Addiss, Wessle?

Yay for November!  We did get sick early on (yuck, we all got a stomach virus and a couple of us eve seemed to relapse) but once that passed the month was beautiful and we had some good times.

This Thanksgiving was a little different.  We didn't have any family visiting so we felt more free to try a few new activities that we're hoping to make a tradition.  We started the day off with a one mile Turkey Trot (more on that later), made sure to play at a park before Hinckley's nap and then had a blast hot tubbing in the rain after an early dinner.  We had umbrellas to keep our heads dry and friends to make us laugh.  It was perfect.  And I now feel confident that I can cook a Thanksgiving dinner on my own. 

The next day we decorated for Christmas (Dane put up Christmas lights for our first year, ever) and on Saturday morning we had the chance to visit the Giving Machine downtown.  If you haven't heard about these, check it out!  It was such a worthwhile experience (and a great way to start off the Christmas season!

As always, our Atticus has had amazing and awful moments in the last month.  His questions have been so deep and detailed.  He asks about the devil pretty often, which has led to some really great conversations involving life before this life and after it (here are some great resources that we believe to be true.)  We're a little worried that these detailed questions are going to get us into trouble.  He is already pretty curious about Santa Claus and isn't very satisfied whenever we use magic as an explanation.


We are finding that he is starting to come up with his own explanations, too.  Some are right on and others make us laugh.  For example, when a classmate didn't turn in her homework (at preschool, mind you!) Atticus got very concerned about her.  He told her that his mom had told him that in big kid school that if you don't turn in your homework you get sent to prison!  He even told her that there are guards and that you don't ever get to see your family.  Up until this point I had been pleasantly surprised by his diligence when it came to homework completion.  I think we now know why!

Another development that I've loved this month has been watching him play with greater kindness with smaller children.  I babysat quite a few children in November (way more than usual!) and I've been so pleased with how he includes them and adjusts his intensity for them (more than he used to, anyway.)  It's a start.  Even when he wrestles with Hinckley (which is all the time!) he is very good about letting Hinckley feel like he's winning or that it's an even match.  They both LOVE it.

The most embarrassing moment was our Turkey Trot.  The poor little guy was convinced it was a race and got very upset when an older friend was "beating him."  It did end up well, though.  About halfway through he started trotting along with me as I tried to get him thinking about things that make him happy.  He ran or walked the rest of the race.  We couldn't ask more than that.

We have begun praying with him that he'll be able to control his temper more.  We're not giving up on the tried and true relaxation methods that are out there but we figure that a little Divine help won't hurt.

Atticusisms:

• (Dane says, "Come on, dude.")  “No!  You  call me ‘Son’!”
• "Stop littering, people!" (Shouted at cars while riding his bike.)
• "Aw man, I was hoping to keep that in my stomach.  It was so delicious." (The first time he threw up)
• "Dear Heavenly Father... please help me to get the throw up out!"  (This was a prayer that he yelled 3-4 times in the middle of the night after having thrown up many more times."
• "Does Heavenly Father have a wife?"
• "Is God really real?"
• "Look!  1+1=2.  Check it out!" (Showing off his calculator to some younger kids.)
• “Is this pornography?”  (He's asked a couple times about pictures of people in swimsuits.)
• "[I'm grateful for] Everyone in the world except bad guys." (Gratitude list)
• "My shark is grateful for his house." (Gratitude list)
• "MOME SO SMOT." ("Mommy is so smart.") (Gratitude list)
• (After hearing that Daddy's the "head of house,") "What is Mommy?" ("I don't know, maybe the neck.")  "Then are we the stomach of the house?" 
• "I don’t want the Government to take my money!" (Where did he get that?!  We were dying!)
• "The only thing that makes me happy is money!" (During our Turkey Trot.)
• "You’ve lost my trust, you have to earn it back." (When Max kept ringing the potty bell but then wouldn't go outside.)
• "Those aren't really wise men!  Those are robbers who dressed like wise men and shepherds and they are going to get the baby and hide him." (While playing with a nativity set.)
• "Mom, what do the policemen get for Christmas?" ("I don't know.  Would you like to do something for them?")  "Yeah!  Maybe Daddy could get them a bad guy."

