 onto Jefferson Pike to go to Nana's. The Pike in both names confused him.

Thursday (the 27th) afternoon we headed off to Huntsville for the District Convention. He wasn't too eager to stay in a hotel, but he got excited when I said yes to his question, "can I jump on the bed?"
We made a bed for him out of chair cushions and pillows between our two beds - he liked that.

He did SO well sitting all weekend. Friday he was awesome - pretty still and quiet all day. Though at one point he started wiggling his feet up and down fast and his shoe came flying off and landed right in his lap! I was so relieved it didn't fly off somewhere else! 
Right off the bat he was listening and asked me, "What does Value mean?"  It took me a few minutes to figure out how to define it. I told him it was when you care a lot about something and want to keep it and protect it.
Andrew drew a good picture of a scary monster in his notebook. A few minutes later he did some more scribbling on it and told me something about a diaper. I asked him if the monster was wearing a diaper and he laughed and said, "No! It's not wearing a diaper! It's pooping! It pooed on my head!" And so begins the childish fascination with poo.
At one point, we were standing talking among friends and another one walked by and asked Andrew if they were bothering him. He said, "No, I'm entertaining." He does try to entertain people!
We took him outside after lunch and looked at the fish in the canal and tried to walk a lot. He enjoyed going over the bridges and climbing along a wall and getting to be with Aunt Eese.
After dinner we let him go play in the pool. He had a blast! He adopted another young mom and took turns jumping into her arms over and over. He also made friends with a handicapped person.

Saturday morning I knew it was going to be a long day because he was so full of wiggles and being loud from the second he woke up. We walked to the convention site, the fountain outside was working and shooting water really high. He got excited to see it and likened it to a geyser which they learned about in school recently. He really just wanted to sit at the side of it and watch it come on and off.
We saw the handicapped friend and he went up to say hi to him. As they were saying goodbye, the brother drooled a little bit. Andrew looked a bit disgusted and very matter-of-factly told him, "You're dripping." 
He was very interested in the pool at the convention and learning about baptism. He watched it on Saturday with enthusiasm. In the evening, after swimming in the hotel pool, he told us he got baptized there in the pool.
After lunch we went to the pond and he fed leftover bread to the fish and geese. We did a lot of walking and tried to get him to run and jump in the shade of some magnolia trees. After lunch, I wasn't feel well and I knew Andrew needed a nap. So we headed back to the hotel after lunch. On the way down, Andrew tripped on the steps and fell face first. He slid along several steps before catching himself with his arms. It scared us all and hurt his arms; he was a champ about it. Daddy ran around the railing and scooped him up and then set him down at the bottom to 'check and make sure everything still works.'  His forearms were red and tender, but everything worked. We continued on to the hotel where he ended up sleeping for nearly 3 hours!  We went and had dinner and then it was back to the pool for his physical activity.  Everyone would comment to me what a happy boy he is.

Sunday morning Ted and Andrew were walking back to the seats when another woman walked by on the steps. Andrew gasped and said, "you have really red lips!"   Ted was relieved that it wasn't anything else! Lately Andrew has asked friends about their big bellies or big bottoms! And recently he told me that I had really gooey eyes just trying to get a laugh. We're never sure what he'll say and we haven't discussed tact.
Sunday afternoon he picked a large maple leaf and brought it to me as a gift. Later he told me I should take it to bed with me and it'd be amazing.

Sunday evening, back at home - he built a car out of legos that had two regular wheels on the front but two squares as wheels on the back. He said it's not a truck, it's a Bep. He added a steering wheel to it and said, "There, my Bep now has a Perp."  Ted suggested calling it a burp instead and said "your Bep now has a Burp."  They're so silly.

My Little Thinking Man

Tuesday was another violin lesson. First, the teacher took the violin and said she was going to tune it while Andrew practiced holding the bow. She started plucking a string and Andrew said, "Hey! That's the E string!"  She said he was right and I about fell out of my chair! I just cannot comprehend how
he learns these things so quickly and seemingly so easily.

Ted took him to gymnastics Wednesday. There was a different teacher than usual and Andrew was hesitant to participate at first. Daddy said that Andrew was very attentive and obedient (which could not be said for a few of the other kids in the small class.)  This day they started jumping from a spring board to a pole. Daddy was surprised that he was about the smallest in the class, yet could jump so far.

Thursday morning he came in my room already dressed. He had his superman shirt on and came in singing the tune of the theme song using "dun dun" as the words for each note. He crawled into bed with me and said, "but mommy, but mommy, what if I were a superman?"  (imitating the words in the book 'I love you stinkyface') 

On the way home from school, he asked me how we float up into Heaven. I told him we don't. He said, "Then how did Jesus float up into heaven?"  I told him I didn't really know for sure, I could only guess that Jehovah used his spirit or that the angels have some sort of wings.  Andrew said, "Maybe he used his imagination." 

Thursday evening our cousins from San Francisco came to visit. He had a nice time playing with McKenna in the pool.  He is now launching himself into the pool, nearly doing a belly flop. He'll even spin jump off the deck. This night he asked if he could "fall in backwards." We told him he could and as he stepped backwards to get ready, he stepped a little too far and nearly fell in which startled him. He said, "I don't want to jump backwards now" and turned and jumped in like usual.

He walks around singing a pirate song a lot ... "Yar har fiddley dee, being a pirate is alright with me (something else I can't remember).... I'm a pirate, Arrrr!"  But there are a few words in there he isn't sure of so he kind of jumbles and makes some words to fit in the place. He's so cute.

