CURRENT NATHANIELISMS

• “Why?” “WHY, MOMMY?” "WHHHHYYYYY?”—Aaargh! "Because, because, because!"
• “Mommy you say, ‘Knock-knock’ and I say, ‘Who there?’”—when he goes into the bathroom to wash his hands.
• “Let’s wrestle on the bed, Dad!” But the way he says wrestle is SO cute…“Let’s wessel!”—this “guy-time activity” includes moves named “buckin’ bronc,” “big tunnel/little tunnel,” "bulldozer" and, gee, Mommy’s favorite, “body slam.”
• “I sorry. It was an accident.” (Said in the most syrupy, sing-songy voice possible.)
• His growing lists of excuses when he’s not keen on doing whatever it is we’re asking him to do: -“I can’t. I’m too floppy”—said when it’s time for a diaper change -“I too young.” “I too little.”—said especially at clean-up time -“I too sad.”—big poutty face and puppy dog eyes -“I too mad.” -“I too bad.” or “I can’t. I want to be bad now.” How can that not make you laugh? -“I too poopy.”—when it’s time to sit still on his bottom and he’s been hiding something from us. -“I too scared.” or “It too scary.”—usually said in reference to bedtime or time outs. -“It too hard.” -“It’s too far.”—when he’s sick of walking somewhere. -“I’m too late.” “I too busy.” (These two break my heart—he doesn’t hear these that often, does he?!) -“I too sleepy.” -“I too cold.” -"It too yucky." or "messy" or "slimy"--why he can't touch something...or eat something
• “I have something for you, Mom. It’s a present for you. You open it.”—he’s fascinated with filling empty boxes, bags, briefcases, and containers with lids with miscellany around the house.
• “Which one do you like?”—like which puzzle we should do or which car I get to play with. Of course, after we choose, if it’s not the one he had in mind, he corrects us, “No. You like this one.”
• “Pick a card.”—this was on a “Sesame Street” sketch with Grover one time and now…
• We still play the burrito game (“What does a burrito say?...‘Ole!’”) when he’s wrapped up in his hooded towel after bath time and we still “crawl like a tiger to bed,” but now we’ve added “peek at Mommy” before story time. Nate and Jason will peek around the office door while I’m catching up on the computer and “scare me” with silly faces.
• “Do you understand?”—after he tells us the way it should be. “No, it’s not time for bed now, I need to read a book. Do you understand?”
• “I’m very disappointed, Dad.”—most-recently said to Jason when told it was almost time to clean up.
• “Oh, that be strange.”—whenever he discovers something wasn’t how he expected it
• “I be very gentle.”—when petting the neighborhood animals, hugging a baby or touching our faces
• “I take just a teeny, tiny bit”—when he’s sneaking food during dinner prep
• “It’s my favorite in the whole, wide world.”
• “I need it!” (fake crocodile tears included)—especially after we say “no” to something or we take something away as a consequence
• "Let’s hide from Frank! Frank not fiiiiind us. Mommy, you Frank.”— Frank is the combine in “Cars.”
• “Help! It’s morning time! The black sky turn blue.”—the “help” is so we’ll come get him out of his room
• “Cool.” He officially uses the adjective. He put on some new shoes the other day, “Huh. Cool shoes!” he declared approvingly.
• “No. Not yet.” Not yeeeeet—sing-songy—whenever he’s not ready to shift gears
• “The jelly fish are chasing us…run!” (I think this comes from the jelly fish scene in “Nemo”)
• “Hold me.”—when he’s feeling vulnerable. It’s said with a desperate tone—like a woman about to faint in some black and white ‘50s film.
• “Please. Pretty please.”—like when he got a candy surprise at bible school last Sunday and he wanted a piece once we got to the car.
• "You say 'Boo!' And I say 'Aaaaaaa!'"
• "Mommy, you say, 'Moo, Moo.' Daddy and me say, 'Quack! Quack!'" (from a Sandra Boynton CD)

LIKES:

• Trains are currently winning out over cars—he takes his trains with him wherever we go, chose Thomas & Friends pillow over Lightning McQueen pillow and Thomas big-boy underpants over Lightning
• Sandwiches—especially ham & cheese or PBJ (with strawberry jelly), pretzels & red apples, bagels, raisins, carrots, cherries, blueberries, yogurt, oatmeal, PANCAKES (“I’m chowing down!”)—yesterday he ate 8!, grapes, bananas
• Singing—“Life is a Highway” (from the movie, “Cars”), “Mary Had a Baby,” “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas,” “Deck the Halls” (and other Christmas leftovers), "Wheels on the Bus," "Baa-Baa Black Sheep," “The B-I-B-L-E,” “Thomas and Friends,” “Here Comes Racecar Johnny,” and any song he randomly accesses from his little brain or even makes up to suit his current melodic need. It seems he's always singing something!
• Straws—especially with milk * Jumping—off bed, on bed, off couch, on couch, off curb, on curb, off trunk in his bedroom, etc.
• Puzzles --the wooden board manipultors and the 25-piece ones
• Crashing—trucks, cars, trains—you name it, they typically end up in a big pile. They can fall off a cliff, off the tracks, down a hill, in a lake, etc. “Help, Mommy! My trucks they crashed!” He says with a smirk of mock urgency and concern.
• Still very attached to his lovies, “Doggy” and “Ducky” (lucky for us, he’ll do with one or the other in times we can’t find both)
• DVDs or TV shows—Thomas, Auto B Good series (especially “High Gear”), Little Einsteins, Super Why, Richard Scarry, The Magic Schoolbus, Clifford Books—The Magic Schoolbus, Berenstein Bears, Caillou, Big book o’ Trains, Richard Scarry, Clifford, Dr. Suess

