Lawn Boy

Nathan has been somewhat scared of the trimmer and mower. He loves to look at them, and he has his own toy versions of them, but the sound levels they emit simply keep him hidden in the house when I'm using them. Today, September 26th, 2006, that came to an end. Nathan had been "mowing" last night while I barbequed in the back yard, and today he asked if I wanted to go outside and mow again. I told him I needed to, and he could help me with his mower. He hesitated, and then said that my mower was too loud. I informed him I would put earplugs in his ears like mine, and his eyes lit up with excitement. I instructed him to wear his hat and sunglasses (eye protection), and that he must follow me with his mower once we started. He watched me check the oil, add gas and prime the mower, then we plugged our ears.

He winced and shrugged nervously when I first started the mower, but I motioned for him to follow and I turned away to start mowing. I half anticipated him running back into the house and watching from the window as in times past. Not today! Today, he was "Lawn Boy"! He followed behind me for a little while and then I sensed my "shadow" was not immediately near. I looked back, and he had stopped to check one of the wheels. He then pulled a couple of times on his "starter cord", and then quickly caught up to me. He had such a "professional" expression that I laughed out loud (it's ok, he couldn't hear me).

I think if I remove the top section of my mower's handle bar, he can take care of things himself next week! Don't worry anybody! - I'll be sure to give him an allowance!

Going Someplace

Nathan loves going places. Today, he asked, "Daddy, do you wanna go for a ride?" I replied, "Where would you like to go?" Now, usually, I'll get things like, "the park", "Home Depot", "Wal-Mart", "bike ride", or some friend or relative. This time, he just wanted to go! He said, "We can just go down Pleasant View Drive and go some place where we can go!" I questioned, "And, what place is that?" He gave me a "quit-messing-with-me" look and said, "Just some place!"

I guess he had that "anywhere-but-here" feeling.

Hot Dog!

We were preparing a hot dog lunch. I asked Nathan if he was ready for some "hot doggies". He made a "don't-be-silly-Daddy" face and replied, "They're not hot doggies, Daddy!" I was disappointed in his lack of playfulness. Why did he have to be so serious? I was just having a little silly fun! Seconds after his first statement, he said with a big smile, "They're hot DIGGITY dogs!!" That's my boy!

Nathan's Day

On Sunday, we had a sort of "focus on Nathan" day. He'd been seemingly frustrated lately by the extra attention given to Evan (he's teething, starting to walk with assistance more, and in the "attachment" phase). Nathan had been disappointed that our Saturday evening bike ride had been rained out, so we went for a nice family ride (the boys have seats on our bikes) before lunch. Nathan announced he wanted to go to "that hamburger place" for lunch, so we hit Burger King for some vittles. As we were finishing up, I suggested we go home and give the boys some nap time. Nathan frowned and discouraged that, "You don't want to go home and take a nap, Daddy!" Then, his eyes got big, and he smiled at me like I do when I'm trying to make something seem like the best thing ever and said in a very excited voice, "Daddy! You wanna go to Home Depot?!" I couldn't help but smile, which fed his enthusiasm. "We can look at some oscillating fans and some lawn mowers! And we can look at those grills and all that stuff in there!" As Laura and I laughed out loud, I asked, "You think so?" He replied, "And we can go to Lowe's, too!" (They're across the street from each other here - aren't they everywhere?)

We had a great trip to Home Depot. (Lowe's is only for when you can't find it at Home Depot, as a last resort!) We saw fans ("Look at that big one there, Daddy!"), mowers ("See that big engine, Mommy?!"), grills (if my 2-1/2 year old can tear it up in 30 seconds, it's just not quality!), we played hide and seek in tub and shower displays (hey, that's what they're for! right?) and bought a new thermostat (which Nathan helped me install that evening - he's pretty handy with a cordless drill!).

With all that excitement, who needs Chuck E. Cheese?!

Pray it Again, Daddy!

Nathan has been going through a little season of acting out against Evan (and us). Slapping, kicking, pinching, pushing, and stepping on us are just some of the ways he's attacked us. After several repeated acts one evening (and no apparent response to disciplinary measures), I scooped him into my lap and held him close as I gently prayed over him for God's peace to fill his little heart and mind. I prayed for him to lose the desire to harm anybody, especially Evan. I also prayed that he would not even entertain any hurtful ideas toward any of us. He agreed with me and echoed, "In Jesus' name... Amen!"

A few minutes later, he came running down the hall where Evan was playing. He ran right up to Evan and grabbed his chubby little arms between his thumbs and fingers, squeezing. "I'm gonna pinch you, Evan!" he declared. "Nathan Peck!" I said, sternly.