Andrew seems very concerned lately with Satan. He tells me he doesn't want to make Satan happy (we've discussed how when someone hurts another, it makes Satan happy, but Satan isn't our friend and he won't take care of us like Jehovah does) and he knows that Satan will be locked up (and 'go to jail') when Jehovah makes the earth a paradise.  He was talking again about it in bed Thursday night. Sometimes it seems like he thinks HE has to destroy Satan. I assured him Jehovah will take care of it all and that Andrew just has to focus on being the good person he is. After I said that he corrected me and told me Jesus was going to lock up Satan. So I agreed, that yes, when Jehovah says it's time, Jesus will lock up Satan for a while.  (does he ever stop thinking so deeply??!)
  He then asked me if good people ever go to jail. I told him I hope not, because it's really a place for people who do bad things. He asked me what it looks like. I told him I'd never been, but it's like a room with a fence on it, and being locked in that room for a long time. I finally explained to him that he doesn't need to worry about that. That little people like him don't go to jail; adults do. So he asked if mommy or daddy would go to jail. I told him hopefully not - as long as we stay out of trouble and only do good things, we should be able to stay out of jail.

Friday we had appointments with Adam Roberts. He arrived with a bandaid on his finger (from school). The receptionist asked him if he had an "owwie protector."  He said, "No, it's just a band-aid." 
Later when we were waiting for Nana and Papa, we played in a grassy area next to the parking lot. He squatted next to a large car and was looking under the backend of it. He said, "Wow. It has a big engine, doesn't it? It has two exhaust thingys."  (I found out later Ted had told him months ago that when a vehicle has a large engine, it usually has two exhaust pipes.)

Friday after lunch, I took him to The Monkey's Treehouse to play. He was so good. There was another kid his size who was not as kind. He'd go down the slide and Andrew would be at the top checking to see if it was clear to go down, but then the kid would turn around and run back up the inside and go down again; never letting Andrew have a turn. Andrew was being so nice asking for a turn and patiently waiting. Most other kids would go down anyway.
When that place closed at 2pm, we moved up the street to Shipwrecked where he'd been begging to go. He still loves that little red dirt devil vaccum cleaner he remembers from years ago when we went. He'd push it up and down the ramp of the ship and all over the place. He also liked their cars and train tracks.

Sunday his answer during the watchtower was "some are getting sidetracked"  and after the meeting a friend came up to him and said, "So.. some get sidetracked. Do you even know what sidetracked means?"  Andrew just looks up at him and says, "distracted."   My kid is awesome. (yes I did tell him the meaning of the word when we went over the watchtower lesson earlier in the morning. I was surprised that he remembered though.)

Sunday after meeting I said, "let's get you out of your clothes" and started unbuttoning his vest. He said, "I can do these buttons! Hold on Skippy!"  I had to leave the room just so I could laugh. 

Our little water boy

Tuesday I had to get him from school early because it was the only time Adam Roberts could see us that day. As we were leaving, he picked up a small rock and told me he was bringing a treasure with him. As Adam was leading us down the hallway, Andrew tells him that he brought a treasure with him, for Adam. Adam said he'd have to find a special place for such a treasure, and when we went into the office, there was a little candle dish with rocks in it. He let Andrew choose a place in with the other rocks to lay the treasure.
Then after Andrew's treatment, he picked an oil that he thought Andrew would like and put some on a q-tip for Andrew to keep. Andrew said it was his treasure that Adam gave him. He made sure Adam gave me a treasure also. 

He had his second violin lesson. I was very proud of him for remembering the names of the strings (forward and backward!!), and how to properly hold the bow. Today he learned how to properly stand and got to practice playing on the E string. He did really really well for having had a long day.

Daddy asked him what he learned at school today and he said, "Music is a show for everyone to hear."  I thought that was a nice way to describe music. And he said he got to play the drums. He also told me about making a guitar out of "plastic things" and "colored rubber bands" and that he wanted to play it again but it broke. He was hoping we had colored rubber bands at home to make a new one. (I never got to see what he was talking about.)

Andrew made a mature observation and inquiry. He told me that we're not allowed to jump on furniture and I told him he was correct. Then he asked, "But isn't the trampoline furniture?" So I explained that it's equipment designed only for jumping and that was appropriate use of it. The rest of the furniture was not. 

Thursday evening we let him play a video game. Daddy mowed the lawn and I had to finish some work. When he was tired of playing Mario Kart, he called to me asking for help. My response was "hold on just a minute."  He waited a few seconds before saying, "Mommmmieeeee, you're wasting time! You're wasting time Mom!"  (He's heard me tell him that he's wasting his play time when he's standing around waiting for me to finish my own project rather than starting to play without me.)

Friday morning we had appointments with Adam Roberts. He really hoped that he could go alone. I told him that I probably had to come with him, but I'd ask. Sure enough, Adam can't legally see children without parents in the room. Andrew was really disappointed and acted all bashful and almost upset with Adam.  He was cool about it though and told Andrew that he needed some help. He pulled out two oils and asked him to smell them and tell him which one smelled better. Andrew perked right up, ready to be helpful, and was happy after that.

Andrew liked Bergamot the most. Adam said, "Do you know about Italy? Have you learned about countries?"  Andrew said, "I know about countries! I've been to Splash Country at Dollywood!"  We both got a good laugh out of that and thought it was a brilliant response.