DISLIKES:

• Afternoon nap time. He still needs it, but he’s trying to wean himself off of it. Lately, if I want him to take a nap, I have to time my errands so we’re coming home about 12:30-1:30 pm and he falls asleep in the car. Otherwise, he resists and insists, “I’m not sleepy.” Yesterday he was sitting up in his bed (after about 15 minutes of “quiet time”) yelling, “Nap time is over! Nap time is OVER! Mommy, Daddy, nap time is OOOVERRR!”
• Being told, “No.” We’re working on this. He’s apparently at a transition stage developmentally because all the old discipline tactics are no longer working—time outs, putting favorite toys in “time out,” revoking privileges, rewarding good behavior, etc.
• Having his diaper changed. He’ll usually volunteer to have us change it in the morning when he’s “very, very wet,” “poopy” or his pjs are wet. Otherwise, if it’s a full or even a dirty diaper throughout the day, he FIGHTS it. We’ve gotten to the point that he’ll usually accept a two minute warning before we change the stinky ones that we notice. “Nate, are you poopy?” “Yes. I want you to change me in two minutes,” he recites. If it’s not stinky and we don’t notice it; he’s quite content in his warm, cozy pocket of poo—like a toddler mud bath, I guess.
• He’s becoming a little more finicky at the table, too. With certain breads, he won’t eat the crust (a toddler rite-of-passage, I know). If food has black burn marks on it (like pizza crust), he won’t eat it. If a food had flecks on it (like herbs & spices or a piece of rice, etc.), he won’t eat it, etc. He doesn’t like casseroles because of this nuance—he likes to eat each type of food separately. Hmmm. Great.

Holidays 2007

Let’s see…it was an on-the-go November & December. It felt like we never sat still--which is just fine with this toddler (but it seems to be taking its toll on Mommy)!

In November, we took two trips to Granna & Papa’s new lake house. The first weekend, we drove over for the opening of deer hunting. Mommy & Daddy took me on long walks down the dirt road. During the walks, I played “red light, green light,” waddled like a penguin and admired the rocks on the road. I love rocks. I’d carry my “purple basket” and pick up my favorites—which was just about any rock I saw. At home, I usually carry a security rock with me these days—found at various locals throughout Texas. Daddy also took me fishing at the pond and on the dock. I like fishing with my Batman pole, because I always reel up a blue fish (practice casting plug). Daddy ended up getting a 6-point buck. This year I wasn’t as keen to touch it as last year, but I did pose for the proud Father-Son photo.

The next weekend, my god-sister, Remy, flew into town with her Mom & Dad (Kelly & Martin Towey). We played around the house (especially with my new mega blocks), ate pizza and spaghetti (I love “noodles”), watched “Ratatouille” (the main character’s name is Remy!) and took advantage of our season’s pass to Sea World one last time this year. At Sea World we watched Shamu (I still call him Shampoo), climbed the rope ladders & crossed the plank bridges on the giant pirate ship, rode the monkey ride, watched the sharks (one of my favorite exhibits) and fed the dolphins! As always, I fell asleep in the car before we even made it out of the parking lot.

Thanksgiving weekend took us back to the lake for a four-day visit with Daddy’s entire family—Great-Grandmother & Granddaddy, Granna & Papa, Uncle Todd, and later Uncle Scott, Aunt Heather, Katie & Skyler. Daddy was glad he’d already gotten his deer, because the long weekend proved to be quite miserable for sitting in a deer stand at 40 degrees, windy and rainy. As a result of the weather, Daddy watched a lot of football and I watched too much “Sprout” in the playroom. I also played Dominoes (i.e., dumped the tiles so they made a loud noise & a big mess, then set them up so they fell down) and played with my cars & trucks (thank goodness for them!) After two ultrasound appointments earlier this week, I got to tell Granna that Mommy has a little sister in her tummy. She liked that.

When we returned to San Antonio , it was time to gear up for CHRISTMAS! In our house, we start by pulling out the decorations and turning the place into a Christmas Wonderland—at least that’s Mommy’s intent. I helped with the tree this year—hanging my special ornaments, putting the garland on the tree (in one big glob) and placing the cross on top of the tree from Daddy’s shoulders. My favorite decorations this year were the Singing Cowboy Santa—I played it again and again and again (“Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas”) and the Christmas train under the tree—I played it again and again and again (complete with a loud whistle, “Jingle Bells” & “We Wish you a Merry Christmas”—with no volume control).

We had our neighborhood Christmas party at Carroll & Lizzie’s. Mommy made Christmas Wreath Cornflake Treats. I made my first homemade teddy bear ornament with pom-poms & glitter glue and proudly hung it on the tree. We also had many Bible School celebrations—parties, Christmas crafts, and a Night Out in Bethlehem (a “live tour” of the Christmas story— complete with shepherds, donkeys and real camels with the wise men!) I made Lightning McQueen Christmas cards for my MOPPETS and BSF teachers—colored a picture and decorated it with festive Thomas the Tank Engine stickers. I also saw Santa and his reindeer (including Rudolph) at the Bass Pro Shop. I didn’t want to sit on the big guy’s lap, but I had fun posing in front of the reindeer scene (and showing Mommy how much fun I have looking at the animals, tents, boats, ATVs, NASCAR game and fudge shop when I come here with Daddy).

