Because I Need An Occasional Reminder

Just when I think Austen is finally starting to have some self control when it comes to stuff that's off limits, he reminds me that he in fact isn't quite there yet.

I wouldn't classify him as naughty, just very curious.

Sometimes he just can't resist the urge to get into stuff he knows he shouldn't.

Who can blame him???

The baby gate in the hallway has been working out VERY nicely. It has saved my sanity and it also allows me to do stuff I couldn't do before like put away laundry.

I keep him on the other side of the gate and I know I have a good 5-15 mins to get something done without having to clean up a mess he's made in the process.

I usually turn on a show for him and he'll watch it and forget I'm gone. Sometimes he'll sit at the gate and cry out "I know, I know" which is fine too. Just as long as he's staying out of trouble.

(He got the I know thing from me saying it to him when he would cry at the gate.....now he just thinks that's what you're supposed to say when you're sad.)

The other day I came out of the gated area to find little tiny pieces of paper.

A paper trail that led to this:

Yes, it was his idea to try and vacuum it up. How can you get mad when he cleans up his own messes???
This morning I was putting away laundry and came out to find this:
An entire bag of sugar emptied onto the kitchen floor.
He thought it was just another kind of sand and was using kitchen tools to play in it.
It was a pain to clean up!!!

It's always something new with him....he really keeps me on my toes!

And I don't want to hear anything about not watching my child.......this took less than 5 min.
He's super fast and very creative!

My Little Grown Up

Austen is quite unaware that he is in fact not a grown up.

The other night we went to a football gathering at a friend's house where there were a few other kids and he was treating a three year old girl as if she were a baby. He would bend over and talk in a high voice to her and even go get her toys.

It was hilarious!

He totally thinks he's just one of us.

Yesterday he even helped me unload the dishwasher. He would pull stuff out and put it where it actually goes. I was bursting with pride!!!

His current favorite things are:

Throwing rocks off the bridge at the park to make a splash

Anything sweet

Feeding the animals at Farm Country

Pretending to run on the treadmill

and

Turning the t.v. on and off (a big no no, but he still thinks it's funny)

Here's some cute pics of the little man at the park courtesy of my amazing sister.

Talking to Grandma on the phone
(his other favorite thing)

The Fair

It has been very interesting around here the past few days......and not in a good way.

We are dealing with a new molar AND an awful virus.

Austen was already struggling to deal with just the teeth issues, but this sickness has put him over the edge.

I feel so bad for him, you can tell he's in pain just by looking at him.

I know I'm supposed to be this amazing selfless mother who's only concerned about her sick child, but I'm not going to lie.....it's been rough.

I dare say it's been the worst time I've had as a mom.

He is having meltdown after meltdown and it's not fun when all I want to do is curl up and go to sleep.

Like I once famously said to my own Mom when she was sick "Mom's aren't allowed to be sick".

If I had known then how right I was.....

AND

To top it all off my Grandpa passed and I am uselessly stuck in my house unable to help or be there for anyone.

...

On a lighter note....

I've been wanting to go to the fair with Brian for years, but he was convinced it was packed with only white trash and certain other ethnic groups.

He finally agreed to accompany us after I threatened to go alone.

So armed with his concealed weapon we headed off to the fair.

There was a lot to see there, mostly animals and rides. Even though Austen is too small for most the stuff we still had a really good time.

Austen was not really into the goats, cows, pigs, and sheep though. I guess one too many trips to Wheeler Farm and the novelty is gone.

He was really into watching all the rides especially the Ferris Wheel. When it would stop to let people off he would say "uh oh" thinking it was broken or something.

Gotta love his "smile"

Here is Brian winning Austen a giant crayon.

He also won this little cow.


Austen was so excited about getting up close and personal to a tractor.



Telling daddy a secret.

In other Austen news,

He has discovered pockets!!

He sticks everything in them even food, so I have to check them often.

He'll even stick the t.v. remote in there.

(wonder where he learned that?)

He also picked out his own Halloween costume, but I won't give it away by telling you what it is....you'll have to wait for pictures.

Just trust me when I say it's very cute and very funny!

Bouncin Off The Walls

I just have to say I am so on top of this blog lately that it's practically live!!!

We went to bouncin off the walls mere hours ago and here I am posting about it already.

..toot toot..

(That's me tooting my own horn......don't worry, I'm done now.)

Anyway, Austen wasn't too sure of it at first. He had a hard time walking around in the bouncy castle.

Eventually he figured out that crawling worked better and then he was off and having fun!

(Even though he'd been reduced to crawling.)

His favorite was the tunnel at the end of the obstacle course. I couldn't get him out of there!!

There was also a huge slide that we went down a few times. He wouldn't climb it alone......I think it was too high for him, but I carried him up and we went down together.

(I learned the hard way why they say to wear long sleeves....I have no skin left on my elbow.)

All in all, it was pretty fun and I'm sure we'll be going there again.

How Lucky Am I???

No, seriously....I get to be this cute boy's mommy!

He is so wonderfully amazing and smart and hilarious and I feel like the most blessed person ever to be able to be his mom!

(even on the bad days when he likes to test his limits.)

He likes to hide in the little alcove between the t.v. and the fireplace to play peek-a-boo.

Totally adorable!

He has also discovered that t.v. isn't so bad.
Here he is watching a show eating ice.
He doesn't hold still for long, but when he does he will zone out.

Austen, you are the most amazing thing ever.

Thank you for chosing me.

Attack Of The Geese

I guess when all the kids go back to school the normally well fed ducks and geese at the farm get very hungry.

That would explain why we got swarmed the other day when we went.

There were at least 5o geese honking loudly and charging us to get some bread.

Austen was not afraid one bit.....I, on the other hand was a little jumpy.

I blame it on a bad experience I had with a goose when I was younger!

These pictures don't even show the whole swarm, but there was a lot....trust me.

Luckily we brought a ton of old bread.

Playtime's Over

After searching high and low for a way to childproof egg shaped door knobs, we have discovered that no such thing exists.

There is a way to childproof EVERY other kind of door knob including levers, but egg shaped.....you're out of luck!

I was seriously done with Austen opening the bathroom and closet doors

It was non-stop and there was no way to stop him.....apparently no isn't enough.

He thinks of the bathrooms as personal indoor water parks, and the linen closet is heaven with all it's lotions and squirt bottles.

(Heaven for him is actually my worst nightmare......toilets, chemicals,.....you get the point.)

After a lot of thinking and searching the Internet for a solution, I had an epiphany...

Baby gate in the hallway and problem solved!!!

Now I'm in heaven!

Don't worry, he still finds ways to get into things and make messes.

I haven't completely outsmarted him!

This is baby powder by the way.




He thought it was quite hilarious!

Oh, and as far as the sleep deprivation goes, he finally crashed. The night before last he fell asleep immediately following dinner at 7:30 and slept the entire night waking up at 9:00am.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that I think the nap might be a thing of the past.
He didn't take one for 3 days in a row.
I've gotten him to take one today and yesterday, but they are short.....like half the time short.
Oh well, I guess you can't have it all.