Saturday we went to help a friend move. Andrew excitedly told him, "We're moving someone else in August! We're moving Annelise!"  Our friend asked, "Is she cute?"  Andrew said, "Yeah.. but that's beside the point."   He's hilarious.

In the evening I hosted a Glamour Girl party. When I was putting makeup on one friend he begged, "I want to paint Linda! Can I paint Linda too?"  Later he told her how beautiful she was.

Sunday we had a double going-away party. He had a BLAST with all the kids in the pool with him. Lots of splashing. There were some girls lined up on the side of the pool and Ted told him to splash them by jumping in. He smiled, said, "Okay!" and leaped in. After that - he was fine jumping in all by himself (with his life jacket on) over and over and over. Later in the evening he'd hold his breathe and put his face under the water and try to swim on top. He was very proud of his efforts (as were we)

"I'm gonna draw a picture and it's gonna be scary!"

A few days ago, Ann Arnold was showing Andrew some pictures on her iphone of her grandkids and a car they built (kind of like a pvc pipe kit).  They were at our Sunday meeting and when Andrew saw Nolan, he ran up to him and said, "Nolan! I really liked the car you built!"  Nolan had no idea what he was talking about and why, but I did and thought it was such a nice gesture.
After the meeting Joy told me that he was talking to her and ran out of things to say. There was a bit of a pause and then he shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Okay, well, I'm gonna go find my friend Parker."  She was humored by that.

Monday we had a fun day. We went to the little park first, but because the air was cool, I decided it'd be okay to go to the big park where there is no shade. This made Andrew very happy. He had wanted to go to the big park and told me it's more fun there. He played for a little bit and then saw a boy running on the paved trail and asked what he was doing. I said he was probably practicing running. He decided he wanted to try. So, we ran. This kid can RUN! I had a hard time keeping up with him!! As we were coming around to the park entrance again, Ann Arnold showed up with Nolan and Noah. They decided to run too and they were impressed too. One of them told me that if he keeps that up, he's going to be running as fast as a four-wheeler. Soon, Linda Vaal brought Allison and Cole, and later Kellie Pingle brought Samantha. They all had a good time together.

After lunch, I got Andrew down for a nap. Ann and Linda brought the kids over to our house to swim so I woke him up after he'd been asleep for an hour. I whispered to him and his eyes slowly opened. Then he sat up quickly, "Mom! Can we invite my friends over to play now?" I told him they were already here and in the pool and he couldn't get out of bed fast enough!  They had a blast in the pool.

Jenn and Houston came for dinner Monday. After dinner Andrew felt her belly and asked if he could feel the baby yet. She told him the baby was too small still to feel, but it was growing inside there.  He blurts out, "That's clever!"

Tuesday was his first day back to school for their summer program. It was pirate themed so he wore his pirate hat and went around saying, "Ahoy Matey!" and "Aye aye Captain!"  They built two big ships out of cardboard boxes, and made some costumes. He enjoyed playing in the sprinkler outside too.  After school and extra playground time, I told him he was getting his first violin lesson. He was super excited.  I think he did really well, he stayed focused and was kind and obedient. I was proud of him and amazed that he wasn't overtired for it. She showed him a lot in his half hour lesson.

I can't remember where we were, not home.. and he looked distressed. I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said, "No. My undercarriage hurts right here."   :(  Poor guy! I love how he told me though. And he was trying to be discreet about it. 

Early Wednesday morning he was sitting on the gazelle and making it swing fast. He said, "Mommy look! I'm going really fast! Fast like..... who is it that goes fast?  Speed.. speed..."   I suggested Lightning McQueen since he says 'speed. I am speed.'  He said "No.... Speed Racer!"  I found a pair of pjs with cars on it that looked like they'd fit him right now and Ted said it was speed racer. So we call him speed racer whenever he's wearing them (even though he and I have no idea who that is)

Wednesday morning at breakfast, Andrew wanted to learn more of the Bible book song. He showed me he could sing all the way to Acts. I am so proud of him - I can't believe how fast he learns it. It only takes him about 10 minutes to learn 4-6 books and I make sure he has those down before I'll teach him more.  So this morning I only introduced "Romans and the Corinthians, that's the way it all begins."  Since it has extra words in it, I'll teach him the next books when he asks. 
After gymnastics we went to Kroger. We saw Andy Zylstra there and they had matching buzzed haircuts. Andy said, "Can I feel your head?"  then Andrew asked to feel his and he leaned down and let Andrew feel it. He said, "Woah! It feels soft and fluffy!"  Then he asked Andy what happened to his belly. Andy tapped his stomach and said, "This belly?"  Andrew said "No!" and stood on tippy toes to reach the top of Andy's stomach. Andy frowned and shook his head.

Wednesday evening at dinner, Andrew was trying to scoop his cole slaw onto his fork and eat it. One scoop fell off and an empty fork went into his mouth. He said, "Ha! I ate zero. It fell off my fork."

We followed the picture instructions and he made a robot out of those blocks that snap together. He was very pleased with it and enjoyed playing with it most of the evening. He tried to take it to bed with him but I wouldn't let him.

In a kind of mean warning voice, "Strangers! I'm gonna draw a picture and it's gonna be scary!"  I overheard this as he was sitting at the table with his ipad and some paper. 

