January 2013

A fresh year begins

Every new January
Memories await

January has been an interesting month for us.  So much and yet so little has happened, and it's crazy to think that the month is over now!  I'll apologize ahead of time for the lack of and quality of photos.  I'd like to blame it on the fact that a friend borrowed our good camera, or that Charlie was gone for a lot of the month and it's hard to take pictures of Bruce single-handedly.  But to be honest, it really was just a lazy picture taking month.

We, meaning Charlie, spent a lot of time at the beginning of the month working on house renovations.  He finished installing the two ceiling fans and recessed lighting in the living room and our bedroom, and exhaust fans in both bathrooms.  Seemingly small additions, but a lot of grueling attic work involved.  We've also bought the new bathtub, and are almost done hemming and hawing about tile decisions for the bathroom.  I think.  Installing all of that will be on Charlie's to-do list for February!

Charlie and I celebrated our NINTH wedding anniversary this year on the 3rd.  Unfortunately, I caught a stomach bug and was miserable company for him.  The good news was that Charlie was a rock star with Bruce the next day while I was still recovering - brought him to work and took him out to lunch - so I could stay in bed half the day.  The bad news was that we had to cancel our Ring Dunk/Cotton Bowl Party.  We still watched the game, but were a pretty pitiful pair.  So many touchdowns, but so little energy for "kissing your date."

I remembered "Free First Monday" at the natural history museum this month and took Bruce there to meet up with a couple of our friends.  It had been four months since the first time we took him there, and it was so great to see his reaction this time!  I left the stroller in the car and thought I'd just let him lead the way - he was awestruck!  And the museum is so  great with lots of hands on things to touch - he was in heaven!  And then he found the stairs, and our museum visit was essentially over.  We spent the rest of the afternoon going up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs.  And then he found the girl scout troop trying to take a group photo by the mastodon, and Bruce thought it was hilarious to photo bomb them.  He especially liked laying down next to the girls posing on the floor underneath the mastodon's raised hoof.  All in all, it was a great afternoon at the museum, and hopefully I'll remember next month on the free day so we can go back.

The next weekend, there was a grand opening for the casino/equestrian event arena Charlie helped design in Mulvane, Kansas.  We drove up there and Charlie's mom watched Bruce at the hotel while Charlie and I went to the reception.  Afterwards, I went up to put Bruce to bed and stay with him while Yvonne, Bill and Charlie went out for dinner and to win big at the casino.  Charlie came to spell me when he was down ten dollars, and I met up with Yvonne to have my go at the penny slots.  I found a great machine ten minutes before I needed to get up to bed - won 30 dollars - and then forced myself to go upstairs to bed.  I told Charlie about the machine and where to find it, and the next morning he won another 30 dollars, doubling our money!  We've never left a casino with less money than we started with, but this was definitely our biggest win!

Bruce's first merry-go-round ride

We drove back home just in time to get the house cleaned up before my mom and Rick came for a quick visit.  We didn't have any huge activities on the agenda during their stay, (other than a breakfast at Ozzy's Diner, of course) but we had a great time shopping, hanging around the house catching up, and playing with Bruce.  They packed up and headed back to Texas a few days later, and then Charlie left the next day to go to San Antonio for a few days for a work convention.

Normally, I would have been a little bummed to spend a few days taking care of Bruce by myself, especially over a weekend, but this time it was perfect timing.  I had a church leadership event Friday night and all day Saturday that I had to look forward to!  That meant that Bruce spent Friday night and all day Saturday with a babysitter.  That's a big deal for us.  A first, in fact.  We don't have many opportunities to get out, and babysitters are expensive these days!  Friday night was nothing because he was already in bed by the time the babysitter got here, but Saturday - whew!  Eight hours away from each other!  Bruce had a great day though, and was all smiles when I came home that afternoon.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the "break," but I definitely missed him too.  The church meeting was really encouraging too, and I'm looking forward to this coming semester for our House Church.  

