Mine That!!

Colton has been saying "Mine" for a several months, and brings to mind a funny sign my mother has in her house now about Toddler Rules, which is similar to this list:

Toddler Rules
1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must NEVER appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it is mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.

Most recently he has started saying, "Mine that!!" If you have something he wants or thinks he needs (usually food!) you will see him pointing and calling out, "Mine that! Mine that!" It is really funny! We have also been working on saying, "Please" and "Thank you," but we know that will be an ongoing teaching point. It is so sweet to hear him respond to "Can you ask nicely?" with "Peas!" "Thank you" sounds more like "Na Noo" (maybe he is actually from Ork!).

This is an old picture from February of our little hiker on Stone Mountain! We rarely make it further than 1/2 way up when we hike there due to the need to pick up ALL rocks on our way. Takes up a lot of time!

I love to eat! Well, today I do...tomorrow I will not be satistfied with anything you offer me and the next day I will eat hardly anything...I'm unique!

Hard work, playing in the yard! Got to cover up that white boy with big hats!


Always checking things out, getting new perspective!


Ha ha!! Shorty robe!!

It seems like Colton remembers everything. If you show him something once, he remembers next time. Show him where to throw the weeds when he is 'helping' Poppa in the yard, he'll keep taking things to the exact spot all day. Give him a granola bar out of the box on the kitchen island, he'll head right back there later in the day to ask for another. Speaking of those granola bars, we had one box over a month ago. Just got some over the weekend and when he saw them on the shelf, he remembered what they were and (of course) wanted those! "Mine that!!"

He LOVES to look for "Atz" (ants) or any bugs outside and wants to either pick them up or, "step" and smash them. Or will try to lift up your shoe and get you to "step" on it. Lovely. He likes to get you to pick things up too. Yesterday I told him I didn't want to pick up the bug and he went over to the grass, found a weed stem and proceeded to try to get the bug on it so we could look at it but not actually hold it. I'm sure we have shown him this before, but come on! :-) The weather was nice this week and it was fun to watch him wander around the yard, checking out this and that, getting excited over finding a seed or something else super amazing. We are so blessed.

Ball! Big ball! Where's ball? EVERYDAY!! :-) (Yes that is Darth Vader on his cool hat)

Colton is getting very frustrated with his communication difficulties in that we have no clue what he wants or is hollaring for. We are running into the mood swings of a soon-to-be-two-year-old. He is a dear when he is a dear, but the boy can flail and stomp with the best of them when he wants! We also are dealing with sepeartion anxity at daycare when we leave, as well as issues as they prepare to move him to the next age group room. So sad to leave crying baby at daycare. :-)

Who is it?

Poppa is coming! Let me jump out of the truck bed in excitement!


Some fun videos:

Colton loves to see anyone sweep (or vacuum), and really enjoys being allowed to do it himself!

Go Go Go!!

This video is from January but is SO cute, had to share! Colton normally does not actually like to be on the swing, usually he is "all done" really fast but for some reason this day he was really enjoying swinging!

Food
Colton usually loves to eat, but it usually also takes forever for him to finish, especially breakfast. I read somewhere that it should last about 30 minutes for a toddler to eat a meal. Ha Ha!! We're lucky if it is 45 minutes! Foods he is loving these days: yogurt (any kind) and more fun if you give him something to dip in it (like cereal) so it can be even MORE messy, spaghetti (again with the super messy), scrambled eggs (he could eat 3 eggs no problem), granola (I make up a trail mix and he will eat all of it) and granola bars, meatballs (I think he enjoys saying that one), homemade macaroni and cheese, brown rice, and waffles (again the messier the better and he can polish off almost a whole Belgian waffle or two of the small square type). He also usually enjoys most fruits and cheese (just like Mummy).

So, Justin gave Colton the yogurt container for dinner one night and I was on the phone. Normally I don't let him have the container because it tends to get messy but he was doing very good with the spoon. Well, I turned around after a minute and this is what I saw:






More updates on the way with spring holiday fun!