Grumpy Clown Compendium

1 Year

2 Years

3 Years

4 Years

5 Years

6 Years

Pledge of Allegiance

Gabriel has been learning about the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. When we're driving around, every time he sees a flag flying in front of a business, he says, "That's the flag I'm learning about!" He's so excited to see them everywhere. Then one day he started saying the pledge, which I had no idea that he had learned. There are some creative pronunciations, but he's just about got it.

(Please excuse how dark this video is.)

These are My Ninja Skills

These are Gabriel's ninja skills. He's not a particularly quiet ninja...and he has some sort of shooting apparatus...and he's kinda, mostly falling down a lot...but it's pretty darn funny.

Climbing Trees

This was right before he got frustrated because his foot was stuck between the trunks of this tree. 

Attitude

My 3.5 year old little boy turned into a 15 year old girl this morning when he rolled his eyes at me and said, "Ugh...Fine!" And then stomped off to do as I instructed. 

Oh boy. 

Spring is Sprung!

We ventured to St. Edward's University this past weekend to get some pictures in the bluebonnets. Near the end of our visit, we chose some alternate locations on campus. Here is a sample. More to come.

Thank you, Joanah, for taking pictures for us again this year!

Where's Gabriel?

Frozen Yogurt Treat

I decided to take G for a special treat after school today. 

Too Much YouTube

Yesterday at HEB, Gabriel was shouting "If you like this video! If you like this video! If you like this video!"

My life just turned into a YouTube channel. 

Pre-Easter

Our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt today, so went over to the park and found some eggs. 

Cookie Dough

A young man in our neighborhood knocked on the door tonight with a fundraising brochure. I stepped outside to see what he was offering and to write out a check. 

While I was outside, Gabriel asked Justin what I was doing. He explained that there was someone at the door and I was helping them for a minute. 

When I came back inside, Gabriel asked me about what I was doing. I told him I was buying some cookie dough. 

Gabriel looked at Justin and said, "Cookie dough?! You didn't mention that!"

Parables

Yesterday in Sunday school, they were learning the story about when Jesus washed other's feet. Gabriel raised his hand and was called on, at which point he said, "My mommy has really stinky feet." 

Thanks, kid.

It's just that one pair of shoes...

Pearly Whites

Gabriel went back to the dentist for a routine cleaning and exam. He was in a bit of a defiant mood on the way there, so I was a little concerned about how he would behave. But he laid back and let the hygienist do a real cleaning with the spinny thing and the spit sucker straw and everything. Plus, healthy report from the dentist. Yay!

The Land Down Under

Gabriel's class has been learning about Australia.

ps-I'm sorry that your kid is not as cute as mine.

I Wish...

I wish...today was my birthday so I would be four years old.
(Sorry, not til June.)

I wish...today was not a school day.
(Thank Mother Nature and RRISD for that one tomorrow.)

I wish...we had a baby at our house.
(Daddy says no.)

I wish...I had a pillow at school for nap time.
(We can totally do that.)


Sometimes they dream big. And sometimes they just need a pillow to dream on. :)

Patterns

Gabriel has been learning a lot about patterns at school lately. It's fun when he recognizes a pattern in the real-world. :)

Today we stopped by Target after school and got a snack on our way in. We were sitting down eating some popcorn and each had a drink.

Gabriel: Mom, I'm doing a pattern. Watch. Popcorn, drink, popcorn, drink. What's your pattern?
Me: My pattern is popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, drink. Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, popcorn, drink.
G: Your pattern is a silly one.

On our way home, we talked more about patterns.

Me: What if I say meow, quack, meow, quack, meow? What comes next?
G: Quack!
Me: Yep. And what if I do quack, woof, ribbit, quack, woof, ribbit, quack?
G: Woof!
Me: Right!
G: Now I'll do a pattern. What if I say horsey, frog, mooky, coo-coo, la-la?
Me: I don't know those words.
G: Oh, that's just Spanish.

Uh huh.
Then we did one more.

