Christmas Pageant 2009

Tabernacle Day Care Christmas pageant was last night, Sunday December 13th. This was your second pageant and you were a pro. The first year, when you were in the baby room you were a cow. This year, in the blue room, you were a donkey. Here are pictures of you and your bud Will in your costumes before the big performance.




When I dropped you off in the blue room to get ready you started to cry. A lot of kids were crying. There was tension in the air for sure with teachers and parents rushing around. Your grandparents, dad, and I went and got our seats in the chapel and waited. First the cows came out, then came the sheep, and then it was you leading the donkey pack. I thought for sure you all had rehearsed this, but apparently not. You looked out at all the people and walked slowly across the front of the room with a few donkeys wandering behind you. You weren't scared at all - you seemed pretty curious about everything. After the donkeys came then came the pilgrims, and then the angels. You all sat in your designated groups while the angles sang a few christmas songs. It was very sweet. Afterwards, we all went down to the rooms in the basement to chow down. It was good food. You and Will did not eat much and went off to run around the little stage they had in the room. You both ran back and forth, then you ran out of the room at one point, and into the kitchen with Grandma Jester chasing after you. That was your favorite part of the day!

Hypnosis by TV and Santa

OK - you love the TV a little too much. It is like one day you were just completely hypnotized by it and ever since then you beg to watch. I would say it has been about the last month and half to two months that you decided TV is awesome! You mainly want to see Elmo. So maybe it is an Elmo obsession, but you seem happy with basic Sesame Street or Bolt. You even watched the Polar Express with Grandpa the other night. Oh, speaking of that. Two big things happened this weekend. You and I spent our first night apart. You spent the night over at the Grandparents house for the first time. It went ok. I think you did better then I did overall. It was strange for me, but I managed. I just need to practice here and there. I mean I know someday you would probably like to not live with us, so I have got to get myself ready. I may only have you sleeping under the same roof with me for 16 more years. I did get to sleep in until 9 a.m. and that felt wonderful. I could use more mornings like that. So then on Saturday morning the grandparents returned with you and we all went to the children's museum to get a picture of you with Santa. Grandma dressed you up so cute. You came in with a red sweater with a reindeer on it and red converse. Everything was too big for you, but I could have eaten you up right there and then. By the time we got into the main room you could tell it was nap time for you. We didn't time our visit very well. Grandma tried to coach you on what to say when Santa asked you what you wanted for Christmas, which was... Elmo. You liked that answer. I could tell it wasn't going to go so well. You were quiet while I held you and we talked to the snow queen, but when I tried putting you in Santa's lap all hell broke loose. You did not like that. Santa just asked me to back up, he held you tight, they took the picture, and I swooped you up again. But oddly as we were walking away from Santa you got more agitated. You started saying stuff that I couldn't understand and it seemed directed at Santa. I wasn't sure if you were mad at him or what. So I went back up the ramp a little ways and you calmed down. I asked you to tell Santa what you wanted but you just stared at him. When I walked away finally, you got all upset again. So we headed for the exit and got you a snack and some juice. You sat with another little girl with her grandparents, ate, and recuperated. She was even more traumatized by the whole Santa experience then you were. I think she was scared of Santa. I don't think you were scared of him. You just didn't want me to put you down. After that we enjoyed some time at the Children's museum. It is a fun place with lots to do. We will have to go back soon.

Here's the picture:

Playdate

ok - I am late on reporting this, but better late then never. A couple weeks ago we had a playdate with William at Coffee and Kartwheels in Cary town. It was so much fun - even though we got kicked out for a kid's birthday party sooner then we would have preferred. When we first got there there was one other kid your age and you and her just sized each other up the whole time. You didn't seem overly excited about the toys and indoor playground until Will entered the store. Wow! What a drastic change in your personality. You lit up and became totally energized. You and Will took off for the indoor playground like two madmen. You chased each other, and went down the slide together. It was a rock climbing slide that was really meant to climb up not to slide down on, but you both ignored the bumps and continued to treat it like a slide. Where ever one went the other soon followed.
You and Will have been in day care together since you were both in the baby room. Once you both moved to the Walker room you became good play buddies. They actually moved you both up to the blue room together to ease the transition. Apparently you had a harder time with the transition then Will did. You were pretty grumpy about it for a week or so. This was really the first time I or Will's mom Kristen really got a chance to see you both play with each other. It was so much fun to see how confident it made you feel in a new setting. I only ever see you interact with kids you don't know so well. Like kids we meet at the park or Steph's kids. You are pretty stand offish with new kids. It takes you a while to adjust or get completely engaged in an activity in a new place or with new kids.
Afterwards we sugared you both up at Ben and Jerry's. You both tore the place up a bit running and taking things off shelves. It was time to go, but we had a blast. Can't wait to do another playdate again with Will!