Charlie came home on Sunday and then left again on Thursday for China!  He comes home tonight, after being gone for eight days.  Definitely the longest business trip since Bruce has come along.  It was exciting for him to get to go on the trip, but he didn't really get to leave the hotel or conference center much, so it's not like it was a vacation.  Hardly.  I can remember before Bruce, Charlie's business trips were almost like a vacation for me - I didn't have to cook, I could watch what I wanted to on television, could go out with girlfriends - life has sure changed!  I really admire single parents because I can barely survive a week of it!

this is when my battery died at the park...
 right as we got to the cool tunnel...

To help pass some of the time while Charlie was gone, Bruce and I went up to my inlaws' house for the weekend.  It was pretty cold, so we didn't get outside much, but Bruce did manage to get one tractor ride in with Grandpa and Granny K to feed cows.

To help pass the time when we're not in Stillwater, or at a fun, fancy casino, or shopping with grandparents, or at a museum, we've found a lot of fun activities to keep us busy around the house.  Mainly, I raided my arts and crafts supply closet and came up with a lot of random things that Bruce amuses himself with.  He has a shoebox of pinto, lima and coffee beans that he loves dumping in and out of kitchen pots and jars.  He loves putting them all in a pile on the floor, and then raking them out like a bull getting ready to charge.  Or he'll lay down and put his face on the pile of beans - this boy still loves feeling things with his face.  Is that normal?  And he thinks it's really great when you pour out a big jar of beans over his head like rain.  I have to admit I like it too.  Think pressure-massage waterfall.

Then there's a box of assorted sea shells we brought back from Florida this summer.  Bruce's favorites are the lightning welks, naturally.  He also has a shoebox filled with "craft" rocks, mermaid stones, and a few chunky turquoise and wooden beads.  These for some reason he thinks need to be arranged and rearranged in an old egg carton.  He's also gotten into markers, watercolors, and colored chalk this month, along with a growing obsession for stickers.  Bruce loves playing with my tub of colored pencils too, but more just like Pick Up Sticks, because he can't press hard enough yet to make satisfying marks with them.  At any given moment, these items are strewn about the living room, and all over the house if I'm honest, but the mess is definitely worth it to see him engaged in an activity for more than 30 seconds at a time!  He'll still raid his toy boxes from time to time too, but playing with these "real" things seems to be a lot more interesting to him.

Bruce's first watercolor

He loves hiding and playing "run away," especially running away with some object that I'm supposed to come and snatch back from him.  This game is particularly funny with socks or my grocery list.  I don't know why.  Bruce still has the best laugh!

As far as developmental milestones, I don't know exactly how he "measures up" to others his age, but he's definitely moving forward, which is what we care about.  He's an expert walker, and things that used to trip him up aren't a problem anymore.  He can walk on tip-toes, walk backwards, walk in circles, can even run a bit, and has the most adorable "triangle walk" around.

Bruce hand selecting the chicken food

feeding the chickens

Bruce is talking a lot more these days too.  Still mostly gibberish, but a few real words, or really great mimics, come out from time to time.  Our most impressive party trick though (when Bruce feels like playing along) is that he can now mmmoo like a cow, ssss like a snake, oof like a dog, ah ah ah for a monkey, and is getting pretty good and frumping (?) like a horse.  It's really cute.

checking for eggs

carefully putting them in the carton!

For months now Bruce has been blowing kisses for us, but just this last week...brace yourself...he's started giving us REAL KISSES!!!  They're few and far between, and always more readily given away to his lovies, but still.  Man.  Melts my heart.  He clicks his tongue to make the smack and lays it on ya like a pro.

Charlie's been gone for nearly half the month on work trips, but we're looking forward to things slowing down a bit travel-wise.  He's got some projects in Oklahoma City on the schedule that should keep him around more this coming month.  Yahoo!  Looking forward to lots of family time!  We've had a great start to 2013 though, so I can't complain!