musings of Mother Hood

The way to this boy's heart is through a singing, clapping monkey

My parents sent this little guy - Mongo - last week and he has been well-loved. He sings "If You're Happy and You Know It", claps his hands, and moves his mouth. Colt dances with him and rewards him with Cheez-its. 

 

 

At some point over the weekend, Colt figured out how to press his little foot and make him start singing -- it has been downhill since then. Do you know how easily "If You're Happy and You Know It" gets stuck in your head? Yeah. That easily.

It is officially fall in Northwest Arkansas and the trees are gorgeous. I was worried that the ice storm would really change the fall landscape around here, but honestly it's hard to tell. The leaves inspired us to try taking some pictures outside. And we have now tried two weekends in a row to take Colt's picture out in the leaves and the colors and the fabulousness that is Northwest Arkansas.... And I now have pictures of the back of his head -- in two different outfits. I took over a hundred pictures, and truly, these are the best photographs we got after hours of chasing him around Mt. Sequoyah (the first weekend) and Old Main lawn (the second weekend). 

Most of the rest of them look a little something like this (if there's a baby in the frame at all...):

 

Nancy: If you're reading this, I NEED YOU. Clearly. The best I can hope for is a profile shot. It's pathetic. I need your mad photography and baby wrangling skills. Stat. There's a Chicken Berry Salad date in it for you. Yep. I've resorted to bribery. Help!

In other news, my birthday was last week. Birthdays never bother me, but this one gave me a funny feeling. As of October 27 (4 days after my birthday) I am older than my big brother. It just doesn't seem right. But I have a sweet, thoughtful hubby and fantastic friends who helped me celebrate. I took Friday off of work and spent time with my friend Teresa - it was a much needed breather from work, and a fun day with a good friend. She even brought me a birthday cake! Well, kinda. Please reference the below pictures. Every month my office has a birthday cake and celebrates all birthdays in that month. It's a nice little afternoon pick-me-up to get birthday cake and a glass of milk - and I rarely miss it. Well this month. October. MY birthday month. I got busy that afternoon and couldn't get down to the birthday party. So I went late in the day to grab a leftover piece. 

 

Sad sad sad. NONE left. Those vultures! But Teresa saved the day Friday by bringing me the cheesiest birthday cake I think I've ever seen. You can't tell from this picture, but the cake was about the size of my fist. We brought it into Abuelo's with us for lunch - and we all agreed that, ahem, it's the thought that counts... it tasted AWFUL. We had a nice big laugh.

Saturday night, we left the munchkin with Autumn and went out with Keith and Don. We NEVER get to see them and it was so nice to be able to catch up, have a drink, and relax for the night. Guys - we really do need to do that more often. I miss you.

Ok. I know. This post keeps getting longer. But there are more cute baby pictures in store if you stick it out. 

Colt has somewhat moved past his fascination obsession with the remote control and has moved on to bigger and better things. Like brooms. 

 

And placing himself inside any box or basket he can manage.

 

I'm honestly not sure what the broom thing is all about, but I can assure you that dragging around TWO brooms of different lengths and weights is not always easy for a little guy. But he doesn't give up. He would probably sleep with them if I'd let him. Please note the beautiful, front-facing grins that the brooms are able to conjure up. If only I could get him to be as excited about getting dressed in cute fall clothes and standing in pretty fall leaves as he is about dragging brooms around our stinky, cluttered garage...

I've almost got his photo album updated - but I'm behind on tagging them all. Check them out anyway, there are always plenty more pictures in the album than what get posted here. Happy Fall!

But you're one in a million to me.

So this is the world, and there are almost six billion people on it. When I was a kid, there were three. It's hard to keep up. - Jerry Maguire, opening lines.

I love that the three of us are each other's favorite person. I was recently talking to a friend about how drastically life changes when you get married and have kids. About how you truly forget what life was like without these people - your family - and how cheesy I always used to think it was when people talked like that...