Big News!

You finally said I love you back to us! It was so amazing to hear. You said it on Saturday. I will try to video tape it because it was so cute!

I'm so grateful

I can't believe you are almost 2 years old. You will be 21 months old on Dec. 4th! You are learning so many new things every day - it truly amazes me. I can barely keep up. I mean you pretty much know how to operate the DVD player already! I am so grateful for having you in my life. You have made everyday wonderful and challenging.
We had such a fun week together even though we were all sick. I don't remember getting sick so often, but with you and your day care germs I have already gotten really sick twice this fall. Both times around holidays - well- if you count Halloween as a holiday, which I do. And it is one of my favorites! ok -off the point - I was home with you for 8 wonderful days over the last 9 days! You were sick and then I got sick and then dad got sick. It is good when dad gets sick because then we get to see him more. He actually took off a lot of days this week. He was home Thursday for Thanksgiving and then for part of Friday, most of Saturday, and all day Sunday. Dad never stays home that much. He usually works 6 days a week and sometimes 7! So I think you enjoyed the time off immensely. We took naps everyday and watched movies. We watched the Lion King with Aunt Vicky on Saturday night. We also took the dogs for a long walk in Battlefield park. On Sunday, your dad and I took you to Maymont Park. It was the most beautiful day. You loved seeing the goats and feeding the roosters. You discovered very quickly that the roosters could take one grain out from between your two tiny little fingers without nipping you in the process. You are fearless with animals. We saw the bears, bobcat, and the two grey foxes. All of them were enjoying the beautiful day. I think you were most impressed with the big koy fish. They were about as big as you. We climbed up a lot of stairs, strolled down along the hills, and watched the sun set. It was an absolutely breathtaking day and I had the best company.

I pooped!

Ok - so much has happened with you over the last month. You are starting to say your words more clearly, you have fallen head over heals for Elmo, you stalk the cats more and try to sit on them (well - other peoples' cats - ours still won't let you mess with them for too long), you like us to kiss your boo boos and you kiss your own boo boos too, you sing to yourself sometimes (like Ashes Ashes Ring around the Rosy), we can bribe you with sweets or games, you like to tackle us and try to push us over, and you tell us when you have pooped your pants! So much has happened and I know I am not thinking of everything right now. You seem to understand the whole potty thing for the most part. Now we just need to figure out the timing of it all. I think we are on a good track though.
You just started to like watching TV and it is a little scary how quickly you become completely absorbed by it. We have now watched Elmo's World -Pets video about 10 times over the last three weeks. Hopefully we will get a few more video options for Christmas. When we get home from work and day care you ask for Elmo.
Oh - you have a major love of pistachios too. Kind of strange that both you and Dad love them so much! I'm not sure how Dad and I are molding your eating habits and what is just your nature. I am really weird about food and tend to eat a lot of the same stuff over and over again. One morning we were out of your blue berry waffles- oh sh** we are out now - ekk...well anyhow, you were pissed and I couldn't get you to eat much of anything else. I guess we will be recreating that moment tomorrow morning. Your fav foods right now are cheese, pistachios, cottage cheese, and your meats. Your fav drink is apple juice and you refer to every drink as apple juice. And of course, you love the sweets - anything you can get your little hands on.
Well, I am writing this all as you are watching Elmo. We are sitting on the couch and Sally is laying under my legs. Dad is not home yet, but hopefully will be any minute. It is time for me to get my snuggle time in. Hard to compete with Elmo but I will try!
Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fun Weekend

