'Tis the Season

Popo and Pete on the first ride of the season

 to be jolly?

 Nope, well I guess you can be jolly if you'd like, Pete sure is, but not with the Christmas spirit.  It is tractor season for Pete!  The "mowie" just made its season debut yesterday afternoon.  I bribed Pete with getting to ride it with Popo if he took a good nap, since the day before he decided to torture his mother and not take one at all.  Really though even if he hadn't taken a decent nap,he probably still would have ended up riding on it anyway.  Pete has been asking about the tractor all winter long, 9 inches of snow on the ground--"Mowie, drive, go?!" I'd have to respond that it was in the shed until it warmed up, so Pete started saying the tractor was sleeping, "Mowie, tao house, aaaachoooo aaaaachoooo?"  (translation: The tractor is in the shed/barn (yes he calls it a cow house) sleeping?)

Pete's checking to make sure Popo is doing it right.

I just liked this picture.  Don't mind the sagging, he's just got baby swag.

Cow and Tractor Bedding

I've been working on this for a couple day. I asked my facebook friends the best tips for switching Pete to a big boy bed and the top answer was big boy bedding.  Well it becomes a problem when your kid has no clue who any of the Disney characters are, this is actually one of my goals is to keep him away from knowing these things too early, so way to go kiddo!  Personally it is the commercialization of childhood, right up there with the commercialization of Christmas, some people think it is horrible while others just enjoy the fun, to each their own, the kids will turn out fine either way.  Anyway the problems lies though with the fact that Pete loves tractors (preferably red) and cows, and they don't make many toddler sized blankets and such in cow or his tractors.  So what is a mother to do?!  Make them!  I spent the last couple nights working on them.  The sheet was super easy, maybe 1/2 an hour and way cheaper and cooler than a store bought one!  I had the material from another project and just used it up.  The quilt I bought the fabric for, walmart, and just did a totally random mesh up.  Phil liked the random design and I didn't care as long as the tractors stayed whole and didn't get cut up. 

New bedding plus his pillowcase from Christmas!

Quilt shot.

Pete loves it and thought it was really cool, though he still decided to fall asleep on the floor tonight. The kid has done that every other night so far.  Hopefully he will just decide the bed is more comfortable and go for it. 

Big Boy Bed

My darling son learned how to climb out of his crib the other day during nap time.  We were at my parent's house so I hoped it was just that crib so I came home to lay him down here, since sleeping in the twin bed over there was not working.  Well 10 minutes into nap time and he is wandering down in the basement to me!  I asked him how he got out and he showed me.  So I had to figure out something.  I took off the side of his crib and just left it off.  Hopefully sometime I'll get a side rail for it but right now I don't have anything because I wasn't really expecting to do this right now.  Really you would think I would have put some thought into switching him over since he is 2 1/2 years old but nope, didn't really think about it!

The first night in his "new" bed, he didn't want anything with his new and improved bed, he wanted to sleep on the floor.  I let him lay there, because I didn't know what to do.  Though I did move him up to his bed when I went to bed.  He actually stayed in his bed and didn't try to come out until 7.02-he isn't allowed up before then.  He even took a nap, though it was on the floor!  It was amazing though it did take a good hour to get him down, plus I had to lay down with him, so it might have been less time, but I fell asleep too!

Phil laid him down the next night and he laid right now in his new bed.  What the heck?!  He sure wouldn't get close to touching the bed with me but he lays down just fine for daddy! In my defense though Pete stayed up until 9 that night because we went to watch some dodgeball and got home late.

Spring at the Call House

 I finally decided it was time to remove the pinecones and last few holdouts of winter from our front room.  It is really the only room that gets much decorating for seasonal stuff.  Well I have been at a loss for what to do.  We don't get into the Easter bunny junk with the eggs and what not but I wanted something to acknowledge the changing of the seasons.  I found this pattern for some amazing birds on pinterest, combined them with a stick from the yard, some string (I need to buy some fishing line), and some old dogwood fake flowers and we have a gorgeous hanging on the walkway to the kitchen.  I'm also sporting a new batch of flowers on the kitchen table, because my hubby gets me lots of flowers.  What can I say, I got a good one!

Pete has been loving the "birdies" he frequently tells me about the birdies in the tree IN mommy's house. I think it is great to finally have a bit of spring, now if I could just get the weather to cooperate a bit with me that would be great.  I'd be happy with 50 or 60 degree days!

Pete Posts

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Pete wanted me to take a picture of his train.

I was working on the blog some this morning and Pete decided he wanted to try out the computer.  I went ahead and let him.  I thought it would be fun.  Some kids start out learning colors and numbers and such, nope Pete is going to be a computer whiz by the time he starts Kindergarten!

Workout!

Sunday night Phil was looking for some sweatbands to wear for a dodge ball tournament that the high school is having later on this week.  They decided to have a staff team so Phil is going to get his dodge ball on.  We got this awesome sweatbands from a Late Nite back during our Ball State days.  (oh how I miss Late Nite...)  Anyway Pete had to wear his truck jammies to bed and he wanted to try on Daddy's sweatband before going down for the night.  Isn't it great that the sweat band and jammies match?

Pete rocking his sweatband

My dodge ball boys!

An oldie of Pete with his sweatband. One of my favorite photos of all time!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Our little Leprechaun

St. Patty's day shirt with fake suspenders!