I was also a trooper when it came to Christmas shopping with Mommy this year. Although by the end of the season, I was a little too into the spirit and started putting everything I liked in the cart, “Here’s a present for me. Here’s another present for me.” Oh, I also did a pretty good job of eating (sometimes sneaking) more than my fair share of Christmas cookies wherever they were available. Hey, like Mother, like son!

Daddy finished his OB/GYN test on Dec 14th. After a few days of playing catch-up around the house, we took off for a four-day family retreat at the lake—just me, Mommy & Daddy. The first afternoon, after unpacking, I wanted to go fishing. It was a little brisk (60 degrees or so with a slight breeze), but I like it that way. After about 15 minutes of dropping my blue fish in the water and reeling him back up, my line got twisted around the tip of my pole. I tried to shake it free, but instead I dropped my prized Batman pole into the lake! Mommy tried to console me and turn it into a water safety lesson. But Daddy couldn’t stand my crocodile tears. He stripped down to his skivvies and jumped into the lake--4 feet of 50-degree water! He scared the daylights out of Mommy—he had a frozen expression and just kept quietly bobbing up and down (searching for the rod, we’re later told) and then suddenly, silently went under. He popped up with my rod in hand; but, meanwhile, my pregnant Mommy had emotional tears of confusion trickling down her face. Poor Mommy; but THANKS, Daddy!

After that eventful first day, we spent the rest of the vacation actually relaxing. I walked the family land with Daddy & Mommy—looking at deer stands, seeing my Great-Great Granddad’s homestead, having a picnic (and being obsessed with “cow poopy” after Mommy & Daddy pointed out what that big pile was on the ground—“Watch out, Mommy! More cow poopy!”— repeated every three steps.) I also watched “The Grinch” for the first time (I really like having cable!) Now whenever I see pictures of Santa delivering presents in a book, I say, “He not nice, he take all the presents.”

We returned to city life on Sunday the 23rd. Mommy & Daddy dropped me off at Granna & Papa’s for the night while they treated themselves to an IHOP dinner and Christmas concert with Trans-Siberian Orchestra—combo rock opera and 80’s glam band in a festive setting. The next day, after wrapping all the presents, we returned to New Braunfels for a whirlwind Goodwin Christmas. Mommy & Daddy came through the door, gave me a big hug and said, “We missed you! Did you have fun with Granna & Papa?” I said “Huh-huh.” “What did you do with Granna & Papa?” they further inquired. “Ate M&Ms,” was my first (and only) response. Mommy & Daddy thought that was hilarious. Papa laughed and said I was “a rat.” ☺

That night (Christmas Eve) we had a birthday party for Jesus in my Bible Class at Granna & Papa’s church. I got a big piece of cake, so I was quite content. After Papa read the Christmas story from Luke, we went to bed. I loved sleeping in my own “big bed” (a queen-size blow-up mattress on the floor)! Santa came that night and delivered me a new bike. I’m not too sure how I feel about the bike yet. I loved it for about 10 seconds, ran up to it, sat on it, put my bare feet on the grippy pedals and hurt my feet. Now I don’t seem to like it as much. I really got into the spectacle of opening presents this year. I just wanted to keep opening (“My turn again!”), until Mommy & Daddy figured out to let me open the toys after I unwrapped them in order to occupy me while other people (oh, were there other people there on Christmas morning?!) opened their presents.

This week I started referring to my parents as “Mom” and “Dad” (instead of Mommy and Daddy) I’m sure it’s from listening to all the boys say “Mom” and “Dad” all week to Granna & Papa. Three days after Christmas, we were back in New Braunfels for Papa’s 60th birthday party. I had a blast. I snuck cheese, crackers, chips, M&Ms from all the tables; danced; sang “Happy Birthday” and had a piece of Daddy’s tres leches cake at 9:00; watched “Thomas” in Granna’s big, big bed and stayed up until 10:45 (including the 45-minute car ride home)! Some might call me the life of that party.

The next morning was an early wake-up (despite my late bedtime). We were on the plane to Minnesota for Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Breyen and my 5 Breyen cousins—Anna, Sydney, Ashley, Adam & Sarah. They all met us at the Bemidji International Airport (despite our 4-hour delay in Minneapolis). Mommy and Daddy woke me up from my nap on the taxi in, so I was a little fussy. But I was so excited to see my cohorts again, so I woke up pretty quickly. I gave big hugs to everyone. The next day we opened presents and had a big Holiday meal. Grandpa and Daddy cooked prime rib roast, baked fries, beans, and other yummy treats.

Otherwise, we spent a lot of time playing in the toy room downstairs, went ice fishing—I caught lots of minnows with the minnow scoop, experienced sledding on Uncle Jeff’s hill with Sydney and down Grandpa’s sledding chute with all the girls, and tried curling at the Curling Club—but mostly liked running on the ice and slamming the rocks into one another with a loud “boom!” The first (and really the only) thing I wanted to do when I saw all the snow was make a snowman, but it was too cold. The snow wouldn’t stick together. Grandpa took pity on me and shoveled me a really cool snow fort/igloo instead. After a week, it was time to go—all good things must end. The flight home was delayed a few hours, too; but we still made it back to our house—with all of our luggage—by 7:30. Not bad for winter travel in the Midwest.

