I thought my child was gifted and special:
- able to leap small stairs in a single bound

- sharing his toys with those in need

- feeding the small(er) and helpless babes

Boy did he prove how gifted he really is today!

While out running errands with a friend today, we made a marathon shopping trip of 2 hours at.... where else? Tar-je (That's Target for non-French-speaking persons.). Hunter was so sweet for the first hour to hour and a half when... the request for cars came about and would never cease. He must have asked thirty times. I tried reasoning with him (he is gifted, you know) that we do not buy toys every time we go shopping, giving him choices (You make look at the car and put it back or not look at the car at all.) and finally ignoring him. There was some whining to report but we left Target mostly unscathed.

Off we went to have some lunch where is was mostly behaved.

On our third and final stop, Hunter found an airplane. He told me he wanted it and even took it from the package thinking he could have it. After I had the store clerk tell him he cannot open toys unless his mommy buys it (thinking that would do a lot of good to hear it from someone else), he begins to ask me to buy it for him. This is where he showed his true giftedness:

He must have asked fifty times and must have thought in his head that he REALLY WAS going to get that airplane. When the time came to leave the store and I made him put the airplane back and began walking away, boy did he let me have it! Wailing and gnashing of teeth and all... for 15 minutes all the way home and upstairs to his bed, where he threw yet another fit over not wanting to take a nap (which started several days ago- not wanting to take a nap). I ignored him the entire time we left the store.

Boy was I surprised! I am a naive one, I tell you. I thought trantrums were for one or two year olds. Yeah. NOPE! Plus, Hunter has always done beautifully when I told him no in the past. This was a new one for me.

Okay, Friends, what do you do for the repeated requests at the store for items your child wants?

A dear friend of mine, http://www.vitafamiliae.com/, came up with this grand idea for her blog, to share how she met her mate and challenged the rest of us to try it, too. So, here goes! Thanks, LL!

To help her spread the word, here's a link to my friend's story:



As a recent graduate of Virginia Tech (I'm a Hokie, you know), I started out in a couple of crummy sales jobs but with high hopes of getting into the Pharmaceutical Sales field. I was trying to network like crazy and make business contacts as best I could. I went to every business opportunity I could as a representative for The Roanoker magazine. On one such occassion in the late winter/early spring of 1998, I attended yet another Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours to prospect. Being the "hard core" extrovert that I am, this was usually very exciting.

On this particular evening, I ran into a group of people I knew and began conversing, when a guy I didn't know came up to the group and started chatting with another guy. Soon enough, we were introduced and we began conversing about who knows what but, according to him, we exchanged business cards and away we went until...

Come back for more next Monday (or Wednesday). :)

In addition to the third year of life Hunter achieved earlier this month (the fourth), I have to add a couple of new accomplishments to his list of achievements.

Hunter was a late walker. He walked just before 18 months, although he rolled over, sat and crawled on time. He also had intense issues with spitting up. In fact, he didn't stop spitting up until he started walking. It makes sense, really, because his body became vertical instead of horizontal. However, after that, he started drooling. As a matter of fact, he has been drooling until recently when I noticed that my child NO LONGER DROOLS! Hooray! It's not that it caused any problems but it is quite unsightly and it's just gross to have drool all over toys. Way to go, Hunter!

The other obstacle he has almost overcome? His paci (pacifier for any non-parents). Between losing a couple and a couple just getting chewed up and gross, he has only one left. When he started up with chewing on it, I warned him, once he chewed it, he doesn't have anymore and we have to throw it away. Sure enough, that thing is just gross. He has litterally eaten the nipple off of the pacifier and there's only a small nub left. At this point, I still give it to him, willfully, at nap time and bedtime. However, after he puts it in his mouth for a few seconds, he's done with it. I guess I should just ask him if he's done with it and ready to throw it out. Maybe I should do something special for him when he's ready. Maybe go out for ice cream instead of lunch???

Go, Hunter! I'm so proud of you! Love, Mommy.

Just for documentary purposes, I need to share Hunter's Airplane Birthday Party. He turned 3 on June 4th and, because I could not come up with any ideas of my own (and getting by with a newborn), I decided to ask Hunter what he wanted to do for his birthday party. He said, "I want an airplane party." Okay, that was after he said a Lightning McQueen party but he told me a couple of months ago that he wanted an airplane party, so I reminded him and he agreed on the airplane.





I asked, "Who do you want to invite?" His first response was Wesley. With a little help, he added Josh and Kiera to his invite list. I asked if he wanted to invite anyone else and he said, "No. Just 3 friends." How funny! He sure did make my job easy! I had lunch catered by a local deli and made PB&Js for the kiddos.


This child was so excited about his special day, as he should have been, right? All day, everyday he asks what's coming next. "What are we going to do after _____, Mommy?" Well, this day was no different. ALL he wanted was to open his gifts. Everything else seemed obligatory. I had to answer his question about when he got to open presents with everything that had to occur first. "May I open presents?" "After we play a game." "Can we play a game NOW?" "After we eat lunch." "Can we eat lunch now?" "After we make a craft." "Can we make a craft NOW?" You get the idea... I thought I was going to have to put duct tape on the poor child's mouth.






We had airplanes everywhere and 5 guests (2 little sisters included), plus Colten, and a good time was had by all. Guests were even served peanuts and pretzels, classic airplane fare.







These are clouds with airplanes flying.





Now, that was some good cake!!! (Wesley obviously thinks so. :)) Thanks, Tammy!