Drawing with Pete

 Today has been such a better day than yesterday.  Yesterday everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  Luckily today though it hasn't been perfect, but both of us (see it isn't just me, Pete gets some of the blame too) are handling it much better.  I was actually able to go to yoga today!  It has been awhile and I bet people are able to tell with how snappy I've been.  Sorry if you got snapped at, apparently I really need to stretch and relax before seeing people during the week at least occasionally.  Anyway, we did some visiting teaching-Pete got to play with Luke, which both parties were excited about.  Plus, I got to carry on a conversation with adults two days in a row-that is pretty much a record! 

Well once we got home from our exciting morning we fed the birds, checked the mail, brought in the garbage cans, and I set up some fencing in front of our easement window while Pete played outside.  When we went inside Pete wanted some trail mix for a snack and to color.  Well boy was he in luck because both were still on the table from playgroup the other day!  I had to pull out the camera to snap some quick pictures of him, but he also insisted on me taking some of us together too!  He wanted one with Daddy, but that was a bit more difficult since he is at work!

Subbing and Knitting

 This past week I subbed for a friend at a local elementary school.  I was in charge of the computer lab so I got the chance to see lots of different kiddos all week long and throughout the day.   It was fun to have some younger kids for once since I'm normally at the high school.  There I have to bribe the kids occasionally with snacks to get them to be quiet and do the work, but here no such thing necessary they wanted to be here and work.  They even liked me, the high schoolers like me because I'll bring them food occasionally.  I also discovered that there is a knitting group that meets on Fridays during lunch.  Some of the students bring down their projects to a teachers room and chat and knit.  I was talking to the teacher earlier in the day when the subject somehow came up in the conversation.  I showed her the hat that I'd made early during the before school and during my lunch hour and the scarf that I'm currently working on.  My hat is amazing I found the pattern on pinterest (big surprise I know).  Here is a direct link to the pattern, it is the Houzuki Hat.  You might have to join Ravelry to view or download it but its free if you are interested and well worth the few seconds involved in the process.  It was a bit difficult, most definitely not something mindless, but well worth the work involved.  I've been wanting a slouchy hat for some time now and finally decided to just break down and make one.  I love it! I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in terracotta.  I had to use just over 1 skein for the project which took me awhile to find a second skein because everyone was sold out of not just my color but the type of yarn as well.  Luckily though amazon came through. 

Cereal Thief

I was getting around the other morning and I heard Pete munching on something.  I went out to the kitchen to find this!  The little booger had gotten the box of cereal off the counter and was eating it straight out of the box.  He doesn't even look like he was even the least bit concerned he shouldn't have been doing it.  So what does mommy do?  Sits down and enjoys a snack with the boy!

Big Snow.

Pete has been super excited about how much snow we have gotten lately.  Last week he loved it and this week was even better for him!  He has been begging to play in the big snow.  Well he got lucky last night, they called a 2 hour delay then and cancelled around 7 this morning.  I was pretty bummed they cancelled, I was supposed to work but instead stayed home with Phil and Pete, which wasn't too horrible of a trade off.  We went out this morning and shoveled the driveway while Pete played.  I pulled out the camera and snapped some pictures.  We also went over and scooped out grandma Horn and grandma Lich. After Pete's nap we went over to Mom and Dad's to play in their snow fort that they built.  I clobbered Phil in a snowball fight.  Phil hides behind stuff and packs the snowballs, whereas I just stand out in the open pick up snow and chuck it super fast.  Pete thought it was pretty dang funny.  After mom and Phil left to go to youth activities at church I stayed and built a snowman while dad continued on the snowfort (which is above his head, but I'll let mom blog about that) and Pete laid in the snow and ate some of it.

Pete getting prepared to smack mom with a snowball

Phil attempting to get mittens on Pete

Pete helping dad clear the way

Pete shoveling snow in the driveway

Indoor Picnic and Giggles

Last Saturday we had a little indoor picnic in the basement for lunch.  Pete had earned a show and we were hungry so we combined them all together and had a picnic while watching Madly Madagascar (Madagascar's Valentines Day special).  We watched the show but Pete was still eating so we watched the shorts in the special features.  Pete's favorite was Hammy's Boomerang Adventure, it is about a squirrel and a boomerang.  Pete thought it was hilarious.  Here is his reaction too it.  We actually ended up watching it twice because he was laughing so hard.

Once There was a Snowman...

Our big winter storm finally came in late Monday night.  School was delayed and we had lots of snow on the ground.  It was the perfect packing snow and was super quick to make a snowman.  We went over to Grandpa and Grandma Horn's house to build them a snowman to look at.  Pete made the middle section after I got it started for him and I made the rest.  He found a shovel and had fun flinging snow everywhere and trying to shovel with a long handled trowel.  I wasn't going to tell him that he wasn't helping so he did that for some time.  Pete loved playing in the snow.

I'd forgotten my camera so we had to take one at night

We also had some fun today playing with some cats.  We can never have a cat because of Phil's allergies.  Which is actually kind of funny because starting out college my life plan consisted of being a nurse, single and having multiple cats.  Well fast forward 5.5 years later and I'm a stay-at-home mom, with a degree in general studies and minors in education and Psychology,  and the only pets we have are guinea pigs and married to a man with extreme cat allergies.  Really though I love life, so no worries that I didn't end up where I thought I would be in high school.  I was actually thinking about it the other day...Anyway that wasn't part of the story....I'm cat sitting for some people and took Pete with me on our morning visit.  We fed them and got fresh water and changed the litter boxes.  Plus loved on the cats lots and lots.  When Pete sees them he says, "Hi Noew...Kitti, kitti, kitti."  I love it, I won't lie.  Well when we were finished up we got in the car and I went to lock up and when I got back the outdoor cat was on our car roof.  Pete was freaking out!  He was so worried about that cat on our roof.  Finally the cat got off but now all day when we get in the car Pete makes me check the roof for more cats.