Time Out

How many times in a day is too many times to put a child in time out? Just curious.

Daddy Day at the Dollar Tree

On Wednesday Nathan threw up as we were turning onto the babysitter's road. (Examining what I had to clean up I think Nathan had swallowed a whole Life Saver and that was the cause of his problem). I had stayed up until 3 the night before working on my LifeWay deadline so I was ready to go back home and get some sleep. Instead I went back home to clean him up and hose off the car seat. Then I had to entertain him until Meredith got home at 12:00. No nap, just more fun times with Nathan.

So he and I went to Dollar Tree. I needed to get some safety goggles for something at church and Nathan ended up with a couple of toys. There is nothing better than a toy that costs a dollar that he likes so much that he sleeps with it that night. Below you will see pictures with him and his magnifying glass. He likes to look through it and search for clues (Blues Clues style) and use it for experiments.

The other picture is of lunch on Wednesday. He saw the safety goggles and wouldn't eat until I let him wear his "wobble goggles." The things that you do when you are a dad of a 2 year old.

Pirate Ship

Nathan and I have spent a bunch of time together this week. So I have been having fun taking pictures of my rapidly growing boy. I have to say that being a dad of a kid who can play pretend and catch a football is a grand experience.

On Tuesday we went to Wal-Mart and I told him that we couldn't pay for anything, but we could only look. Well, when we got in the store there was a Mega Block viking ship that normally was around $30 but was on sale for just seven dollars. Immediately Nathan was saying "I wanna pay for the pirate ship." I thought it would be a good thing to have, but I didn't want to break my earlier rule. So we went home shipless.

After supper Meredith was going to Ladies' Night Out, so she suggested I run by the store real quick and get the ship. I was very agreeable to that option. What I didn't realize was just how many pieces this ship had, and that Mega Blocks sure ain't Legos. They just don't snap together as well.

So I spent over an hour putting this ship together. Nathan alternated between playing with the sea creature and the knights, watching Mary Poppins, and taking apart what I had already built. When it was finished I was quite proud, though. The little guys even row the ship when you press a button. How cool is that!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's is a week long celebration around here. Nathan started receiving Valentine treats at Keenagers on Tuesday. He loves to eat lunch with the senior adults at church and has started asking from time to time to go to Keenagers when I pick him up at Mrs. Lindsey's. Friday he came home from Mrs. Lindsey's with a Big Bird valentine cupcake and valentine treat bags from some of his daycare buddies. I didn't realize two years old traded valentines yet. Next year I'll know. Saturday he also got a valentine treat from Mom and Dad. While I got to take a mid-morning nap Nathan and Shane worked together making me a precious valentine's day card. That in itself made my valentine's day.

Imagination Movers

This weekend we got to go spend a few days with my family while Shane was in Nashville and then on Saturday we got to see some of his family in Birmingham. The Yates got tickets with us to see the Disney Imagination Movers at the Alabama Theater. We all had fun seeing the show together. Nathan was a little skiddish about it being dark and being loud during the show so we didn't get to see all of it but it was still fun and exciting for all, even us parents. Thanks to Sumer for the pictures because crazy me didn't pack our camera for the trip.

Sumer, Caleb and Silas

Nathan jumping with the Movers during the first song.

We had great seats, third or fourth row!

After the show we had two of Mover Rich. He's the favorite of both of these guys.

Mover Rich playing his drums on our bed. He was so excited he slept in his Mover shirt and then wanted to wear it to church the next day.

A Sweet Treat

Last Monday on Shane's day off I came home from work and my two boys had made me a special surprise treat. It's the homemade gifts that are the most precious.

Playing in the Park

While in Albany we also got to play at this amazing park just right down the street from the aquarium. Nathan and I climbed on top of a HUGE turtle. And then we got to walk across the big alligator's back. They had a huge climbing area and several big xylophones you could play.
We're going to go back to Albany one day just to play on the big playground.







































Around their town they have all these cute painted turtle statues. Kind of like in Dothan they have painted peanut statues everywhere. Of course we haven't stopped to pose with a peanut yet. Hmmm.

Flint Riverquarium

Saturday morning we went for a family outing to a nearby aquarium in Albany, GA we recently found out about. Early that morning I asked Nathan if he wanted to go on a trip and see some fish and he said "Yes, and I'm going to get my fishing pole!" Well, we didn't catch any fish but we did have lots of fun. In the first picture Nathan is waving to the fish in the tank. He loved the aquarium literally running from one exhibit to the next. They had several things for children including a tunnel crawl built into a big rock wall that had small aquariums built in there. The big water fountain outside was a big hit and another favorite was feeding the catfish. The aquarium was no where near Atlanta or Chatanooga size but perfect for a 2 1/2 yr old and a $6 entrance fee.

Happy Birthday Cars

One afternoon this week I caught Nathan singing "Happy Birthday" to one of his cars. So we went all out with it and had a birthday party for all the cars complete with a birthday cookie and party hats. I remember my mom having a birthday party with me and my sister for our Cabbage Patch dolls. I guess a cars party is the boy version.