Amazed

Dear Sara,
Thank you for this.  You amaze me.
Dear Robert,
Thank you.  Its the best gift, the best surprise ever.

E is awfully sweet.  I love watching him learn and grow.  Today he got a cup of dirt in nursery and a seed to plant in it.  He was so excited about his "garden."  We planted it this evening: he poured the dirt carefully into the cup, dug a little hole, and covered the seed with dirt.  As per the nursery lesson, we talked about how Heavenly Father made the seeds, and the plants, and the whole Earth for us.  E wants to sit by his garden, he wants to hold "him."  He told everyone in the house that Jesus gave him this seed, and he blessed it when he was praying.

Grass!

What an amazing place this world is through the eyes of a child, and I am grateful my little guy has reminded me to look at it that way.  Heavenly Father sure has blessed us with some beautiful, miraculous surroundings!

So happy to be able to watch my boy today!  He is such a silly.  Today he was so excited to play in Grandma's  "poo-ah" with his cousin.  She got too cold after about two minutes, and Muffin decided to come in with her even though he wasn't really done.  Not ten minutes later I found him, fully clothed sitting in the wading pool.  So, I put him back in his suit and he played and played.  He found a cookie in the trunk-seat of the tricycle(from how long ago, no one knows.) and, overjoyed at his find, he belly flopped back into the pool, cookie in fist.  Then the cookie started disintegrating in his horrified hands, a sludgy mush dribbling through his fingers.  NOOO!  He gathered that sustenance his own self!  He is such a silly thing, and I love watching him discover.  Today, his facial expressions make me happy.

WEE HAW!! He likes parades...One of my favorite faces

So, my "Uncle Frunkle" taught my kid some poetry.  He now says "quote the melon, NEVERMORE!"
coolest kid ever

remembering this boy

Edgar-boy, you are growing up too fast!  I love watching you learn new things.  You can say a lot of words, but sometimes you get them wrong.  You know "on" and "Off, but don't know when to use which.  It's the same with "up" and "down" and "mommy" and "papi"  You would be happy eating only fruit for the rest of your life, but you call it all "Nana" until I remind you what you are really eating.  Yesterday though, you remembered and asked for and "ounj" (orange) and were so very proud of yourself.  You are very polite and say "Thank-you" and "sorry" very well.  You even apologized to yourself this morning!

The other day Melissa and Jenni were here and we were all talking while you played with Gus.  I wasn't paying attention to what you were doing and I didn't know why you came over and tried to hand me something when there was nothing in your hand.  I ignored you.  Papi ignored you.  But Jenni was watching.  You had pulled Gus's hair and had some on your fingers.  But since no one would help you get it off, you just ate it.  EW!

You are pretty sure every blanket in the house is yours.  It's a good day if anyone else can sneak a corner.  You call them "bayntie."  Pillows are also blankies.  All stuffed animals are "baby."  You still love to go outside, and seem almost invincible to the cold.  Finally the other day you experienced that burning feeling when your hands get too too cold, and you HATED it!  You cried and cried until they finally warmed up.  You also still love any water and now you love to brush your theeth.

Playing in the mud at Otter Creek

Bear Lake, summer 11

playing in the leaves with Gus, fall 11

You love to play with other kids.  Emma and Lia are your best friends.  Emma taught you to "run!!" and to jump and you two are pretty inseparable.  If Emma is gone or napping downstairs, you stand at the gate and call her every few minutes.  We spent Christmas there, and then came back through a week later.  When we walked in the door Emma threw her hands in the air and yelled "EDERR TAME HOME!!"  Your favorite book right now is the photo book of aunts and uncles and cousins we got from Grandma Pratt for Christmas. It has Emma on the cover.

Andrew made you and Emma folding chairs for Christmas.  It was your favorite present: you would just sit and sit with your new blankie.  When bed time came around and I picked you up you reached for it and cried "chair!  My Chair!" all the way to bed.  Poor little lamb.

The other day we went to play with some other kids  at the Church.  There were balls, and little lawn mowers, and bikes and trikes.  You played and played until you were just exhausted.  You needed a nap so bad.  All you could do was sit on a trike (which you were calling "car") and watch the other kids play. So I went and picked you up and you just cried and were so sad to leave.

