Turkey Boy

Donovan's school had a Thanksgiving program today. His first of many 'shows' for us... He was one of the strongest performers, so maybe we have an actor in our midst.

My Heroes

Since my knitting is moving at a rapid rate of two rows a week, I didn't want my blog to gather digital cobwebs so I commissioned another artist. My knitting hero, Mom! She's knitting so much I told her she could start producing stuff to sell. But, she has too many grandsons who need knitted items.

This one's for the D man. Super D Man. From Vickie Howell's New Knits On the Block book. This book is awesome! There are so many cool things in there for kids - things they would like. I've worn the book out. At 3 1/2 the D man is in a developmentally appropriate superhero fettish. So, every super hero needs a cape.

This one is going in the high school yearbook: Up, up and away....

Mud Bath

So, we accidentally left the cover off the sandbox before a big rain storm last week. Today I was enjoying the 80 degree day and obviously not paying much attention when I turn to see why the boy is so quiet...

Can't blame him. Mud feels good in the toes.

Then I go inside to put the camera away and get a towel only to return to...

I guess the mud in the toes felt really good. Boys.

Birthday highlights!

We were sorry that the family missed the dinosaur party... but here are some highlights. The science museum is a perfect place for energetic 3 year olds! A dinosaur party with the trash truck cake - of course. Dinosaur plates and dinosaur masks and dinosaur toys amongst actual dinosaur bones!

I'm pretty proud of the cake... I found the gummy colas and decided it would be a recycling truck. It's very hip to be green in 2008.

Donovan with his buddy Murray in ant hats. The museum has a 'backyard' with an ant tunnel for crawling.

Here's a highlights video of the fun. (yes, the music is cheezy, but it came with the camera and that's all I'm up for tonight.)

I can't believe he's going to be 3 tomorrow... the most wonderful, most challenging, but most rewarding 3 years of my life. More fun to come.

Dinner with Donovan

This one is for the grandparents, especially those far away. Donovan is becoming quite the storyteller. An entertaining combination of stories from TV and books with his enthusiasm and dramatics makes mealtime lots of fun.

Here is the story of the Golden Goose and the Forte Giant and the "Beanstop" (screenplay by Disney's Little Einsteins). You might need to turn your volume way up.

Okay, maybe he's watching too much TV before school...

A Christmas Blog

After a really long time away from the blogging, I'm back with a Christmas song! If I can keep the second trimester energy up (and work down), there will be more blogging on a regular basis.

Donovan learned a Christmas song at school, but didn't make it to the performance because of the traditional Christmas illness. Now, with the magic of the Internet and my awesome new Christmas toy from Santa... here it is. Keeping the performer in one spot was a challenge, but when the music takes over, you just gotta move!

Translation:
Merry, Merry Christmas
The Lord made this day
We're so happy the Lord had his way
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won't you say Merry Christmas too!

Dry Run

We went to visit 2-day-old Everett Smith yesterday and I'm calling it a dry run. What a tiny little dude! 6lbs! I could put him in my purse. And I threatened to.

(Poster children for teen pregnancy prevention)

Donovan saw me holding him and said, "No! That's not your baby. That's her baby!" pointing at Kerry. Then, I invited him to come see him and he wanted to show him the buses. He laughed and said, "Ooh, he's so tiny! He has little feet!" All was good. I'm breathing a small sigh of relief, but he knows who Everett belongs to and he didn't come home with us....

I especially like this picture.

Me holding the baby. Jim in the background looking for an escape.

The Littlest Longhorn

We decided to see how Donovan would fare at a UT game this year. Last year he lasted 3 quarters, so we thought he might actually enjoy the fanfare this year.

After taking a really exciting shuttle bus ride, we arrived in time for the opening band performance, the World's Largest Texas Flag, singing "The Eyes" and the running of the horns. He loved it. He clapped, he yelled, he tried "Go Horns Go!" When we tried to help him hook 'em he would pout sadly saying, "No, I can't do it." We'll keep practicing.

The first quarter began. He jumped and yelled for the first few plays along with the crowd and then... he sat on my lap and then....

Out. For almost two straight quarters, through bands playing and fans cheering and yelling (mostly yelling...) all around, he slept!

He awoke in time for the halftime performance and a little snack and then....

Rain. Torrential Texas-sized raindrops. We were lucky to have a blanket we intended for him to sit on available and dry for wrapping up in the air conditioned shuttle bus on the way back. And I was worried about it being too hot.

When I ask if he had fun he says, "Yeah" but it's his "I don't really know what to say, I haven't quite learned to lie - Yeah."

Yeah.

I knew you were going to wear that!

Even though we're 7 years apart, my sister and I have this weird fashion ESP. I'll never forget when she came home from college and I was in junior high and we had bought the exact same bathing suit. It was the '80s and it was pretty hideous, if I recall correctly. Peach and gray stripes - not a tankini, but the belly cut out and the sides attached. So hot.

We still do it on occasion, not wearing the exact same thing, but something similar. Like, at her rehearsal dinner we both wore sundresses with a chocolate brown and white spot thing going on. I've decided to start asking before I get dressed for a major event. Whoever is out of town and has only one outfit option wins.

Well, now we have two boys who are 10 months apart. We met in Salado for a weekend of swimming and just getting away. And.... here's the rest of the story:

(To any visiting knitters - I will get back to the knitting blogs eventually. Just haven't been up to it lately... more on why later... )

Future Fisherman

We just got back from a field trip to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. (Doing all I can to wear the boy out while Dad is out of town for work.) It's a neat place about an hour out of Dallas with a fish hatchery, catch and release pond, alligators and a tram tour of the hatchery.

"Hey fish, what you doin'? Wanna eat lunch with us?" (actual quote)

It's a bit too hot for fishing (and someone is a little too impatient), but no too hot to feed the catfish and explore the other aquariums. Too bad cousin Wyatt, the true fish lover, couldn't join us.

We'll do it again sometime when it's cooler!

D and the Dinosaur

Here's Donovan at the newly renovated science museum. Although nothing competes with the trash truck, dinosaurs are becoming one of his favorite things.

There's a fun story behind this picture... It's all because of Curious George. Donovan has really taken to reading Curious George stories every night before bed - I think he identifies with the character. I certainly identify with The Man in the Yellow Hat some days. So, one of the stories involves George and the man going to the dinosaur museum then going on a dig with scientists. That was all Donovan needed and we were talking about dinosaurs all the time. Some days we have a dinosaur that visits us at mealtime and we have to go to the front door to let him in.

One afternoon after school we went to the museum to see the Texas dinosaurs, but the T-Rex was missing! The museum was moving it to a new location and created a fun game out of it. The lady at the front desk told us he ran away and his friend, the other dinosaur, was sad. They had lost pet signs everywhere and even created a blog. Donovan talked about it for weeks. "The dinosaur ran away because he was sad." (so he got the story a little mixed up...)

So, the day the new exhibit was opened we all went to see him (most of all so he would quit asking about it!). He dug for dinosaur bones under the T-Rex and get his picture taken. And we're still talking about it... "The dinosaur came back!"

A Downtown Adventure

This Friday Donovan took his first train ride downtown to see Daddy at work. So what if it took us 3 times longer to travel via train... it was exciting.

And a little bit scary...

with so much to see.

Downtown has so many fountains for splashing, we arrived at Daddy's office a little damp. Yep, those are cowboy boots. Since Pop bought them, they are his chosen footwear this summer. They look great with shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. "I'm a cowboy, yee haw!"

Watch out world, here comes the next real estate mogul!