Camp-out

Tonight Pete and I are going on a "Daddy Son Camp Out". We don't know anyone else in the group, but it should be fun. To get in the spirit, below is a picture from one of our previous camping trips. Somehow, we haven't gone camping yet this year. I guess time flies when you move to a new house with two kids. We can still try to go again in October.

The Reason We Can Only Go To The Playground At 3am Or When It Is Raining

This is what happens when we go to the playground:

1. Pete slides down slide
2. Pete swings on swing
3. Pete climbs in equipment
4. Pete gets bored
5. Pete climbs up slide
6. Pete scales outside of slide framework
7. Pete scales swing assembly
8. Pete climbs on and around equipment
9. Other kids copy Pete
10. Parents give me dirty looks

Example: Pete standing on top of something he
should be crawling through --->

Bluemont Festival

We had fun at the festival in Bluemont. It is out west by the Shenandoah River. In the picture, Pete and Sam are playing with a contraption where you make music by hitting various objects with sticks. Sam liked this a lot. He played with it while Pete went to get his face painted with a bat. Some other things we did were climb on hay bales, throw beanbags, pet some animals, get balloons, see an old jazz band, walk through a caboose, play at the playground, visit the beekeeper booth, and get lemonade to benefit Katrina victims. Also, Sam started a rock collection in his stroller. Next year we will bring the wagon because there is a lot of walking.

Pete Likes Packages

Last weekend, Christy told Pete that there was something for him on the front porch. So he ran off. After a few minutes, I noticed it was quiet so I went to look for Pete. Here is what I found on the front porch.

Sam Ready for School

One evening last week Sam put on Pete's backpack and headed out the front door. We figured out that he was walking towards the bus stop. So we walked him to "the bus".

Lime

If someone tells you that Pete doesn't like to eat anything except pizza, that is not entirely true. He also likes limes.

Sam's Activity Names

Sam determines his own names to represent certain activities.

Recently we were playing Monopoly Jr. on the computer. There is an alligator in the game somewhere, because whenever we say "alligator" he runs over to the computer. And when he sees us playing the game, he says alligator ("ab-bluh").

Similarly, there is a character in Mortal Kombat 4 called Jax. So when we start walking down to the basement, Sam will say "Jax". That is his name for the game. And when we play the game, he points to the screen and says "Jax". Note, this game is not at all appropriate for children. If you find yourself getting punched or kicked by Pete, please note that I accept full responsibility and you can send me your medical bills.

Sam also likes anything with a hole. He will point to a hole and say "hole". Sometimes he says "hole" and you have to look at the object or landmark for a while to figure out where the hole is. I think in some cases, when there is no obvious hole, he is most likely referring to the holes in the porous membranes at the cellular level.

Mad Libs

Sometimes Pete is unpredictable, but not always.

For example, if you are doing Mad Libs and it asks for an article of clothing, he will always choose "underpants".

Walk by the Pond

Pete and I went for a walk one night by a local pond. We drove around to look for a fun place, and found a secluded pond in one of the places in Northern Virginia where they haven't built houses yet. Our loose objective was to go talk to the geese, or at a minimum convince them to go into the water. First we found some good feathers to bring home to mom. Then we traversed a few dangerous embankments to the far side of the pond. Pete saw a snake. He leaned down to pick it up, but it slithered away.

Me: Pete, you can't pick up a snake. It could be poisonous.
Pete: He's not poisonous, he's just shy.

We found a good piece of string on the way back to the car. We held the string between us, so Pete could pull on the string, if necessary. This was the system:

1 pull: stop walking
2 pulls: desperate emergency
3 pulls: Pete has a question

This was not the greatest system, since every time Pete had a question I was worried that it was a desperate emergency during the time between the second and third pulls.

We found a good pile of trash on the way back to the car. This was good, since we found a few more things to bring home for mom and Sam, such as a piece of red ribbon and some wood for a shelf.

Pete Logic

Breakfast conversation (7:00am):

Me: Pete, why are you banging on your head?
Pete: I'm waking my brain up
Me: Well, let me check if it is up
Pete: ok
Me: What is 3 + 9 ?
Pete: 12
Me: That's pretty good. How did you know that?
Pete: Well, 3 plus 10 is 13, so it's one less than that.

Figuring Out Words

Sam is at the point where he is trying
to communiicate with some words.
The way it works is, he says a "word"
and then you have to try to figure
out what it is.

Here is a sample conversation:
Sam: "da-zzj"
Me: "you would like a donut?"
Sam: "da-thj"
Me: "you want to dance"
Sam: "du-shz"
Me: "Fascism?"
Sam: "da-szjz"
Me: "you want to go downstairs?"
(Sam laughs)

When he laughs, it means you got it right.
Now it is time to start over with another word.

Sam and Friend

What is the difference between Sam and Chuck E. Cheese?

One is a wide-eyed character who likes cheese and thinks he can drive, and the other is a mouse.

Go Eagles

Tonight is the Eagles season opener. Better post some pictures for good luck.

A Break for Mom and Dad

Somehow we managed to get Sam into a swing and convince Pete to push him. So mom and dad get a 3 minute break until Pete pushes too hard and Sam kicks him in the head.

Ice Cream Shop

Pete likes to set up an imaginary ice cream shop at any playground with one of those little openings. Lately he has hired a new employee, Sam. When we took this picture, he had a special going with free toppings. Also, if you come back the next day with a coupon, you can get unlimited free ice cream and toppings. One thing I noticed is that he charges his family more than he charges complete strangers. We will have to clarify this policy with him.

Note in the picture, Sam punching in numbers on the imaginary cash register.

Brave Sam

Sam is getting brave with his activities. This is because he likes to do whatever Pete does.

Saturday he tried skateboarding, biking, and climbing the tree.

Popsicle

A conversation I had with Pete yesterday:

Pete: I want dessert
Me: Ok, while mom and I are eating dinner you can have a popsicle
-- pause --
Pete: I'm sorry you're not feeling well
Me: What?
Pete: Think about it
Me: I don't get it. Just tell me.
Pete: You said Pop sick ill

Sam Vocabulary Update

Sam will be 21 months on Sunday. He is doing pretty well with his words. He likes to point to balls and say the color. He can do purple, red, blue, and orange. Plus a few others not as clearly. Yesterday he went to Home Depot so he got a lot of practice with "orange". He's at the age where pretty soon Pete will know exactly what he is saying, but everyone else will be scratching their head.

He likes to say goodbye to things. When I came home from work, I gave him a kiss. I usually give him a kiss in the morning, so he said "bye bye". Then after he finished his dinner, he pointed to his plate and said "bye bye pizza".

Tree Climbing

Pete has figured out that he likes to climb the plum tree in the front yard.

Sam's not such a good climber. He sits at the base of the tree with some objects to keep him company and waits for Pete to come down.

Actually, Sam hasn't even figured out yet how to climb out of his crib. Pete was an early climber. One morning when Pete was about 18 months we heard some noises on the monitor that were gradually becoming more distant. Pete had climbed out of the crib, opened his door, and was working his way down to the basement (where we found him). Hopefully Sam is not reading this and getting ideas.