Hinckley started the month off VERY grumpy.  We're pretty sure he was teething.  He kept grabbing his mouth and chewing on blankets/shirts.  He even started gagging on food and would only eat when I started cutting his food into TINY bites. You can see him rubbing his gums in the photo below:

Unfortunately he went straight from teething to "thwow up" as he started calling it.  He began in the middle of the night (after we had been awake with Atticus up until then) and it was awful.  He does NOT like to throw up or admit that he's going to.  He even throws his head back like it will stop him from vomiting.  It was messy and exhausting.  And it took him days for his tummy to get back on track because he didn't want to eat ANYTHING that was nourishing.

The kid is growing up, I tell ya.  He is at a hard stage in some ways (he throws huge tantrums several times a day now) but we still want to enjoy every moment and milestone.  He is saying three word sentences all the time now and he can totally count to 20!  He is able to pray by himself, although he usually waits for help.  He wanted to try undies one day but after 30 minutes things got pretty messy and he hasn't asked since.  But he does love his froggy urinal.  It's so funny- when he uses it he bends his right knee and lifts his right heel.

He has developed a little stutter step that he'll do when he's unsure or, more often, when he's trying to be funny.  It works.  Makes us laugh pretty much every time.

He already loves "Sah-Wah" (Star Wars) and knows the names of many characters (thanks to a favorite board book.)  His favorite stuffed animal is Wicket (the Ewok).  He calls him "Chub-chub" and he wrestles with him and with Chewie, both of whom are close to his size, so it's pretty funny to watch.

Hinckley-

• "No. I Not."
• "Yes." (Said very clearly all the time, usually with a long a sound.)
• "Addiss, wessle?"  (Asking his brother to wrestle- all the time.)
• "Sunny?" (Smoothie.)
• "Ice eem?"  (Ice Cream.)
• "Vacuus?"  (Still asks for the vacuum but then cries when we turn it on.  It's so confusing!)
• "Pway?" or "My ton!" (Loves to pray but still waits for unnecessary help.)
• "Hi Nana, how you doeen?"  (Is starting to greet Max and other people/inanimate objects this way)

And now we begin the Christmas season.  Can. Not. Wait! 

Maes Report: October 2019

October was not our favorite month but there were a lot of sweet moments and lessons along the way.

Shortly after finally announcing our pregnancy (I was 12 weeks along so we thought we were safe) we found out that our little one no longer had a heartbeat.  It definitely sent our family reeling but we were showered with love and support and time is slowly bringing healing.  I've talked and written so much about it that I don't want to say much more in this post, other than to express our gratitude.  We are so grateful for everyone who has prayed, spoken with and reached out to us.  And we're eternally grateful for our loving Father in Heaven.  He has a plan for us and for our little one.


Hinckley is growing so fast!  He has been going potty in the toilet here and there (he even pooped once), so we're cautiously excited.  He "counts" to ten and his numbers sound surprisingly close.  It's so cute to listen to him count with his eyes covered while playing hide and seek.  He is putting more words and tiny sentences together and is even learning how to pray!  He does usually wait to repeat what is said to him but is becoming more and more original.

He still has a nose for trouble- one of his favorite things to do is go through the Tupperware.  In addition to rearranging it he loves to grab a big one and fill it with random things around the house.  One of the craziest moments was when I caught him putting his toy vacuum in the toilet.

He is CRAZY about trucks now.  It's so cute.  He seems to think they are his friends.  When he's in the stroller we go hunting for them.  At his 2 year old appointment he was crying the minute we went into the exam room.  Thank heaven, there was a window and outside there were construction trucks working.  He calmed down immediately as he watched them.  Speaking of his appointment, he's still pretty small, only 22% in height (his head and weight are average).

He's also a little slave driver.  This month he has developed a love for the vacuum and our double stroller.  He is always asking me to vacuum or take him for a run.  I know they're both good for me but good grief!

One thing I think we take for granted is how well Hinckley sings.  We were at the park and he sang all of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to me.  A mom overheard and was shocked because her daughter (who is a few months older than Hinckley) is still only saying a few words.  Hinckley has been singing for months now.  Watching that little girl play it was obvious that she was more advanced than him in some gross motor activities (not that it's definitely a competition!) but it was good to be reminded how lucky we are that we get to listen to his sweet voice.

