Maletch Can Read Sight Words!

Maletch started pointing out and naming stores quite often since he was about 18 months- he always knew Toys R Us, Target, Jamba Juice, and WalMart- and initially I believed he was memorizing the places we had been before. But he really surprised us when he started pointing out and naming places we had never been before such as Del Taco and McDonald's (two examples)- then I assumed he was memorizing store logos/signs from places we had been AND also somehow from T.V. commercials is all we could guess on those.

One day, a few months back he really surprised me when he handed me a Toys R Us receipt that was on my nightstand, and said, "Go to Toys R Us store?" He wanted to go, and all I was thinking was "How do you know that says Toys R Us?" because we were at home- not in front of a color sign- this was just the name of the store in black print on the sales receipt!

After the first day of teaching/reviewing the alphabet with Maletch, we ran errands, while we were driving around, stopped at a stoplight- I heard from the backseat, "I see the H", "I see O", "I see Y", "I see W", "I see another O, two O's"" I see D" I looked up and sure enough, he was naming the letters in a sign that said "HOLLYWOOD" and he continued to do this the entire day of running around. He stayed busy pointing out places he knew, and letters he saw! So of course, that gave me the opportunity to really have some fun with it, so even when we were inside stores, I grabbed pamphlets/packaging/whatever I thought looked interesting for him to "read."
Later, when I pulled into the Walmart parking lot Maletch says, "I see Walmart over there mommy" He was still pointing to the sign on the building and said, "I see the W" then he sang, "W,X,Y and Z"
A funny thing happened in Walmart:
I was doing a site-to-store pickup, so there was a lady in the back helping me. While we were waiting I grabbed a pamphlet for him to look at. First thing Maletch did was point to the word and say, "Walmart" (which was printed on the pamphlet)- she looked at me, "He can read?" Then he started naming and showing me (and her) all of the letters- that lady almost fell down.

Later that night after we got home, I brought out my sales receipts (from a few stores) and asked him, "What does this say?" and sure enough almost before I finished my question- he pointed to each receipt and correctly "read" the names of each store from all of them!

Maletch and His Alphabet!

Maletch Knows His Alphabet- From Watching One "Hooked On Phonics" Video For ONE Week:

First off, I cannot believe how well the "Hooked on Phonics" program works! Tonight was the first night I had planned to sit down and actually work with Maletch on his alphabet, meaning I would try to teach him, since his only introduction to it has been from the H.O.P. program (he has watched one video a few times) and the ONLY thing I have ever done was watch the video with him each time, narrating it further and trying to make it more fun (although it already was) and everyday this week, rather than using the program’s workbooks, I “made up” a game with a wooden alphabet puzzle that we have—that is IT! I haven’t actually made any efforts in ‘teaching’, and I certainly didn’t expect him to be retaining anything- it was just an introduction.

I couldn’t believe that as I started to work with him tonight, he began naming the letters, before I could tell him. I hadn’t realized that he knew almost all of them already! In fact we only thought he knew W, H, and T because he casually pointed those out around the house- but I never thought to “quiz” him because I had never taught him.

So what was supposed to be me working with him (teaching him) tonight, instantly became a “quiz” with flashcards, to find out what he knows. I’m still scratching my head on how he learned that quickly, but there were very few letters that he wasn’t sure of, and very few he mixed up (like O & Q).

His introduction has only been to capital letters, so after I actually work with him a little on these (maybe for a week). I will start introducing the lower case versions.

Here are the results from my quiz: 15 of the letters he knew completely solid (no mistakes), 5 letters he confused for similar letters (a few times, but sometimes he did have them right), and only 6 letters that he wasn’t too sure.

If you are curious to which ones he knows, here is the list (if the letter is named as “B & D”, those are the letters that he sometimes confused for each other), if it is named alone, it means he knew it every time. I think my teaching job is going to be easy, since he knows all this without my help!

A
B & D
C & O
F
H
I
J
K
M
N
P
Q & O
R
S
T
W
X
Y

These were the only ones that he wasn’t too sure

E, G, L, U, V, Z

Note (the ones he wasn't sure): For G, one time he said O, and Z one time he said N (he even tilted his head to the left to try to make the Z a N), but his hesitation and facial expressions were clear that he knew it wasn’t correct.

Another note about the program: It appears he has picked up some of the phonics sounds already too! He has demonstrated this with a few letters (again just came up casually around the house talking, pointing to a letter, etc) so I wonder how many of those he actually knows if I was to quiz that right now, "What sound does that make?" That will be for another day very soon!

