The Little Man-Skirt and the Hidey-Hole

So, here's an update on our life. Mitch is still working at Walmart. His crew has been cut down to three people (in two weeks, it will be two people) - normal crew size is six or more - but he's soldiering on faithfully and doing all he can to get more crew members hired. I am loving being a stay at home mom and I'm so glad Mitch and I agree that I need to be at home with the kid(s). No, I'm not pregnant. Not yet anyway. Give it a year or so. I've been able to find some creative outlets for both myself AND Derek (enter matchbox cars and mega bloks) which makes life a whole lot "funner" and fills our days. Good, better, best, you know. Speaking of Derek, here are some pictures of the little dude...

He's started to sit at the table (not during meals) and I think he enjoys feeling more grown up

He woke up with his clothes like this one morning and I just had to get a picture. That's a tank top acting as a.. well... little man skirt?

He thought he was so funny. Notice the "new" toy that Jeff gave him. Yep, we're working on him early. ;)



He sure does make a cute motorcycle!

He's so big! 30 lbs and 35 inches tall!

His new hidey-hole: under the bar stools

Being super stinking cute in his hidey-hole. I love the face he makes as he's crawling out!

The Doodle-Dids

Derek is 'Dorable. And funny as all get out. Not only does he talk, but he's starting to make sound effects - most notably explosions - and has such a quirky sense of humor. He loves to be startled and is started to realize I do cool things when I leave the house without him (like go to the library and Wal-mart). He loves his aunts, uncles and cousins but especially his grandparents. We look at pictures of the absent grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins several times a week.

The First of the Doodle-Dids in this post
Not sure why he thinks throwing balls is such a funny activity

Speed bump! The calm before the destruction of his block city or lego tower

Sorry for the "flash-back" in the next picture, but reflective capabilities are just one of the reasons I love duck tape. :)

Derek loves buttons. Big buttons, little buttons, round buttons, but especially the rectangular buttons (see button on the upper left hand corner of the lovely thing in the picture) that control the lights. If it has a button, Derek WILL find it in less than 10 seconds. Then he will push it and (sometimes) bad things happen: he turns off computers, changes the channel at the worst possible moment or during the climax of a movie*

So, I had an abnormally brilliant idea - make his own button pusher!! And it cost me less than $12. Not exactly the cheapest toy, but it's a pretty big hit in sacrament (and nursery).

Behold!! The (Other) Doodle-Did!!! I'm sure you're glancing at your dictionary out of the corner of your eye, wondering what the heck a "doodle-did" is. Well, you'd have to ask my father-in-law that one. Doodle-Did is one of the many nicknames we have for Derek around here. We usually find him walking away from the scene of the crime looking for more buttons to push - hence the "Did" because he already "did" it. I think "Doodle" popped up because it starts with D. Haha!

Anyway, the idea is that Derek can flip buttons to his heart's content (rest assured, all wires and screws are hidden safely) and I might finally be able to take notes in sacrament for the first time in a year and a half. Next sacrament will be the first time since I made the Doodle-Did that I'll be able to sit in sacrament - I've been filling in as chorister - but now I'm free!

Derek seems fascinated with the buttons until he realizes there is no "effect" to his "cause." These buttons aren't attached to anything cool, unfortunately. But it still manages to provide a few minutes of peace during Sacrament meeting and THAT is priceless. :)

Tales by (and of) Derek

Derek is a chatterbox. Mom Heath calls him a Jabberwocky. I like that too. :) The problem is, he's the only one who speaks his language. He sure is cute though.

His newest face: the Fish Face. Personally, I think it looks like a "Magnum" or "Blue Steel" to me. ;)

I love how his bottom lip is almost always cockeyed like this!

Extreme closeup!!

Derek's version of insert-your-favorite-story-here. I wish I had a Derek decoder!

Love, love, LOVE this video. Kind of like the Derek Hat all over again. :D

Reading and Somersaults

I've been trying to take Derek to the local library here but since the temperatures are well over 100 degrees and the A/C is a bit wimpy in our car, I've had to keep postponing our outings. That doesn't keep me from postponing my outings though. :) I've managed to get to the library at least twice a month. Derek really enjoys the new books and he's learning to care for them properly.

Very beginnings of a sneeze - I caught him "reading" on the couch.

I love it when Derek climbs up to read because I can too! It's only for a few minutes, but what blessed minutes they are. Quiet, too. Haha!

To get these few seconds of footage...

...I have to watch at least 20-30 minutes of this. :)

Finally found my camera!

One of the rare moments that he's still and quiet. Thank you to whoever decided to produce How to Train Your Dragon!

Not quite, son.

Almost...

YAY! Got it!

Creation and The Toddler Days of Summer

So, the first half of this post is so I can get it over with. I had some questions about art projects I was working on, so here they are in all their unfinished glory. The first picture is of two latch hook rugs. I only work on these during evenings when Derek isn't around to run off with (or dump out) my yarn. It isn't precut, so I spend some movies just cutting yarn. It's very theraputic. I think I'll turn the first (and biggest) rug into a just that - a rug for my bedside, but the second I'm going to turn into a pillow. It's so soft and fluffy.

Rugs!!

Really not sure what started my dragon kick (sarcasm - see the rest of the post). I think it's the curves - they're so elegant.

