He Loves Two Things: Bananas & the Outdoors

A couple of quick things. First, Wendy called while I was on the way home tonight to tell me that our Little Guy was sitting in his high chair eating his dinner when he looked over at the bananas, pointed, and said, "na-na." Brilliant.

Second, my son's love for the outdoors never ceases to amaze me. I'm so thankful that he wants to be outside playing rather than sitting in front of the TV. When I got home this evening he was playing with his mommy in the den and I said, "Come here and give daddy some hugs." No response. I knelt down, opened my arms, and said again, "Come give daddy hugs." He looked at me briefly then turned back to his toys. Finally I said, "You wanna go outside and look at the moon?" He immediately stood up, walked over to me, arms outstretched.

I bundled him up in his coat and the two of us went out to the driveway to look up at the moon. He opened up his mouth wide and pointed. I showed him the stars and he pointed at those. Then he saw our dog Samson sticking his nose under the gate, so we had to go over and pet the dog. Then, after a few minutes I made the mistake of taking him back inside. He cried and cried because he couldn't play outside anymore. I can't wait until it gets a little warmer so we can keep him out longer.

Little Explorer

Wendy and I had an incredible afternoon today with our little boy. After his afternoon nap (which lasted about 2 hours today), we put on his coat and took him over to The Preserve, a very nice subdivision just behind our house. There they have a small park with a playground, pavilion, and a large open grassy area.

When we parked the car, our Little Guy was desperate to get out and start exploring. He loves being outside, which is why I was so grateful that the temperature today was a bit warmer. It afforded us more time to be outside with him. He walked through the natural areas, kicking up leaves and picking up pine cones, then made his way into the grassy field where he ran around and looked up at airplanes passing overhead.

Since The Preserve was built Wendy and I have spent several evenings just walking together, musing about the days when we would bring our child over to that neighborhood to play. And to see that dream become a reality today was a very proud moment for me as a father.

Today our little man was off his schedule a bit, but since it was warmer we were able to get him outside for a little bit. He loved it. He always enjoys playing outside. Then it was off to Costco for a MAJOR grocery run. Phoenix actually did good riding in the buggy. Usually he's trying to climb out. In the frozen section he loved opening and closing the doors. He was so proud that he was able to do it. I think the time outside today really lifted his spirits. He just hadn't been himself until we got him out of the house. Of course when we got him back home he was completely wired. Keeping up with this kid is a two person job. I'm just glad he doesn't have a twin.

The Yeah Yeah's

So, this past Sunday morning I'm sitting in the recliner, giving the Little Guy is milk. We're both watching "My Friends Tigger & Pooh" on Playhouse Disney (Is it bad when you actually start liking these shows?). Anyway, the little elephant Lumpy comes on screen and my son lowers his sippy cup and flashes this enormous smile.

"Do you like Lumpy?" I asked.

"Yeah," he responds.

I do a double take. What? I thought. Did he just respond to my question? So I ask him again. And again he says "Yeah." My jaw dropped. I was so excited. Apparently my little boy was too, because since then he's been running around everywhere saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Sunday afternoon he even stretched it out and it sounded more like a cheer, "Yeaahhhhhhhhhh!!" He's pretty pumped.

The Video Blog That Might Have Been

I'm sure all of our loyal readers are wondering where we have been over the past couple of weeks. One word: Christmas. The holidays certainly can take a lot out of you, especially when you have a one year old in tow. But don't worry, Wendy will soon be posting some photos of this year's Christmas season, along with a complete recap. I did want to take a moment and share a very brief video with you.

Since purchasing our laptop a few months ago, I've been having fun recording short videos of me and the Little Guy with our webcam. I'll just email the videos to my parents so they can have additional keepsakes in their grandparents brag book. When our son was a little younger it was much easier to hold him in front of the camera to record these videos. Now that he is one, he has more important things to do than sit and produce a video blog. So enjoy this little tidbit of an episode that could have been.