I am so excited that we have this program, and I am so excited that teaching him his alphabet which I expected would be a lot of work and a difficult thing to learn is... gosh, not only going to be easy- but it's almost done... before Maletch or I even started trying- how about that??- learning by accident!!

What a Milestone!

YAY! What a week we've had with Maletch's learning and milestones! Everyday, he shocks me by saying something, usually multiple somethings, that have me going, "Huh? How does he know that?"

And for a long time, Maletch has been very interested in his potty chair, and not wanting to wear diapers, specifically he wants to wear underwear as he frequently tells us, but the poor boy just hasn't been able to 'remember' in time. He also gets 'stage fright' when he gets there, and just can't quite bring himself to go on the potty chair, but he tries so hard! In fact he will insist on sitting there for a very long time and will not want to get up and get dressed- but he is actually "holding it."

One time the poor boy held it for 4 1/2 hours, he sat on the potty chair for a long time, then would get up to run around and play (after he couldn't go) but when I would try to put his diaper and pants back on, he would go right back and sit down, telling me, "I'm going to go potty on the potty chair" and that day it went on for 4 1/2 hours- unfortunately with no success, but to his credit, he didn't have any accidents either while running around naked for that long period of time!

Well this week, he had a major breakthrough! One night, much like all previous nights, he sat there, off and on for an hour, insisting he wanted to go, I gave up since I needed to make dinner, and didn't want him running around naked (for fear of an accident) so I insisted he get redressed. He instantly wanted to try again, and I reluctantly let him, and as I walked into the kitchen (leaving him on the potty chair) he came running in with wet hands. Wet hands? that made me suspicious of an accident (although he rarely has them)- but as I went to find "where" he went-- to my surprise it was in the potty chair!!

YAY Maletch, Good Job!!

I don't believe in "bribery" with children, so he has never been promised anything, nor have we made any "deals" for potty training-- but I was so PROUD of him for his achievement that I rewarded him with a special treat... He got a new Thomas & Friends train for his collection "Emily" who is one of his favorites from the movie (that we had stashed for a special occasion or holiday)! He knows why he got it, so he sees it not only as a new toy, but almost like a trophy- he is so proud of that train! I told him that Mommy and Daddy are proud of him and that we are so happy, and at bedtime as I told him goodnite and said his prayer, he said "I'm happy!"

We do have a long way to go before he will be officially potty trained, but this was a major breakthrough for him! I am so happy that he has always been so eager to try, but that has made it harder to watch as he struggled with his fear, I could see the inner turmoil. I'm hoping now that he was able to do it for that first time that it will help break through that fear/nervousness/shyness and that it will be easier for him each time.

Maletch's First Trip to the Beach!!

I am late in posting the next slideshow which is from September (Maletch 18 months).
I had several doctors appointments down in Los Angeles, so each time we went- we made a fun day out of it.
One day we walked around the Redondo Beach Pier, ate at Tony's restaurant (with a beautiful view overlooking the ocean), then went to the beach that very warm night. Maletch had fun playing in the sand and water.
It was our first time taking him to the beach, and it was so hard not to laugh watching him try to walk on sand for the very first time! We planned on letting Maletch get his feet wet, but he wanted to go for a swim! He kept luring us out further and further- until we all became soaked- Maletch from head to toe, and John and I- up to our shoulders!
That day was special because Redondo Beach is where I grew up so it was fun to share some of my favorite places with John and Maletch. We will be going back to Redondo Bch this summer so I can take them to one of my all time favorite places (as a kid) "The Seaside Lagoon"!!
Another day while in L.A.: we went to one of my favorite little places to eat, Jerry's Famous Deli. John and I were brave and tried some exotic Mediterranean food for the first time- it was yummy!
So here are some pics from those two days...

Now That's Funny!!

Tonight Maletch was goofing around and being silly. He was cracking up laughing, and said, "Oh my goodness, I'm funny!"

Disneyland & California Adventure- Oh the FUN!

We took Maletch to Disneyland for his official B-day celebration and we had so much fun! Our tickets also included a trip to California Adventure (so we got to have twice the fun!) I was so excited about taking him to both places equally because of the different rides, shows, and parades at each. I had researched ahead of time- so we could make the best use of our time there. I figured that he would be limited to what he could ride since he is only 2 yrs old. But I was surprised and happy to learn that because he is over 35" tall, he could go on every ride that I could (which is anything but the big 'jerky' roller coasters). I can't go on those anyway because of my neck injuries.