Thursday afternoon I asked Andrew if he'd like to help make a veggie pizza for dinner. He said no until I told him I'd let him use the knife to cut the vegetables. "A kids knife?"  I told him a real one - and then he was totally on board!  I was very proud of him (and rather impressed) that he listened and kept his fingers away from the blade and didn't try to do anything fast. I could tell when he was chopping the shredded carrots and onions that he'd watched me before as he held the blade with his fingers and moved it around the board as he chopped.  When he was grating the carrots - they pretty much went all over the counter. And when he was putting the veggies on the pizza, he favored the center of it and one corner. lol I had to help him spread it all over the pizza. He was a good helper.

Starting Wednesday after nap he woke up with his left eyelid looking swollen, dark under his eyes, and yellow discharge from his eye, and some yellow crust along his eyelid.  I know Tuesday on the playground there were tractors mowing the adjacent field but I didn't know if he was having allergies or developed pinkeye. I gave him some homeopathics and some herbs and vitamin C and kept him home. Thursday his eye looked perfectly normal so I sent him off to school.  Friday, his lid looked slightly swollen again and pink.  I took him to see Adam Roberts who said he wasn't sure that it was 'just' allergies, but he definitely had them and badly. So now I have to take him in 2 times a week until it gets worked out. 

Saturday he got to play outside a lot. He rode his bike all the way to the end of the street and back to the creek without stopping to play. He paused at one point going uphill and said his legs were tired. Ted told him he could get off and push the bike and I said I could help him but he hopped back on and kept going!  On the way back he slipped out of his shoes and got into the water but the waterglider bugs made him too nervous. Then when he jumped into an area, a hard shell hurt the bottom of his foot. It wasn't so fun afterall. 
Later in the afternoon I let him go swimming. I invited kids over to play, but it didn't work out. He got out once and told me, "I need other kids to play with!" I told him I tried.  I invited Linda Vaal to come hang out with me poolside and he held up three fingers and told her, "There needs to be three kids. Andrew is one, and Ally and Cole!"  They were busy already but of course he associates her with having the grandkids along.

Thief

We had a very bad day on Monday. I dont know if it's because he opted not to eat breakfast and just had some milk, or something else going on.. We did not mix very well. I literally could not take his obstinence and defiance any more and yelled (not at him, just that yelling at the wall in frustration) which made him cry and start screaming at me. He'd completely ignore what I would kindly tell or ask him to do, and it'd take yelling to get his attention. The beginning to the worst part started outside. I was working by the garden with Ted and saw Andrew try to put a dump truck of sand into the bottom of the stroller he pushed out there. I called to him and told him the sand does not go in the stroller. He yelled at me and then spit in my direction.  So I figured it must be time for nap (still earlier than usual). Of course this angered him and it all went downhill from there.  Every inch of the way was a war and we were both too tired to deal with it. (He would even fight me over my consenting to let him do something - nothing made sense.)  I had to leave his room for a few minutes to regroup. I managed to get him calmed down and agreeable to sleep and then I took a nap too.
He came in after nap and crawled into the bed with me and asked if we were ready to get up and play. After a short conversation I asked him, "Andrew, do you still love mommy?"
He said, "I always, always, always, do."    I guess he's heard me tell him that enough.

Tuesday he was wonderful. We went out to Aunt Eese's house to start cleaning and packing things. He did lock the screen door and then tell me he locked it to keep strangers from coming in. I told him I appreciated him telling me so, but we needed it to stay unlocked since I was hauling heavy boxes out. He kept locking it anyway until he finally got snapped at. I told him if he saw strangers at the door, he could always yell to me, Annelise, or Nana.
At the end of the workday, I noticed Annelise's miniature R2D2 in his pocket. I gently asked him if he might have any toys in his pockets that might need to stay. He said no. I asked if he was lying to me or telling the truth. He said the truth. We discussed who lying/stealing and being truthful make happy but he stood by his claim. I dont know if he really forgot that it was in there, or thought it belonged to him, or what. Finally Annelise spoke up and told him the toy was in his pocket and it needed to stay at her house so that he could play with it next time. He took it out and left it.

Wednesday we had a nice day. I decided I would not do any housework and just try to revolve my day around him. He rode his bike outside for a bit, then he rode it down the road while I walked. We ran over to the tire swing by the stream and pushed him on that until a wasp wouldn't leave him alone. Then he rode his bike the rest of the street. We played with Legos for a bit and had a nap shortly after lunch. Then we went back outside where he rode his bike and then we played baseball again with the tennis racket.  He got itchy and I brought him in to shower, and he went right back out to play.  He got to observe some workers replace daddy's truck windshield and then it was shower, dinner, and off to Kingdom Hall. I found a light colored 3pc suit for him and washed it - he was excited to wear it so he could wear his tan meeting shoes. 

Thursday - Ted has told me that Andrew must be in tune to his car starting because he always gets up right after Ted leaves. I thought that was impossible - we run a white noise machine in there and the car is at the opposite end of the house. But, I'm starting to wonder. Thursday Ted was able to work from home, and Andrew slept past 7:30! (of course *I* was awake early)  We headed out to Annelise's house to work more. Papa was there trying to clean and clear the hot water heater. Andrew followed him around like a shadow, talking constantly.
He also called Nana a thief, and then also said he was being swiper and pretending to take things -  trying to get some laughs out of her.  Papa invited Andrew to go to TSC and Lowe's with him. I told Papa, "if you want to be able to think - you might want to consider leaving him here." He took him anyway then when he was handing me my keys, he smiled and said, 'You were right. I would have been able to think without him." Andrew apparently was telling store employees that he was looking for parts for his daddy's lawnmower, and needed gas for the weed wacker.  Andrew returned with a toy gasoline can. He told me it was to put water in Daddy's gas tank. I told him never to do that, but he could water Annelise's plants with it.  He enjoyed that for a while.  After Nana and Papa left, Eileen brought her two girls over and they all had a blast playing with toys and then getting wet with the hose.

