Grandpa's Tools and Noni's Watch

Grandpa and Noni came to visit us for the weekend. As always, Trip loved all of the attention and enjoyed two of this favorite things: Grandpa's tools and Noni's watch.

Grandpa was helping us with several projects around the house and in the shop. He had his electrical tools in the hallway so Trip yet again too advantage of the opportunity to explore the tools and make a big mess.

Trip also had fun watching Grandpa change outlets.

Another fascination of his is Noni's watch. This all started a few months ago when he would touch the watch that Noni always wears. She would say, "Noni's watch" and he loved seeing her lips move and hearing the words. Each time they see each other, Trip remembers to touch her watch and Noni says the magic words. A couple of visits ago, he touched her watch once when she wasn't paying attention and was looking at her very intently expecting a response. Another funny experience came when he was sitting in a friend's lap who was wearing a watch. Trip kept touching it and looking at her expecting her to know the game. So cute!

Although we got some things accomplished this weekend there was still time for other things...

Lots of eating a drinking

Cuddling (and chewing on stuffed animals)

Reading

Learning

And a trip to Burger Queen for ice cream (or a cone in Trip's case). We have been trying to take Dad and Mom to our favorite ice cream place in town, the Polar Bear, but for some reason, each time they're here it's closed.

We are so thankful to be so much closer to Grandpa and Noni! We're also looking forward to some more special visitors in September, including Aunt Tammi and Cooper, Gram and Great Grandmama, and Jaime and Kelly. We're hoping to see Auntie Rachel and Corey next weekend as well.

Tools of the Trade

It's no secret to anyone who has been around him that Trip loves all things electrical (wires, cords, plugs, outlets, extension cords, etc.) and tools. We often wonder if this obsession will translate into him being an electrician in the future. At the very least, it's a pretty safe bet that he will be a handyman just like his daddy and grandpas.

Ever since he has been mobile, Trip has been very interested in the vacuum cleaner. I used to vacuum during his nap time but discovered one day that it's much more fun to do it while he's awake. He gets excited when I take it out of the closet and we now have a little routine established. I say, "Trip, ready?" and make a "voom" sound to let him know I'm going to turn on the vacuum. He smiles (and even squeals sometimes) and crawls a few feet away and then sits to watch. At times he follows the vacuum around or holds the power cord and other times he just watches. In any case, he gets sad when I turn it off and waits until I turn it on again and we do the whole routine once more. Anytime I stop, he also takes the opportunity to come over and inspect this wonderful machine.

A couple of days ago I had moved the dining room chairs into the kitchen so that I could vacuum under the table. Trip quickly made his way through them so that he could check his seat for any crumbs (usually cereal) that he may have missed.

Anytime there are tools available, Trip will be there exploring them. He found Grandpa's electrical tools and spent a lot of time pulling them out and looking at each one.

"Look, Noni, it's a screwdriver!"

Doing some important work

It won't be long before Trip will be doing projects with Daddy and Grandpa (and probably driving them crazy with a million questions about each tool and how everything works)!

Quick Visit to Albany

Two weeks ago we made a very quick (three day) trip to Albany. Kirk needed to attend a training just half an hour away from my parents' house, so it was a great excuse to go visit. It was also a good opportunity for Trip to try out his new forward-facing car seat. He didn't sleep much of the five hour drive, but sure did love to be able to see us.

We got to have a fun family dinner with (left to right) Trip, Mom, Corey, Rachel, Gran, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Kirk. We had a shrimp boil which was delicious and a new experience for my grandparents. Dad and Mom made ice cream as well, which was fabulous. Needless to say, we were all stuffed by the end of the evening...

... and there wasn't much food left.

A little shopping was on the agenda of course too anytime we go to the "big" city, especially while we're still trying to get our house set up and organized. We always come back with a full car.

Playtime Fun

Trip is constantly on the go and crawling all over the house at incredible speeds. For a while, we even had our living room furniture arranged in a corral so that we could keep him in one place and out of trouble! That proved to be too much of a pain for the adults and the dogs though, so it didn't last long. He loves to play with just about anything, but just like any little boy, the things he's not supposed to have are his favorites. We still have to keep the bathroom and bedroom doors closed and are installing locks on some of the kitchen cabinets and drawers. He is getting better at leaving things alone when we ask him to do so, which is really nice

He has discovered that his toothbrush is quite fun to play with and chew on. I'm sure it feels good on his sore gums. He's also a big fan of the box fan. Fortunately he has only stuck things in it a couple of times. We found this little walking/riding truck at a second hand store. It's been fun to watch Trip figure out how to ride it. He walks with it some, but usually ends up walking on his knees and pushing it around the living room.

He loves riding with this huge moose that Uncle Erik gave him.

Another thing Trip loves to do these days is carry things around in his mouth. He especially likes to do this with stuffed animals.

On Saturday, he was giving one of his monkeys a ride.

He is at the point of being able to entertain himself sometimes, which I love. There are moments when he'll just crawl into his room and start playing, allowing me to get a few things done.

The Joys of Being One

There have been some joys and sorrows in Trip's first few weeks of being one.

A really fun thing has been this water table that he got for his birthday. He loved it from the minute he saw the box!

The first time he played with it, he was completely soaked so we've learned that it's a naked activity. Cooper, we can't wait for you to come enjoy the water table with Trip.

One tough part about being one is getting molars. They've been causing quite a bit of trouble lately.

Just shortly after his birthday, Trip also got his first black eye. He was puling himself up on a chair when he slipped and hit his face on it. His face was pretty colorful for a few days, but it didn't seem to hurt much after the initial shock, which was a relief.