Christmas presents of note—12” bicycle from Santa, My First LeapPad from Mommy & Daddy, Big Boy Tonka Dump Truck from Mommy & Daddy, Step2 Picnic Table with umbrella from Grandma & Grandpa, VTech computer from Granna & Papa, a Lightning McQueen blanket from Uncle Scott & Aunt Heather, Play-Doh Fun Kit and personalized “Cars” plate from the Papenfi, more cars & trucks, a goodnight kit—“Cars” pajamas, fireman book & flashlight from Grandma, board games, puzzles, Sit-n-Spin from Granna, books, bath goodies, VeggieTale DVDs and lots of other stocking fillers and treats. Since then, Mommy & Daddy have put me on a strict Grandparent detox program. I’m slowly getting back into my routine—MOPS, Bible class, naps, KidZone at the gym, storytime, etc. I’m excited about my baby sister and randomly accost Mommy’s belly to give sister another kiss. I’m looking forward to my birthday party in March. I told Mommy I want a “Thomas the Tank Engine” party. We’ll see how she comes through.

That’s life in the fast lane.
Nate

Fall 2007 Favorites

Nate's Favorite Things:
☺Singing the ABCs, the “Veggie Tales” theme song, any tune from “Mickey Mouse’s 40 Classic Children’s Tunes” (including “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?”—not too sure how that song made it onto a children’s CD in 2007!), Bible songs from Sunday School, “Life is a Highway” (from the “Cars” soundtrack…“I’m a good rider all night long.”) and any song from Sandra Boynton’s CDs (including “I Need a Nap,” “The No Song,” “Dog Train,” and “Broccoli”)
☺ Pointing at every letter on every sign or book or box he sees and saying its sound. If he’s standing, he’ll get excited and jump as he says it. (So imagine a two-year-old boy jumping through a store going “ffffffffffffff” or “nnnnnnnnnnnn” or “tuh-tuh-tuh-tuh”—it’s a little spastic to say the least!) At the library a mom was sitting at a table reading a book to her young daughter. The mom asks the girl, “Do you see the cat?” I hear Nate start to spell c-a-t (but he doesn’t use letter names, he uses sounds). He says the sound “kuh” innocuously enough but then runs over to the girl, tilts his head so he’s in her face and shouts “AAAAAAAA” “tuh.” He might be figuring out his way with letters, but he definitely needs some help with the ladies!
☺ Wrestling, bulldozing or making “Nate Sandwiches” on the bed with Daddy (one of his favorite parts of the day!)
☺ Watching anything “Leap Frog,” “Super Why,” or “Veggie Tales” on TV or DVD with “Sesame Street,” “Bob The Builder,” and “Cars” coming in a close second.
☺ Playing with his Brio-like wooden train and tracks—which cars will fit under the bridge (“in the tunnel, Mommy”) and which cars won’t? (That’s what happens when you mix & match sets!) Thomas and Rusty don’t fit; the blue engine, yellow car, green car, the caboose (“boose”), and others do.
☺ Counting to 20—well OK, he skips 17 & 18 and calls 15, “fiveteen,” but he’s trying. ☺
☺ Loading dump trucks with anything (usually cars, of course) and transporting everywhere!
☺ Shamu (or as he says, “Shampoo”) and the water park at Sea World. Here’s one of Nate’s first jokes: During bathtime, he took his orca water toy (which obviously looks like Shamu) and rubbed it in his hair shouting “Shampoo! Shampoo!” laughing at himself (since he calls Shamu, shampoo—he was interchanging the two). Well, we thought it was funny.
☺ Playing in water—any water he can find (splashing in puddles, turning on every faucet within reach, in the bathtub, dumping water from one glass into another glass at the dinner table, etc.) It keeps us on our toes.
☺ Racing cars or role-playing with them—the other day I overheard him saying (with one John Deere tractor in each hand), “Follow me! I can fix it. You have an ouwie on your tires.” And one tractor rolled in behind another tractor to get a band-aid. Sometimes he tucks his cars into bed, too. “Shhh, Mommy! Blue car is sleeping.”
☺ Coloring (especially letters—if there’s a word on the page, he won’t color the picture, he’ll color each letter!) He seldom colors the whole picture, he usually picks a feature—all the mouths, say—and colors only the mouths.
☺ Noodles (but not mac-n-cheese), blueberries, PBJ sandwiches, strawberry ice cream, grapes, watermelon, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, sausage, Grandpa’s blueberry pie, pancakes (can down 6 in one sitting!), cottage cheese, strawberry yogurt and birthday cake (Mom writes through gritted teeth).
☺ "Reading !" Yes, when he’s quiet upstairs, he’s either playing with his cars & trains, coloring on the carpet (with red permanent marker—fun story) or he’s flipping through the books on his bookshelves. His favorites remain the “I Spy” series; Berenstain Bears (he loves Papa Bear’s antics); “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” (that’s the first book he could “read” to us); any book with a car, truck, train, tractor, or airplane; the "Bob The Builder" Telephone Book; “Maisy,” “Caillou,” and Richard Scary books (especially those with a transportation theme).
☺ Spelling “Nate” or “jet” or “cat” or “fun” or “mad” or “pig” or “stop” or “Tad” or “Mom” or “Dad” or “fat” or “bat” or “let” or “dog” or “car” and some other words he’s memorized with his foam bathtub letters or Leap Frog magnetic letters.
☺ Manipulating puzzles, building “big, big, big towers” with blocks, general problem solving
☺ Setting up picnics for Mommy and Daddy around the house with his fake food, tea parties
☺ Shouting, "Quick! Follow me!" whenever he wants us to come see something or play with something.