We had such a good weekend together! On Saturday, we went to Toys R US! You were in heaven. So many toys, so many sounds and colors. You so badly wanted to get in every motorized car, but they had them displayed up so high. I guess for that very reason - so kids wouldn't get in them to test drive. You also loved the train set. Well, I didn't buy you any of that stuff. Mainly because we are broke and those toys were pricey! I was torn between buying you some sort of outdoor riding wheely thing and an art easel. Easy guess which one we got. The art easel of course! Ok so maybe I am pushing that on you already. Maybe you would have wanted the thing you could ride or push, but it is getting cold out and we need more indoor things to do. Plus you really do love to draw and that is an interest you developed all on your own. I am amazed at how long you do end up drawing when you are really in the mood. Plus, in my opinion you have a natural talent for it. Some of your work is quite brilliant. I know - I'm your mom. I think everything you do is brilliant but some of your work is so well balanced by shapes and colors. Some of my favorites though are the ones we do together!

Halloween

Whew!!!! It has been a crazy couple of weeks. You were sick for a couple days, we went to the fall festival at Tabernacle, we had a surprise/halloween party for your Dad, trick or treated, and then Dad and I got sick. Fun times! Luckily, none of us were sick for the party. I wish I had more pictures from the party. It was a lot of fun. Your Grandparents and Aunt Vickey outdid themselves as always. The house was covered in sweets. It was a bit overwhelming. There were cookies, tons of cupcakes, gobs, halloween candy, smores, pumpkin pie, twizzlers, gummy worms, chocolate pudding, ice cream cake, and bowls of M&Ms. So much! You really liked the candy corn - actually, you liked it all. You had a couple of tantrums when I wouldn't give you more candy.
So for Halloween you had three costumes. Why not - right! We couldn't decide. For the TCCC Fall Festival you were a fierce ninja with your bud Will. For the Halloween party you were Captain Kirk (Dad's home-made costume when he was your age), and for Halloween night you were the most adorable dinosaur.






Halloween night - you were a little skeptical at first. You weren't sure what to make of all the strange kids coming to the door. Then we set off into the dark- Dad, mom, you, and Pop Pop. By the third house you had it down. you went right up to the door with your pumpkin candy bag. You would go up to the door and say Knock Knock! but only air knock with your fist. So cute! You made out pretty good. We only went to about 6 or 7 houses. I wish I had better pictures. I wish I had a better camera!

Little Runners!

I wish I had pictures or video of what I saw this morning when I dropped off Rogan at daycare. When we got to his room pretty much all the boys were already there. Usually, Rogan is the first to second child dropped off and one of the last to be picked up (poor kid), so I don't normally get to see him interacting with everyone very much. Phillip, Asher, William, and David were already there. When Rogan walked in William had the biggest smile and squealed with delight. Rogan and William are good buds. They are going to be karate kids for Halloween together. William and Rogan started saying Ba ba ba to each other. Then the other guys started saying it too and running from one end of the room to the other. They were all so cute and it was funny to see a glimpse into Rogan's life that I don't ever get a chance to see. They were all serious but all had little grimaces on their faces while they were doing it. I couldn't stop watching - it was fascinating. I will have to try to capture it on video one of these days.

A sentence!

Oh - and I almost forgot you said a sentence. When Pop Pop left the room you said:
where did he go? But it was more like wherdihego. I have also heard you say what's that? a couple of times.
hee hee

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

That is the theme of your life right now. Sunday morning at 6:20am, I was up (unfortunately) and you were still in bed. I just assumed you were sleeping, but then I heard a plane go over the house, and you screamed out P-L-A-N-E with glee! It made me laugh. Every plane we hear you look up into the sky to try to find it. We have a lot of planes in our general direction so there is a lot of looking up. We also watched Utube videos on Sunday of airplanes taking off for about a half hour. It had your full attention.
You have started playing with your train set that Aunt Vickey bought you too. You say Choo Choo whenever you want me to help you put the tracks together. I don't think you have ever seen a real train yet, so that will be on our to do list for this month.
Your Dad and I took you to the butterfly exhibit at Lewis Ginter on Sunday. You were almost too tired to enjoy it, but you got your second wind. I just wanted to keep up with the whole flying theme. You say but for butterfly.





