Quitters and birthdays

This post is a hodgepodge of the last few months...

So, we're quitters.  We quit school.  Kai is getting his preschool GED.  That no nap thing was killing us.  It didn't just make for a miserable school experience; it made for a miserable week because there was just no way he could catch up.  So, we gave it up.  Just like that, we traded in the Cars backpack for the ride to Nana's.  We handed off the Jesus stories for stolen cookies in mid-afternoon.  We figure he'll catch up...someday...haha.  In the meantime, we went to Michigan.

 He loved the water and the sand.  The water is actually blue, but Instagram makes it look dirty brown like Tennessee..

 Mom and Dad went with us.

 First time on the big boy swing.  He did great. 

 On the shores of Lake Michigan...

I'm one lucky girl.

 Kai loved it so much that he is currently researching his real estate options.  Given the misery that was the twelve hour ride that delivered us to and fro, that might be a good choice on his part.  We do not typically give in to the day time pacifier, but it is the only thing that kept us sane.

His star power shines so brightly that he has to rock shades at night.  Hater blockers, you know?

We are celebrating his birthday tomorrow.  He is turning two next Friday, but we figure he doesn't know the difference, and he's coming out on the better end anyway.  He is passionate about a lot of things, but eating STILL tops the list.  His devotion to it is rather exhausting, and I fear for his waist line, but so far, so good.  He loves cars, books, and "Eldie and Jacks."  He also loves his Nan and Pop, Mimi and Hee (Lee).  To be fair, he loves my mom's dogs more than he loves ours.  In his mind, they exist solely to occupy him.  He is getting better at church nursery; he's made it through two consecutive Sundays.  He loves to dance.  His perseverance is one of the most frustrating things about him, but I think, ultimately, it will serve him well.  He has the memory of an elephant, and he worships his dad.  He is obsessive about the way his clothes feel.  There is a certain comfort level that must be maintained at all times, and if it isn't, we hear about it.  One of the most incredible things about him is his empathy.  He is a very caring kid.  My grandmother is older, and he is her guardian.  He will race to her side to assist her as she walks.  He will remind my mom not to leave her (and, gosh, that is a tough job...haha...).  However, in the same breath, I have to say he is one of the most stubborn people I know.  There are some battles you just can't win with him, and I can't believe those words are coming out of my mouth.  He's two, I should reign supreme, right?  Sometimes it just isn't worth it, and I am trying to roll with the punches.  He will get down on his hands and knees to clean up spilled ice from the ice maker.  He will pick up all the shoes in the house, and he closes drawers.  He also pours out every toy from the toy bin and walks away without a backward glance.  He is a perfect mixture of infuriating and take-your-breath sweet.  He knows how to exploit a situation. He bats those eyelashes like he was born to do it.  I think the hardest thing about him is that he comes by all his "flaws" so honestly, and it's tough to have such an accurate little mirror.  How did that happen?  How did he get so frustrating...haha...?  Here's to a great two years (minus those first three months... :))!