What I didn't know was that John had only been to Disneyland ONE time, and it was a LONG time ago (when he was a teenager during 'grad nite'). He didn't grow up in Cali, so he doesn't have the classic childhood memories of Disney, like I have. This was really like both of their first times to Disneyland! That made it even more special! It turned out, he had never even been on any of the rides that we went on (the "classics").

At Disneyland:

We went to City Hall and got Maletch a birthday button, so everybody would know it was his special day (and everybody noticed). Then we took care of some 'really important business'- getting Maletch his "first ears"- ya know ya got to do that! Aww, so cute with his name embroidered across the back! Then we headed for the fun....

He absolutely flipped over 2 of the rides:

"Autopia" was his favorite because he got to drive a 'real' car by himself! My gosh he was so excited while controlling that steering wheel! He drives like a maniac is all I can tell you- we were bouncing around like crazy- but it was so much fun! He even got a driver's license (with his photo) and everything!

The "Nemo Submarine" ride is the other one where he flipped because he loves "Nemo" (from the movie). He kept telling everybody at the park, that he "got to see Nemo on the boat!" This ride was new for me too, because it has been completely remodeled from the 'original submarine ride'- which you might remember was a cool underwater experience- well now the scenery is completely changed and the aqua life are now characters- made to feel like you are in the movie.

We also got to go on "Pirates of the Caribbean" which he seemed to like alot- but he was very 'serious' on that boat because he was busy taking it all in.

A few other fav's were: "The Jungle Cruise" (we saw lots of animals and our 'captain' was HILARIOUS- I was laughing so hard I was crying) and "Alice In Wonderland" was super cool too!

We wanted to go on "It's a Small World" but it was having maintenance issues when we there. We also got to see a fantastic fireworks show that featured a flying, lit-up "Tinkerbell" - Now that was pretty amazing!

We knew there was no way we could go from morning til night with Maletch needing his early afternoon nap, so we decided to go late and stay late which worked out perfect! That is the only nap he usually takes- so he was fully charged for the trip. The only thing we missed out on was 'meeting the characters.' Apparantly they stop walking around early evening, and we didn't realize that (or we could have made that the first thing we did). By the time we started asking about Mickey, he was already gone. Oh well, we know for next time!

3 weeks later, we went to California Adventure:
Although they have a TON of fun rides for kids, I was most excited to take Maletch to their parades and shows.
They have a FANTASTIC "Pixar Parade" that has some amazing floats, with live stunts (crazy stunt men), and all of the major characters from the newer Disney Pixar movies like "Finding Nemo" (ya know he loves that), "Toy Story" (he loves Buzz Lightyear), and his MOST favorite of all yep- "Cars!" I couldn't wait to see Maletch's face when he would meet 'Lightning McQueen' and 'Mater'! Oh boy was he shocked, his eyes were huge and his jaw was dropped for so long (seriously- mouth wide open)- he was in total disbelief- and he was so serious! It was too funny!
That parade had super fun music so I couldn't help but dance and smile the whole time! I uploaded some of the songs/sounds from the parade which you are listening to now (exept the sound was MUCH better and louder in person) . The best part was when McQueen pulled up to us and started reving his engine "Vroom!" "VRoooom!" it was so loud, and so realistic just like a real racecar- it was really awesome! Mcqueen is not just a character in a movie and Maletch's favorite toy- he is real, LOL!
We missed one of the shows that I wanted to take him to, where the classic disney characters (Mickey and friends) sing, dance, and interact with the kids in the audience. It is in a studio there, but we arrived just a little too late- so we will be sure to catch that one next time.
That night we got to see the famous "Electrical Parade" which I was sure I had seen as a kid (at Disneyland)- but it was even more spectacular than I remembered- so much that I'm starting to doubt that I had seen it before. It was truly amazing and beautiful! Tons of characters were in it too.
Maletch made us laugh when "Alice" from 'Alice and Wonderland' went by on a float, and Maletch waved and said, "Hi mommy!" Then he turned around and looked at me like "wait a minute??" She did have long blonde hair, LOL!
We did enjoy all the rides there too, but I think our favorite would have to be the Toy Story 3-D one where we had guns and rode around shooting targets- that was super fun! That is why you will see the silly pics of- all three of us wearing those funky glasses, haha!

