Excuse Me Guys

Excuse me guys.


That's what Tate says when he's cooking in his kitchen for his stuffed animals that he places in his chair next to his kitchen.  Once he's 'finished' making whatever 2 year olds make for their friends he moves them over to sit down with them all the while saying 'Excuse me guys' with his amazingly sweet little boy voice. I could listen to that voice all day long.

His new favorite book is 'Green Eggs and Ham.'  We have to read it every night, twice.  'More Green Eggs and Am?'  As we get to the end of the book when the Cat has decided to finally try the green eggs and ham I make this high pitch sound of 'AHHHHHHH' as in the sound of revelation.  Then Tate knows we are going to finish the book with bouncing and jumping around as the Cat has realized how 'so good so good' green eggs and ham are.  Tate LOVES this.


As we leave every morning he is sure to tell the cat to be good and watch the house, something I've always said to Vincent.  That voice just cracks me up.  As we go down the stairs, usually while counting each step...up to 15 now!...he will say 'Come on Tate' much like I used to do when I was rushing him to get out the door in a timely manner.   Now I have stopped that because I don't want him to always feel like I'm exasperated, but I'm gently reminded every day of my previous impatience.


His daycare uses the Abreka curriculum for teaching and he is thriving.  The song they sing for alphabet has him hooked.  I have to admit it's really catchy.  Alexander Alligator Alexander Alligator, A says aaa,  aaa...etc.  He loves Connie Cow, Dexter Donkey and Gomer Goat.  And he has really caught on to different letters outside of the song.  He now will say Mommy's name when we get to 'J'!  He also knows M is also for Mommy though that's not mentioned in the MMMs!!  And P is for Papa as well as L for Lindsey.  He's kind of getting G for Grandmommy, but I think the pronunciation of GR is a little confusing instead of the simple G.  


But my favorite is him knowing T is for Tate.  He'll be singing Timmy Tiger, Timmy Tiger T says ttt, ttt...etc.  Then he'll say 'T, Tate!  I love you Tate!'  OMG I thought I would fall over smiling and laughing the first time I heard him say that in the car.  Now every game or toy that he plays with that works on the alphabet ie his Scout laptop he adds 'T, Tate I love you Tate' when it gets to 'T'.  I love it!!


At night after we read stories we say prayers which he is sure to remind me if I 'forget'.  And now we have a small menagerie of stuffed animals with us...his Koala from his recent Build-a-Bear trip, his Corduroy bear  and his always present lovey, Hippo, oh and the sue-why...yes his pacifier....no idea how he came up with that but it's called a sue-why.  Anyway, I must pray with each animal then give them each a kiss as well as the pacifier then Tate gets his prayers and kisses which now include Eskimo kisses which I introduced him to this past weekend.  Last night he gently threw Koala and Corduroy off of me after prayers and kisses, saying 'Guys, guys, GUYS...Excuse me guys!'  Apparently they were taking up too much space on Mommy's lap.


I am so loving this age!!!


On an aside...we had a great weekend.  Swim lessons are still going great;  we go every Friday morning in a class of 4 for 30 minutes at Saint Street Swim and will continue to do so as long as we can.  We went to Gymboree on Saturday morning;  sometimes I have to force myself to take him because I'd just like to hang out at home, but he is always so excited to be there.  Saturday afternoon we headed out to watch Aunt Lindseys' soccer game;  she had gotten hurt in an earlier game, so we didn't get to see her play much, but Tate enjoyed being outside for a change with us.  Finally it has cooled off here!  Sunday it poured and poured, but I let him play out in the rain for just a bit...a first for him, not surprising considering that it hasn't rained here properly in months.  Sunday morning the church which 'sponsors' his daycare had asked the kids to come sing during the 9am service.  I was very disappointed to see how few of the parents brought their kids, but I was soooo proud of Tate.  He was such a big boy!!  He walked by me in the pews as requested and went up to the altar to perform.  And he did a great, great job!!  

 

  

So as we start this week, this Halloween month, this fall season, I am so fulfilled.  It just seems to me that in the past 2-3 weeks Tate and I have really come into our own.  We've really hit our stride as a family.  A family.  I don't think I ever really took to heart that he and I are a family.  And we are.  We have a life together that is so wonderful, so amazing.  It's one full of laughs, giggles, hugs, kisses, tears, joy, owies, glee, tickles, amazement, hope and most of all love.  We are love. And families are love. We are two lives living one life together.  Just the two of us.  No.  Not 'just' the two of us.  


THE two of us.