Christmas Tree

We decided to cut a Christmas tree from our own woods this year.  Russell and I picked one out a few weeks ago, and this weekend we took Michael out to cut it down and bring it back to the house.  It was in the 20's when we went out, so we all got bundled up to stay warm.  Michael DOES NOT like the cold, so I couldn't get him to crack a smile in any of the photos.

We headed out on the 4-wheeler....

Now mind you, the blue spruce we picked out was about 16' tall, and we only have 8' ceilings.  So we cut the whole tree down and basically used the top half of the tree.

We dragged the tree home with the 4-wheeler.....

....and Russell and I decorated it while Michael was taking his nap.  I just didn't have the patience to let Michael help us decorate...maybe next year....

It turned out to be a fine tree, one of the best we've ever had....

Grandpa's Guitar

Michael is fascinated with any musical instrument, but especially Grandpa's guitar.  Michael is always asking Grandpa for the "tar". He loves to strum on the strings, and he dances to Grandpa's songs that he plays and sings.

Michael's Best Friend

This is Michael's best friend - Moosie (as Michael calls him).  Michael received this moose for his birthday, and he's become so attached to him.  Moosie always sleeps next to Michael at bedtime and now Michael seems to be carrying him everywhere he goes...into the car for rides and this week he joined us at the dining room table for breakfast.

Visit with Santa

While Russell was away last weekend visiting his 96-year old Grandma in Mississippi, Michael and I made a long weekend of it at my parents.  The local fire department has a visit with Santa party every year so we made the trip over there to see what Michael would do.  And here's what he did...

He made Mom sit on Santa's lap with him!

He was pretty shy, but didn't cry.  Then we enjoyed a nice lunch with Christmas cookies and all.



Advent Preparations

Michael is having his first real experience with Advent and learning about the true meaning of Christmas.  He loved playing with the candles at first....

...until he cracked one of them...so now I told him he can only look at them and the Nativity scene...

...he is able to point out baby Jesus on his own...this boy is a sponge!

In other news....Michael has graduated from his sippy cup to drink milk like this....

And Michael just couldn't resist helping Russell recently repair the bathroom faucet sink....

It's been cold and snowy here (big surprise), but I have to admit, I'm enjoying winter a little more now since I can look out my house windows and enjoy the beauty of it all whenever I want to.  It's absolutely breathtaking and peaceful! 

Happy Advent everyone!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Rendition

Here is Michael's rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star:

Twinkle star
How you are
World so high
Diamond in sky
Twinkle star
How you are

I think I have a future singer in my house.

Big Tractor Ride

Michael is enamored with any type of vehicle or machine that moves - trucks, cars, tractors, backhoes, trains, bicycles, 4-wheelers, etc...you get the idea.  Well, Michael got the opportunity to ride in the "big tractor" the day after Thanksgiving when my sister was hauling manure (yes manure) on my brother's farm to spread in the fields.  Michael could see my brother running the skid steer on his farm from my parents' window and my sister hauling the manure to the fields.  He was glued to the window and was verbally ecstatic about all of the commotion going on across the field, so Russell finally took him over there in hopes of getting him a ride.  Russell said Michael cried at first when they boarded the "big tractor", but finally settled down and enjoyed the big excursion!

I found Michael earlier in the week in my pantry making himself at home....

And lastly, Michael helping me fold clothes (into balls of clothes I should say)....

I've got to give the boy an "A" for effort!

The Refrigerator, Part II

Remember the photo I posted of Michael surveying the refrigerator for something to eat?  Let me refresh your memory.

Well, now, he goes and gets his step stool, opens the refrigerator on his own and does this....

Heavens to betsy, this kid gets into everything!!!

It's 'Nowing Outside

Our first snowfall (can you believe it?) arrived last Wednesday, Nov. 9th.  They were originally predicting 6-10" of wet heavy snow, but we ended up getting about 5".  It was quite the pretty snowfall and the first one at our new place here in the woods.  It was actually very beautiful, and I spent alot of the day just gazing out the window watching it snow.  The title of this post is in Michael's words.

The squirrels and birds persevered in trying to find food during the storm.

The trees were coated with the heavy white snow...a pretty site to see....

A view of our driveway from the main road



So what did Michael think of all of this?  Not a whole lot.  I actually dressed him up for his Christmas picture and took him outside without a coat to get my Christmas shots.  By the time we accomplished that feat (which he always makes so difficult), he was cold and wanted to go inside (and rightfully so when his Mom takes him outside for pictures without a coat on!).  I dressed him up in his winter coat and hat and put his mittens on and went back outside, but he cried and cried to go back inside.  So we did, and will try again another time.  As for now, the snow has all melted.

Conquering the Crib

One day last week I laid Michael down for his afternoon nap.  He usually talks and plays for the first 15-20 minutes, and then finally goes to sleep.   While I was waiting for him to get quiet, I was browsing the internet, and heard this beating and banging in or outside the house.  I couldn't tell where the noise was coming from...it sounded like from outside so I was looking out the windows to see if someone was breaking in the house or whatever.  Well, a few minutes later, Michael comes running down the hallway to me with a big grin and laugh on his face...he conquered getting out of the crib by himself!  So a few days later, I asked him to show me how he gets out of the crib.  And he gladly offered the following demonstration.