This summer has been wonderful - and it's only half over! Here's a picture review of the past two weeks... (with some videos at the end!)

Derek asks to read this book at least two times a day and at least twice in a sitting. I think he understands a lot of the book. He really loves his daddy. Sometimes, I catch him flipping through it on his own.

Derek's Favorite Movie. We watch it at least once a day, per his request. You might wonder how he makes his preference known... he knows that the remote controls the TV, so he "calls" to me while pointing the remote at the TV. As soon as the movie comes on, he sits for a few minutes, plays for a few minutes, eats for a few minutes and goes back to the movie for a few minutes. Hopefully he'll pick up some words this way.

This is the official Toothless plush for How to Train Your Dragon. REALLY?! So lame.

This is more like it! Isn't this so cool! Some kid made a 5 ft Toothless plush with a 6 ft wingspan. He made his own pattern and everything. Super awesome!

One of the books Derek has to read multiple times a day. I don't know what I'm going to do when I reach the renewal limit with the library. :)

Another book Derek likes. Don't ask me why the possum's mother is a human or why it wears a diaper.

Talking in his own way

Dancing to his favorite part in How to Train Your Dragon

Mmmmm....

Some days you just feel creative right? This day was not one of those days - this was a whatever-I-can-get-fastest day. Pre-dinner snack tonight was peas and Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate hot (well, lukewarm) chocolate. Yummmm...

Oh yes she did!

Fun Memories

One evening, Derek was being particular rambunctious while we adults were trying to play a game. My first thought was to teach him how to use the camera and see what happens. Sure enough, he caught on amazingly fast. All I did was remind him to "push the button" and, after a few tries, off he went! What I didn't count on was him stumbling on the video option. He started, aimed, and stopped an 8 second video. All on his own. This kid is a technological whiz! He's constantly investigating machines (especially the elliptical!) and figuring buttons out. Such a smart little boy! Here are some of his better pictures, just for fun. :)

This one is pretty good for a 17 month old

This one is my favorite. :)

Funny story behind this next photo: Mom Heath wanted to buy a walker for Logan to start practicing in, so Lanae and I picked one up while we were out one day. Smoking hot, isn't it! The handle bars make lights flash and there are honking sounds and some really random songs. Derek went wild for it; always trying to push the buttons and forever trying to climb into it (which we strongly discouraged, since the weight limit is 25 lbs and Derek is 26. :) Anyway, Lanae put Logan in the walker this particular morning while we were fixing breakfast I think. We heard Logan complaining and figured he was just hungry. When Lanae had his breakfast fixed a few minutes later, she found this...

Derek has squished himself into the seat behind Logan - he even got both of his legs through the proper holes! Determined little stinker!

One night, I got the urge to make a tent like I used to do when I was younger. I'd read in them for hours. So, I settled down with my book and some edamamae. Lanae couldn't resist snapping a picture. She, Jeff and Tammy thought it was pretty entertaining. :)

Derek dancing

Derek has started this very interesting behavior of running in circles around this support pillar. He knows very well that he is not chasing me and sometimes seems to just want to run himself sane, haha! And of course, we can't forget the cutest little peanut at the end. :D

New Pool

It's only been 5 days since Lanae and Logan left, but it feels like weeks. Thankfully, Derek and I have been staving off boredom fairly well. And watching tons of How To Train Your Dragon because I'm too lazy to go upstairs and turn on other movies (ie Pride and Prejudice). Speaking of P&P, guess what I'm watching now? Haha! To be fair though, we're also working on sword fighting etiquette... I'm just waiting for the day when the sisters in nursery tell me how my son has been beating the other kids with a spoon. :S

Dad and Mom Heath picked up this inflatable pool for the boys to play in before Lanae and Logan left - I just had to add this picture of Logan. Don't worry, he warmed up to it in the end. I'll let Lanae post the others. :)



Derek and I have been trying to get into the pool everyday. He's had a cold for a little bit, but we managed to spend a few minutes in the pool today. It's been a little difficult fending off all the yellow jackets, though. Well, I suppose it was just one in particular but it seemed determined to get at the water in the pool. Thank heavens I had a book with me to bat it away, but I had to fish a VERY large hornet out of the water before I let Derek climb in. **Shudder!!** Of all God's creations, I hate hornets and wasps the most. Too many stings when I was a kid... and the nasty little critters can sting multiple times. Ugh.

Splashing is one of his favorite activities!

I love this face! It looks like he was puzzled that the plastic didn't taste very yummy. Haha!

Grandma Heath taught him how to scoop water into the bucket - he taught himself how to empty it.

Still loves to chew...

First time in a wading pool

Frisbee Golf, Baby Mozarts and Playing with Mommy

Derek saw us throwing our frisbees...

...and decided he wanted to try...

Half a foot down...159.5 to go, little man

David's super awesome score. The frisbees normally get caught in the chains or in the bucket underneath, so this is a super awesome score to land on top of the bucket.

Father and Son

Mitch winds up for the pitch....

David winds up for the pitch....

Mom winds up for the pitch.... and I STILL didn't get a release shot, haha!

Derek was tuckered out by the end, so Grandpa obliged him

Though grandsons don't do much to improve your aim in Frisbee golf

Baby Mozarts



Playing with Mommy (one of his favorite games)



Teaching Logan how to talk into a cup