Nate's Not-So-Favorites:

• The Purple Monster and the Black Monster that show up in random places to scare him— usually his bedroom, but sometimes they’re in the car or downstairs.
• The White and Black Tractors that scare him (he woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks back talking about these hooligans and they’ve been around ever since.)
• Getting Frustrated—we’re trying to teach him self control (er, “anger management”). He will take big exaggerated breaths tilting his head to the sky in response to our prompts to “take a deep breath in” or he’ll yell through clenched teeth in a very cute, angry voice, “I’m just mad!” and hit the air in response to our prompts to “use your words.”
• Diaper changes. He screams bloody murder when we change his diaper and will sit in a dirty nappy for hours without telling us he needs a change. We’re in what we call the “potty exposing” stage. He knows that his big boy potty is there when he wants to use it. He’s used it a couple dozen times apparently to appease the parents, but I don’t think there’s any interest in getting out of diapers in the near future.
• The Naughty Chair—“Nooooooo! [Insert blood-curdling scream.] I’ll be a good boy! I’ll be a good boy!” [Insert *KISS*] Then when he calms down, “I ‘pologize, Mommy-Daddy.” Followed by hanging his head LOW and looking up with BIG puppy dog eyes.
• Being carried when he wants to walk—“Nooooo!” [same high-pitched scream] “Any! Carry! Me!” “Any.” [growl] “Carry.” [grunt] “Me.” [growl]

Post-Halloween Blues

Another Halloween has come and gone. I really had fun playing with the decorations around the house this year. Mommy has a set of ghost coasters (which Daddy calls “ghosters”). I’d collect them from the various tables, line them up in a row, stack them, or just hold them up to Mommy or Daddy (or any consenting adult) and yell, “Boo!” This little game evolved into quite the ritual. I would say, “Boo!” and my victims would have to respond, “Aaaaa!” If I didn’t think that there was enough emotion in their response, I would gently remind them, “No. You say BIG ‘Aaaaaa!’” It was also fun shopping in the stores this year, too. Whenever I saw a giant spider or a ghost painted on the window, a jack-o-lantern sitting on the display table or bat balloons lining the aisles, I would ask, “What’s a [spider] say, Mommy?” (The answers were “Creepy-Crawly!” “Boo!” “Happy Halloween!” and “Eeek! Eeek!” respectively.)

We really played up the Holiday and the greater Fall Season this year. We took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with our MOPS group early in October. There, we read stories, played on the John Deere tractor and got into an argument with another little boy who was eying the Deere while I was on it. (“That boy not get on the tractor now, Mommy.”) I also stepped into a pile of fire ants with my sandals on (it was still 87 degrees that day). I cried for about a minute, and then was ready to finish the story. I still talk about those pesky ants from the “pumpkin shack.” One of Mommy and Daddy’s friends from school had a Halloween Party with her kids and neighbors. I got to make a personalized trick-or-treat bag, decorate a mini-pumpkin, eat cupcake “brains” and “spider” crackers, and squish cascarones on my friends’ heads. We also went to the Boo Part at Sea World—I got to swashbuckle a pirate (they named me the Hawaiian Hunter of the West Sea because of my shirt) and sing songs on stage with two other silly pirates.

The Saturday before Halloween, we carved our pumpkins. Daddy carved a mean Daddy pumpkin. Mommmy carved a silly Mommy pumpkin and my wee baby pumpkin was “just right.” (I’m on a Goldilocks kick right now.) On Sunday, Daddy had to work; so that afternoon, Mommy took me to a Fall Festival at the church next door. I jumped in the bouncy castles, played the ring toss, went fishing in the fishing pond (I caught a rubber frog), and pet a baby goat and a donkey in the petting zoo. I also got to share a bag of popcorn with Mommy and eat a blue lollipop (one of my prizes) on the walk home—I think that was my favorite part! The next day, Mommy and I hosted a party for our neighbors—Carroll, Kail and Lizzie. We made fuzzy spider friends, decorated monster cookies, drank rotten apple punch, and ate “monster toes” & “spider” crackers.

I was a pilot for Halloween proper. Before Mommy and Daddy left Okinawa, Daddy bought a little pilot suit in South Korea. I just barely fit into it. Mommy would’ve been heart-broken if I hadn’t. The only problem was when I was let loose in the jumpy castle at the Fall Festival—every snap except the ankle snaps came undone (luckily, Mommy had the foresight to put a pair of my olive drab pajama shorts over my diaper.) It was an excellent way to cool down after working up a sweat during the games. That night, we went to another Fall Festival at the church down the road. I got a pumpkin painted on my face, played lots of fun carnival games (like “Rebekah’s Well” “The Walls of Jericho” and “Jonah and the Whale”). Then we came home and went trick-or-treating around the cul-de-sac. It was really fun when Daddy put the candles in our jack-o-lanterns!

All-in-all it was a successful Halloween. I even cried a little when I saw Mommy packing up the Halloween Decorations that weekend. But she convinced me I’ll like the upcoming Holidays even better!
Until then, enjoy the season!
Nate

Summer 07 Update

It is I, the great Nathaniel Goodwin (“Nate the Great,” for short), back from my summer travels. Some of you were wondering what event could have pulled me away from my bi-monthly-turned-quarterly journals. The answer is this: the call of the open road.

Yes, after I turned 2, life got mobile. Mommy took me on a 12-day road trip up north to see Air Force friends stationed along I-35. Daddy had 3 weeks of finals, so Mommy thought it best to get out of Dodge! We spent 5 days in Edmond (just outside Oklahoma City) visiting the Toweys—Mommy and Daddy’s friends from Grand Forks. I got to play cars and jump on the trampoline with my god-sister, Remy (now 7 years old!) and play with Annie’s brand new puppies. I also went to the Oklahoma City Zoo—I saw grizzly bears swim in the water and get out to shake all the water off, I saw a Mommy gorilla feeding her new baby gorilla, a one-eyed ostrich that was trying to have a staring contest with me and, my favorite, the zoo train.