Friday, he helped me plant some veggies in the garden and played in the sandbox a bit. After nap we headed off to the park and played there for a few hours. He made friends with everyone - naturally.

Saturday at the meeting for service, he kept asking if he could have an answer. I finally told him that if he had a thought that had to do with service, he could raise his hand.  Soon he said, "I have a thought." and he raised his hand.  Brother Pingle called on him and he described a picture he found in the Awake. There was an illustration with a man with a zippered mouth and he talked about that.
Later in service, he and Samantha were being silly and taking the "zip your mouth" a little further - "zip your eyes" "zip your nose"    and when I suggested they play Paper Rock Scissors ... Sam thought you were supposed to say "Paper Rock Scissors Shoe" (instead of shoot which is when you reveal your choice)  and chose to be a shoe a few times. I thought that was funny.  They pretended that their fingers disappeared and would reappear. 
We walked one street and Tony took Sam and Andrew with him. I was across the street with daddy and he's walking down the sidewalk and yells, "Hi mommy! Hi daddy!"  and kept walking all proud to be on a mission with someone else.

Samantha and Andrew also played a competitive game of "I have ##"   I have 1 trampoline, I have 20 shoes, I have ......   Eventually they were in the thousands.  Daddy continued that game at home and I heard they had hundreds of socks and meeting ties, etc. He told me he tried to say "I have 1000 drills" Andrew said, "but you already said that one!"  Ted told me 'he remembers!! If I did say that - it was a while ago and early in the game!' 

I know he has said a lot of funny things lately, but I just can't ever remember them.

Buttons and Yard Work

One morning I came down the hallway to find Andrew literally climbing the shelves in the pantry. 

"I can do it all by my own."  I love that he still says that. He's getting the hang of buttons on shirts and pants, and is always so proud of himself even if it takes longer than he wants it to. I remind him that some buttons are still hard for me, and it's okay to ask for help anytime.

Tuesday daddy showed him how to weed the garden. He came in asking for some gloves and sunglasses. Then when daddy had the weedwacker going, I came out to find Andrew with his rain boots and sunglasses on pushing his pretend lawn mower around the garden beds.  Then he got his tiny wheelbarrow out and put grass clippings in it and pushed it to the garage. He saw me with the camera and stopped to tell me that it hurt his back to push that tiny wheel barrow.

He's been lazy about helping keep the house clean lately. He'll pull out something with a ton of pieces to it, leave it out and get something else out.  But then if I ask him to pick it up he says, "I'm not done with it yet" and will sit down and play for a minute.


Andrew put on a hand-me-down superman shirt.
I asked, "Are you going to be Superman today?"
He said, "No. That's pretend. I'm just a guy."


He has heard other people tell him "You're so smart!" a lot lately. I try not to tell him that (though sometimes I tell him to BE smart!)  This week he's started telling me, "I'm smart!"

Friday afternoon he pulled out the tennis rackets and asked to play Tennis.  We actually ended up playing baseball using the tennis racket as a bat, and a soft mini football and soft mini water volleyball as the baseballs.  He did alright!  We all had fun playing as a family. 

Saturday we had friends over. There were four kids. Andrew and Delilah (both turn 4 in September), and then Samantha who will be 6 in August, and Alexis who is 8.  The pool was open but the water still cold. It didn't stop them. We let Andrew get in with his life vest, and let Delilah use last years vest. Sam could doggie paddle a short distance and Alexis could swim but not touch the bottom. All of us moms were on the sideline stressing that at some point one of us would have to jump in for something. We had a few close calls. At one point, Delilah and Andrew were swimming side by side and she grabbed onto Andrew and pushed him under for a moment. He swallowed some water and fortunately was in arms reach of Alexis who was on the ladder. Shawna was able to pull him out of the water and I had him catch his breathe before letting him back in.  Later Delilah had it out with an inner-tube and thankfully was able to keep her head above water and got the tube off her head;  we didn't have to jump in. We decided to pull them all out after that and have dinner. Andrew was shivering in the pool anyway and was practically stuttering when I was changing him into warm play clothes.  They all played really well together and had a great evening. The guys played football, and us moms got to just sit and visit for a good while. Very pleasant pre-anniversary dinner for us.

Sunday on the way to meeting, he asked us if we could buy a clock that dings. Ted said something about a cuckoo clock and Andrew then asked if we could get a cuckoo clock. We asked why and he said, "Because they're cool and they're not too loud."  I told him when he can always tell time on that kind of clock - we will consider it.  I said something about him having to learn how to count by 5's first. Then he said, "5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 .... 60!"  I told him he almost had it and corrected him. He filled in those numbers and said, "See! I can tell time on a clock!" 
We went to the morning meeting so we could all have naps. Then we had Linda Vaal come over and babysit so Ted and I could go out to dinner together alone. They had a great time together and we got home just in time to get him tucked in as he was in bed telling Linda "I want my mommy"

Sunday he told me in the bathroom - "you don't have to tuck in my shirt. I can do it by my self." It's the first time he's said 'my self' instead of 'my own'

Florida Vacation

Friday May 10th, we packed up the car and headed off toward Florida. We drove a little more than halfway and stopped for the night. There was some sort of fishing evening going on in the area and we got the LAST hotel that even had a room. They had 14 rooms left when we checked in. Whew!

