Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa in The Woodlands

This past weekend I took the boys to Grandma and Grandpa's house in The Woodlands. We went to The Woodlands Children's Festival in The Woodlands Pavilion. The boys had fun but it was a lot more crowded than it was last year. There was a huge line in the "bubble runners" which Matthew really wanted to go in. Instead we enjoyed time on the hill, where Matthew did the parachute run (he also did this last year). It was so windy that I saw a few kids get dragged by the parachute. We also spent about an hour in the huge sandbox. Both Matthew and Jacob loved that. The last event was the Thomas the Tank Engine show on the stage. To the adults it was a let down. We waited all day for a 10 minute show. However, Matthew and Jacob didn't mind.






Jacob enjoyed his Sassie time after the festival. Sassie is such a sweet dog. She appeared to love the attention. Paxil and Domino usually leave the room when Jacob tries to ride them.



Saturday before we went to The Woodlands, Tony took Matthew to the Pearland Fish Festival. They seemed to have fun but Tony said he was ready for his 2 day break by the time they were through.

Matthew's Fall Program with GBCHI

On 11/11/11 Matthew's school had a fall program. Tony took video but we condensed it to Matthew's part. The school did such a great job putting this together. I spent most of my time chasing Jacob but I was happy that I could watch afterwards.

Matthew's skit involved 13 Fat Turkey's. Matthew was #10. At the end of the program the whole group did a grand finale and the students signed to "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood.



Deda and Nana Sande also attended and we had a great time with them at dinner afterwards.

Matthewisms Too Cute to Correct

Matthewism's from the last few months:

• I need to “sharken” my pencil.
• I need a “bang bang” for my boo boo. (bandaid)
  
• Mama, I like your Nicholas (necklace)
• Jacob is nice and fishy. (Don’t ask me what he means…)
• H. E. B. spells “shopping”.
• M is for O’Donnels. (McDonald's)
  
• Hey Jacob, What’s Poopening?
• I remember the “slippery house”. (The house in West Houston that we moved out of when Matthew was about 3 years old)
• I don’t want to change my clothes. I want to stay handsome. (He said this after I told him he looked handsome in his astronaut costume).
• Let’s go back to the fire restaurant (hibachi restaurant)—tomorrow when it gets dark.
• During arguments with his dad: Tony: "Matthew stop arguing with me!" Matthew: "I’m not arguing with you." Or Tony: "Stop contradicting me!" Matthew: "I’m not contradicting you."
• Out of the blue: “I want to go shopping for beach balls”.
• While passing the lingerie section at the mall: "Look Mommy, booby hats"
  
• Mommy I can't kiss you goodnight.. there are no kisses in my mouth.
• Daddy, are you MY friend?
  

Jacob's Signs

Jacob continues to love Baby Signing time and he has been using many signs consistently:

Baby, Dog, Cracker, Cereal, More, All Done, Hungry, Eat, Food, Drink, Milk, Water, Daddy, Mommy, New, Bear, Up, Down, Share, In, Bath, Toothbrush, Tree, Moon, Again, Banana, Music, Car, Airplane, Horse, Bug, Friend, Diaper, Book, Write, Happy, Sad, Hat, Help, Wait, Grass, Day, Thank You, Sorry, Outside, Wind, Moon, Hot, and shoes.

He has also made up signs to indicate his favorite songs: If You are Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands and Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Words spoken: Da Da.

Every day he is learning more signs and he has probably picked up more than we have realized. I have taken the first level of American Sign Language class through Galeston Brazoria Coop for the Hearing Impaired. This is the same organization that has provided one on one help for Matthew and now his preschool classes. Jacob meets weekly with Ms. JoAnn. She has been doing a wonderful job showing Jacob how to express himself and listen for important sounds. Even though Jacob is a little delayed in his speech it is obvious that he is making progress week by week.

Video of Matthew and Jacob on Holloween

Wouldn't you know it but our video camera crapped out two days before Jacob's first trick-or-treating adventure -- while we were in the pumpkin patch (see the blog below). We so wanted to record it in HD but I guess Murphy's law reared its ugly head so we had to make do and took video with the digital camera. Sorry that the video is a bit dark but at least you can see the boys in action. You may have to turn up the brightness and/or contrast on your screen to see the video... :-(

Halloween and the Night Before

This was a busy couple of nights for Matthew and Jacob. On Sunday, Oct. 30 we went to Deda and Nana Sandy's house so that Matthew could carve pumpkins and then go "Trunk or Treating" with his cousins. First Jacob found some souvenir wooden shoes from Holland displayed and insisted upon wearing them. He gave me the sign for "shoes".

Of course Matthew had to try them too.

Then we finally got ready for trunk or treating.


On Halloween Night, Jacob went trick or treating for the first time. He was the cutest little fireman. Matthew told me in early October that Jacob wants to be a fireman. That took me by surprise because Jacob doesn't talk yet. I just assumed that Jacob has a way to communicate to Matthew what he wants. Jacob has been picking up a lot of the sign language from videos and from what Matthew (and I) teach him.

When Jacob saw the wagon that he would be riding in he had to go in and refused to come out.. not even to put his costume on.

I had to put his costume on while he was in the wagon.

Matthew after a fun night of trick or treating--reunited with his favorite monkey Bongo. He took Ham his "space monkey" since he seemed to go better with Matthew's astronaut costume.

Grandpa/Maria Dog Visit to Boliver

On November 1st I took the day off with my Dad, took the boys to daycare and then we took my parent's two Golden Retrievers, Trip and Sassy along with my dogs Paxil and Domino to Boliver for the day. It took about an hour and a half each way due to a 45 minute ferry ride. However, when we got to Crystal Beach it was practically deserted. We allowed the dogs to have two hours of leash free swim and run time. They loved it. Paxil and Domino have done this several times but this was Trip's first time. My Dad said that this was Trip's happiest day since he was adopted about a year ago.

Overall, the dogs behaved very well in the car and while at the beach. We will definitely have to do this again.