Funny, we had so much fun that when we were leaving Cali Adventure- we were already planning to go online (as soon as we got home) to buy more tickets to come back (to both parks) right away! But before we got to the car, we met another family that had 'season tickets' (we had met a few others before) and in talking with them we started seeing the value in them and we decided to get Season Tickets too! YAY! They are rediculously expensive- well I think 850 bucks is crazy (for 2 adults)- but we decided to go for it! I'm excited that we will be able to spend so much quality family fun time- anytime we want- while creating great memories too! So anytime you all want to go to Disney, the Pollards will be available! And you know that means lots more fun Disney pics to come!
The slideshow below is just a few pics I threw together-- but some of my FAVORITE pics are on regular "old school" film. I do have them developed, but I need to scan them to my computer and I just haven't gotten around to that yet. When I do, I will share by adding them to this slide. I will probably also add a few video clips from the Electrical Parade because it's impossible to capture the beauty in a photo, the video is much better! I'm sure some of you haven't seen this parade- it is amazing!

Two Year Olds Are So Entertaining!!

Here's Another Funny Conversation with Maletch:

Maletch: "Go bye bye in the car?"
Me: "You want to go bye bye? Where do you want to go?"
Maletch "Go to the bank?"
Me: "You want to go to the bank??"
Maletch: "Go to the bank and to the store Toys R Us?"
Me: "Well, we don't need to go to the bank, but I guess we could go to Toys R Us!"
Maletch: "I go nite-nite first, we go after, OK?"

I'm going to see if I can upload a recording John took of Maletch singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" It is only 'audio' and not the best recording (it is recorded on his toy microphone, lol)- but it's super cute! He shocked us the other night by memorizing (from a new video) most of the first two lines of it.
After the video went off, we heard, "Twinkle little star, how I wonder you are." Tonight he sang, "Row, row your boat, merry merry merry" after hearing it once. The second time I played it he sat there with such concentration trying to listen to learn more of the words. I must find that computer microphone I have around here somewhere- and try to remember how to use it.

The Things Maletch Says

All of these quotes are from last month (the week of his 2nd birthday) that I jotted down for his baby book, with the exception of one (which I noted was back at 15 months) but I threw in this post because it was funny for those that haven't heard it. I took quotes that either surprised me, or made me laugh (so- some are funnier than others).

When Maletch trips and bumps into anyone or anything, he always apologizes to them or it. I can't help but smile when I hear him apologize to a thing. I hear, "I'm sorry Percy!" (one of his toy trains) or, "I'm sorry dinosaur!"

One day while out running errands, I told Maletch where we would be going (to Target and to Jamba Juice where he would get to see the water fountain). Maletch was really excited about seeing the water. When we were leaving Target, I said, "Oh I just remembered, we need to go to the bank!" Maletch got concerned and asked if we would "go see the water?" So I explained, yes we would but we would go to the bank first, then the water fountain after. He responded by asking to "go see water first?"

I told Maletch, "It's bedtime." He went to the couch, laid down, and said "I'm sleeping" and made snoring noises (no idea where he learned that?)

A different night
Mommy: "Maletch, it's time for bed"
Maletch: "I'm going to sit down on the potty chair and go potty. I'm going to go potty in the potty chair. No more diapers, put on underwear! OK?"

Mommy: "Maletch, do you want a grilled cheese?"
Maletch: "How about a yogurt?"

One day he was hardly eating at all, and I was beginning to wonder what was going on. Maletch finally told me, "Belly don't feel good, tummy hurt!" (while he was rubbing his stomach). Sure enough he had to go diarrhea right at that moment, and poor boy had it for days. I was surprised he even knew how to tell me that!

Funny public restroom story:
When we are out in public, he is obsessed with pointing out the bathrooms in stores. He can somehow recognize the sign on the door, I guess. You would think that we use a lot of public restrooms by the way he has a knack for spotting them, but the truth is, he has been in them maybe a handful of times- ever. I avoid them if at all possible since they are so disgusting and he will inevitably touch everything. Well, he has to point out to EVERYBODY we pass in the store, "Bafroom is over there!" which may seem helpful except he follows by telling them, "You go poo-poo and potty on the potty chair in the bafroom!" Even when we get out of sight of the bathrooms, he will still do this pointing in the direction of where he saw it. He will sometimes talk about it the whole time we are in the store (including if we are on a aisle with the same person for a long time- he will tell them over and over and over) until mommy suggests a different topic he can discuss with them. If we have not seen the bathroom yet, he will ask me "Where's the bafroom?" repeatedly until we see it, then he will tell everyone where it is and what to do in it, LOL! It's hilarious and a little embarrassing! He has been doing this since he was 15 months (when we started introducing the potty chair at home) and for some reason he still loves to do this everyplace we go!

