Cockroaches

One drawback to living in Vegas are all the cockroaches! I don't understand how they even get in the house. They are so disgusting. I liked the efforts of that movie WALL-E trying to make them seem friendly and cute, but I just don't buy it. Once you see one scurry across your kitchen floor you don't think, "Aw, cute WALL-E cockroach!" rather you think, "I want you dead!"

(And just FYI the dots surrounding the glass are itty-bitty "baby" cockroaches that are dead. Are they flocking to the mother roach? They just remind me of the aliens from the scary movie Alien.)  

I like to deal with them by putting a glass cup over them and then make Brian dispose of them when he gets home. Sometimes James gets to them before I do and he likes to play with them, pull off their legs, and examine God's little creatures. It just makes me shudder and get that icky feeling down my spine. 

Yesterday I broke two of these glasses---one of which was imprisoning a cockroach that I forgot was on the  floor. Not only did I shatter the glass but I also freed the bug! Horribleness! I didn't know which issue to address first---recapture the cockroach or pick up the glass shards so James or I wouldn't cut ourselves. I chose the bug. I'd rather have us bleeding than a creepy cockroach on the loose in the house!

James doesn't seem to mind them. Boys. 

Third class driving beats first class walking

My car broke down (and I mean it's really dead) three weeks ago. We still have Brian's car but he uses it to drive to work and I can't even drive it if I wanted to because it's manual. (And believe me I've tried to learn, but it always ends with me crying and then having nightmares later that night of stalling while turning left in a major intersection and getting into an accident! Brian (and my dad) have backed off about the issue.)

My car's current state (which is dead)

During the day I try to get out of the house with James because we both get cabin fever if we stay home all day. So we go on long walks almost everyday. We will go to the grocery store, the park, or out to lunch somewhere cheap. But everything is at least a mile away and then a mile back home. I do enjoy walking around town, it's good exercise and I get some sun, but I certainly do miss a working car.

So during my walks I've been thinking about the adage "third class driving beats first class walking". This was taught to me by me grandfather and also my father who were/are famously (among family and friends) known for their modest and conservative choices in transportation. I've always admired this about them, especially how they have no embarrassment and are never bothered by other peoples' opinions.

We are so grateful and feel so blessed for the things that we do have, which at this point is one working car and my two working legs!

Why didn't I think of this before?!

 Have James play in sink and help with dishes!

He pushed the chair over to the sink and did this all on his own. He loves to play in the water and I just put a few dishes in his hands and they sort of get washed. But I like that he does some chores now, even if I have to re-wash the dishes afterwards. He also helps bring in grocery bags and he can put away his toys. It's a start and I do not want a piggish boy so we better start training now!

James' first tie

We found this clip-on tie at DI last week. And this morning I laid it out with James' church clothes. He was so excited about the tie and kept saying "Daddy! Daddy!" It's so cute how much of a mini-Brian he is! He was so excited to wear the tie and be a big boy, he'd never worn one before. He wore it all three hours of church and never even tried to take it off! 

 (Don't mind the disheveled hair, it wasn't combed yet! What a cute kid if I must say so myself!)

Ups & Downs of a Two-Year-Old

Having a two-year-old is tons of fun! 

(Besides all the hitting and pushing that he's been doing lately. We've had to begin timeouts for the first time. He has to sit on the stairs for about a minute and if he's really naughty it might be two or three minutes. But what's funny is that he'll sit and sadly look at us through the bar railings on the stairs like he's a prisoner. And Brian and I have hard time not laughing, which isn't good for a suffering boy in timeout.)

He tries to dress himself. He hasn't been too successful yet, but he's getting the idea! He does know how to put his crocks on which is quite helpful when we need to get out the door. 

He is pretty good at feeding himself with not too much mess - also very helpful.

He is talking a lot more and he knows most of what we say. (But this comes with more accountability on James' part because I know that he knows what I'm saying and he sometimes deliberately disobeys.) It's fun to hear his thoughts and ideas. He also has been calling me daddy lately, I'm not sure if I should look into that too much. Other new things is that he will yell out "kiss" and he wants me to come over to him and give him a kiss or he will  yell "kiss" and come over to me. But these are romantic, on the lips kisses. Again I'm not sure if I should be worried or if he just loves his mommy! 

We really are best friends - I am so happy to be James' mom! But if anyone has any tips on how to unteach hitting and pushing, I would much appreciate some suggestions!