Saturday he enjoyed waffles and fresh fruit for breakfast then we left our hotel in Alabama to venture to Florida. Our gps and maps got confusing and we ended up taking routes that were probably much longer than they should have been - but the roads were nice and the drive was nice. The only problem was there were NO towns or places to stop most of that way. Andrew announced he needed to go potty and we finally found a small section of road with a shoulder, but Andrew said he didn't need to pee. Thankfully a few more miles up was a tiny gas station with a clean bathroom. I was a little worried when Andrew started chanting "I gotta go, I gotta go! I really gotta go!"  He was such a champ. A talkative one, but he really was great.  We ended up going straight to an acquaintance's house in Santa Rosa Beach where we were going to play for a bit and then have an early dinner and still be able to find our hotel (and hour away still) in daylight. Well, things didn't work out that way because the dad had to work and it got messed up so he didn't get home until 5.  Andrew enjoyed playing with their Kindergartner son and 19mo old girl. Though he got overwhelmed several times too and asked if we could go. He was a trooper, and very kind and considerate despite some of the chaos. The other boy kept trying to dress Andrew up in super-hero costumes which he thought was fun at first, but not for long. He bailed and decided to play with the toddler toys for a bit which really frustrated the other boy.
  We went to a hibachi sushi place for dinner. He ordered a Hawaii roll that had shrimp, mango, and avocado in it. He was awesome and so agreeable and well behaved.  He ate the entire roll himself with his chopsticks, never complained. I was so proud of him. The boy gave Andrew a toy Hulk at his house, and then after we were in the car ready to drive away he asks, "Am I really going to keep Hulk?"  I said, "i guess so" but then the mom appeared and said the other kid was flipping out wanting it back now. He was awesome about giving the toy back too.
   We eventually got to our resort. We went out on the balcony and he saw the pools and asked if we could check them out after breakfast. He's so excited to see the beach too. We soon got him settled in his king sized bed. He was crying three times. The first time it was the light on the fire alarm that scared him. The second time he thought he'd lost his blankets. Not sure of the third, but he slept til almost 8:30am!!
   Sunday morning we headed to a store to get beach toys, then went to a local place for breakfast - it was fabulous. We had to wait a bit for a table, but it was worth it. A quick jaunt through a grocery store and back to the resort. We let Andrew play in the pool for an hour (and try shuffle board, the splash pad, and playground), he had a snack on the balcony in the nude, and then we all took a nap. He thought it was neat that I let him nap naked. That was a first. Then it was off to the beach!!  He was really excited to use his new shovel to dig in the sand, but we left the buckets in the car and he kept telling me he needed them. next time.  Once we introduced him to the waves, he enjoyed jumping in them and screaming a lot. More than once he just took off running down the beach and daddy had to chase after him!  We were probably there for an hour before it was just getting too cool and windy and time to eat. As soon as we got in the car he was begging for a chance to go back to the pool after dinner. His incessant inquisition of what we will do next is overwhelming - I wish he'd stop worrying about what comes next, or which way do we need to turn, or what time is it, etc. Just enjoy now! 
 We made sandwiches for dinner, and then daddy agreed to take him down to the hot tubs for a little while before bed.

Monday - May 13 - Andrew doesn't know a stranger.  Everywhere we go, he adopts someone to play with or talk to. He'll tell them anything they want to know.  Yesterday at the grocery store, in the check out line, he was sitting in the rocket ship grocery cart waiting for us to pay. An older gentleman behind us went "beep beep!" and Andrew tuned in and started playing with him. They are visiting from Kentucky (and Andrew told him Kentucky is right above TN) and  Andrew told him we were from Nashville. They talked about some other random things.  This morning we went to the orientation at the resort just to see what merchants would show up (we were interested in Shell Island tours). Andrew chats with one for a while, then when other folks show up and sit down - he just sat down next to an older couple and started talking like they were long lost friends. They too were from Kentucky. I didn't catch much of the conversation because I was across the room observing. It just seems that everywhere we go - he finds someone else to talk to.
  After some time playing shuffle board and basket ball with daddy, and some lunch, we headed off to take a boat tour of Shell Island (which by the way is where part of Secondhand Lions was filmed!) and searching for Dolphins.  It was his first time on a boat. As soon as it left the Marina, they gave us cheetos to feed the seagulls. Even Andrew held his arm out and waited for a seagull to take it out of his hand. I ended up having to hold him so he could reach farther - but it was pretty cool! He also enjoyed just throwing pieces off the side and watching them all dive for them.  When we reached Shell Island, it was a beautiful beach. He liked sliding down the dunes, and scraping the sand and throwing it, running in and out of the shallow waves, and collecting shells. He went for the super big ones even though they were broken.
  After an hour on the beach, we were walking on a boardwalk back to the boat and saw a live crab catching some dinner. Andrew had been telling everyone that we might get to see a crab at the beach - now he can say he did. Next we were off to see dolphins. We found a big pod of them and even got to get close and also see a baby. That was pretty exciting for all of us. He got to pet a horseshoe crab twice too on the boat. It scared him the first time, but he laughed the second time. On the way back to the Marina, he pranced all around the bottom level of the boat and pretended to be a waiter serving us food he was collecting off the murals. Oh - and he got to drive the boat for a couple of minutes too, and blow the horn! The captain was super nice.
  After dinner, we stopped at a local playground and let him play for a bit, then went to the resort and got in the hot tub. We started trying to teach him to swim yesterday, and today he got a little farther. We put him in his life jacket and that helped him stay afloat.  Oh, yesterday he was running into the pool and tripped and went under. Daddy pulled him up and surprisingly Andrew didn't cough and gag... he held his breath when he went under!  Tonight, I told him he could jump in and I could catch him, but a couple of times he plunged under. I think he got water in his mouth just once or twice but didn't swallow or choke. I was proud of him. And - with the help of his life jacket, he did swim across the hot tub without either of us holding on to him, though he didn't know that.