Your little personality is really shining these days. You are by nature a goof. You are a little shy and stand offish with new things at first, but if you aren't tired, you will generally join in. You are very sweet. All the Day Care workers comment on what a sweet boy you are. And you are a good hugger! You also are extremly coordinated, but you don't rush yourself. You are a dare-devil in alot of ways, but a cautionary one. It seems like a really good balance.
You love saying No nO no! Especially to the animals. The three nos all together stemmed from a book your grandma bought you called Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! One of your favorites. Whenever we ask you if the pigeon can drive the bus you say No No NO!
You are loving your books! There was a note on one of your daily report cards from Daycare that said you do not like to share your books though. We will have to work on that a bit, but I know you love the one on one time with me or daddy.
You were adorable with Dad this morning. Your were like his little sidekick. You were even kind of dressed alike in your cargo pants and button down shirt. Dad came in to say goodbye to me and gave me a kiss and then you came into the room to do the same thing and then turned around and followed Dad out like you were going to work with him.
Tonight we go to Aunt Vickey's house for a going away party for Cousin Andrew. He is moving to Baltimore for a new job. We don't see him very often but we will miss him. Hopefully he will be back a lot to teach you things. He is a really good singer and super smart - as everyone is in the Marshman and Jester family.
Cute general stuff to report:
When you walk into your daycare room the kids greet each other with hugs and kisses. In fact you kissed David the other day right on the lips. Made me happy, because you two do not always get along. Well, David likes everyone, but he tends to get in your space too much. This morning you two gave each other the sweetest hug.
You and William will be ninjas together for Halloween at TCCC. That will be hilarious for sure.
Ok - well I love you. It is amazing watching you grow and learn. Just remember no matter who you are or what you do in life your Dad and I will always love you unconditionally. We just want you to find your path and have a lot of joy in your life.

Finally a real kiss!

It finally happened- a true kiss from my little man. Normally when we ask for a kiss you lean your head into our faces and we kiss your cheek or forehead. On sunday you were sitting on me and you bent down, put your face right up to mine, pursed your lips, and kissed me on the lips. So sweet! Someday you will think this is gross, but it was so endearing. I didn't even ask for it. Later that day I showed you how to do an eskimo kiss and you thought that was even better.
We went to the 43rd street festival this weekend and it was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect. We went with Pop Pop and Grandma. We walked up and down the street, said hi to neighbors, drew on the sidewalks, got your face painted, and listened to music. We just barely got your face painted. The face painter used a cricket stamp and as soon she put it on you looked really concerned and tried to wipe it off. It was a wonderful Sunday! We played with dad and took the dogs on a walk too. By the end you were exhausted!

Rogan and Dad

Here is Rogan today! I will be documenting his big changes very soon too. He moved to the Blue room this week in his day care. He is now in the older toddler room. It has been a pretty ruff week for him Not nearly as hard of a transition as when he moved from the baby room to the Walker room. He does not want to be without me or dad and even sleeping has been a bit challenging this week. You would never know by this picture though. Rogan has been talking a lot this week. I can't understand a lot of it, but it is so cute. He mimics our words and sentences much more often now. In fact, this morning I was trying to toss something into the recycling bin and missed. I said Oh Crap! And then Rogan said Oh Crap! Just like I did. It was so cute, but made me realize that we really need to watch what we say.
He is also very good at pointing out what things are in books when we ask him. He can point out birds, dogs, babies, tables, chairs, butterflies, boys, hats, shirts, shoes, girls, balls, apples, moon, trees, planes, and much much more.

Big Changes

Ok - well I am taking a little break from the Rogan Chronicles, so I can give everyone a little insight into my new job. I am in week 2 now and I haven't been fired! YAY! They have been taking it pretty easy on me, but I know there is a lot more to learn and a lot of information to manage. So I work for the VCU Medical Center on the MCV campus. I work for the Family Medicine Department as the student services coordinator. My main role will be helping the third year medical students with their rotations throughout the year. So, it is quite different from what I was doing to say the least. It is an interesting time to be a part of the medical field - especially in the family medicine department.