From Oklahoma, we continued north to Wichita, Kansas to visit friends from Okinawa and Grand Forks. I stayed in my own suite at Hotel Booser and every day Pam & baby Jake and Mommy and I met with Jen & Noelle Matherne to tour the Wichita toddler scene. The big event was going to the zoo on Earth Day! Hey, admission was free, but every elementary school in the southern part of Kansas was there that day. It made Mommy a little stressed to try to keep up with me in the throngs of people, but that’s my job…to keep her on her toes. I also had dinner at the Booser’s and the McGarry’s, tried new foods at good restaurants, “helped” Pam play with baby Jake and played on Noelle’s super-duper swing set.

As for the time in the car, the weather was great for driving, I was well-behaved (we borrowed a portable DVD player from a friend and bought one soon after our return—for long car trips only!) and Mommy says she couldn't have asked for better traffic flow (despite passing right by the Texas Motor Speedway on NASCAR Sunday!) I watched “Leap Frog Letter Factory” several times on the trip and could identify all my letters by the time we got back. Mommy also packed a lot of goodies in a cooler and we stopped to stretch our legs and have a picnic or a snack every few hours. Mommy says the trip went so well, she would consider another road trip in the future.

In May, my cousins Anna (3), Ashley (2), and Adam (6 mo) came to visit us in San Antonio (along with Aunt Julie and Uncle Wes, of course!) It was another non-stop whirlwind with the 3 of us toddlers and an infant. We packed in Sea World (I love watching “Shampoo” and the dolphins at the feeding station), the zoo (I was a crabby-pants that day), Children's Museum, Science Museum (with really cool robotic dinosaurs), Artworks (a whole hour to free-play with playdough, paints, stamps, glue, sawdust, markers and a spinning record player), picnics in the parks, and a lot of backyard pool time in the 9 days they were here.

June took us to Lake Limestone in east Texas a few times. Granna and Papa put a new house on their lot, so we stayed with Great-Aunt Mary Ella during the night while we painted and prepped and played during the day. Our first trip was during Daddy’s two-week summer break after his gigantic med school test, something called the Step One. I planted a pecan tree with Daddy and Papa. Now it’s “my tree.” We also got to “swim” in the lake (though I wasn’t as keen about putting my head underwater or floating in my floatie this year). We went out on the jet-skis, too. I loved going over the bumps. “Again! ‘Gin!” I’d yell. I had fun trying out my new Batman rod & reel set I got from Wendy and Charles for my birthday. I love going to the lake because I can splash in the lake, drive the jet-skis, run down the long dirt road, swing in the hammock, chase the cows at the ranch, go fishing on the dock with Daddy & Papa and eat Granna’s really good food.

In July we headed on another road trip, this time with Granna, Papa, Mommy, me, Katie and Skyler. The Navigator was packed! We ventured back to Mississippi for Camp Meeting and another 12 days of reunion/revival fun. This year was just as refreshing as last year! I swam in the swimmin’ hole and went down the 10-foot waterslide 3 times, picked blueberries with Mommy and Granna’s family, played with my tractors and cars all over the campground, tried to ride a 12” bike—next year for sure!, fed the cows with Cousin Johnny and Cousin Sandy (#68 still likes me), lifted the bucket on a backhoe loader by myself, sang in the toddler choir, ate my first ice cream cone from “the stand,” swam in the tanks after the shaving cream fight (but didn’t like getting my hands messy with shaving cream), went on the hayride, and ate almost an entire bag of Cousin Sandy’s boiled peanuts. It was another year in Little Boy’s Paradise.

On August 1st, we flew from San Antonio to Minneapolis. (Yes, that is the same day the I-35 bridge collapsed in Mpls. Yes, the same I-35 that carried us on our April road trip. We’d been safe at Grandma and Grandpa’s up North in Bemidji for several hours at the time of the collapse. None of our friends or family was directly affected by the tragedy—except for extended commute times. Thank you to everyone who inquired.) With the news of the bridge collapsing and the recall of millions of lead-painted toys behind us, the Minnesota vacation could commence. I went to the Clearwater County Fair with Sydney and Grandma—saw the goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, horses, and cows and even ate a hot dog from the concession stand. I started getting crabby before Mommy could take me on a ride at the Midway, so we went home for my nap.

On Saturday, Mommy took me to the beach on Lake Bemidji for her 15-year Class Reunion Picnic. Mommy’s friend Alyssa took me wading in the lake when I started getting antsy. I had so much fun, I decided to just sit down and go swimming—in my clothes! On Sunday, I went to TWO princess parties. My oldest Breyen-cousin, Anna, turned 4. My cousin Sydney turned 3. I also got to meet my newest cousin Sarah ( Sydney's sister). I had so much fun playing with all my cousins and new friends--not to mention getting TWO slices of birthday cake in ONE day! The rest of the trip consisted of running up and down Grandma and Grandpa’s long, dirt driveway collecting neat rocks and leaves; hiding in the shed Grandpa was building (my fort), taking a photo with all the Breyen grandkids, climbing all over the new swing set Grandma bought for us, playing in the sandbox and giving baby Adam and baby Sarah kisses .

