Finally in Texas

After way too long living on others' hospitality, we were able to move into our new house. Misha & Gin-Gin brought Wesley a couple of foot-powered vehicles from the used car lot that he really enjoys. We have a nice, enclosed porch where he can play in plain sight.
We took the boys for a swim at the hotel where Laura's parents stayed. This was Curtis' first swim; he did pretty well. The pools gets no direct sun and plenty of air conditioning. Wesley's lips turned purple and his teeth chattered.

Because "Bluegrass Clippings" was an allusion to our Kentucky residence, we need to rename our blog (the web address will not change, though). Any suggestions?

When April Showers

Because the Thomas the train videos are narrated by one person instead of the typical actor-character voice-overs of children's shows, there are many narrated remarks - Percy replied, Gordon huffed, etc. Wesley has begun narrating the dialogue among his toys.

Curtis is amazing...

So is Wesley. Here he is playing happily despite his new limitations...

Monday evening, JM and Wesley went down a slide together, and Wesley's shoe bottom stuck to the slide midway down, turning his leg unnaturally. Tuesday our pediatrician told us Wesley seemed to have a "toddler fracture" in his leg and "two bangin' ear infections, to boot!" X-rays, pharmacists, orthopedists, and plenty of miles later, and Wesley has a full-leg cast for 3 weeks and an antibiotic for 10 days. And we're driving to TX this week to make the rounds and begin preparations for moving this summer.

Early April

Here's Wesley during his Saturday routine - following along in his copy of Thomas the Train books while Laura's parents read the same book through Skype. He wants it at least weekly, and Misha and Gin-Gin always deliver.

Change is afoot for our family. JM was accepted to a doctoral program in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, and we'll probably be moving down their this summer (after the Lord provides jobs & a place to live!). But beside all the details of deciding to move before we have any important details settled, the boys have been changing plenty.


cCurtis is an easy smiler. Even the people you know scare babies - Curtis will smile at them. And, until the last few days, Curtis reserved all his spitting-up and fussing in public for his time under Laura's watch. When JM had him, the boy was nearly perfect.

Easter family pic
I am going to miss the verdant countryside here.

Curtis in his 'command center.' With the pull of one of those animal-capped levers, he can make big things happen. Generally, he's not a big fan of such a big responsibility.

Wesley and the ostrich

I held up the tube of Jimmy Dean before I cut off a section to cook for breakfast. "What's that?" I asked Wesley. "Ostrich. Let me eat ostrich," he said. He knows the difference, but the wrong one comes out quite often.

One of Wesley's latest mannerisms is telling one of us, "Thank you for coming!"
Also, there are his new praying habits. Sometimes he wants to lead prayer before a meal or some other time. He typically says something like, "Wesley pray for Jesus. Pray for Lazarus, that he come out." Some other Bible stories have occasionally made the cut: "Pray for Zacchaeus, that he come down."

Wesley summer pics & Quotes

Wesley learned many of the 'regulars' at church several months ago, but he noticed about 6 weeks ago that people kept talking to "John Mark." There were a couple of times he repeated that name after someone else had said it in a full room. We all stopped talking and one of us asked, "Where's John Mark?" After going through everyone's name in the room (including "Daddy"), Wesley was baffled about John Mark's identity.

Wesley with his second cousins. Three kids, a small pool with a slide = collisions.

One day this week the "Who is John Mark?" gig broke down - he figured it out. Today he pointed at me and said, "My John Mark."

He's gotten past some of his former hilarious pronunciations, but new ones have arisen. One of our favorites is "blue babies" or sometimes "blue beebees."

Yesterday the whole fam (minus dog) was sitting on the couch, each doing his own thing. Wesley broke that pattern by forcefully saying, "No, no! Stop it!" and swatting Laura's leg. After repeated corrections from us, I gave him his final warning before punishment. I reasoned with him - his responsibility is to obey Jesus, which in turn, means he must obey his parents. He may not tell us what to do. Jokingly, I added that he was permitted to boss the dog around if he could get the animal to pay attention. Wesley climbed off the couch, walked directly to the dog, leaned down toward where he lay, and said, "Obey Jesus!"

They had corn on display at the TX capitol. I don't get it.

happy

Wesley before 2

Here is the famous castle in Versailles, KY. It made such an impression on him that he thinks big hotels must be castles, too.









Is the TX senate ready for this?







Wesley was almost as surprised as Santa Ana that the TX army attacked during siesta.



He takes his falls pretty well.

High five, George.

Wesley's Easter 2009

This is pre-Easter, but I love this picture! He's in a phase when he picks up almost anything within reach, hands it to the nearest parent (or other adult), and says his version of "Thank you!" By that he means, "Here, hold this for me."

Here begin the actual Easter pics.

I think his shirt looks like something one might wear to a casino (I'm envisioning Ocean's Eleven).

Wesley's pre-Easter Fun

A separate post for Wesley's Easter attire is in order, I think. Wesley is sporting his frog rain boots. He can put them on his feet by himself (and enjoys tromping around in them). Sometimes he puts one on with the toe of the shoe facing backward.

Post-egg hunt treasures need to be inspected with parental supervision.

Wesley's friend (Jayden) is learning about how a slide works. Wesley's 6 mo. older but noticeably smaller than Jayden.

The boy likes to climb into chairs.

Getting ready for a chilly adventure!

All By Myself

Wesley is having a ball feeding himself these days. He holds the spoon/fork at the very end with his thumb and index finger and goes to town. This is probably the least possible control he can have over his utensil, but when you try to help him reposition his hold, he is not happy! Lots of food still ends up on his chin and bib, but he's getting better. When he sees us handing him his own spoon to use, his smile and giggle are priceless!

The Ice Storm

I thought I would finally post a few pictures from our crazy ice storm at the end of January. Today marks one month after it hit. These were mostly taken about a week after the big hit when everything was starting to melt (why Wesley isn't bundled up), but I got a few of the pretty icy trees while it was still cold.


Wesley had lots of fun stomping in the snow once it got warmer. He certainly learned what "cold" and "wet" meant! Owen ate LOTS of ice and had a few ice-related injuries from playing with our neighbor's lab. He has finally recovered from his gashes, abrasions and swollen toes. It was ridiculous.

A Few of Wesley's Biggest Fans @ VBS

Wesley knows Hazel well, but sometimes he likes to push back and get a good look.
Shirley is always good at getting the little guy to smile and laugh.
Maybe its a girl thing - Courtney enjoys Wesley so much she has shown him off to her friends.
Watch Jane's hand - it's going in for a tickle.
Who can resist a Hawaiian-garbed family with such a cute kid?