The other night he asked to "see mommy's penis?" (you can tell we are potty training, lol). When I explained mommy doesn't have one, he got a look of horror and confusion on his face. He was very freaked out (as if, that's impossible, and how do you go potty?) So then I had to explain to my 2 year old about the difference between boys and girls, lol. I'm sure the next thing I know he will be telling people that "mommy doesn't have a penis"

Another bathroom story, lol (this is the older story)
When he was first learning (about 15 months), he thought everything about the bathroom had to do with "poo-poo" (he didn't know "potty" yet). Well, we were at one of my scrapbook groups (at the store) and mommy had to go to the bathroom. So I asked Maletch if he wanted to stay with my friends or come with me (which I preferred him wait with them- so he wouldn't touch anything in there). Turns out he wanted to come with me- just to see where I was going- and then run back to them. Well he went back and told them "Mommy poo-poo bafroom" I came out and heard him talking about "poo-poo" so I asked him if he went poo-poo and if he needed a diaper. Everyone started laughing and said "No, he's talking about you- he said you went poo-poo!"

I was busy polishing his piano and drum set, and I heard the kitchen sink turn on (nothing unusual), he climbs up on the arm of the couch reaches through the kitchen window and turns on the faucet.... So mommy said the usual, "Maletch get down" . During that few minutes I heard him turn it off, when told- then back on a minute later- etc. Well, I finished and turned around just in time for him to tell me so proudly, "Mommy, I washed the trains with soap and water!" Mommy: "Oh no, you did what??" As he told me again, he proudly showed me how he helped me clean his toys. His trains were all lined up- all wet! These were his expensive wooden Thomas trains with electric parts--- 60 bucks of trains stopped working. I felt sorry for him because he thought he did such a good thing!

He is used to daddy giving hair cuts, but daddy was at work, and he was over-due and we were going to Disneyland soon.... so I decided I would do it. I started with the scissors- which apparently are NOT what daddy uses, he uses clippers- and Maletch "knows" how this is supposed to work, because when I started cutting he said, "Stop it mommy!" He was squirming and resisted the scissors (so I thought he must be 'difficult' during haircuts), but when I got out the clippers (only to make it go faster), he smiled and said, "Right!" and then he sat completely still for the haircut.

We were in Toys R Us
Maletch: "Baby is crying!"
Mommy: "Yes, you're right the baby is crying."
Maletch: "Stop fussing baby!"
He received so much attention for this from the ladies in the store that thought it was hilarious. I think they were annoyed by the crying and they said things like, "Yeah, that's right, you tell him to stop fussing!"

Getting ready to leave the house I knew I was forgetting something. Maletch said, "Get the keys!" He was right, they were hanging on the key rack- which is where he was pointing.
Another time he was waiting on me to get our stuff packed to leave, he told me, "Get mommy's purse."

One night he asked me to get the keys down from the rack, when I handed them to him, he said, "Bye bye mommy!" and headed for the front door. I asked, "Where are you going?" He said, "To work!"

In the middle of a meal, he always asks, "Wash my hands?" in between courses- example, he won't want to touch his peaches when he has taco sauce on his hands. (I guess he doesn't like to mix flavors). He will also tell me throughout the meal when he makes a mess, "Oh no, tacos make a mess!" He will wipe down the table, his sippy cup, and any toys on the table with the washcloth if I set it down- while saying "I clean the mess!"

Maletch was excited because we were all getting ready to go 'bye bye in the car.' While I grabbed a few last minute things, daddy walked out the door to put some things in the car. Maletch went tearing after John, and yelled "DADDY!" he chased him out the door, when daddy turned around Maletch said, "Wait for mommy!"