Which brings us to September—this month got a little lost in the hubbub of catching up from our summer travels and starting the routine of the school year! We’re busy this year! On Mondays Mommy goes to the gym for yoga (I get to hang out with the toy cars and “Sesame Street” in the KidZone). Tuesdays we alternate MOPS and story time at the library. Wednesdays Mommy and I attend Bible Study Fellowship. Thursdays is our free day— usually ends up being errands. Fridays we’re back at the gym and onto a “parenting” book club. So, my typical schedule is this: up at 6:45, breakfast (favorites are Cheerios, oatmeal, waffles and yogurt with fruit and juice on the side), dressed and out the door around 8:00. We’re home in time for a little free play, followed by lunch at 11:30-ish (PBJ, chicken nuggets and cheese tortillas are my favorites), clean-up, story time and nap at 1:00. I usually wake-up around 4:00, Daddy gets home around the same time, so I pick out his after-work clothes for him to change into and we wrestle on the bed for a half-hour. This amusement is followed by free play until dinner at 6:00, bedtime routine from 7:00-8:00 (“bath time,” p.j.s, “book time,” “brush teeth time,” “prayer time” and “sleep time”—as I call them).

Oh, we did take a quick trip to the beach and state aquarium in Corpus Christi when Daddy had a Saturday off this month. I love the ocean—floating, looking for shells (so I could load them in my dump truck), driving my beach trucks all over the sand, building sandcastles with Daddy, etc. I can’t wait to go back. After Labor Day was a great time to go…we practically had the whole beach to ourselves until about 11:00. I loved looking at the sharks, jellyfish and river otters at the state aquarium. I got to touch a manta ray and a little sand shark in the petting area. But ask Mommy and Daddy what it was like to share the hotel room with a toddler at bedtime! That’s the highlights from another San Antonio summer. Would you believe it didn’t break 100 degrees here this summer?! (That’s because it was always raining!)

That’s all for now,
Nate

April Likes & Dislikes

NATE'S LIKES • Drawing--well, having Mommy or Daddy draw cars, tractors, trucks, trains and buses • Eating (esp.chicken nuggets, fish sticks, tomatoes & blueberries)-- sometimes with a fork! • Books (but before we read, we must identify all the pictures of the cars in the book, then we can read the story from the beginning!) • Playing outside--even up North when it's 45 degrees • Running across the room, down the sidewalk, through the store, etc. • Splashing in the tub w/cars & boats during bathtime • Elephant rides on Daddy's back • Jumping or doing "trust falls" on the big bed • Playing with cars and trucks in the house, in the car, in a box, with a fox, here & there...everywhere! • Smiling & giving "head butts" (his sign of affection) • NATE'S DISLIKES • Diaper changes--we've got one wiggly, strong-willed little boy! • When he's up past his bedtime • Being told, "No!" • Loud noises • Being sick--this time was really a doozie!

Life As a 2-Year-Old!