He also turned TWO this month!  We were able to celebrate up in Utah in conjunction with Bobba's birthday (who turned 60 this month!)  We had a wonderful time with all of the Maes crew.  It was short but very sweet.  

While we were there the boys were also able to help Bobba with some raking.  They had a blast and made some money, to boot.

We celebrated Hinckley's birthday a second time at the end of the month when my mom and brother came down for Halloween.  It was another short visit but we so enjoyed having them.

Hinckley Speaks:

• "I’m sorry Max." (for real first sentence after swatting at the dog)“No.” (To virtually everything- he’s making up for lost time)“Watah.” (He just stopped calling water “Deedah”)
• "Buddies, buddies!" (said excitedly as he chases after "birdies")
• "Yes." (almost always whispered)
• "Stop!" (To Atticus while telling a long story/explanation)
• "Give it up!" (Atticus having temper tantrum)
• "Chwucks, are you?"  ("Trucks, where are you?!"  He is in LOVE with all trucks now)
• "Peeyoo!" "Stinky!"  "Gwoss!" (he thinks it's hilarious when we get grossed out)
• "Bwess you!"
• "Addiss/Daddy/Mommy?  Okay?"  ("Are you okay?"- he's very sensitive when someone is sad/hurt)
• "Eedee/Eekee" ("Hinckley") 
• "Sing!" To me all the time after seeing/hearing something that makes him think of a song he likes.
• "Welcome!" (often said to himself after saying, "Dat you!")

Of course, October means pumpkin patches and Halloween festivities.  We loved it all! 

I'm not going to lie, I was so proud of myself for making our family theme work out this year.  It's probably going to be a one time thing.  But aren't those kiddos cute?

Atticus has had a great month. I have been taking a parenting course and I love it.  He and I have had WAY fewer blowouts.  It's not really changing his behavior yet but it's already helping my behavior and outlook.  That alone is worth its weight in gold.

 He is learning SO much and I love seeing how his mind works on his assignments and even on the birthday cards he makes.

He was a part of his second ever primary program and he was terrific!  He behaved so well and sang with all of his heart (we could hear him loud and clear for the first three songs).  When it was his turn to go up his class shared things they loved to do with their family.  Some of the kids whispered or mumbled but not Atticus.  Everyone could hear him tell the congregation, "I like watching shows with my daddy!”

 Speaking of which, he watched his first what we consider "grownup" movie this month: The Princess Bride.  He loved it and has watched it a few more times.  He is SO sensitive to the movies and songs he's exposed to (asks about every word and scenario) so we are really careful about what he sees.  It's been so fun to quote it with him, though, that we can't wait to show him more favorites.

Some of our most memorable moments this month were probably watching Atticus play soccer!  He went from being just okay and apathetic about the sport to being all in and caring too much about the outcome.  There were a couple games where he scored over 5 goals and his defense was even better than his offense!  He really has a gift for seeing the field and understanding the game for his age.

I wish we had more game footage to share but I was coaching and Dane was on Hinckley duty (which usually meant they were off on the other side of the park chasing birds).

Look at this little sports model.  I can't tell you how much I loved watching his progress this season.  There were some embarrassing emotional outbursts but we expected those, so here's hoping we can help him develop more self control over the next year.

 Here he is with his adorable little teammates.

 Atticusisms:

• "I’m sorry__________I just can’t help myself!" (reasons include wanting to eat certain foods, wanting to listen to the same song repeatedly, or to wrestle with the dog)
• "I feel like something is missing in my life."
• "Mommy, what’s wrong?"  (He has been so compassionate this month whenever he had seen me crying.)
• "Are you going to be sad forever?" 
• “I’m so excited for the big game!” (All day one Friday) “I need to work out for the big game.”
• “I had a soccer dream!” (day of the “big” game)
• “Wait, Bobba’s going to laugh his real head off?”
• “I’m keeping lots of water in my mouth so it can get warm and when a bad guy comes I can shoot it out of my mouth at him and while he can’t see I’ll get away.”
• (After mommy and daddy had a disagreement)  “Sometimes people just need alone time.  Daddy needs alone time.  And if he comes back you can tell him, ‘If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.’"  When Dane comes back, "Uh oh, here comes that frowny face.” 
• "Can I help twist your muffin?" (Bun in my hair)

 
That's it for October.  We'll finish off with some shots of Max.  Oh Max, you adorable little ragamuffin.