We were all at one of my doctor's appointments, (to see a new orthopedic surgeon) meaning he had to do a full exam on me since I was a new patient with him. While the doctor was bending my hands, wrist, and fingers in all kind of ways- Maletch seemed really nervous and finally exclaimed, "Oh no, hurting mommy! Mommy's hurt!" He sprang up and started to grab the doctors hand (like to stop him), when the doc turned to look at him, he got scared, but he didn't freeze up, he grabbed daddy's hand and pulled hard towards the doctor, and was going to make daddy stop him! After we explained that the doctor wasn't hurting mommy, he still didn't trust it completely. So, he "copied" the doctor and did everything to daddy that the doctor did to me- to make sure it didn't hurt. I'm not kidding- when the doctor bent my middle finger back, my wrist- he did it exactly to daddy's hand! What a sweetheart- he has mommy's back, LOL!

Sneak Peek Pics from Maletch's B-day!

The slide show below is still too long, (like when you are 'sure' you have seen the whole thing and think it 'has' to be repeating- nope- there is still more, lol). There are so many pics and I need to shorten it- BUT- for now- this gives the grandparents a ton of choices. I'll go back and shorten it up, one of these days, so that it doesn't take forever to see them all!

Some B-Day Deets:
His 2nd B-day was so much fun! Funny this year he knew exactly what to do when he saw his presents and didn't need any help or encouragement from us-- except to get the toys out of the packages and I needed help with that too- haha! Why do they come on official "lock down"? He also didn't want to wait for the cake to be served- he was up on the table to help himself as soon as he saw it coming out of the fridge!
That train table:
That train table was the best money we have ever spent- we expected it to be of high quality but it even far surpassed our expectations on quality and features! Rare when that happens! It was funny to see him be 'so serious' the entire first day he played with it. While he was studying and exploring it, he never smiled (which is super rare)- I'm sure it was a lot to take in since there is so much to this set! He was at that table every waking second for the first few days- didn't even stop to play with anything else- and barely to eat! Since then, he plays with it for hours everyday- and can play for hours at a time. Although he's always played with all of his toys, he usually played with each one for about a minute to 5 minutes at the most- so to see him interested in anything for hours made us so happy!
We bought several Thomas and Friends wooden trains, and have added 2 extra Thomas Destinations (not in the photos) to the track setup and we will add to it a little more each year. When he has outgrown this collection- it will make a nice heirloom for his future kids and grandkids!
He also loves EVERYTHING that he got from Disney's "Cars." His new car collection and that train table occupy almost all of his play time- although he always makes time to play in "his band!"

Happy Birthday Maletch!!

Pause the Music Player!

Below are 2 videos that have sound. You will want to pause the music player at the bottom of my blog before you play the videos (or the sounds will be battling).
The pause button is on the top left of the music player.

The first video was taken while Grandma and Grandpa (Dad and Denise) were down visiting.
If you thought the last video was funny, you are gonna love these!

Maletch Jammin on His Baby Grand Video!

Hendrix Doesn't Have Anything on You Baby!

The next video is Maletch doing his "Air Guitar!" Do we have a Hendrix in the making?? Haha!
He is completely infatuated with music and dancing--- AND even more specifically with 'bands' and their instruments. He can name each one and mimic how to play it.
We decided to invest in some nice quality beginner instruments for him to play. He has a Baby Grand Piano, a Drum Set, Guitar, Harmonica, Trumpet, Saxophone, and several others! The piano and drums are his favorites right now! Although the Harmonica and Microphone are regularly used too! He asks John and I to play with him in "his band" and when the grandparents come over they are invited to play too! He actually passes out the instruments that he wants each person to play, and says "Band, Ready count!" (then we all count to 3 outloud and start playing 'on three') and then he finishes with a dramatic "Ta Da!" It's so cute!

Here Comes a Little Air Guitar Video!!

Christmas Portraits 2009 Slideshow!

Our Christmas Was Lots of Fun!

We had a nice cozy Christmas! We had so many presents for Maletch- it took us several days to open everything! Each toy comes so tightly packaged in twisty ties- it takes 20 minutes to get each item out of the box, lol!
He had so much fun playing with everything and opening presents! He has now mastered all of his toys that he got- including T-Ball (which is not a good idea in the house anymore). He hits serious line drives into the walls and a few have hit John and I upside the head when we weren't looking!
He loves coloring on his new Easel/Desk and he is addicted to the Disney movie "Cars" and his favorite characters are Lightning McQueen, Mater, Ramone, Mack, and Doc- which he names perfectly except he pronounces McQueen "Kween" and Ramone "Mamone"
He also loves Thomas the Train, "Tommy Choo Choo" and "Percy" are his favorites right now.
He tries to juggle "guggle" like daddy, and he thinks he's pretty good at it- although he is really just throwing balls- crazy style up in the air- it's really cute!