He turned to me, cocked his head and reflected my disappointed expression, "I think we might need to pray again, Daddy!"

Smart kid, considering I was holding the spanking stick!

Male-Centric

Recently, we started teaching Nathan about being polite. Included in this teaching is the use of "sir" and "ma'am" along with yes and no replies. He's actually taken pride in his politeness, incorporating "yes, sir" and "no, sir" with me quite regularly - without being prompted. He's also included this in his interaction with those outside of our family as well. Just this week, we were at Laura's store when one of the managers greeted him. She asked him if he was having fun with Daddy and Evan. Nathan smiled and replied, "Yes, Sir!" (We'll have to work on that Ma'am thing.)

Midnight Caller

Ok, so it wasn't quite midnight, but it was well after 10pm. I don't know about the rest of you, but 10pm has always been some sort of unspoken "do not call" timeline for me. If you call someone after then, you need to have a really important reason, or at least have a mutual understanding that it's alright to do so. Anyway, Nathan had picked up Laura's cell phone and was looking through her photo files (or changing ringtones, or whatever - he knows how to operate it as well as either of us!). All of a sudden, he put it to his ear and said, "Hello! This is Nathan talking to you!" Knowing it was something like 11pm, I quickly told Laura to get the phone from him (she was closer, but tending to Evan). She grabbed the phone and closed it, hanging up on the call. I thought I had heard a voice from the phone, and told Laura. We looked and found that Nathan had actually called one of Laura's former employees (sorry, Amanda!), and we figured (hoped) it was just her voice mail. I guess that's one of the disadvantages of speed dial!

The Literalist

Nathan takes most things literally. You'd better mean what you say, and say what you mean when dealing with him... We were going to the park. I was ready. Evan was ready. Nathan was playing with a toy Hummer. "Nathan, come get your socks and shoes on." (No response) "Nathan. Come on, pal." (Vvvrrroooom...) "Nathan! If you want to go to the park, bring your booty over here right now!" He immediately ran to where I was waiting with his socks and shoes, turning around just before he got to me. "What is he doing?" I thought. Before I could ask him why he'd turned his back to me, I realized I'd instructed him to bring me his booty!

Son of My Right Hand

And so it begins... The whole "mine" and "yours" routine is as old as time, but it has reared it's ugly head in my boys' relationship recently. Nathan has fussed about a couple of toys he had as a baby being given to Evan. "That's my toy!" he cried. We informed him that he was donating them to Evan now, and that he was welcome to show Evan how to play with them. That seemed to work for the most part, especially since Evan gives no ground easily. (Evan appears to be a more fierce and determined fighter than Nathan thus far.) Today, Nathan raised the stakes. I was holding Evan on my right side, when Nathan protested, "That's Nathan's side!" At first, I wasn't sure what he was talking about. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Hold Evan on the other side, Daddy! That's Nathan's side!" I guess it's a good thing Evan doesn't mind the left - for now.

Night Vision

Laura was helping Nathan go to sleep and he was nervous about the darkness. "Turn the blue light on, Mommy, so I can see," he said. "It will be alright once your eyes have adjusted," she replied. A moment later, she said, "Can you see better now?" "Yes." Just then, I turned on a light down the hall and the light reflected into his room. Nathan exclaimed, "Now my eyes are adjusted, Mommy!" Unaware of their interaction, I then turned a light on in his bathroom, which sent light directly into his room. "My eyes adjusted again, Mommy!"

The Things Kids Hear 2

I was trying to pump the boys up for football season. I was doing my impression of the UL Ragin' Cajun band's cover of "Respect" on one of those party favor noise makers. "Ba-da-daaa, Ba-da-daaa..." (or maybe more like, "bz-bz-bzzz... bz-bz-bzzz!") They were laughing and looking at me like I'd lost my mind as I danced around them, playing the tune. Finally, I stopped with the party favor and sang the words, "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me... sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me..." Just then, Nathan got real serious and interrupted, "I wanna sucker!" I stopped, puzzled. "What?" I wanna sucker, too! (A sucker, too?!) After a second or two, I realized he heard me say, "Sucker to me, sucker to me, sucker to me..." I guess we'll be looking for the sucker vendor at the next game!