Here are some pictures of my walk to work, my building, and my office. I am on the 14th floor, but it is really the 13th floor. I am still trying to wrap my brain around the idea of paying for parking, but whatever!

This is where I pay to park - by the Main Street Train Station

This marker is under the bridge where I park my car.

My little walk to work is all uphill - here we go...

Walking and dodging cars - seriously a little scary!

Views from my walk - including the Egyptian Building

Here is my building - right on Broad Street

Sharon's office is behind my office

Erin's Office

It's been too long!

We got back from Ocean City, Maryland yesterday. Your grandparents gifted us the weekend package last christmas, so we all went. Sorry to say we have no pictures from this trip. I could not find the camera. I have no idea where it is. I was going to have our picture taken in one of those booths on the board walk, but you had your worst meltdown ever while we were there, so we skipped it. It was a hot day and both you and I were pretty miserable. Plus you have been putting your foot down quite a bit these days. Maybe the terrible twos are coming a little bit early? Or maybe you are just growing up and trying to make things happen differently then how I want them to be. I don't know, but you are cute even when you are super mad! You actually had two meltdowns on Sunday. The first one was right when you woke up. You got up earlier then usually - around 6:40ish. Since your grandparents were up, I decided I would take you out to them and go back for a little extra sleep. Well- as soon as you saw me close the bedroom door you came running. You started crying and threw yourself against the door. The grandparents tried everything, but every time they put you down on the floor you came barreling down the hallway and flung yourself against the door. After about 15 minutes I just got up and as soon as I came out you were happy. No extra sleep, but made me happy that you love me so much!

The newest thing you have been doing is drawing. I guess it really isn't so new. You have been making pictures at school for some time now. But I bought you markers and paper a couple weeks ago and you can't get enough. Your concentration on drawing is really amazing and I know you are my kid and all but I think you are pretty talented. You spent about 40 minutes making dots in different colors. Here is a picture of you coloring a package for Grandma G. This was weeks ago. I really need to send this package. Mom - it is coming soon.

Boy Wonder

You are my boy wonder! Here you are playing in the tub tonight. You actually laid yourself down in the water twice. So cute - and then you would kick your legs and splash.

We also played in the car. You love pretending to drive. When we got home you ate and then after we played in the car you wanted to eat again. You have been so hungry lately. I feel like we are running out of food for you. I desperately need to go grocery shopping. I have never seen you ever eat so much. I think a growth spurt is about to happen. I do hope you end up being taller then your Dad and mom. Well no matter what - you will be a cutey!

I can Feed Myself

Here you are...spoon feeding yourself. I think you mastered the spoon and fork pretty early. You started spooning food in your mouth before you were a year. I think you are pretty coordinated. Ok, but I guess your aim isn't so good. You do have a lot of food on your face. Speaking of food on the face, you had so many sweets last Saturday you actually got sick. It was Uncle Steve's 60th birthday party and there was a lot of family there. When the sweets came out I think everyone gave you pieces of cookies, ice cream, and brownies. You woke up crying at 5am the next morning and there was chocolate throw up all over you and the crib. You poor thing! It was quite a site. I had to wake Dad up so he could help me change the sheets and your clothes. The next few days after were a bit rough. You were on sugar detox, and it left you feeling icky for a couple of days. Today though you were eating like a champ. In fact you ate a whole banana yesterday and a whole banana on the way home from school today. Plus you love your cottage cheese.

