I Want to be like Mike - I mean DAD!

Remember those Nike ads with Michael Jordan? These pictures reminded me of that jingle:

Gerrit is very interested in putting shoes on and thinks he can tie them like we do - he really just moves the laces around. I finally caught him in the act and got a picture of it.

Here Gerrit is trying to put on Adam's cycling jacket. I think I'll still be assisting him on getting dressed for a while!

Next Best Thing

Lately Gerrit has had his John Deere riding tractor taken away because he uses it to stand on! Why he chooses to use his little John Deere tractor to ride on is something I don't think I'll ever understand!

I give the kid credit - he's creative!

Not Quite Ready

Gerrit and I were hanging out in the living room after lunch. He found a piece of gum (cheap stuff) left from Halloween on the floor (he threw many of them out of his bucket and we are slowly finding them) and the next thing I knew, he had unwrapped it and put it in his mouth. He use to just carry them around; guess he's grown up since Halloween! He smiled and laughed as his mouth was full of pink bubble gum. I asked him to give it to me but he just smiled, so I watched him as he had it in his mouth. He started to drool more than normal down his face and on his chest, and he seemed to be chewing it like one should chew gum. I was impressed and continued reading "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear" for the 20th time. I looked up to check on the status of the gum and realized it was gone! Gerrit was next to me the whole time so I know he didn't take it out of his mouth and leave it somewhere - he ate it! Oh well, guess his diaper will be colorful! Note to self: Gerrit is not ready to chew gum.

Finally Finished

I mentioned in a previous post that I was knitting something fun for Gerrit. Well, I finally finished it after some tweeking. Here are a few pictures (Gerrit didn't want to cooperate long enough to get a decent photo):



Yep, I knitted him jeans! How fun is that? There are no pockets or a zipper, I stitched them on to look like there are pockets and a zipper. The tweeking I had to do was lengthen them; I don't know what I was thinking when I was measuring them as I went! So I took out the cuff (which is the lighter color that is suppose to look like the inside of the jeans) and added a few inches to each leg. I also realized I had done the waistband wrong too so I fixed that and a week after I had hoped to have them done, they are done! I think Gerrit will show them off tomorrow at church. Normally I wouldn't dress Gerrit in jeans for church (something I took from my childhood), but these are 'dressy' jeans! :)

End of the Season

Today was Adam's last race (in MN) for the season; he still has 2 races over Thanksgiving in Iowa. It was snowing when we left Z-town and the temps continued to drop as the day went on. Even though Gerrit was battling a cold, we braved the weather and wanted to cheer Adam on today.

Gerrit was all decked out in hand-me-downs today, as some family members might recognize:

Yep, hat, mittens (which are too big), boots, coat and pants were all worn by Max nearly 10 years ago! Thank goodness Uncle Jeff and Aunt Erika have style and taste! Gerrit was so toasty warm he could hardly move! Every time he fell down, I had to help him up.

Here is Adam warming up and Gerrit going along for the 'ride' (Adam was on his trainer so he wasn't going anywhere):


Gerrit decided to pitch a fit just as Adam's race was beginning so we didn't really see him race! We saw him come around the course once and heard him yell 'hi Gerrit' but that was about it. We headed back to the car and Gerrit was very happy to have all the layers removed and just hang out in the warm car (and have his dirty diaper changed - no wonder the kid was upset!).

Following the race we headed to a nearby mall for "lupper" and a few errands. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory which was a much better choice than last nights dinner - and I just finished my cheesecake I ordered to go! Yum.

Easy to Forget

Tonight we had 'date' night. Anne has asked to watch Gerrit again so we could go out. She didn't have to twist our arms very hard to take her up on her offer. We headed to dinner and saw the latest 007. We almost ended up at Pannekoeken but didn't dare so we tried this pizza place near it. It was ok just like the movie. My point is that it has been a while since we have gone out w/o Gerrit. Gerrit is usually pretty good so we don't mind, but tonight it was nice to not even worry about him and keeping him busy! I had forgotten how relaxing dinner can be without a child.

It Could Be Worse

Gerrit's favorite toy (as of late) is this $4 football I picked up for him the other day after his dr. apt. Little did we know just how attached he'd become:

He takes it to bed - this am, instead of crying to let me know he was up, he played with his ball and was talking. When I went to get him, he was smiling and couldn't have been happier!

He couldn't decide if a shower was worth setting the football down. I wouldn't let him shower and have the football at the same time - it is 'pleather' so I doubt it should get soaked!

He wanted to take it to daycare which he has done in the past. I don't like him taking his own toys as it can cause an issue with the other kids. Today I left it in the car and dealt with him upset as we walked into Julie's house.

He wouldn't eat dinner without holding it. We tried setting it on the table for him to look at and have after dinner but he whined and refused to eat. As soon as we let him have it, he smiled and ate willingly. He did struggle to hold his milk and the football, but he managed!

He knows how to properly hold it and run (I think its just a coincidence) - our little running back! He either throws it and runs after it or will just run back and forth in the basement with it.

And now its bedtime again...

Like Adam said, it could be worse - he could be attached to a blanket, a doll or his thumb!