On Being Polite

We're trying to teach Nathan about what is appropriate and what is not in given situations. We have been working with him lately on being polite. One evening recently, he ran up behind his mommy and grabbed her "booty". He quickly received the lesson that such action is not polite. Several days later, Nathan was getting sassy with me and I warned him not to do so with the threat of a spanking. When he persisted, I fulfilled my promise. After a brief protest and cry, he looked at me with a furrowed brow and said sternly, "It's not polite to touch booties, Daddy!" I agreed, but informed him spankings were not intended to be polite!

Picking Up

Nathan knows how to pick up his toys, clothes, etc. Knowing how and doing so properly are not the same thing. Recently, Laura was helping him pick up in his room. She called me in there for a "like father, like son" moment. "Look, honey! Nathan picks up like you do!" she said sarcastically.

Trippin'

No, not as in falling down. We took a little trip recently (you may have noted the blogless week) to Florida. We brought the boys to see their grandparents (maternal), who live there. It was quite a journey for the little guys! They had flown with us there a year ago, but Nathan could not remember the flight, and Evan was in utero at the time. Leading up to the trip, Nathan was very excited about flying. Every morning for two weeks, he would wake up and say, "We're gonna go for a ride in a airplane today!" We would explain how many days were left and he would say, "Maybe tomorrow we're gonna ride in a airplane!" Finally, the day arrived. With one eye on Ernesto, we headed for the New Orleans International Airport. The trip began early in the morning in Uncle Brian's big Dodge Dually. At one point the conversation centered on Dodge trucks, and Nathan recalled on of his favorite commercial slogans, "Bigger in the deep south - Better in a Dodge!" Once we arrived at the Airport, we took a short ride on a parking lot shuttle. Finally, we boarded the airplane and Nathan was wide-eyed with excitement. "Push that button, Daddy!" (reading light) "What's that, Daddy?" (air vent) "Look at that big engine, Daddy!" As we lifted off of the ground, he said, "We need to make this airplane go faster!" Nathan enjoyed the airplane shaped crackers, peanuts, and sprite on the plane, and had a great time. Evan only fussed a little bit. They also got to ride on the airport tram in Orlando, a rental car shuttle, a mini-van, and daily golf-cart rides at Grandad and Grandma's house! Nathan was always wanting to go faster, and Evan kept leaning his head out into the wind like a puppy dog, (without quite as much slobber)!

Pet Sounds

No, we don't have a house pet. But Evan has several pet sounds. He likes to make various grunts, squeals, and coughs to get our attention and let us know what he does or doesn't want. His favorites lately are, "NANAAAAN!!!" to get Nathan's attention or to fuss at him, along with his attack yell, "AAAAGGGHHH!!!" Oh, and he likes to pull out the watch-mommy-and-daddy-come-running fake gag sound, too!

The Things Kids Hear

That's right - hear. It's funny how Nathan hears things sometimes. One of Laura's favorite movies is The Sound of Music. Nathan's probably watched it several times with her in his short life. He likes the "deer song", as he calls it (Do-Re-Mi), and recently asked Laura to sing it for him. The following is a replay of the moment:

Laura: "Doe, a deer, a female deer... Ray, a drop of golden sun... Me, a name I call myself... Fa(r), a long long way to run... Sew, a needle pulling thread..."

Nathan interrupts: "That's at mommy's work!" (HUH?!)

Laura and I looked at each other, puzzled.

"What's at mommy's work?"

Nathan: "Miss Anita is at mommy's work!" (she's one of the managers)

After some thought on our part, while he patiently waited for us to "get it", we realized he had heard "Sew, ANITA pulling thread..."

After much laughter by all of us, Nathan brought us all back to focus...
"Sing the deer song again, mommy!"

In (and out of) Hot Water

I was at the computer. Laura was in the kitchen with Evan. Nathan was in his room (I thought). Laura asked, "David, can you get the boys' bath water ready?" I replied, "Sure, just let me finish up here first." I heard her running water in the kitchen sink while I wrapped up my activities on the computer. It took five to 10 minutes, and as I got up to go start the bath, Nathan scurried past me into the kitchen. I checked on everyone in there, as Laura turned off the water at the sink. I realized at that moment that there was water running elsewhere - the bathroom. Imagining water flooding the bathroom, I ran to it. There was no flooding, but the water (the hot water!) was running wide open into an open drain - hidden by a mountain of bubbles. "NATHAN PECK!" I shouted. (The pitter-patter of little feet approached quickly) "I put some bubbles in there, Daddy!" "I see that, buddy." What was once a partially depleted 48 ounce bottle was about 10 ounces less full than the previous use. I placed the stopper in position, and checked the water. Only the hot water was on, but there was only lukewarm water coming out. Lesson for the day: It doesn't take long to empty our hot water heater via that tub!