Connor's first movie: Tangled!

We started out this New Year with a new experience for Connor. On January 1, we took him to see his first movie: Disney's Tangled. Our original idea was to wait until June when Cars 2 comes out, for that to be his first in-theater movie, but I'm glad we didn't wait. I think we all had a great time.
In honor of his first movie, we even bought the special Tangled popcorn bucket. It comes with free refills all the time until April 11th, so we'll likely be going to more movies in the near future. Connor looked so small and cute in his big movie chair, with a giant bucket of popcorn in his lap and a 100% Juice Capri Sun to quench his thirst. He was nestled in right between me and Brian and he kept telling us, "shhh quiet. Be still, no whining and no crying." I wonder where he heard that before the movie??? :)He was a champ through the whole movie. His only loud outburst was at the very beginning before the movie even started during the Disney intro. You may not have ever noticed, but in the theater version there is a tiny train in the background....(perhaps it is the monorail from the park???). Of course Connor saw it immediately and shouted, "Choo Choo....here it comes!" Although slightly disruptive, it was adorable. The theater was full of children and it was a blast!

I will stop being a blog slacker soon....busy busy.

We have a smart kid...

I put M&Ms in Connor's "gumball" machine last night and he gets to put a coin in and get an "em-ee" whenever he goes to the bathroom on the potty.

So far it has worked great (he only gets one every time). However, about 2 minutes ago, he ran into the kitchen, opened the drawer that has our coin bucket and helped himself to "money" and took off for his room. Why wait for me to give him a penny when he can grab handfuls of coins himself?!

Thankfully, when I asked him to put the money back in the drawer and told him those were only special potty em-ees, he obliged and took the coins back to the kitchen.

I'm just pretty amazed that he can even operate the stinkin' gumball machine at all...strong little dude!

You know you are a grown-up...

when you actually enjoy eating alone in a restaurant and don't think it is weird or uncomfortable. I used to feel sorry for those people...not anymore!

Michigan is colorFALL.

I've determined that October is my favorite month in Michigan. On top of the fact that I love busting out the boots, sweaters and light jackets it is BEAUTIFUL. I'll have to take more pictures of our yard too, but these pictures were taken at Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park here in Grand Rapids.
Friday morning Connor and I went to Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. We have a family membership there, but haven't utilized it in a long time. (It is about 20 minutes away.)

Anyway, I knew that their Autumn Colorfall exhibit was going on and I didn't want to miss out. I LOVE mums, so I knew it wouldn't disappoint. I was right. Connor was so preoccupied with the children's garden and running and playing that I didn't get many (any) pictures of him looking at the camera, but the scenery sure is beautiful. I might have to go back by myself so I can take pictures without my little "assistant". :)Recognize the bear? He looks a little different in the winter. Scroll down to see him HERE.

This is really random, but I don't recall ever seeing the giant mums before. As soon as I saw them I immediately thought of my mom and dad in high school. I remember my mom telling me about big mums that would have ribbon in the back and pipe cleaners that would spell out things or have numbers for their football players. At least I think that is accurate. I always thought that tradition was so cool and wished that I could have done the same thing.

Mom, do you have a picture of one of them from back in the day? If so, scan it in and I'd love to add the picture to the blog. :)

Connor & Lolly Dolly

Connor has recognized Lolly Dolly as "Mommy's baby" for some time now. She was mine when I was his age. She has a little rattle inside and is very worn out and soft. It warmed my heart on Thursday night when he got her out of his toy box and wanted to take her to bed. He insisted that I cover her up too. :)

Connor's First Day of "School"

I've been looking for a "Mother's Morning Out" program for Connor for months now. I mentioned my need at a Bible Study that I go to on Thursday mornings and one of the ladies mentioned a program at a Lutheran church a couple of towns over. I called later that afternoon and got Connor signed up for this week. He was so excited to go to SCHOOL. He was only disappointed to learn that he wasn't going by bus, and then he had a little bit of a rough time when I left him there. The ladies are fabulous and said that as soon as they went outside to play, he really perked up. :)

So, he will now be going to school from 10:00-2:00 every Wednesday. He takes his own lunch and has a blast. He gets to learn and play with other children, and I have 4 hours to do work or clean or run errands or whatever I need to do. Best $10 EVER!

Grand Rapids Marathon