Xavier Turns Two
Greetings to everyone and Happy Birthday, Xavier!
Ever wonder where Minions come from? They are made out of, interestingly, Twinkies. Who knew?
It took several days to assemble these Minions. First came baking the cupcake pants, and frosting them. Then the creation of Minion bodies. In the end, a Minion army for Xavier to command.
These are Xavier's birthday cakes this year. You can see the very satisfied "Gru" grinning over her handiwork in the lab in preparation for Xavier's party this Saturday.
Xavier's "big gift" this year was a tricycle. You can see from his expression how excited he was to get it! It's got locking rear wheels, parental steering control, foot rest, cup holder and canopy. After a few test drives around the room, we decided to ditch the cup holder railing and canopy.
Wednesday was a busy day for us all, so little time to celebrate. Saturday is coming, and that's "the big day" for celebrating. We let Xavier have this toy ahead of time.
Xavier the Handy Man
Greetings to everyone.
With Rebecca in Cheyenne this weekend, Xavier and Dad decided to do some male bonding with power tools. We had a to-do list; Rebecca purchased some bookshelves and one of them did not stand up well on the uneven floor the bookcase was intended to occupy. Those who have visited our house may know well the floor I just described.
Our original plan was to install a fitted stabilizer board across the front. So, with this plan in mind, Xavier and I found a nice piece of scrap of lumber suitable for the task in our scrap lumber pile. A fairly smooth piece of 1x6 pine; not warped, more than long enough to do the job. It's only flaw was it needed some sanding.
Rather than hand sand (way too much work), it was easier to open a path to the surface planer. Xavier helped (by making it more difficult for me to move stuff around as he explored the barn) as I pulled stuff out to get to the surface planer and the table saw. Excited by the table saw, and especially the sight of the planer, Xavier eagerly helped me set up both the table saw and planer. After that, I put him in the house, made the cuts and planes, then let him back outside. He instantly found the plane shavings and played in the pile while I set up a work bench to finish the stretcher.
While I put away the power tools, Xavier thought he would start finishing the stretcher. He climbed up the work bench to explore the vise portion of the table and how it held the stretcher on its edge.
After a trip to Home Depot to pick up some stain and some adjustable feet, we came home and finished the job. Rebecca was so excited to come home and be able to unpack a bunch of boxes.
Xavier's First Words
Greetings to everyone.
I realized the other day that I had not chronicled Xavier's first words. This afternoon, Xavier used his growing language skills to give me an opportunity to do just that.
Xavier has several words at his command. He has had "Daddy" and "Dada" and "Daaa!" for several months. Just a few days back, Xavier surprised both Rebecca and me with one we had not heard before. He came racing around a corner and excitedly called out "Mommy!" It rang loud and clear.
Xavier knows "yes" and "please." We are working on him with "thank you," but he has not picked it up, though the "thank" part may be close.
Xavier has used "oh-oh" for a very long time, and always in the correct context. He knows "Ooo!" when seeing something cool and "oh" as a mild way of saying "oops, something is not right."
He also knows "doggie" which he often slurs to something which sounds like "auggie". (Xavier loves his dog, our Dalmatian, Lena).
He also can use the word "shoe" in a single-word sentence, especially if he is able to point at one.
To date, we have only heard single words (which may be why "thank you" is not there yet). That changed this afternoon. What he said stunned me; my head snapped around and did the stereotypical double take. Where he heard it, I didn't know. After relating the story to Rebecca, we think he picked it up from her (the dog, after all, can be very annoying with her incessant barking).
This afternoon, the weather had warmed enough to make it comfortable outside (comfortable for Dad, Xavier doesn't care unless there is wind blowing in his face). With Mom out shopping, Dad told Xavier to "go get your shoes." Xavier raced to his room, Dad close behind. Once shod and coated, Dad, Xavier and Lena headed out back to enjoy the mid afternoon.
Xavier explored the yard, made his rounds to check for an open gate or an open door to the tool shed and to the barn. Lena ran around the yard, chasing rabbits and sniffing out their trails, and generally keeping her distance from Xavier.
After determining the yard was secure, and no doors were open for him to play in the various structures, Xavier took his car out for a spin. Lena found the other end of the yard to stand in. This because Xavier will often chase her relentlessly. It brings him giggles and laughter to see his "auggie" sprint across the yard at high speed, which she does when he pokes her on the flank.
Separated by half a yard, Xavier drove his car up and down a sidewalk, enjoying the car coast down the gentle slope while he sat on it. When it came to a stop, he pushed it back up the walk and let it roll down again. In the background, Lena's barking softly echoed off the north fence. (what she was barking at is still a mystery; an invisible squirrel perhaps).
Xavier must not have thought her barking that soft. In mid push, he got off his car, took two steps in Lena's direction and yelled angrily "Shut up!"