Short and Sweet

We haven't had many pictures lately, I think because we haven't ventured out as much as we used to. We did go to the State Capitol again this past week. He had been asking to go back there, so I took him on Monday (his day off). 

We've had lots of rain, a few storms, and often I've wanted to share some hot cocoa with Nico. I will have to find ingredients to make some so that we can do this!

This week in school they are talking about shapes and are learning how to draw people. Homework is pointing out shapes in our environment. There are so many circles everywhere! Especially when you own 50+ hot wheels, each with 4 perfectly round wheels.

Nico has also started trying to count to twenty. He gets practice every day when Guy makes coffee, they count to twenty together when grinding the beans.

Hmm hmmm.. what else? Seems like this week has been shorter than others. 

Oh, there are two things I wanted to document. Two things that Nico has been saying for quite some time but I don't know what they mean. One, after he goes #2 in his potty, he sometimes points to it and says "Min-uh mee pee". The other one is whenever I ask him to turn around, he says "I dee". These aren't recent developments, but I wanted to write them down so I have a record.

Sometimes the papers that come home with Nico from school have notes on them from the speech therapist. Looks like they're working on ending sounds, like buS, mouSE, froG. When he does say the last part of a word, he makes it into another syllable, so he says froguh for frog.

I think that's it for this week. Short and sweet! Next week may be more exciting, we are going to Nampa to see G.G. on Monday, and Nico has next Thursday and Friday off from school.

Nico found a new way to watch his iPad.

State Capitol and Tomatoes

I've been trying to think of things I'd like to do with Nico before preschool starts. Just 3 short weeks before it's time! One of the things I wanted to do was take him to the State Capitol. I have taken him before, but never with a camera, and never armed with pocket change so we could buy a postcard. So on Wednesday I took him to the Capitol with these two things in hand. His favorite part of the Capitol building is the stars that they have painted on the very tippy top of the dome. The postcard we bought has a picture of the stars on it.

After climbing the steps.

Looking up at the stars, comparing it to his postcard.

Another thing I wanted to do was take Nico on a bus ride. Guy showed some interest in this one, so I think Guy and Nico will be going on a bus ride in the next few weeks.

A drawing Nico made today. He's drawing faces now!

The backside. He drew an "E". A SUPER E! :) He was very proud of it.

We also harvested our first tomatoes from the garden. Nico is showing great interest in plucking tomatoes and we've gone out there every day for the past 3 days so that he can pick a tomato. Then we go inside and wash it off and I cut it up for him. He loves them! Seeing the bounty from the garden got me a little more motivated, so I cleaned the garden bed up, soaked some seeds, and planted them today for a fall harvest of lettuce, beans, chard and basil.

I've stopped keeping track of Nico's new words, because he tries to repeat a lot of what we say and is adding new words daily. But a phrase he has started saying is "Byebye Mommy!" He practiced saying "Byebye Van" the whole way to church on Sunday. He got it right some of the time, but kept trying and kept trying, often falling into the habit of saying Mommy instead of Van. Whenever he'd say Byebye, he would also wave his hand. It was interesting to hear him practice over and over and over again. So proud of him!

I figured it was about time for a video. A video from Nico's birthday party of us singing Happy Birthday to him, and then a Summer Snippet video.