Kiera, with Candice holding Colten. She rescued me from a crying baby a couple of times during the party. Thanks, sister!

(Hot stuff.)

I organized a play date for my neighbor gals/workout moms (WOMs) today at an Arlington sprayground. That's right- a playground with a sprinkler-type area where water shoots out of different holes and swirls around, changing positions periodically. It's a good time for kids, plus there are two jungle gyms, a picnic area, swings and a big sandbox. I try to organize something for us to do weekly to have something to look forward to with my sweet neighbors and their cute kiddos.

So, Hunter had no interest in getting wet and almost immediately headed over to the sandbox area, where he played with other children and by himself. He's taking after his daddy because he enjoys playing by himself, although they both enjoy others, too. His mama is an extreme extrovert. (Side note: Thank you, God, for making me who I am.)

So, after Hunter filled his mouth with sand, by trying to get the sand out of his mouth with his sand-saturated hands, I told him it was time to rinse off. He began by protesting, telling me he didn't want to get wet. I knew this was going to be difficult, but my hatred for dirt made me pres on. I put a smile on my face, encouraged Hunter that everything was going to be okay and we (I) gleefully approached the spraying area.

I knew there would be a scene but I was really hoping it would abate after a few moments of encouragement. Much to my dismay, I drag Hunter, my smile in place, over to a sprinkling area to rid him of his sand infestation. He proceeds to scream as if I were peeling his skin off with acid but I hold strong, determined that sand will not take over my car. I decide, "Honey, let's count to ten to get the sand off." He persists in his screaming, but I count, remaining strong, smiling all the while. "Ten. All done. Good job, sweetie." I look around, not sure if someone is calling CPS but, besides some people watching looks, I think I did okay.

I sit Hunter down on a bench to dry off and talk him back to sanity and what bothered him so much about the spray. Although I never did get an intelligible response as to what he afraid, I decide he just didn't want all of the water shooting at him, maybe it was too much to take in for him. Who knows?

He was cool, though. We talked about it on the way home and he knew I wasn't trying to scare him but simply wanted to get all the yucky sand off of him. He even repeated the story to Mark, so I don't think I did any permanent damage. Phew! Another close call for therapy.

Checking out his new bubble blower.

J.J. and mama Pam

Patty with one of her girls, Maggie, and Hunter

Well, it was. Yesterday our house (upstairs) was a cozy 85 degrees! Mark left a piece of chocolate upstairs and it was, of course, melted. When he come home yesterday, he turned on what was left of our AC (air con as my South African friend calls it) which I thought was rather funny because he hadn't told me to turn it on all day even though I took Hunter to a friend's for nap time. I actually did that two days in a row!

I know that we, as Americans, are so spoiled and I quickly became aware of that as I started on a quick jaunt down "red hot row". As of today at Noon, someone blessed us with a "charge of freon" as they call it. Wow! I am SO thankful that I can put my children in their beds tonight without worrying about them sweating or an increased risk of SIDS. I don't mind suffering some but I don't want my boys to have to sweat through the night if I don't have to.

Don't get me wrong. I'm okay with roughing it occassionally but not in my house. Phew! I'm so glad that's over. Bad news? We have to fork out $5,500 for a new unit!

Oh, I forgot to mention that we have 2 units. Praise God! Our downstairs unit works fine for now. It was the upstairs unit where our bedrooms are that wasn't working.

We spent our day in the heat yesterday, oddly enough, at the zoo! Here is the proof.

Do not adjust your settings. Hunter IS upside down.

Hunter and his buds.

We went to the zoo for this very moment:

The elephant bath

This having two kids thing is getting harder. I don't just have a second child but, broken down, I have a baby to nurse every 3 hours during the day, diapers to change, a crying baby to soothe (the hardeset part in my opinion), laundry to clean, clothes to buy and this is the "easy" stage (He's not eating table food yet.) SOOOOO... this is all to say that I haven't been blogging much. LL, how do you do it, girlfriend?! (She has 4 little 'uns, by the way.)











So, earlier this month, on a fabulously beautiful and breezy Sunday morning, Mark and I were able to meet up with a dear friend who was my Maid of Honor and a newly wed herself (blonde gal next to me). Of course her husband was with her (guy in the white shirt) and we have become friends with her friends (blonde on the end; husband was at home, sick) and family (her brother to the right of me and his wife).









Now, keep in mind that the only child in this picture is OURS. That's because we are the only couple in this group with children! (The friend on the left is pregnant.) (Sorry for all of the parenthesis today.) (I'm really feeling the parenthesis today.)









I am SOOO thankful that God was looking out for me that day because Hunter did not need to be spanked, nor did he need to be taken aside to have a discussion about obeying, nor did he need to have any consequences for disobeying. He actually was having quite the charming day- overly excited about boats and airplanes and repeatedly telling everyone when he saw one.



That reminds me- we ate lunch at a very nice restaurant (especially nice for us who don't get out much in this stage of life) a few hundred feet south of Reagan National Airport on the Potomac River.








Hunter kept somehow scooting his chair over to D's chair (see above photo). I kept pulling him back but that chair just kept scooching over! I couldn't keep him away from her.



On our way out, I showed Hunter a "helicopter", the seed that spins when you throw it up in the air which started him on a seed-throwing spree. I'm pretty sure that's what he's doing in the first picture. (Kyle, you are great with kids, by the way.)

It was a fabulous time of seeing friends and our dear friend, T.



Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the other sleeping guest.