The strange thing is now every time he wakes up, he doesn't get out of the crib by himself and come out of the room...he yells for Daddy first...then me if Daddy isn't around.  Then when we go in his room, he wants to crawl out himself.  And now this week, when we put him to bed, he has to crawl in the crib himself as well.

Last week I taught him about Eskimo kisses (rubbing our noses together).  Well, he's remembered that, and every night we put him to bed, he asks for a "mo-mo" kiss from Russell and I.

It's time to dismantle the crib and set up the toddler bed.

Bikes and Trailers and Other Tidbits

*Editor's note:  I promised blog posts to folks last week but my internet went down for some time but am now back on line.

Early last week I spotted Michael riding his bike toward our shed which is a little ways from the house, and I noticed he stopped at the trailer.  I decided to walk outside with the camera to see what he was doing.  He had his bike backed up to the trailer hitch and was trying to lift the hitch to connect it to his bike.  He tried and tried to lift it, and then asked me if I could do it.  I willingly appeased him, and showed him I couldn't lift it either!

Remember doing this as a kid?  I do.  He eventually just takes the shirt off.  This is the only shirt he does this with.  I think I'm just going to pack it away.



How is this for table manners?  My Dad taught him this next habit when eating soup or anything with liquid in a bowl.  Very cute when he can drink and keep the liquid in his mouth, but not so cute when he dumps it all over himself.  That Grandpa!

And lastly, more helpin' (as Michael puts it) Mom with chores around the house.  He can actually push this fairly heavy vacuum cleaner around the carpet.  He's very strong for a 2 year old.

And Then There Was Venison

According to the white tail deer bible (Field & Stream), the planets, stars and moon were all supposed to be aligned today (October 31) for a fabulous deer hunt.  The magazine stated that if you wanted to get a buck, today was the day you needed to be in the woods.  So of course, my husband decided to take the day off and be out on his deer stand before daylight this morning.  I received a phone call from him about 9:30 a.m. asking if Michael and I were dressed to come out in the woods.  I knew he got his deer...

Michael and I got dressed (mind you it was 37 degrees this morning which is alot warmer than last week - one morning it was 20 degrees!) and Russell walked back to get the 4-wheeler and take us out to his tree stand.  And this is what we found....a large bodied 6-point buck!

Michael didn't know what to think of at first, but then he warmed up to it and all he has said the rest of the day is "deer" and "buck".  After Russell field dressed the deer, we hung him in our shed ceiling for the night.  Russell found Michael in the shed later on in the day just staring upwards at the buck, not saying a thing, but just looking in amazement.

You know what we'll be doing tomorrow - cutting up venison!  Way to go Russell!

I'm Helpin'

As I've mentioned in a previous post, Michael is in the "helpin'" stage.  He demands that he help me with almost everything I'm doing.  Now this is a tough thing for me - because I just want to get it done and not mess around with a 2 year old trying to help.  But I've learned some patience and have let him help me, but now it's led to him wanting to help me with everything.  So this morning as I was putting the dry dishes away at 7:00 am from the previous night, he proceeded to the livingroom, dumped his toys out of his toy bin, and promptly brought the bin to the kitchen and said, "I'm helpin'" and did this....

How could I resist something so cute?!

Our 2-Year Old

Michael is something else.  He is blossoming beyond belief - he is a jabberbox, repeats everything we say, and is close to talking in full sentences.  He can say the words "medicine" "ridiculous" "conference" and "consequences" - words I thought only older kids would say.  He is full of more energy than we can deal with especially at night time.  He has to touch everything - I mean everything - even when we tell him not too.  He also destroys and dismantles everything - I mean everything - books, toys, my closets, etc.  He is the most curious and inquisitive person I've ever known.  He is constantly on the move - fidgeting, jumping, running, yelling, clapping his hands, and talking.  And yet, he is the cutest and most adorable little boy anyone could have and we love him to pieces!!!!

Here are his 2-year old pictures (photo credit - me)

He loves to pick and play with pumpkins (he says "punkins")...

and loves to look at books...

He loves to be chased and run and run and run....

and he loves car rides (especially to Grandma and Grandpa's).  He can say "Grandma" but not Grandpa.  Grandpa is "Gon-ka")

He likes to wear his cool sunglasses...

and watch caterpillars crawl across the concrete.

And now he has started to help me cook (mixing pancake batter)

Last weekend we made a trip to LaCrosse, WI where Russell attended a Catholic bioethics conference at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  I took Michael to a children's museum while Russell was at the conference.  His two favorite parts of the museum were the play "grocery store" and play "kitchen".  I was perplexed as to why he spent so much time in these areas when the museum was filled with so many other things to do, and then it dawned on me.  I always take him grocery shopping and he always sees me cooking so this is what he identified with most at the museum.  We stayed in a hotel along the Mississippi River and we ran back and forth on the boardwalk over and over and over, as he laughed and giggled because I was chasing him. 

He is so amazingly smart!  He gets screwdrivers out of drawers and acts like he is taking apart his toys where the screws are.  He is really a pretty good eater for a 2-year old as far as variety.  Some of his favorites include canteloupe, strawberries, any kind of sausage, waffles and syrup, chicken nuggets, pasta, pumpkin pie, cooked carrots, bananas, and most meats (especially if it's on a bone).  He loves to go to the park and especially be pushed high in the swing.  And he continues to love 4-wheeler rides with his Dad.

So that's our boy in a nutshell at age 2!