Chalk on the sidewalk and bubbles in the air

I bought you some chalk and bubbles at Target in the 99 cents bin last night. The plan was that after dinner we would go out to play. Well... it was a nice thought. You were so tired and I could barely get you to eat any dinner. I thought you might be a little more interested in the chalk, but you really were not. In daycare you have been doing a lot of crafts with paint and markers. I can't wait to show your Daddy all the little projects you created at school. But the chalk was not impressive to you. You were way more interested in the bubbles. I blew some bubbles in the air which made your face light up. You chased some around the yard and then stomped on them. I don't think this was your first bubble experience. I let you hold the bottle, which was the best part. For 15 minutes you put the bubble wand in and out of the bottle. The sort of funny part was that you were getting frustrated every time you could not get the wand in the bottle right away which made you cry until you did. You did not want my help at all. It made me think about how you might deal with frustration throughout your life. You were frustrated but you kept at it. And as you kept trying you were getting a little better as you went along.

If I had not stopped you I think you could have gone on for another 15 minutes. The mosquitoes were bad. Anyhow, it seemed like a good trait in you. Very much like your Dad. He is determined and always figures things out eventually. I tend to give up too quickly, so definitely model your Dad on that one.

Big Boy!

Today - you seem so big. You had big boy clothes on and big boy shoes. The shoes are adorable little Nike's on loan from Steph. Teddy is growing fast and will soon need them back, but maybe not until late summer. I gave you another hair cut. This time in the tub while you were taking a bath. I kind of just hacked away at it, but it turned out pretty good. I was trying to imagine you with a crew cut, but I can't at all. I hope the curls stay a long time.

We had a good weekend. We did some pool time and went over to the neighbor's, Dave and Amy's house for a party. There were so many kids there. For the first little while you stood watching from the side lines. You looked exactly like your Dad. The way you were standing and contemplating everything. It takes you awhile to absorb new things. Once you got going though you were all over the place. Your favorite stops were the ice buckets full of drinks. You were eating the ice, playing in the cold water, and you even tried to get in the buckets a couple of times. You like the older kids, but you especially feel at home with anyone that has a lot of dark hair. I guess that reminds you of all the Marshmans and your Uncle Jake. It is definitely hard being one of the little ones. The older kids that were around the ages of 5 and 6 were not amused by you. A few little girls did not like us hanging out at the sandbox. There is a playground hierarchy that I have seem to forgotten. We had to put you to bed early. You were exhausted - you were running on empty fumes and kept tripping on everything. Luckily for us, the baby monitor picked up next door, so we were able to get you in bed, lock you in the house with the dogs, and then go back over to the neighbors to party some more. Are we bad parents or what! The dogs watched over you and when I came back I covered you up again with your favorite blue blanket.

More beach pictures...

4th of July

We got back from the beach yesterday evening. You loved the water and the beach. On the way down you stayed awake the whole time. The whole 5 hours! You were so good and somehow stayed entertained. We had dinner with your grandparents Friday evening and then hit the sheets. On saturday we were up at 6 am! Yay! I love getting up early. Hee hee. We went for a walk, woke daddy up, and then had some breakfast. We went to the beach fairly early, but it was already pretty packed. Once you were on that beach you were a little dare devil. You walked right up to the ocean - completely fearless. Every time the waves rolled up against you you laughed. We also spent a lot of time playing in the sand. We dug a baby hole for you to sit in which you loved. You trudged all over that beach greeting people and trying to play with other kid's toys. Playing with other kid's toys did not always go over so well, but you held your ground. We had so much fun and you loved being pulled around on the boogie board.

You did not cooperate very much for the fire works later that evening. I guess you were exhausted. I think this was the third year that your dad and I have gone to Southport, N.C. The first year you were about 4 months old and you were captivated by the fire works. At 4 months you watched the whole show - completely wide eyed. This year you could not sit still. We tried to have you sit in our laps, hold you, everything, but you wanted to run off into the dark. So we missed most of the fire works. I could barely keep up with you as you darted through the crowd, wandering up to strangers, and trying to steal cups and soda cans along the way. Ahh - good times.

Oh Baby!

You had a ruff day today. Your report card today said you did not have a good day. You were hitting and not listening to your teacher. You threw multiple tantrums. During nap time you wouldn't lay down on your cot and when they tried to get you to lay down you threw a fit and woke everyone up. Good thing it is a short week. We are heading off to the beach this weekend for the 4th of July. Here is a picture of you at the beach almost exactly a year ago. I think you are going to really enjoy the sand and water this year. I am excited to take you!