Tuesday May 14 - We had a lazy start to the morning. He got to watch some of the movie Robots while mommy rested a little longer after breakfast. Then it was off to Pier Park. It's really a cute shopping strip but there is a kids carnival there too. He got to do some bungee jumping on a trampoline (he was in a harness). He LOVED it at first, but soon he felt like he was jumping too high, and a few minutes later said he was done.  Then he climbed a high netted tower. The rides weren't open yet, so we went and ate some lunch and explored a couple of shops before returning to the rides. We bought him a wrist band for unlimited rides and were there for a while. We went for ice cream and came back for more rides. He really liked the Scrambler which spun really fast (Ted said he squealed with delight and was practically drooling he was laughing so much), the ferris wheel, and some cars that look like old fashioned pedal cars that just go in a circle. But he also liked the Merry Go Round and some planes and hot air balloon ride, oh and a giant bounce pillow that you just jump on.  He made several little friends there - even a 3 year old girl who talks just as much as he does! Her parents said "she doesn't know a stranger" lol  Sound familiar? 
Andrew was very polite today. After every ride, he told the operator, "Thank you for the ride!" And he was good about asking to go someplace or do something before running off to do it himself.
     And, we also got to take a mini train ride through town too. We all three crammed into one little car, but he had fun waving to everyone on the sidewalks. We could always tell when someone else smiled or waved back because his face just lit up with pleasure.
     We went back to the resort and got in the pool and hot tub. We got him to swim on his own!! (with his life vest on)  I had to get a little forceful with him, but it worked. Ted and I were about 4 feet away from each other by the end and he swam back and forth to us voluntarily.  We were proud of him for finally trying, and he was proud of his success too.

Wednesday May 15 - We started off the morning playing a bridge design and construction game on his ipad while daddy slept in. After everyone had breakfast, it was off to the pool. He and daddy played at the pool pretty much all day. This morning he was charming several older women and showing off his newfound swimming skills. Daddy said Andrew used his knees as a launching pad and would jump off and his face went underwater 5-6 times and he laughed instead of freaked out.  They had hotdogs by the pool for lunch and then it was nap time. I was feeling rough so I stole Andrew's room (quieter) and made him his own comforter and pillow bed on the floor in our room. When they got up, it was back down to the pool.  I brought them frozen juice pops and let daddy have a break. More than one person said how well behaved and sweet Andrew is, and that we are really good parents. We played on the playground for a little while. He pretended it was a train and he was the conductor. He also liked climbing and swinging from anything he could hang on. He saw two older ones playing shuffleboard and kept cheering them on. He made a friend with a five year old and we all played until I got too cold to stay in the water. He enjoyed swimming all over the pool (with his life vest on of course) and added swimming on his back and twirling in circles today. He also was willing to slide off the edge of the pool into the water and allow his face to go under. he was pretty proud of that. (one of his hesitations to learning to swim was he didn't want to get water up his nose) After showering, we were getting ready and he pulled the cushions out from under the comforter/bed I'd made him and used them as lily pads and he was the frog jumping from pad to pad.  He sure is a good jumper.  We got cleaned up and went to a dinner buffet where we tried tender crab legs and cheese grits for the first time (not together). He didn't really care for their crab cakes, but he did ask for seconds of green beans, corn, and macaroni. I was surprised he didn't eat a mountain of shrimp... maybe he is over the shrimp phase.  At dinner, he randomly asked, "When someone stole daddy's trailer, did it make Satan happy?"  He comes up with those kinds of questions just out of the blue - I love that he thinks so much. 
He was sitting next to me while I typed this and got all concerned, "Who stole Andrew's room quieter?!" 