Howdy y’all! What a fun time to be a little boy! I love this stage of toddlerhood! I’m really “getting it.” These past few months have been so fun. In fact that’s one of my new words. I love to say “fun” when I like something. Mommy was driving back from bible study this morning and we seemed to be flying over this hilly section of the road. From the backseat I shouted, “Weeeeee!;” followed by, “fun…gin…fun!” Nathaniel speak for, “That was fun! Let’s do it again!” I’m starting to count. We have 15 steps leading up to the second floor of our house. Mommy & Daddy usually count the steps as we go up and down. Hence, I can count to 15! I usually skip the number 5, but hey, I’m trying. I totally get the concept of “more than one,” too. Last month, when I wanted more, I would sign “more” (or “please”) or just say “mo’.” This month I say, “two.” When I see that Mommy has blueberries in her cereal in the morning (I LOVE blueberries), I say “bey-bey-bey.” Then Mommy says, “How do you ask?” I do the sign for “please” (or “thank you”) and Mommy says, “OK, that was a polite way to ask. You can have a blueberry.” Last week I discovered the secret, when she gives me a blueberry, I say “TWO.” Hah! Two is more than one! Now I realize that four is more than 1 or 2, so after she says, “OK, you can have a blueberry;” I say, “Four!” (Mother’s note: I wonder how long it will take for him to figure out 15 is more than 1, 2 or 4!) (Since the last mother’s note, he’s stopped saying “Four!” And now says, “1, 2, 8, 9, 10!” when he wants more than one of something.) I’m working on the ABC song. I know that letters exist. Whenever I see letters on the covers of books, I start singing a mumbled version of the ABC song (at least I start with “A,” get the right tune and throw in a couple of “E” sounds—I’m realizing a lot of letters sound like “E”). The other day, we got out of the black car and I was being the pokey little puppy working my way to the front door. Mommy came around the corner to find me and I was singing the ABC song in the driveway. I found the letters “CHRYSLER” on the side of the door, pointed, proudly announced “C!” and started singing. I’ve got a little over half of the letters down by recognition. I’m particularly fond of Q, T, E, A, C, B, P, O and K (not to be confused with X). I love to play an Elmo game on the computer that allows me to press a letter on the keyboard. Then Elmo tells me a word that starts with that letter and a picture of the word appears. If I accidentally hit the space bar, Elmo starts to laugh and says, “That tickles!” I love to sing other songs, too. I sway back and forth and sort of hum the tune usually shouting the last word of each line. For example, “Are You Sleeping” sounds something like this, “Ah-ah sleeping? Ah-ah sleeping? Mm-mm-John. Mm-mm-John. La-la-ringing. La-la-ringing. Dong. Dong!” Other favorite tunes include, “Wheels on the Bus” (complete with motions), “You Are My Sunshine,” “Old MacDonald” (he usually has a hen, frog, pig, or bull) and “Farmer in the Dell” (farmers have tractors and tractors have wheels. I like anything with wheels.) Let’s see, I still love books. My current favorites are, “Richard Scarey’s Things That Go,” “The Napping House,” “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” (I love labeling colors. My favorite color seems to be “g’een.” My face lights up whenever I say it.) “Noah’s Ark ,” “Little People Wheels Around Town” (or any of his other lift-a-flap books). I also love “Hooper Humperdink? Not HIM!,” “Green Eggs and Ham” (That’s the book Mommy read at the barbershop during my first professional haircut a few weeks ago.), the Berenstain Bears, any of my “Cars” books, “Thomas and the School Trip,” and “I SPY” books (I can find all the cars, trains, buses, vans, etc.) As I approached my second birthday, a new word popped into my vocabulary, “No.” It started off innocently enough. I wouldn’t scream it in a tantrum, but instead matter-of-factly SING the words. For example: Mommy or Daddy said, “Nathaniel, it’s time to change your diaper (I HATE diaper changes). I continued what I was doing and, without looking up, simply responded, “No. Noh. Naaaooooohhhh” as I drive my car down the length of the couch. A few weeks ago at lunch, Daddy wanted me to drink the rest of my milk. Standing on my big-boy chair, I sang “No. Noh. Naaaooooohhhh” as I piled my peas and corn into my mouth. Mommy and Daddy didn’t respond. So, after about 30 seconds of silence I proclaimed, “No!” once more. Mommy and Daddy both asked, “Is that your favorite word?” I paused, thought about it and joyously yelled, “CAR!” I guess that answers their question. I still love cars. I had a racecar theme for my second birthday party on March 17th (for those keeping track, yes, my birthday is the 19th, but who wants to party on a Monday?!) Mommy made the invitations. She included a picture of Lightning McQueen (“Keen” as I call him, from the Disney movie, “Cars”), inviting people to “race on over.” I had a wonderful time. My Great Grandmother and Granddaddy were able to make it from Port Arthur, TX. Grandma & Grandpa Breyen were here from Bemidji . Granna & Papa Goodwin drove down from New Braunfels, my cousins Katie & Skyler, our neighbors and some of my playgroup buddies were also there. I was so overwhelmed and excited; I didn’t talk for the first hour or so. I just ran around with my cars—acting silly. When the kids showed up, we made racing visors with cars stickers. Later, Daddy played “The Wheels on the Bus” on his guitar for all the kids outside. I love doing the motions—I really exaggerate the horn going “beep!beep!beep!” and the wipers going “swish!swish!swish!” (my whole body twists from side to side with my arms straight out in front of me)! At the party, the kids ate grilled cheese sandwiches with grapes and the adults dined on Daddy’s chicken fajitas. I really enjoyed the present-opening this year. I wanted to play with every gift as soon as I opened it. But when Mommy pointed out I had more presents waiting, I gallantly put that gift aside and waited for the next package to arrive in front of me. Of course, the overall gift theme was cars, trucks, trains & tractors with some clothes, books and alphabet games sprinkled in for Mommy (er, I mean for good measure). Soon it was time for my birthday cake. Mommy made a buttermilk chocolate cake in the shape of a racetrack. There were even two toy cars on the track! After the “Happy Birthday” song, right before I blew out my candle, Mommy and Daddy asked me how old I was going to be. I diligently responded, “TWO!” In the end, I sort of understood that this celebration was all for ME! I was wound up the entire morning (and well into the afternoon). On my actual birthday, Mommy & Daddy took me to Chuck E. Cheese for a “quiet” family night. Daddy tried to teach me skee ball, but I wanted to use all of my tokens on the Monster Truck game. Earlier in the day, I had my first tea party with Mommy. I found the blue elephant tea set Mommy & Daddy got in Thailand. I took one of the cups to Mommy in the kitchen and clearly announced, “tea!” It was sort of a demand, but Mommy filled the cup with apple juice and warmed the “tea” in the microwave. I enjoyed a few sips, but realized the party would be more fun with two people. I took another cup into the kitchen and said, “Mama. Tea. Sit.” I politely showed Mommy where she should sit with me at the table. She made herself a cuppa and joined me. I thought I was such a big boy—I smiled and sipped with both hands the entire party. Aunt Ju-Ju (Julie) joked that maybe she should’ve given me a tea set for my birthday! Shortly after I turned 2, Mommy and Daddy found a good deal on a used blue racecar toddler bed! It’s all ready to go into my room; but people keep telling Mommy, “If he still stays in his crib…don’t mess with a good thing!” We’ll see. I’ll probably move into my “bigger-boy” bed soon. Mum’s theory is we’ll probably have to battle the crib-to-bed transition eventually, why not now? The two-year-old milestone also marked the transition to my nickname, Nate. Mommy and Daddy had thought all along that they’d call me Nate as I approached preschool age. And boy am I thankful! I think it will be a lot easier to learn to write “Nate” than “Nathaniel!” When I moved up from Bible Babies to Bibleland in the church nursery, I was registered as Nate…so begins the transition. Wow. That’s my two-year-old update. For the record, there are a few more trying days between me and Mommy now that I’ve started my third year of life. But right now I think Mommy & Daddy will tell you that it’s still more the “terrific twos” than the “terrible twos.” The three of us will keep you posted.
Until next time, Nate