Thinking of Soup

The other day, I was really able to get a glimpse of Lucian's thought processes. We went to the grocery store, just the two of us, and decided to have some "soup bar" soup for dinner before picking out groceries. I usually show him each one that he is allowed to have and tell him what it is. Naturally, he picked chicken noodle soup. I asked him if he wanted some crackers, since they actually had it filled. He did. We paid for our meal and he picked out which table he wanted to sit at. He always gets to pick out where we sit. I opened up his soup and utensils for him and then my own. He wanted the crackers opened as well, so I obliged. He took a cracker and did what he always does; he uses his spoon to scoop broth onto his cracker and then eats it. He offered me the other cracker so I could do the same in my soup, but I dunked mine in the broth instead, as I usually do. As usual, he decides to try it as well. He doesn't dip the whole cracker though, he breaks the cracker into a smaller chunk and dunks the piece. With success the first time, he decides to give it another go. This time, the cracker piece falls into his soup, and he is forced to scoop it out with his spoon to eat it. This whole scenario usually happens every time we have soup with crackers. It is fun, silly, and we laugh about it. But this time was different. He took it one step further. He added multiple cracker pieces to his soup and stirred it around so he could use his spoon to eat all of it (he has a thing for utensils). That's right family and friends, my son is officially a smashed cracker in the soup eater.

Anyways, the point of my story is he has always been interested in how things work and why, which he has been asking a lot more lately. But for a small period of time, in the midst of the grocery store eatery, my four year old deducted the process of eating soup with crackers all by himself. he decided what he wanted to try discovered a new way of eating in the process. I did not guide or prompt him. He figured it out on his own. I explained afterwards that many people eat crackers in their soup that way. He seemed proud of himself. And I was proud of him. A small moment of progression to self understanding and discovery.

Summertime

Well, I realize I haven't been doing a very good job updating this year.  I've been trying to do my best. We have been down to one computer, that Joseph needed for school, so that had an impact. Then when mine was finally fixed, his finally died. Now we have the old backup going. Otherwise, we have just been very busy with school, tutoring, and work. I was also very sick for the first part of the year. We are expecting a new addition in Fall this year!  We do not know the gender and we are not sure if we will learn the gender beforehand or not. Lucian is very excited, he has been wanting a baby to bring home. We are all excited and preparing for this new addition and expansion.

As for Lucian, he has been growing up like crazy. He has been forming his own opinions, discovering what he likes, and talking more and more. We were at the park a few weeks ago and he asked a little girl what her name was, I was shocked. That was the first time he'd ever asked that question to another child or person for that matter. I was cheering in my head for him and wanting to cry at the same time. It's the little victories for me when it comes to speech. We have made so much progress, he is getting there. In the same instance, he introduced himself, and he is saying his name so much clearer than before. He still gets a lot of looks from other children and sometimes they aren't very nice or won't include him because he is hard to understand. But we have gotten so far. I get so happy when there is a kid who will include him regardless. Of course, he gets happy too. He likes to play with other kids, but when they are mean, which they are often, it really pushed him away. So I hope the summer will be positive in that area.

He currently loves rainbows. He wants rainbow ice cream, rainbow popsicles, rainbow water, rainbow bubbles... anything! I think rainbow might be his favorite color if you ask him. Or maybe he will still say dark blue, you will have to ask yourself.  He insists we race everywhere, but he has to win (very sore loser). We play board games, discover nature, and play tag. It's getting harder for me to run, so I think he legitimately wins. He also likes to cheat. Is very stubborn. And throws temper tantrums. I still love him to death.

On another note, he is happy to eat mint, basil and parsley straight from our porch garden. He even likes to pick some to make tea for himself. It is adorably awesome. Okay, maybe just to me. Until next time!

Turning in a New Year

Okay, okay, I have been slacking on entries the last few months. Between all the hustle and bustle, I just plain old forgot. So here's the nitty gritty:
Since Halloween:

• we went up North to visit family for Thanksgiving
• Lucian had his dance recital
• we visited close friends who moved back to town
• we went East to visit family
• Lucian got a new hair cut
• Lucian had a congestive cold all through vacation
• Mama and Daddy danced in the new year
• First Dental visit
• A new semester has come for Daddy
• Lucian is continuing tap and starting soccer 
• We are officially getting married in 2016

I think I hit all the highlighting points. It's been another wonderful year with my growing family. Every year we learn new things, Lucian grows bigger and bigger, and we have a lot more fun. I couldn't have asked for a better family. And Hao survived the long car rides. We vowed not to take him on anymore long trips unless it is one-way. Thanks to everyone who made it a wonderful year.