Thursday May 16 - During another lazy start to the day, we made reservations to take Andrew on the Pirate Ship tour. It only departed at 1. We killed a little time in a couple local shops and then went to the boat. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and boarded the ship. Andrew was really excited. While we were buying our tickets he saw the pirate gear you could buy and asked if he could be a pirate. The boat tour was two hours long and definitely catered to the kids. They introduced the crew members and the 'meanest one of all' was 'Wench Midnight Amanda."  Andrew looked up at me and asked, "is that you mommy?"  They had a running agenda of games and activities involving all the kids. They pulled out water guns and had a water war (Andrew couldn't believe he was getting to use a gun and get away with it!) oh - and during that water fight, he turned around and another woman was bent over her child and her rear was right at his level... he smirked, aimed, and fired!  They had sword fighting... one of the pirates was sword playing with him and said, 'hey, you're shoes are untied'  Andrew looked down and the pirate poked him in the belly. Andrew laughed, but after that he was doing it to everyone else. I was playing with him and he sliced my toes and said, "Your toes are broken!"  They had the boys get mops and pretend to wash the floor, then they got their faces painted and got pirate hats. Andrew was happy to have a big curly mustache, but his hat did not want to stay on after a little while of running around. I was trying to fix his hat and he very seriously told me, "Don't mess with the mustache." They pulled out tamborines and had a conga line dance, as well as a limbo. They did the chicken dance too, and at some point the captain said something about getting in the pirate spirit and Andrew started yelling, "Arrrrr, Arrrr" They got to fire a toy cannon by hitting a knob with a hammer which resulted in hacky-sack style cannon balls to go flying out of the cannon. They also went on a treasure hunt and helped pull a treasure box out of the water, and then got to pick out three treasures (little toys) and for not being greedy they got a pack of smarties candy. He didnt like those, so I pulled out a package of gummy worms from our bag and we went inside and had a snack and some water. It was his first time having gummy worms. Before seeing them he said, "Are they real? Are they cooked??" He enjoyed the treat. Then they gave him another treasure - a necklace to wear. We bought each of us a pirate bandana - Andrew looked so cute in the red bandana cap and his painted mustache.  The rest of the afternoon, he kept singing some pirate song and when people would ask him, "are you a pirate?" he would smile and then yell "Arrrrrr"  He got a kick out of it.
When we were pulling into port on the Pirate Ship... Andrew asked if he could stay on the ship and be a pirate.

After that adventure, we went to a store that among other things, sells chocolate pasta. While there we tasted flavored vinegars and dressings. It was pretty cool. Andrew liked two of them, but the rest I'd ask if he thought he'd like them on food, he'd say, "Uhm... not really."  They had a dog named Lucy in the back and he got to pet her and enjoyed that.

He got to try fresh lobster bisque at dinner and ate most of my bowl of it. He got a lot of smiles from other customers as he sat in his seat singing about being a pirate.

After dinner we stopped at the park down the road from the hotel. There were a couple of girls there on the swings. They asked if he knew how to swing and he said no. They gave him one push and he was swinging all on his own after that - the girls thought that he just all of a sudden learned from them. lol  He was hamming it up with them trying to be silly and make them laugh.

At the end of the day he was in the bathtub and started crying. He asked, "can we just go back home to Tennessee, can we? I miss home."  I asked him what he missed and he said something about all his toys and something else and started crying harder. My baby is homesick!!

 Friday May 17 - Friday, he woke up cheerful and did a lot of math on his ipad (by choice) while he waited for me to wake up. He decided this morning it was okay to go to the beach. We planned to just stay a couple of hours, and then come back for lunch and nap and then play at the pool. Well, we ended up staying at the beach. Right off the bat, another 3 year old came over asking if he could play with Andrew. I ended up being the primary watchdog over both of them as they ran in and out of the waves collecting water and sand, and building sand castles on the beach, and filling buckets with water and sand. They had a wonderful time together. or andrew's new word: glorious. I dont know what the other boy said, but Andrew replied, "I know! Isn't it glorious!?"  I think he was talking about a shovel.  We ate lunch at Schooners right there on the beach, and then continued to play for a while. We apparently had all the right toys because we ended up with 4 little munchkins playing together in our spot. They were all good.  Twice he got buried in the sand. Daddy dug a deep hole and buried him up to the waist, then up to his armpits. That time, he nearly got stuck in the sand. Daddy tried pulling him out and had to dig him out! But Andrew didn't freak out. he started to, but kept it together. 
  Ted went off swimming past the waves. Andrew saw him and got concerned, "Is that my daddy? Is he okay?"  Daddy got stung by an electric eel, and caught a lot of pretty shells only to discover creatures were still living in them.  Oh we also got to see a tiny baby lobster, or something that looked like one anyway. And clams that were spitting stuff out of the shells.
 He didn't want to leave the beach. We told him we'd go to the pool once it was shaded as we got way too much sun today. For the next three hours he was asking if it was time yet to go to the pool. He played with his monster trucks, and we gave him some ice cream to hold him over. After dinner, we went down to swim one last time. yet again, he was charming the older ladies in the pool. They told me what a sweet and polite little boy we have. They seemed to enjoy him. We also played a few rounds of corn hole. He got a little upset when we were trying to get his sandals back on and I said, "Somebody's tired." He blurted out in a pitiful voice, "Me!"  When we got to the room he started holding back tears asking if we were going back to Tennessee. This time he didn't want to.  I bribed him to take a shower and get into jammies by offering him some m&ms and chocolate milk when he was done. That prevented a melt down and then he brushed teeth and went to bed easy. 

Saturday May 18 - we finished packing up and headed home. I don't think we would have made it if we didn't have dvd players for him. He watched Monsters,Inc, Kipper a few times, and a couple Leap Frog videos. But the entire time he was still asking, "What road are we on?" "Are we still in Florida?" "Is this Alabama, are we in Spring Hill yet?" "Can we go somewhere to play?"   And all the way home he was saying "I'm still hungry" though he'd been eating plenty of snacks, had a big breakfast, and an early lunch.  At one potty break we decided to go through a neat car wash. He enjoyed that, especially with a moon roof! We got out at one rest stop 2 hours from home and let him run a little bit. There were no decent places to stop and eat dinner so we managed to get all the way back to Spring Hill.  Our cat-sitter Miranda joined us at Olive Garden and we had a nice dinner and visit. He was SO happy to be home!! He ran to his room and checked all of his toys, then he was bouncing all around the house and happy to see Flash.

Sunday morning he was still up early and played with his Legos for a long time. Helped me make smoothies for breakfast and chased Flash all over the house. He's still working through his toys.