Thinking about Thursdays

Today is the last Thursday of summer for me. It is the last Thursday of lazy mornings with Kai, the last Thursday of lunches with Clint. It is the last Thursday of having total freedom to watch Kai change, and it is something that I am struggling to see go. More daunting is that in two Thursdays, Kai will venture off into the world of story time and playgrounds, snack time and lunchboxes, a backpack of his own. He chose it you know. We went to Target, and he weighed the merits of the Cars lunchbox and a Cars backpack versus the Cars combo pack that included the lunchbox AND the backpack that matched. His tiny boy hands roamed the contours of each until he decided that the combo pack was the way to go. I think it was the symmetry of everything. If he could have only known how much he would cling to that symmetry as we dropped him off into a world that he will only view as asymmetrical, I am sure there would have been no contest. The best thing for him is to start Mother's Day Out. He loves kids. He loves to interact. He will overcome the abject terror he feels when he is with adult strangers. His little face will go from suspect to joy probably by late September. It will become a favored part of his week I am sure. But on this Thursday, all I can think is that two Thursdays from now the little boy I have known won't be quite my own anymore. His horizons are broadening, and I am required to be excited for him in spite of all the rough days I know lie ahead for him. As I reflect on Thursdays, I think back on Wednesday night when we began our bedtime routine of bath, diaper, teeth, fingernails, Gabba, and cuddle. As we were lying under the "bedtime cuddle blanket" on the couch downstairs, his little hands were folded on his chest. I could see his breath going up and down, and it was a picture of perfect peace. My heart was beating so fast because I felt panicked at the prospect of anyone ever leaving him out or calling him names. I was silently begging that whomever is in charge of watching over kids in that way would see him like this and know that though he could probably handle it, his mom for certain couldn't, so to please be easy with the mean kid business. As a mom I have never felt so vulnerable in my life. It is like a kick-you-in-the-stomach kind of love, and it is terrifying. I hope he knows that. I hope he knows that dropping him off in a couple of Thursdays (which I will probably make his dad do) also elicits a terror in me. The fact that I can't protect him from every single thing is becoming more apparent. He will become someone new, and I hope it is someone happy and free spirited and caring. I hope it is those things because my hands are tied. His experiences are his own, and I just have to pray good experiences reign supreme. In ten months, as the next summer rolls around, we will be gearing up for another opportunity to know one another again he and I. I will be amazed at who he has become. Right now, though, I am a little sad for all that will go by the wayside.

Only words

I never simply post here without pictures, and sometimes I think I should. So many great things happen day to day, and I forget them almost immediately. I hate that. For instance, Kai was a handful this morning. He would allow Jackson no peace. Jackson tends to hide under the bed as a general rule because he never knows how the psycho will be on any given day. (I use the term psycho loosely for high energy, maniacal laugh). Today, as he hid under the bed, I heard a hollow thump resounding through my bedroom only to look over and see that Kai had shimmied under the bed and popped Jackson soundly on the nose with his plastic hammer. He immediately cut his eyes at me because he knows that's not okay. And he loves Jackson. After his requisite scolding, he moved on to the living room where he got eerily quiet. I crept around the corner to take a look, and he was half way up the steps playing with the light switches. Like I said, it's been a long day. The best thing about all of this is that he knew he was skating on thin ice, and he knew what to do. Right after the Jackson incident, and right before the light switch fiasco, he sidled up to me and requested a kiss. First time ever. What a Lothario.

Changes are in store...

This summer has been a blast. No two ways about it. We haven't traveled much except for work, and it has been roughly a thousand degrees every day, so we've stayed inside as much as possible. I found a really cool app for my iPhone, and I used it to manipulate some of these pictures.

Kai is turning into his dad. I sent this to Laura, and she had to ask me which one it was...

Clint found these pads at Dick's Sporting Goods, and I found them running plays...haha...

Some days the boredom got the best of him.

Other times, he did pretty well at amusing himself. He is obsessed with cars. He doesn't discriminate. While the Cars cars are nice, Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars are just as good. He has big cars and little cars. Bright cars and dull cars. Trucks and Jeeps. Like I said, he doesn't discriminate.

When the going got really tough, we let him know we were serious. If his expression doesn't scream "GUILTY" I don't know what does.

We went over to Murphy, NC to meet Brent and Laura while they were camping, and he LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the boys. It was the most precious thing I've ever seen. He wanted to hold hands with them every step of the way and follow them everywhere. They were great sports about it. Not that that is surprising.

We went to Murfreesboro with Clint for work. While he was in a conference, Kai and I toured the battlefield. They had this rock there, which Kai was convinced was placed there just for his pleasure.

One night, Clint and I had a date, and we went to The Peddler in Gatlinburg. The entire meal was incredible, but the dessert took the cake (please appreciate that pun...hahahahah). It was so incredible I felt it should be documented.