Halloween 2014

Another cold, rainy and snowy Halloween. Yes, Snowy. It was the first snowfall of the year. It was windy so we all wore multiple layers and still froze. Looks like it might be another cold winter. We did end up trick-or-treating for a little bit with our friends. We dressed up as the Pines family from the show Gravity Falls. Lucian was Dipper, I was Mabel, Daddy was Stan. I think our costumes turned out pretty good. Lucian ended up wearing his tiger hat due to the cold and everyone thought he was a tiger or tigger instead. But he has a great time trick-or-treating. He was able to say "Trick-or-treat" and "Thank you". I was very proud. It was the most adorable thing to watch him and his friend go up to houses without us hovering him. He received just the right amount of candy, which was great for us. We thought we would be throwing a lot away. He sampled and disposed of things himself. I think he is really going to be a fan of this holiday. This was certainly my favorite day of the year. Happy Halloween everyone.

Four Years

Well, it's official. We have a four year old on our hands. I'm not sure what will come in this new age, but I am anxious and dreading it at the same time. I must say his speech has improved so much. Considering that he has only been really speaking for a year he has come a long way. There are still some things he can't pronounce, but I'm sure they will come in time. He has been a lot of fun this last year - playing pom poms, bouncy balls, sword fights, water balloons and obstacle courses. He has been able to count past 10, write several letters, have a conversation, and is enjoying stories. On the downside, he is the king of self pain. He likes to show his dislike by throwing himself and other objects.Totally still love the stinker.

So, we attempted a birthday party. A small one. We invited two of his friends and their families of course. They both came and played. We had some food, a pinata, and little light. It was also a bit chilly; October after all. Turned out to be pretty good. Everyone had some goodies to take home. I made rainbow cupcakes/cake pops. The inside was rainbow and the icing was rainbow. I thought they looked pretty neat. He didn't open his presents until the next day. He was super excited and thanks everyone who came/ gave him a present. We had it at a little playground, so they were able to play until it started getting too dark. Overall, successful. Glad it worked out. Next year we will plan something a little more exciting.

Here's to another joyful year.

Grace Day

It is Sunday, the day of rest. Oh boy did we rest. We eventually left for lunch at our favorite (and only decent) restaurant in town The Scenic View. It sits atop of a hill and offers a lovely view of your wife and child, oh and of the lake too. With the best food in town, we stuffed ourselves. Headed home, and rest some more. People really never appreciate relaxation. Relaxing with family is so much more... relaxing, than doing it alone. So it was wonderful. And what a better way to spend a evening than with family made MEATBALLS!!! When dinner time came, all I asked for was grace and peace with my family for following week. And a damn spoon. With organic beef, love, and maybe a little bit of cat hair, the final product just melted in your mouth. Little did we know a day later, our beef came partly from Uruguay. Who knew? Thanks Europeans, for a day of appreciated fun. Next time though, I think we will stick to something more local. What times is it? POPCORN and Movie time!!!!!! Who's making the popcorn???

Pumpkins

Today we did something we were unable to do last year, go to a pumpkin patch. The local pumpkin patch was closed last year due to the building of a new highway by the farm. This year they re-opened and we were able to go. We walked throughout the vines and picked out 7 smaller, unique pumpkins. It's more about the time we spend as a family and the ability to pick out our own pumpkins. Lucian picked most of them out, of course. I think he picked very well. There were other kids there by the time we walked back to the barn from the patch. He played with them for a bit, rode on the toys, and checked out the petting zoo. One of the guys from the farm tried to get Lucian to sit on a donkey, but he wasn't interested. Then we bought some apple cider and the boys took a ride on the hay ride. It started to rain during their ride, so I got a good laugh out of it. Overall, a successful time. Then we came home, relaxed, and the boys made a veggie pot pie for dinner. Now we are just waiting to dig in. Great way to spend a Sunday.