Some of Maletch's Christmas Loot!

I Want To Juggle Like Daddy!

Halloween 2009!

We had so much fun chasing Maletch around the Halloween Festival! Grandma and Pops Pollard had sent him the cutest costume that they picked up in Vegas at Caesar's Palace, a Roman Soldier costume (just like they wear at the casino). So John and I went as the Roman Emperor and Empress, (with our little soldier protecting us) lol!

He even got to ride a REAL horse! He LOVES horses, but we weren't sure how he'd do riding a real one, especially since John and I had to watch from outside the pen.. but he was giggling and laughing the whole time! He didn't care where we were a bit, haha! He rode it like a true cowboy too! Some of the older kids were having trouble sitting up straight and appeared to be almost falling off, but Maletch was holding on at times with only one hand with perfect posture- it was too funny! The other parents kept commenting on him (like he was a bull rider or something) LOL!

He also got to go to the petting zoo area where he saw some of his other favorites: cows, sheep, goats, more horses, and chickens! He was petting them through the fence, but he nearly jumped it trying to get inside! We were constantly pulling him off of the fence! He had fun since he knew all the animals names and noises, so he talked to each one in their language, hehe! He moo'd at the cows and baa'd at the sheep and eeeiiigh'd at the horses! He also told the chickens "bawk bawk!"

He also grabbed a large wagon and pulled it over to the pumkin patch and loaded it up with pumpkins and dragged it around (this was entirely his idea) we didn't tell him or show him how. We were really tripping on how he thought of it, and we took a short video of him picking his pumpkins!

The video is posted below the slideshow!

Halloween 2009 Slideshow!

Maletch Picking Pumpkins Video! Halloween 2009

What Do Superheros Like To Do??

'Lil' Batman' says, "I want to go fight crime, mommy!" "There is lots of work to be done!"

What Do Superheros Like to Do in Their Free Time??

They love to drive fast cars...


They like to scale tall buildings, er, I mean funrniture...

.... and they like to color with crayons!!

I wonder why superheros don't like to clean the house??

YAY!! Aunt and Uncle Came to Town!

'G' has her hands FULL!

My brother, his wife (my sister) and my niece came out last week and stayed for 5 days! YAY!!! We had such great time with them while they were here, and we just adored lil A! She is such a sweet, beautiful, and happy girl! M and A are only 3 months apart, how cool is that?

We had a 'Jam Packed' week:
Wed: They came to our house and we went swimming!
Thurs: We went to my mom's house, then to the O.C. Fair!
Fri: My Mom came over and helped John and I with the preperations for the garage sale we were in at my favorite scrapbook store! The items had to be ready priced, packaged, and "turned in" to the store by 7:00pm - we cut that very close and almost didn't make it! Wheeew!
Sat: We went to my dad's house for a family reunion with lots of my cousins and we spent the night!
Sun: We hung out at dad's for the day, then went to visit my Grandma ("Mamma") and got back late (1:00 am)
Mon: We picked up the items that didn't sell from the store, and I now get to go on a $350.00 shopping spree- YAY! Plus we got rid of a lot of unwanted stuff! Double YAY!

I know you want all the deets- so keep scrolling! :)

Below each post is a Slideshow!

First Day: Our House SWIMMING!

Oh we had a blast watching the kidos swim and the kids had so much fun! I don't think Maletch stopped smiling the entire time! I was sad that John missed it because by the time it cooled down enough to go swimming, he had to leave for work. But at least my mom took lots of pics for us!
This was my second time taking Maletch to the pool, and he surprised me AGAIN! This time I tried to hold him up with just- 'one hand under his stomach' and he started swimming- he had like a 'swimmer's stroke' and a pretty good kick- it came to him naturally! My mom suggested that I sign him up for swimming lessons since he is ready. I think that is a neat idea, and I will look into local classes for him. He also started getting brave in his 'inner tube' and cruising around without me holding him. I was nervous since he didn't fit it- he could slip right through it- but he got the hang of 'holding on' real quick. He positioned himself to 'lean forward' and he got himself going!
Jae and Britt started a 'toss game' with Addie and it looked like so much fun, so we did it with Maletch too- they both LOVED that!
They brought a wagon with them, and it was fun to pull the kids around in. Then Maletch decided to push and pull it around and he gave his lil cousin rides in it- that was cute to watch... that is... until he came close to pushing her and the wagon INTO the pool! Uncle Jae had to "run interception" on that one!
Oh and that 'toy dirt bike' that you will see in his hands was a gift from them. It makes real dirtbike sounds when you press the shocks or push it along- too cute!! And Maletch just LOVES that thing- he still hasn't put it down!
Below is a slideshow of the first day, with lots of pool pics and hangin out fun! To see The Fair and Family Reunion pics keep scrolling!