It is continually amazing to me how much joy Kai brings us every day. This summer has only reinforced that, and I am dreading going back to work in a couple of weeks. In order to twist the knife a little, we are going to visit Grace Baptist Church's Mother's Day Out program today. We really think it will be a great place for him to grow, but it is killing me to let him go. For him to come home and know things neither my mom or Clint or I taught him is a hard transition for me. And I'm a teacher. This is his first step away from us, and it terrifies me. However, every mother has to take one on the chin, and I guess that's where we are now. Wish us luck with that...haha... Some things I love about Kai:

• His passion for cars.
  
• His ability to catalog every car he has. The kid has a running list, and God forbid one be missing.
• His relationship with my dad. They adore each other. I never could have hoped for anything more.
• The fun he has with my mom. They look at each other and can't contain their laughter. What a lucky little boy.
• His two word sentences.
• The way he loves to go places. He is my son.
• The way he cuddles. It is my favorite time of day.
• The fact that he is such a boy. It seems to have come ingrained in his character.
  

This list could go one, but suffice it to say there isn't enough room. Preschool here we come...

Why am I so bad at this...

You know it's been too long when I can't even remember the original settings that I need to write the blog. I am admittedly bad at this, just like I am the baby book. In that category, I am definitely a failure...haha. The last few months have held many exciting things. Kai took his first "real" vacation, and he has grown into quite the little boy. He is talking and running, and he still eats like a horse. In fact, I think tonight we are taking him the the BBQ festival in Sevierville. The boy loves a buffet. Here's what we've been up to...

Learning the art of mischief...

And the art of displeasure... He was sitting in timeout in this picture, and he was clearly unhappy with that particular development...haha.

Nana and Poppy went with us to Disney.

Teaching him how he should one day treat his princess...

Awe inspired by Mickey...

Tricks for food...

Hanging out with Grandpa who drove down to Orlando...

Doing our best to forget the weather at home...

Kai's personality is developing in leaps and bounds, and he has a stubborn streak a mile wide. He is also one of the most loving little boys in the world. One of the cutest things he does right now is play cars so diligently. He will also sing if you tell him that "I wish I had a friend who would sing to me." It melts my heart. I can take no credit, though, my mom taught him that. How lucky we are to have her.

A tender Tennesse Christmas...and Thanksgiving...and January...

So since October, we've celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and a snowy January. Thanksgiving was a balmy seventy degrees, and Brent, Laura, the boys, and the new puppy, Wilson, were here. December was one of the coldest Decembers on record, so Kai got to see his first snow. We had a great Christmas followed by a trip to Tallahassee to spend New Year's. We made time for shopping in Orlando, and we had a BLAST. These are in no particular order because I don't have the patience for that...

His joy has a way of making even the winter months seem okay.

It was really warm on New Year's Eve at Brent and Laura's. We used the opportunity to get the required naked baby picture that will, no doubt, come back to haunt him.

To contrast the above warmth, here he is experiencing his first snow. He didn't love it. While he was fascinated, it turned out it was too cold for any true interest.

The Christmas decorations...

We got a lot of snow...

He may look a little overhwhelmed as he pushes buttons wearing one new shoe that he just opened, but it's merely an illusion. He CLEARLY loved Christmas...haha...

We started a new tradition this year, and we went to Fantasy of Trees with my parents. Because Kai loves to eat so much, his favorite section was the gingerbread house village. We just finished that tour in this picture, and he's still basking in the afterglow.

Notice the flip flops in the picture below. Little did I know that this would be the last time I would be able to consider wearing those for MONTHS.

The best part of this picture besides the obvious difficulty in getting them to look even remotely interested, is Tyler's pajamas. They had gotten into town the previous night, and Brent had to go somewhere the next day. Everybody's clothes made it out of the truck except for Tyler's. So, he wore penguin pajamas all day.

Kai's second Christmas is in the books, a success as far as I'm concerned.