You really like uncle Seth.  He has come to our house to stay a couple times this year.  You like to sit on his head and squish him.  When we went down to his farewell in Antimony you were swamped by people as soon as you came through the door.  You looked all around, ignored everyone, and went and climbed up on the couch with "Theth."  You also love to help Grandpa feed the chickens.  Basically you like to do anything Grandpa Porter is doing.  Now and then Grandma is okay to rock with, but mostly Grandpa is your favorite.

You love Grandma and Grandpa Pratt too.  Their toys are way better than yours.  Grandpa got a new swing under the porch for Christmas, but you are a little scared of that one.  But he has so many rocks in his yard to climb on and throw.

While we were there this year for Christmas I went to change you into your jammies but forgot the buttons on your shirt.  Your head got stuck for a minute, which you were NOT thrilled about.  As soon as you were free you ran to Grandma and "told" her the whole story and what a naughty mama you had.  Grandma had to put you in your jammies.

You love when Papi sings to you, but not Mama.  When I take you to bed you always ask to "wock" (rock) and for a "sorsie" (story) and then you tell me "bye bye!"  But you will let Papi  sing and sing.

anniversary!

Today is our third anniversary.  Robert surprised me and took me out to dinner.  While we were waiting for our food Robert asked what my favorite part of these three years has been(outside of Edgar, of course).  How could I just pick one?  But it was sure fun reliving those memories.  So here, so I don't forget those small moments that make life fun: Remember that one time?

Remember that one time we went snorkeling in the Bahamas?  And stubbed our toes and fingers on sea urchins?  And I was full of morning sickness and all I wanted was toast and the only thing to eat on that whole island that I recognized was fried chicken?

Remember the worst Christmas ever? With our little Christmas Bush? When I was still morning sick and all I got you was a PASTRY BLENDER?! And I was so sick with an ear infection that I learned to play Yahtzee with my head on the table?  And then you went home for New Year's without me cause I was too sick?

Remember right after we got married when you told me about those noodles your dad made out of potatoes?  I had no idea what gnocci was at the time, so I just cut some potatoes really skinny and we ate it with spaghetti sauce?  And that was the weirdest dinner ever?

Remember that one time, Monk escaped and we tore apart the whole house trying to catch her?  She was the worst wild mouse ever.

Remember Fanta?  How he was the smartest dog ever?  And how he was racist and hated every Middle-Eastern person that passed our house?  And how he would run away and roll in poop?  And do jumping jacks? And make a nest to sleep in?

Member how Gus is NOT very smart?  But he talks in his sleep and is very brave.  And he got sunburned that one time at Bear Lake?

Remember our Honeymoon to Catalina Island and rented kayaks and wet suits even though it was only like, 60 degrees? How I tried to talk to a fish but it wouldn't listen?  And then I got water in my snorkel and got grated against the coral and almost drowned?

Remember when we went to the zoo and pretty much no one else was there?  Remember how we got to pet the giraffes?

Robert, my love, we have had some fantastic adventures.  I love you SO much!  Thanks for the best three years of my life,

Love, Kim

mmm, paint.

So, Edgar was sitting angelically at the table eating a warm cookie.  I decided to take the opportunity and snag some baby-free facebook time.  After about one minute Edgar started making some smacking noises.  Eating type noises.  That's what he was supposed to be doing so it didn't even register in my mind to look over.  Robert looked though. "Oh! Kim, he's eating paint!"  I jumped up and saw two little sausage fingers dipped in bright blue paint.  He had somehow opened a tiny pot of those lame paints that come with kid's clay. Edgar looked at me with wide eyes, licking his lips as if to say "this stuff tastes horrible!"  I wanted a picture so bad, but about the time I thought of it Edgar started crying to get his tongue washed off.  I couldn't really blame him, so I started washing.  He was starting to calm down so I figured we just about had the paint out of his mouth.  I held him up to the mirror so I could see if I had missed anything.  Bad idea.  Edgar saw himself and screamed bloody murder.  Watering down the paint in his mouth had just spread it around  his  mouth and chin even more.  It was the most frightening thing he had seen since Grandpa Green popped out his dentures at thanksgiving.  He cried and cried and cried, then cried some blue paint on Papi's shirt, then cried some more when he saw THAT blue paint.  What a poor little lamb.  I wish I had a picture.