Jason Aldean In the House...

I got to spend a lot of time with T lately and I love it. Susannah lives with us this summer and she has already taught T how to write letters and copy letters in his new little book just for this purpose. He is getting really good at performing his country music songs for himself in front of the reflective fireplace or standing on a box that used to hold toys but that he now declares is his stage. His fist is usually a microphone, although he also has a microphone, and he plays a VERY intense air guitar. Sometimes when people ask him what his name is, he says "Jason Aldean." I have been trying really hard to get him to listen to more appropriate music, but it seems you can't go back. I am still going to try! He likes country music so much that he has even gotten J into it.

J just told me that T asked him a question and J replied that he didn't know. T looked at him and said "Dad, just get your phone and look it up!"

Firsts...

This week is the first time that Tanner is sleeping without his bedrail. It happened by accident because we left his super long bedrail at the beach. Joshua and I braced ourselves for a rough night(s) but we were pleasantly surprised when Tanner slept through the night we got back, and all the nights after it, without falling off (the "thunk" before we bought the rail was the absolute worst). He is proud and we are too...we are also getting ready for our summer trip to California, where I am dreading the ridicule when certain people see that I still spend too much time feeding Tanner myself (because he takes SO SO SO SO long), so we are working on that (in training together, really). Lastly, Susannah is helping me teach Tanner how to put his underwear, pants, and shirts on. He is doing such a great job and is quite proud, but shirts give him a real problem. I love watching him spin and try to find his own head inside the shirt. I also note how I have to hold myself back from wanting to smooth the road for him, or worse, do it for him. I have a lot to learn as a mother, and perhaps a bit to learn about how over-serving can kill self-reliance as much as under-serving people. Hmm.

Growing Up Southern...

We took Tanner to North Myrtle Beach for a week. We stayed at the moldiest high rise ever, but Tanner asked daily if we could live there forever, please. It was awesome to leave the windows and back sliding door open for the breeze and to hear the sound of the ocean. It turned out that we accidentally stayed for the start of Biker Week, which was an eye-opener for all of us. We went a bit dorky-family and all bought the same shoes at the Converse outlet, so expect future pictures of our resultant cuteness. We also had some rainy days, so we headed to the amusement parks and museums in the area. We even held a little baby tiger and a big tiger, and fell for his fervent request for a new cowboy hat- which he LOVED.

Things He Says....

Tanner recently said the following things I want to remember:

1. Mom- come get the ant!!! Come find it...oh, well. At least we tried our very best...

2. Dear Heavenly Father, please bless us to not die.

3. Here is my song for Daddy: "Dad is the best because he lets me watch TV whenever I ask and if he listens to me I will listen to him..."

4. Mom, you can't just lie there in bed when someone tells you they want breakfast. That is a bad decision!

5. Mom, will you please go to work and earn some more money so we can buy more toys???