The weekend of the 10th, Grandma and Grandpa Martin were in Fayetteville and we headed to the pumpkin patch for some fun. And here are FAR too many pictures of it: saying howdy to the pigs with Grandpa, the potato sack slide (a FAV), riding the cow train with Mama, hayride, and pumpkins. (There are more pictures in the Colt - 12 to 18 Months photo album.)

 

  

We will definitely be going back to that pumpkin patch - they had such a great set-up and we really had a lot of fun. Colt was VERY interested in the tractors and the mud, and more fascinated by the wheelbarrows than the pumpkins themselves - but it was a success. And look - a cute photo of Mom and Dad!

So far Colt has been taking 16 months just as seriously as 15 months. He is more and more vocal every day - babbling and such. He still isn't talking, but has started doing some of the communication-type things the books told me he would be doing months ago. Go figure. He has started waving, though it looks more like a cross-pollination of ninja technique and jazz hands.

 

 

He is also pointing and clapping on a regular basis now. But no talking. We are trying to be patient with the talking, because we know that it will be opening a flood gate that will not close until he's a grouchy teenager. Maybe he's just destined to be as talkative as his father :)

Daycare is still going well. In fact, they are busy busy. Last week was Colt's First School Picture Day - which I LOVE. I haven't seen the pictures yet, but will post them when I get proofs. Also - they've started sending home artwork, which clearly shows that we are dealing with a brilliant artist. See for yourself.

 

 

The most common remark I hear from daycare is how HARD he plays outside. He comes home in different clothes nearly every day because he gets his money's worth out of the puddles and whatnot out on the playground. Man, he loves to be outside. Really, he likes to be anywhere he can run as fast as his little legs will carry him until either his top half or his bottom half outpaces the other and he topples over. But he doesn't stay down for long. 

I sometimes wonder if his energy will ever start to level off. He just goes and goes until about 7:30 and then it's like he knows everyone is done for. He turns it down to a dull roar and doesn't protest to being held. He gets jammied and rocked and tucked in - and we start it all over again the next day. Full speed ahead. Love you, Buddy. Happy 16 months.

Without a Witness, They Will Disappear

I didn't like that line, at first. It seemed so harsh and bleak and heavy. I don't really know what I was expecting.

Who You'd Be Today

Today's the day, friends. 14 October. It's just a day. And it's THE day - all at the same time. Two years have passed and I go back and forth between feeling like there is nothing left to say and feeling as if there will never be enough time to say it all.   

Without a Witness, They Will Disappear. Those are the words at the top of the Lost Heroes Art Quilt. An artist named Julie Feingold set out to create a work of art that would pay tribute to fallen heroes and their families. And it was dedicated this September at the Fourth Annual Time of Remembrance in Washington. The quilt itself is currently on tour - pictured below displayed at Arlington National Cemetery - and will be featured at multiple locations across the country before finding its (currently undetermined) permanent home. So far, I've only seen photos, but I can't stop looking through the quilt squares and reading the stories. The soldiers shown as children really bothered me at first, but I think it's a fitting, brutal, innocent tribute. Without a Witness, They Will Disappear. It's haunting. And it keeps us honest.

Each US state is represented by a soldier with ties to that state. Tom represents South Dakota.

The website to learn more about the quilt and the stories behind it is: lostheroesartquilt.org

______________________

He's my brother, and I miss him. And the best thing I know to do is make sure all of you know who he was and what he stood for and how much he is missed. I put this page together a while back, but it's kinda hidden (over there in the left column of this window) so I wanted to be sure you knew about it. Have a look. And remember. Always remember.

______________________

Life Ain't Always Beautiful

 

Distraction Attempt

 

Did it work? Cute picture of cute baby on cute Cow Train at cute Pumpkin Patch? In lieu of actual blogging? For inexcusable days weeks on end? I have excuses - don't you want to hear them? Nah. I'm going to bed instead, but I haven't forgotten you. And my world has not slowed down even though the blogging has lulled the last few weeks. And my head and heart could both use any good thoughts you have to spare this week.

Love, Sarah