My Little Man[ipulator]

"My Little Man" is actually short for "My Little Manipulator". Connor Man is a little manipulator. You may think I'm being harsh. I'm not. I'm being honest.

So, if you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that the only sound Connor Man makes is "eh" and he is 20 months old. The pediatrician is starting to sweat. Parents are starting to give me names of speech therapists. Friends are starting to ask questions. And I continue to remind everyone that my husband, Nathan, only said "eh" until he was 21 1/2 months old and then he started talking up a storm. And since Connor is an exact replica of his daddy, I'm sure the whole speaking thing will be no exception.

But still. Connor Man is a little manipulator. He knows he's ridiculously cute. He knows he makes cashiers, bank tellers, YMCA childcare workers, and babysitters swoon. He knows his hair is awesome. He knows his blue eyes are killer. He knows his dimples are ridiculous. He knows he's a studmuffin. And he uses all of his cuteness plus "eh" to get exactly what he wants.

Like this morning. I took him into Food Lion with me to buy some creamer. Connor looked at the cashier with his big, blue eyes and said "eh", smiled, and showed off his dimples. She immediately "oohed" and "ahhed" over him like he had just quoted the Constitution of the United States, then offered to give him a bunny, chocolate, and jelly beans. For free. I said, "No thanks" to the candy so we only left with creamer and a HUGE blue stuffed bunny rabbit. So, technically, I think we stole that bunny rabbit. Because I don't think cashiers are allowed to give stuff away from their shelves, are they? But she did anyway. All because he's cute and said "eh".

Then later today, we picked Reagan up from school. The teacher opened the car door, Connor showed off his smile and said "eh", and the teacher went on and on about handsome and precious he is and how much he must love his big sister and what a joy he must bring to our family. And I thought, "He said 'eh'. That's it. That's all he did."

He must know something I don't. So I've decided to get dimples drilled into my cheeks, get a perm, point to things all the time, and change my vocabulary to only include "eh" . Then maybe I'll get free stuff too.

Easter 2011

Happy Easter!

My sweet girl

The best big brother ever taking care of his little sis and baby bro. Love him!

It doesn't get much cuter than a bunny jon jon on a baby boy.

Beautiful

After church, we enjoyed a traditional Easter feast at a Mexican restaurant. Because we're very normal. Don't all families eat queso on Easter?

Spring Break Friday: Gammy and Papa's House!!

On Friday, I drove the kids to Spartanburg to spend the day with Gammy and Papa (my parents). We had so much fun. So much fun that I forgot all about taking pictures. So, in lieu of pictures, I'm choosing to interview Reagan about our time with Gammy and Papa.

Me: What did we do at Gammy and Papa's house on Friday?

Reagan: Easter hunt.

Me: How many eggs did you find?

Reagan: This many (held up 10 fingers) and I won.

Me: Why do you love Gammy and Papa?

Reagan: I just do love them. Just because.

Me: What is your favorite thing to do there?

Reagan: Play Barbies and play dress-up. I like to wear your dress with the bows.

Me: How do you know Gammy and Papa love you?

Reagan: Because everybody loves everybody. Because that's what God wants us to do. God wants everybody to love everybody.

Spring Break Thursday: Surprise Party

On Thursday, I surprised the kids and took them to McDonald's to meet their best buddies for a surprise birthday party! Benton turned 6 in February, Landon turned 6 and Clara turned 4 in April, and Reagan will be 4 in May so we had a little "Happy-Late-Happy-Early-Birthday-To-You" Party with cupcakes and presents.

Spring Break Wednesday: Family Movie Night

On Wednesday night, I cooked breakfast for dinner and we cozied up together in the den to watch "Tangled". We love Family Movie Nights!

Spring Break Tuesday: Build-A-Bear

Tuesday evening, we surprised the kids and took them to Build-A-Bear. This was Reagan and Connor's first trip.

Landon and Reagan were stoked. Connor was mad as fire. See that ball his bear is holding? Connor wanted it.

Reagan chose the pink bear, named her Kitty, and chose the girliest dress she could find.

Landon came here for a friend's birthday party last year, so he just picked out a Darth Vader outfit for his bear, Teddy.

That's the closest Connor got to the bear machine thing all night. He was not impressed.

Spring Break Monday: Charles Town Landing

On Monday, we drove down to Charleston and spent the day in Charles Town Landing. It was beautiful, fun, and we learned loads.

Landon loved visiting the boat and pretending to be one of the passengers taking a little snooze.

The cannon was a huge hit with all three kiddos!

Landon thought it would be hilarious to pretend he was being hit by a cannon.

Love this Daddy/Daughter picture!!