Thirteen Months

Man this kid is full of life

and he is such a joy.

I have started singing,

"You are my sunshine, my Ander-son-shine.

You make me happy when skies are grey.

You'll never know dear, how much I love you,

An-der-son Mad-dox."

At thirteen months,

you can sign "milk" excitedly,

throw a ball with both your right and left hand,

say a handful of words like

ball, duck, mama, dada, all done, baby, Ra-ra (for Syra), jar ...

you understand so much, 

shake your head no when you are about to do something naughty,

are getting four molars at once plus two other teeth,

tried cow's milk for the first time,

rode the light rail for the first time,

love to hear the ABC song when getting your diaper changed,

walk behind a push toy/cart,

crawl up the stairs,

throw animals out of your bed after every sleep,

pick out your own book to read before nap,

belly-laugh at your big brother,

play peek-a-boo,

rock out to music,

and so much more.

You finished Daddy's sentence tonight when he was waiting 

for his nightly train passenger;

after hearing him call "Alllll" {as in All Aboard!}, 

clear as day, you said "Done!"

You know you are cute and smart too.

When you are tired, you lay flat on the floor and put your head down.

You smile at strangers and make them smile back.

You are so proud of yourself when you share and make us proud all the time.

You are a "go with the flow" baby and you make life so rich!

We love you, big guy.

Always Working

Like Daddy, this little guy's mind is always working.  Today on the way home from a play date {at which Alekzander scored part of a costume for Halloween}, Alekzander asked, "What is Halloween for?"  I knew this was a loaded question, but told him that it was just a holiday where people get candy {that he isn't allowed to eat anyway!} ... He knew this already, so he said, "No, I mean what happens in Heaven when Halloween is down on Earth?"  I had to explain Christian holidays versus secular/Hallmark ones, but clearly the conversation was not over.  He asked if God was happy when we had birthday parties and then followed up with: "What does God do when people do not celebrate Jesus' birthday?"  We talked about the gift of free will and getting to choose to know God, believe in His miracles and His grace and forgiveness, and ultimately love God.  Next up:  "Why do some people not love God?"  We had started to have this conversation at the exact same spot on our drive a few days ago and focused on the fact that some people have just never heard of Jesus or never read a Bible because they never had a Bible.  I have no doubt that Alekzander will tell many people about Jesus and hopefully point them toward a great, undying, neverending, unconditional Love. 

And I hope I can adequately answer his {million} questions on a daily basis to reflect love, patience, and truth ... always.

Do You Like My Hat?

We traveled to NY with a few "Go Dogs"

and passed this place every day on the way to GPS and GMS' house.

Amazingly someone else has a slight obsession with "Go Dog Go."

Unfortunately, he said, not many people recognize the art.

But our family knows the art and the lines of P.D. Eastman's book well.

Anderson even understands "Do you like my ..." and 

he will put whatever he has in his hands on his head like a hat.

"Do you like my hat?" is probably said three times a day at least.

Post-piñata craziness at a birthday party,

Alekzander decided we should wear the broken pieces on our heads.

He chose not to look silly, so left Anderson and I to ask,

"Do you like my hat?"

 I do like your hat.

Extra Cute

 Cutest "extra" around!

Alekzander's "famous" side

We took part in a national commercial filming here in Charlotte today.

We were extras pretending to do a 'back to school' drop off.

The pretend part was a little too real.

Though we have another whole year before big school {Kindergarten},

the reality of my baby growing big is too much!

TK {transitional Kindergarten} starts in a month

and he couldn't be more excited to carry his backpack

and meet new friends.  The learning part will be a plus too!

Of course today, at the big school, he was confident walking through the doors 

and "so mature" as noted by the "talent" of the commercial!

Oh, how I love my sweet boy!

Big and Small

{The scene in front of our house for much of the summer.}

It's been a little guy's dream to watch the 

construction equipment come and go.

Alekzander's dump truck has seen a lot of action too

and may have required a truck wash or two.

Southwick Beach :: Fireworks

A beach bonfire, 

an assortment of fireworks and sparklers, 

and the promise of a s'more

made this night one of the "best ever".

Alekzander and Andrew worked hard digging a fire pit,

setting up fireworks, lighting fireworks, and

cleaning up debris in the dark.

Bedtimes are meant to be broken on vacation

when memories insist on being made.

Southwick Beach :: A Happy Place

After all our adventures of the day,

concluded by peaceful, deep snoozes in the car,

we made it back to Southwick Beach in time 

for dinner and a cloudy sunset.  

The sand between our toes and the warm lake water 

made us happy, happy, happy.