Slideshow Swimming with Uncle and Aunt!

Day 2: The Orange County Fair!!

We started off at my mom's house for a bit, where Maletch got to see Uncle Jae's dirtbike! I wanted Jae to take him for a ride on it, but Maletch wasn't too sure about it- so maybe next time! Funny while I was trying to pose for the pic with Maletch on the bike, we almost crashed!! Haha! I couldn't touch the ground, so we had it next to the curb, and I was only touching on the one side, I lost my balance and we almost tipped over- Jae had to come over and help while I was wobbling- it was HILARIOUS and I felt retarded! It's been a long time since I've been on a dirt bike, and my riding days are LONG over!

We later headed to the O.C. Fair. We had such a blast and YEP we even took the kids on some rides!! That took a little 'manipulation' since there was a height requirement of 36" for every ride, and our 1 year olds are not as tall as 3 year olds... so send in the '2 blondies' to smile and ask them to please 'make an exception.' Worked like a charm!
Since it was Thurs night, of course John had to work, which really felt weird to have him missing out on such a fun time and Maletch's first Fair, but he would rather us go without him than us not go at all- he is so sweet! And again- at least we got lots of pics. We will be taking Maletch to Disneyland and the Zoo soon, and I can't wait for that!

Our Group:
Let's see there were 9 of us total (6 adults and 3 kids). It was: Jae, Britt, Addie, Reed, Shannon, Audrey, Maletch, my mom, and me- so we were quite a lil bunch! Maletch got to 'ride' on Reed's shoulders for a while and he walked holding my hand for the most part. He never asked to be carried a single time- which was so nice especially considering how long we were there and how far we walked! We got carried away and stayed until they closed which was midnight! We popped him in the wagon a few times for a little bit just when we wanted to walk a little faster. He had many distractions while we were walking which would pull him 'off course' and slow us down (I would have to chase him)... like anytime he spotted bubbles, balloons, stollers, and scooters... he loves to CHASE old people on their scooters! Don't ask me why he does it, but it's funny! LOL!

The Rides and Stuff:
We took Maletch and Addie on the Carousel (Merry Go Round), an Airplane ride, and a very fast Roller Coaster. Jason also took Addie down a huge "super slide." The kids really enjoyed the rides, but I think they enjoyed looking at all of the lights, people, and animals just as much!
I think the Airplane ride was Maletch's favorite (it was like the "Dumbo ride," going around and up & down). Jae wanted to take Addie on it, but he couldn't fit inside properly, so the ride attendant "kicked him off'" LOL- so my mom was happy to take her on it! Lil Audrey is only 6 months so she wasn't quite ready for the rides, she was busy eating, sleeping and looking around though.
I regretted the Roller Coaster since it was faster and jerkier than I expected- it was weird and dangerous because it only had a 'lap bar,' NO seat belt, so we were both clutching our kids so they wouldn't slide out, and it made my neck sore. Oh well at least he enjoyed it, well, until the kids in front of us started screaming like we were gonna die- that seemed to make him nervous, LOL!

They had 3 areas with animals, 2 were petting zoos, which is what we were looking for, but we ended up in the one that you couldn't go inside the enclosures. A silly goat squeezed his head with horns through the slats in the fence, to take a peek at Addie and Maletch who were standing right there. I didn't get a good shot of the kids with the goat, since we were unsure if it would bite, we were pulling the kids back a little ways. It was so cute, Maletch thought the goat was a horse and he kept saying "hor" and Addie thought it was a dog!

The kids were so cute together, Maletch was so curious about Addie and he kept wanting to touch her and stare at her. Funny at this age, they are curious and want to inter-act or do SOMETHING, but they don't know exactly what to do... I got pictures (2 different times) of him reaching across the wagon and sticking his fingers in her mouth- I guess that is what he came up with!
Below is a slideshow of some pics from the Fair. I threw a few of my not-so-favorite shots in for now and will probably take them out later.