"Do I Have To?"

We have officially moved up a level from the don't want to phase of early summer. Don't worry, we still hear a lot of that (usually it comes out no want to -- is it weird that Nathan's speech and pronunciation seem to regress as he gets more comfortable with new words, or is it normal to just get lazy and less articulate as time passes?), but in the last week pretty much anything we ask (or tell) Nathan to do is met with an immediate do I have to?

Well, Nathan... technically, no. You don't HAVE to. But we're asking you to, so please do it. Now. Because Mommy said so.

Everything from directing him to eat a few more bites of dinner, to cleaning up his toys, to putting his shoes on, to getting a clean diaper, to please come on down the stairs now is met with do I have to? He even questions things he normally LIKES to do, like brushing his teeth or going outside or wearing his shark PJs.

Good thing it's usually easy to convince him he actually wants to do these things, and he's a pretty agreeable kid.

Still... I sense tantrums in the forecast. Help and suggestions are welcome, for when this takes a turn for the worse... as I'm sure it will.

"I Don't Want To."

Nathan has moved beyond the no phase this week, into the I don't want to phase.

I don't have much to say about it besides the fact that no. no. suddenly sounds a lot kinder and less whiny than it did a week ago.

My I don't want to tolerance is already in short supply. Y'all say a prayer for my son that he decides whining is overrated after all. And for his and his mommy's sanity if he doesn't manage to reach that conclusion on his own.

Brad is Here from St. Croix!

My brother is in town this week! I couldn't mention it when he first decided to come, or even when he first arrived, because he wanted to surprise our dad last weekend for dinner on his (Brad's) birthday.... And dad reads this blog. Which is why there was no mention of it earlier, even though I was dying to tell. (And almost did... I had to have his wife sneak into his email and delete a copy of the itinerary I accidentally emailed him!)

Brad flew in town last Saturday and spent most of the week in Huntersville with the parentals. But yesterday he came back to Raleigh for a few days before his flight home -- yay! Nathan had been excited to see him all week, ever since I mentioned that Uncle Brad was coming. He only knows Brad mostly from pictures (they've only met three times before this weekend -- the week he was born, our vacation to St. Croix last year, and Grandpa's 90th birthday in August), but Nathan has been asking after pretty much every nap this week if Brad is here.

Anyway we had a fun visit. We ate Mexican food last night, then right away gave the boys a trial by fire this morning while Mark and I went to our first Greek baptism (man was that an event! I think our wedding was less complicated) for our neighbors' son. But Brad and Nathan did just fine -- no fussing from either of them, and Brad changed his first diaper while we were gone (with some help from Nathan, who apparently had to tell him to make it tighter... honestly, only Nathan). Yes, I am apparently that sister who leaves a baby with an uncle who's never changed a diaper... hey, I didn't know, or I promise I would have done a run-through before we left! But Brad did great, as we knew he would. Played games, fed Nathan lunch, read books, even got him to take his nap in the big-boy bed, and went for a walk on the golf course.

Then this afternoon we all decided at the last minute to go watch Clemson and UNC play in the ACC baseball tournament, since it's right up the road in Durham, and those are Mark's and Brad's respective teams.

It was a really pleasant way to spend an afternoon -- especially because Clemson won in the end. (Look, I would like to be diplomatic since I honestly don't care... but I live with Mark, so a win for Clemson drastically impacts the mood in our house.) Nathan was very excited to see all the tiger paws and pointed them all out. All of them.

On every hat, every shirt, and every player's stats on the scoreboard. In innings where Carolina was batting and they changed the huge logo on the outfield wall, he spent the whole time asking, "Where's the tiger paw? Where'd it go?" I don't know how, but somehow my child has become so brainwashed that a tiger paw is some sort of comfort symbol for him. [Sigh]

Anyway, we had fun at the game, had an entertaining ride home with Brad and Nathan (old buddies by now) cutting up in the backseat, ate pizza for dinner, and then everyone crashed. Brad has an early flight tomorrow; it's a bummer that the visit was so short but still great since we weren't expecting one at all.

And Nathan finally learned to say "uncle" correctly! (He still won't do it consistently when we ask him about Nick... mostly just "Oh Nick" as usual... but he's getting there and does it GREAT when talking about Brad.)

We love you Uncle Brad!

For more pictures of our visit with Brad, and the Clemson-UNC baseball game, click on the boys watching the game, below.


by mgoetts

Go Mark!

Tonight Nathan and I, along with our friend Hayes, went to see Mark play in his softball game. (He's playing for our church again this year.) It was a very pleasant way to spend an evening, even if it was a little chilly for May.

Hayes has proclaimed himself "Mark's #1 Fan" and spent the whole game yelling "go Mark!" from behind the plate, where Mark was the catcher.

It didn't take Nathan long to catch on, and soon enough he was yelling "go Mark!" too. Not go Daddy, but "go Mark!" When the rest of the team noticed what he was doing, they thought it was hilarious and egged him on, so he kept doing it the whole game. At points when the rest of the team got excited and cheered, Nathan was frantic with joy -- running in circles, sqealing and laughing and clapping.

Too cute.But it does sound strange to hear him call his daddy by his first name. :)

Nathan Learns a New Word at the Airport

Mark took Nathan to the airport today to watch the planes come and go. And also to chase after them, apparently.

In the process, Nathan learned a new word: helicopter. And Mark caught it on camera. So cute!



Yay for free fun!