Strider's travels and tales

Strider and I visited Charlotte this month, staying with Nonna and Poppa for a few days, while Pete was away on a trip.  Some pics from the trip....

With Chelsie

Quite a large chair for quite a little guy

 We also went to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving:

Strider and Eden

Nate and Eden

Other tidbits about Strider:

He still loves church – he is in awe of it pretty much the whole time.  At least until it gets too quiet and we’re not praying.  Or at the end when he wants Cheerios.  But he always knows where the Cross is, and still watches it solemnly as it goes up and down the aisle.  I hope he’s always like this!

And he’s still a cuddle-bug.  When he gets up from his nap or in the mornings, he’ll often just want to lie with me and rest.  Then sometimes he’ll reach out with both hands and touch my face very gently… so cute.

Going to bed at night is still the same routine, generally.   He asks to start it;  “nnn  nnn   nnn” and then I feed him.  After he’s done eating, as I start to carry him upstairs, he is now starting to protest, though.  Some nights he’ll squirm and yell as we go up.  But as soon as we get to his crib, I start to sing his song, and even if he’s mid-yell, he’ll immediately put his head down on my shoulder and that’s the end of the protesting.  After the song, he is laid down, and then he just says “bye bye” and that’s it!

Going to the grocery store is a very high-energy activity for Strider these days.  As soon as I tell him we’re going shopping, he immediately starts talking about all the balloons he’s going to see when we get there.  Once we’re actually at the store, he has to identify everything!  All of produce is “ball-ball” at this point – except for the very exciting “na-na’s.”  Then there are fans, balloons, crackers, cereal, bread, raisins, juice, etc to point out.  When we just start walking towards the colder section, he immediately starts saying milk.  Plus he has to identify every sound he hears (often interrupting what he’s already “saying” to do so) – such as every bell tone he hears, or every baby crying.  He even does his sign for “thank you” when he hears someone say it over the intercom.  Everything gets named and a commentary!

For Christmas we went to Charlotte with the Wray family (but I only have non-digital pictures!)...

Strider loved playing with Uncle Deuce at Christmas.  Called him “dooos” and waved his arms back and forth…

Got a kick out of all of his aunts, uncles and grandparents actually.  He thought his little cousin Lizzie was cute, too…  Although sometimes she needed a little help.  Like when she had a runny nose one day.  Strider looked at her and pointed at her nose with a pained expression.  Then he picked up her blanket and tried to rub it off for her!

In the car to and from Charlotte we again had our “conductor” giving us singing instructions.  He would ask for Row Row Row Your Boat, and then when one of us wasn’t singing, he would say our name until we joined in.