Me: Ok, what if the pattern goes red, red, yellow, red, red, yellow?
G: Red, yellow, red, yellow.
Me: Listen again: red, red, yellow, red, red, yellow.
G: Blue!
Me: Who said blue? I didn't say blue in my pattern.
G: But mom, blue is a color, too.
Me: Yes, blue is a color. You're right.

And our pattern conversation was over.

Reminds Me of Another Goose Egg

This look familiar to anyone else?

Let me take you on a magical mystery tour of October 2012:

First Serious Injury

Kid has all the grace of a gangly newborn giraffe. You're welcome, child. You get that from your mom AND your dad. 

Toys

I slept in Gabriel's bed last night after he cried for me at around midnight. This is not a habit we make, but he was running a fever and wanted me to stay. When he was ALL BETTER this morning at 6:15 am, I convinced him to come with me to my bed where he could enjoy the babysitting prowess of pre-recorded television while I nodded off for a bit longer. (Thank you, DVR!) 

He asked if he could bring a few toys with him, and I agreed. He brought his goes-everywhere monkey and the small things in the picture. That rectangular thing...not even from one of his toys...we took it out of the smoke detector. 

I can't explain. 

3 1/2 Year Letter

Dear Gabriel,

Oh my son. You are smack in the middle of 3 years old and every day is a testament to it. You are hilarious and interesting and frustrating. Three. Years. Old.

You really are so fun to be with sometimes. You are smart and clever, and you say some of the funniest things. You make some of the funniest facial expressions that a person just does not expect from a preschooler. Lately, when you don't want to get ready to go to school, you tell me your back doesn't feel good. You picked that up from me this summer when I was doing physical therapy for my back. Way to adapt it to your own needs!

You love to play. You love to figure things out. You've always been a thinker. We still see you analyze and dissect the world as you figure out how to interact with it.

You're pretty convinced that you can do just about anything you want. Reach something that's 6 feet in the air when the tallest stool you have is only about 14 inches off the ground? Sure...just stand on your tippy-toes. Wait...that didn't work? Let me try stacking this other stool on top! Good thing we're still around to catch you when you're about to fall.

You've learned to use the Keurig so you can make "coffee" in the morning. You've learned to get into the refrigerator doors to get snacks. You've learned to buckle yourself in your carseat! That one is actually really good for mama. Makes getting in the car and getting going so much easier.

Though lately you make sure that I don't buckle myself until you're done...everything lately is about you being the winner or the leader. Sometimes it's annoying. Sometimes we use it to our advantage. When it's bedtime, we just threaten that mom or dad is going to be the first one up the stairs and you're sure to move quickly to your bedroom.

When you get there, you climb onto your bed, throw the blanket over you and tell me to find you. We need to work a little on the idea of hiding. You've not quite put it together that just because something is obscuring our view of you is not quite the same as "hiding" in a way that would make it hard to "find" you. We'll keep working on that.

We'll have to keep working on using your listening ears, too. You're at a stage when you would much rather do what you want to do at any given moment. You get a lot of reminders that you have an instruction and you need to listen and follow directions. It's a whole other level of parenting challenge now.

But I wouldn't trade it for anything. All those tough moments make the sweet moments sweeter.

My sweet, sweet boy, you are loved beyond measure. Love, mama

What a Wonderful World

There are so many moments when I really wish I had a camera crew following me around all the time. Like for all of Gabriel's "firsts" or when Justin slid across the floor in his socks and almost fell on his face. Hee hee. Or today in the car with Gabriel.

When I picked him up from school today, I helped him get into the car, and when I came around to get in the driver's seat, he was singing "What a Wonderful World."

I see trees of breeve
Red roses too
I see them blue
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world....


He kept going (with his own lyrics), and I thought he might like to listen to it in the car, so I downloaded from iTunes and hooked it up to the MP3 player. He listened for a few moments, and then told me that it was a different version of the song than the one they listen to at school. The one at school has a girl singing. And by the way, why is he singing like that?

And then he tried to sing like Louis Armstrong. Oh. Em. Gee. Where was my camera crew?!!!!!! That was one of the funniest things ever. :)

I'm sure you'll agree that they look alike and therefore must sound alike:

For your listening pleasure: