Church Monkey

Sunday was a great day. Devin and I are so excited he is off on Sunday mornings now so we can go to church as a family. Church was an issue we have wrestled with for a while now. We always knew we would raise our kids in church but we have not been in years ourselves and it is time we stopped being lazy and scared and started going. We have a few we are going to try but we decided this past Sunday to go with Tia to their church (Tio had to work). Monks was great! He was quiet in the pew and ate some cheerios and played with his small cars and looked at books. After about an hour and ten minutes he got somewhat restless and went through everything in his diaper bag. He reached to me to pick him up and he gave me two kisses and sat on my lap. During the sermon, the minister said “Are we any better than them? Are we?” and monks said loud and clear, “No, no.” Everyone laughed and he said “you are right” and smiled, “we aren’t any better.” Oh my monkey. It was so sweet and he had perfect timing.

I was so proud of him. Devin had to take him out for about ten minutes because he was starting to talk and talk loud. He makes this noise and I don’t know if he likes the way his mouth moves when he does it or what but he says “uh benya, benya, benya” and “glubba glubba glubba” over and over and over so it got loud. They returned right before communion and he did great. So I say it was a success. He is only 15 months old and played quietly in the pew for an hour and a half. Huge accomplishment. He also loved when the piano was played. He would dance.

We then went to Gigi’s where he ate some spaghetti and celery with peanut butter and we watched the first half of the Cowboys game. At halftime we went home to put him down for his nap. He slept from 1:30 until 4:50! Talk about a tired boy! He had an exciting weekend and we look forward to many more to come.

Nothing Better Than Waking Up To My Two Favorite Men

This weekend was great! Devin is now off on Fridays and Saturdays and I cannot tell you the last time we have been off together on the weekend! Over four years I know and of course we did not have monks then so to wake up Saturday morning at 8:30 to a talking monkey down the hall and then eat breakfast and get ready to spend a day together was amazing. We went to some stores and it was so nice out we went to a park. We picked up Gigi and Tia Net and went to the park. I was shocked to see only one girl there with two small boys. It was so nice out!! Where was everyone?? Monks walked everywhere and just loved following the sidewalks. He is still not fond of sliding and even though Devin was at one end and I was at the other he was NOT getting in one of those tunnels. He loved swinging though! He holds on tight when you pull him back, but when you let go, he just laughs and laughs. He was in that swing forever! He even looked drowsy toward the end. He was so chill and relaxed. Funny story: Tia Net got on a swing too and after a few minutes on she jumped off and all I heard was a scream and a thud and Devin ran to her. She was laying on her back in wood chips laughing hysterically. So were all of us. I wish I had our video camera. It was hilarious!! She had gotten stuck and not slid off so she fell mid air. Man, that made our day. Glad you’re okay Tia Net!! We then went home for Monk’s nap. After his nap, we all met at Gigi’s for dinner. Tia Net made chicken fried rice, Tia made a great stir fry, and I cheated and picked up egg rolls and cheese wontons J It was so good. We then played a Battle of The Sexes game. Girls won (of course). While we played Monks just pushed around his Buzz car and played with random toys. He would come by and occasionally want to be picked up to see what we were doing. Gigi brought in this small kids chair that is red and blue and Pete cleaned it off and he loves to sit in it and eat a snack or just play on it. We were busy playing our game and Tia Net pointed and we turned to see him standing on it. I swear he is such a little daredevil. Climbing on chairs, the couches, ottomans, anything! We then had cookies and ice cream for dessert and he loved the cookies. He ate like he was starving of course and shoved it all in his mouth at times, but he enjoyed them!

Tia vs. Tia Net

To clear up the confusion for you all, Jenny, Aikman’s aunt, is referred to as Tia. Jeanette, my aunt, will be referred to as Tia Net. Now you will know who I am talking about. Now that that is out of the way…….

My Smart Boy

When I dropped off Monks at the sitters, there was a note on the door to please come in quietly as some of her children were still asleep. We walked in and she met me in the foyer and we greeted each other and were whispering. Mrs. Jennifer reached for him and he went with her and then he saw the cat and so wanted down and she put him down and then he was pointing at the door. I picked him up after I signed him in and handed him to her once again and he tried to squirm to get down to see the cat and whined. I said in a whisper, “shhh, you are fine, go play, we need to be quiet.” He stopped and I turned to walk out and he whispered "Bye!” Mrs. Jennifer and I laughed. It was so funny, he knew he had to be quiet. So precious.

Music To My Ears

When we left Gigi’s we went to put gas and I told Devin (we are not coffee drinkers) that I wanted for some reason a flavored coffee. He said that does sound kind of good so we thought where can we go and the only place we could think of was Starbucks. So we went and I got a Peppermint Mocha one and Devin got a Caramel Brulee one. Both were very yummy! Driving home we needed singing music and every radio station we put it on had talking so I turned on my CD I had, which was Elton John, and we sang! Devin was remixing the words to make something ugly so I was singing louder than him and Monks was making lots of noise and Devin said I think he is tired of hearing your voice and laughed and I said please, this voice used to always sing him to sleep and Devin said I guarantee he just wanted you to stop so pretended he was asleep. Jerk J When we turned on our street, we swear Monks told Devin to slow down. It was so funny. Devin said okay handsome, sorry.

Hungry Monkey

Last night we ate dinner at Gigi’s. My Tia (Jeanette) made red beans and rice with chicken, coleslaw, and deer sausage sliced and cooked with celery, carrots and onions. It was soooo yummy! They set aside a small plate for monks with buttered pasta, red beans and chicken. You should have seen my boy when we set the plate on the highchair. The pasta was big macaroni noodles and he ate them by the handfuls until they were all gone. Then he went to the beans and shoved them all in his mouth, choking once and having to get a drink but then continuing to eat. He ate a few pieces of chicken but wanted the red beans and rice and Tia thought it might be too spicy for him but he liked it a lot. He did keep pointing at my deer sausage but I did not know if he would like it. He ate several pieces and really enjoyed them. He then just had to try some coleslaw. He loved it. He ate what was left on my plate and I had to get him another serving. That sweet tummy was full. We always joke, hey it would be nice if someone fed him once in a while because he will eat sometimes like he is just starving. Too crazy. Monks also loves the dishwasher and “helped” Tia load it. He loves to unscrew the cap to the rinse aid stuff and put it back on. We played on the floor and he loves loves loves to have you crawl after him like you are going to get him. He runs from you squealing and laughs so hard.

Sitter Part Deux

He woke up all smiles this morning and played with Apollo before we left for the sitter. When we got there he walked right in and as I was signing him in he just took off with Mrs. Jennifer to go play. Two of his friends were already there and he went straight for this blue dumptruck. He loves that thing apparently. I asked her about his day yesterday and she said he was perfect. She said he ate all his food at each meal, played great with the other kids, enjoyed seeing the smaller babies in the other group and fit right in. She said he came right in like he had been part of their family forever. That made me smile. She said he fussed a little when they put them down for their naps but it was only for a few minutes and he slept for a little over an hour. I asked if he bothered the other kids in the room (there are three others besides him) and she said no, he went to sleep and they were still talking around him and she was afraid they bugged him but he slept through it. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in that room to see him. She said he was such a good boy and was very sweet and happy and she was so excited to have him there. Who doesn’t love Monks? Seriously.  

He Loves Law Enforcement Already!

This morning when Devin got home, he was holding Monks in a chair and talking to him. Devin still had on his uniform and jacket and on the jacket is a star shaped badge. Monks was drawn to it and was touching it. Devin said what is that monkey? A badge? Monks then said, Badge! We both looked at each other surprised and Aikman pointed to it and said it again, badge! Oh I wish I had recorded it. It was so sweet.

Day 2-Operation No Bottle

We have had two days and nights now without bottles! Yay for my big boy. He was not too happy about not getting one and fought his afternoon nap when Devin brought him home yesterday from the sitter’s but Devin just got him up to play which made him a little fussy at Gigi’s last night but I am proud of him. We did just take away his bottles cold turkey and he has done well and is adjusting.

New Sitter

So today was a little sad for me. Monks will now be going to daycare full time instead of part time so Devin can attend Deputy School. We had a great home sitter who had a little girl at home who was 2 ½ but we decided he needed more stimulation and interaction with kids. We finally found someone else we really liked and went and met with her and Aikman really seemed to take well to her and the other kids. She runs a home daycare and in his “class” he has a 2 year old, a 19 month old and a 14 month old. Monks will be 15 months in 3 days so he fits right in. He has never had an issue with strangers or separation but I was still nervous. He started there today. I was just praying and praying he would do fine and walking up to the door I had a million things running through my head like was this a good idea, were we doing the best for him, would he be scared, so many things. Jennifer came to the door and he smiled and we went in and I saw his “menu” for the day and she showed me his cubby. He walked right in looking dapper in his Buzz pajamas and started pointing at the toys. I had to run back out to get his playpen for naps and I just pictured him following me wondering where I went. I got it out of the car and came back to find him sitting by the sitter with his hand on her thigh just smiling while she showed him a truck. He looked at me like hey, this is neat mom and continued playing with her. I talked to her some and she told me I could call as much as I wanted to check on him. In the middle of our conversation he was just walking around and told me bye so I took that as my cue to leave J I am so glad he is independent and confident but it is sad in a silly mom way. I love my boy to death and am so proud of him.

*Devin called me when he picked him up at 3 and said his day was great and she said he did so well. Monks was eating his snack when Devin walked in. She said he laughed a lot and was very sweet.

Correction-12 Teeth Now!

So last night during bath time I noticed two new teeth that have come in on the bottom! I saw them when he was laughing. My monkey now has 12 teeth! They were so cute just through the gums. Who knew teeth could be so precious? I was so happy. He loves brushing his teeth and the past few days we noticed he likes when you brush kind of hard, guess it feels good. He has the green toothbrush and the toothpaste makes his breath smell like one of the Arbor Mists. Mommy likes kisses at night. Ha ha.

Bye Friends!

I took down my Halloween stuff this past weekend. I know, I know, it’s late but we have been busy. I would put it in a pile and be vacuuming and then would turn to see monks walking down the hall dragging a skeleton or bones in our chair or a Dracula on the entertainment center. I had to stop cleaning to kiss things with him or hug a witch. It is so funny to me how much he loved these crazy scary things. I even found a small plastic skeleton in his bed. Sneaky little monster.

He also had to tell EVERYTHING bye. He has such manners.

He's Growing Up!

I think I have mentioned before that our son eats like an animal. Slowly, things are turning around. He used to hate to eat on a plate or out of a bowl. The food just ended up being dumped on his tray. Utensils were something foreign we used for decoration on the tray. The last two weeks or so he will keep his plate and when he is finished tries to dump it so that’s a start. He made me proud yesterday by eating his oatmeal with his spoon! He was able to bring it to his mouth and get it all in! What an accomplishment. He was so sweet eating and watching Mickey Mouse. We shared oatmeal and a biscuit with some jelly. Yum! Yum!

I Heart Bathtime

We had a mommy/monkey moment in the bath the other night. I had him laughing so hard, harder than I ever have before. Devin and Pete were in the living room playing Guitar Hero and could hear him laughing from the bathroom. This will not sound amusing at all I am sure to you, but to him, it was everything. I had a cup and I would fill it with water and pour it out slowly and he would try and grab it and was “pinching” the little stream as it poured out. I was making this goofy screaming sound as I poured and then when it was almost empty, I would throw it on him and yell. He was hysterical! He would laugh pretty hard as I poured but when I threw it on him, man he went wild! He had one of those deep belly laughs and sometimes he laughed so hard no noise came out. His face was adorable and you know how you hear about those moments with your kids that make you tear up and think how do I deserve this kid? That was one of my top ones! I really did that for about ten minutes and he still was enjoying it more and more each time. I had to call Devin to come see and he said yeah we hear him, we wondered what you were doing. Moments like that make your heart want to explode!

Jack 'N Jill Is Always Hiring

Saturday morning I had to run to the bank so on the way home we decided to stop at Jack ‘n Jill and get us some doughnuts and orange juice. Monks and I got one with sprinkles and cherry icing, a chocolate iced one and a blueberry cake one. I gave him about a half of each one but his favorite by far was the blueberry cake one. On the one with sprinkles, he pulled them all off and then ate it. When I told him that was the best part he just smiled at me. Crazy boy.

Teething Has It's Perks

Monks has been teething lately. He now has 10 teeth. He has had his top four and bottom four since last spring and his two pointy top teeth have been right below the skin since before his birthday but they finally poked through so he has had some discomfort lately. It’s sad. He constantly chews his finger and when you bust out the Orajel he opens his mouth for you to rub it on. When monks hears the fridge or freezer open, he runs to it. He loves to just look in and he likes to be the one to shut it. Well he is so impressed with Gigi’s since her fridge has the two side by side doors but the freezer is a bottom drawer so he thinks that’s really cool you pull it out and it’s just his height.  Gigi was getting something out and he had to be right there and he started pointing at stuff and then he reached in and grabbed a Flavor Ice freezee pop and started chewing on it. It was not opened but I think that cold felt really good on his gums because he was just in heaven. He would just walk around and bite on it. It was so funny. Well Gigi being Gigi had to open it for him so she cut off the top and he was sucking on it. He then would tilt it back and eat some and then put it back down or walk around with it dangling from his mouth and it was so funny he knew how to eat it. Guess he has watched his Tio numerous times and remembered. Flavor Ice’s are a must at the Silva/Anderson households so when you open the freezer he points at them and just looks at you like well? Are we getting one?

It Was.......Soap Poisoning!!

Last night when we got home I got Monk’s bath ready and while he was playing with his toys I figured I could multi task and get some stuff done. He was just sitting down putting his squirt toys in a pitcher and dumping them out so I got his toothbrush ready and wiped down the counters with a Lysol wipe and straightened them. Really took me like thirty seconds and I was randomly looking at him and I turned again and he made a noise like he was grossed out. He had grabbed a bar of soap and taken a bite. He made a face like “that was nasty” and had turquoise soap on his teeth. He handed me the soap and I told him “yuck monkey, don’t eat that” and he got some soap off his teeth and looked at me like “you’re telling me”. So we cleaned his teeth off and I rinsed his mouth out and he went on playing like nothing had happened. Silly monkey for eating soap and bad mommy for not paying closer attention to your son. Live and learn right?

You Spin My Head Right Round, Right Round.....

Last night after dinner at Gigi’s, Phil and Devin went to watch ESPN and wait for the game to come on so I got “stuck” watching Dancing with the Stars with Monks and Gigi. While we were sitting there Aikman just got up and started spinning in circles. He was more like walking in a small circle but spinning nonetheless. He would just laugh and squeal as he spun and then would pause and walk sideways and then would fall down since he could not keep his balance. Once he fell flat on his face and whined but then smiled and got up and went right back to spinning. He did if for about fifteen minutes and I even told my mom, can this harm him in any way?? He has never done this! He looked like a little drunken man who leaned and then finally tipped over. I wish I had our video camera but we were at Gigi’s so I did not. Guess it needs to be added to the diaper bag as a necessity. It was hilarious!

While Mommy and Daddy Are Away......the Monkeys Will Play

Thursday night Devin and I went on a date night. We ate dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings which is our Old Faithful. Devin proposed there, we eat there on anniversaries and when my sweet monkey was forming in the womb we ate there before my appointments. We both just love it and most would call it “not romantic” but we are not too traditional with stuff like that. It was perfect. We also went to some stores for some shoes, jeans and phone stuff for Devin. We were out for 3 hours!

Monks was left in the care of his Tio, Tia and Gigi. They came to our house and we had made a pot of beans and I picked up cornbread on the way home from work from Famous Dave’s for them. They brought tamales and rice and it all smelled so good! Monks was still napping when we left and I told them to make note of super cute or funny things he did so I could post about it. Here is what we were told when we got home:

-Monks woke up cold and shivered a lot.

-He was not really eating much for dinner. Mainly he ate rice.

-Tia chased him around the house and he would squeal and scream to run from her.

-Tio fell asleep on the couch sitting up and was snoring and Monks would be playing and then walk up to him and put his hand on his leg and laugh each time he snored and when Andrew would wake up and look at him he would laugh really hard. They said it was really random when he would walk up to him but he thought snoring was the funniest sound.

-They gave him a snack of some Gerber banana puffs and Gigi said he was double fisting them and shoving them in his mouth like a wild man. It would have been nice if they fed my son dinner J

Overall he was his adorable little self and these were just some things that stood out. Thanks for taking care of him guys.

Footie Pajamas

It was cold last night and it was supposed to be in the low 40's this morning so I figured it would be okay to bust out some footie pajamas. These were from several months ago but I thought how small can 18M ones be? Well, they were pretty small. I felt bad but he looked precious so I had to get some pics. Devin and I are having a date night tonight so maybe we can run by Children's Place and get him some.




Love this picture! He reminds me of the Grinch. No idea why. He was walking in the kitchen to show Devin his small pajamas and when I called him he turned slowly.



It's like a second little skin on him! That phone is the one we found in the fridge.



Arch Nemesis

My monkey is pretty fearless. He is not bothered or scared easily---unless you are an iron pig. Gigi has this silly but cute little rustic pig by her door. He is/was next to one of her planters by the door. We bought him several years ago as kind of a gag gift with her mother’s day gifts because she had thought he was unique and cute. Anyway, when we went to her house last weekend he noticed it. He was just walking up the driveway to the little sidewalk and then stopped and stared and pointed. Devin made the mistake of pushing it with his foot so Aikman could see it and since it’s metal, its scraped really loud on the ground and monks face was so sad! He could not move fast enough to get back and his eyes got big and his eyebrows went up. He had to be carried in because he would not walk past it. He was even scared to walk out the house to go home. He was looking around for the pig and very cautious. Fast forward to Tuesday night. We went to Gigi’s to see her and make a list so we could go to the store for her. He started to walk up the driveway like normal and Gigi moved the pig to between the two garage doors by a planter so he would not notice it. I walked ahead and Devin and Aikman were walking up and monks stopped. I figured he saw it so I stood in front of it so he would not be scared. He tried to look around me even though he was nearly six feet in front of me ha ha. He walked forward holding Devin’s hand but was making a disgusted face the whole time. Once we got close I picked up the pig and he leaned away from it but once I started to act like I was petting it, he touched it on its side and then bent down to kiss it. I think he just got caught up in the moment because he still is not fond of that pig. He stares it down and will point at it as if to let him know he is in his sights.

Hide and Seek

We had a very fun Halloween. I did not take Monks out trick or treating, I feel he is too young still, so we just gave out candy at the house. We had more kids than ever before! Monks wore his costume Saturday night so Sunday we just watched football and children’s Halloween movies. I love Scary Godmother! When Tio and Tia got out of church on Sunday, they came over to eat (we had lots of leftovers from the night before) and when Jenny was fixing her plate, she called me in the kitchen to come look at something. I was kind of scared but then she said look in the fridge and I did and in the door by the condiments was Aikman’s toy phone. He leaves toys in the most random places! I found a little squeaky purple frog in there too. He kills me!

He also loves to say “Bye” all the time now. He says it when he leaves obviously, when he gets out of the car and when he leaves the room. I love to hear him say it. When I dropped him off at the sitter’s Monday he told me bye as I got out of the car and came around to get him out. I may have mentioned this too but he tells Apollo bye each morning when we leave. What a little gentlemen!

We went to Sam’s yesterday to get some stuff. When we passed the produce he stared at everything and then pointed at the bananas. My monkey needs his nanas! It was very sweet. He also picked a book. We gave him the choice between 3 small Dr. Seuss books (it was a set) or a Dump truck book. He chose the Dr. Seuss ones. Gigi read him some last night and he loved them!

Devin and Phil watched the Rangers game that was on while Gigi and I played with Monks in the room before bedtime. I could watch him play for hours. I love watching him figure stuff out, seeing his eyes light up and seeing him be creative. He has this little Woody doll that talks when you squeeze him and he would press the button and when he would talk he would look up at us and laugh like hey, you all hear this guy?? It was so funny.

T-Rex On The Prowl

More pics of my dinosaur!



Look what's in the corner....




My favorite. Action shot! Look at that foot!




Rawr! Attacking Daddy!



Happy Halloween!

Too many precious pics to not share! My adorable yet ferocious T-Rex!



Top view of a T-Rex



Trying to figure out how to get the Skittle with his claws!



Eating the Skittle



Monks = Perfection

Friday Pete and Joann came in town to celebrate Halloween with us. We all met at Gigi's for dinner and to listen to the Cooper and Abilene High game on the radio. Coogs won FYI. We took these right before we walked out the door. He looks so much older to me than a 14 month old. Could he be any cuter?

Buzz Lightyear!

You have seen Woody.....here's Buzz! I love these pajamas. Gigi's have the best taste!

Where My Peeps At?

Thursday Gigi had an appointment in Dallas so Devin and I took her and left Monks behind to stay at the sitter’s like normal since it was just a day trip. Phil stayed the night Wednesday night because we left at 5:45 in the morning and then when Tio got off work, he came and picked Aikman up and took him to the sitters about 8:30. After Gigi’s appointment, we ate lunch at Fuddruckers (oh heaven) and then on the way home we saw a Toys R’ Us and begged Devin to stop. He did and I found Monks the cutest T-Rex costume ever!! Plus, since it was just days before Halloween, all their stuff was 40% off so this adorable dinosaur was only $11.00. We also got Tio a box of Halloween Peeps. We all throw up in our mouths at the thought of them but he has always loved them so every holiday he gets some festive ones and these just happened to be jack-o-lanterns. We got home about 5:15 to find Tio asleep on the couch and monks napping in his bed. We started to tell Andrew all about her appointment and surprised him with his Peeps and then we heard monkey wake up so we got him up. He has never had a peep obviously and Tio offered him one. Monks needed one for each hand apparently and seemed to really enjoy them. Could he be any cuter with Peeps??