Three Stitches & One Popsicle Later

A visit to the ER is not necessarily the way one would choose to start their Saturday morning.  Alas, a stumble and a head-long tumble into the coffee table and that's exactly where we found ourselves.  Poor Channing.

He was a trooper, playing games on the iPad and quickly learning how to work the TV in his room.  He even managed to quell his tears long enough to ask, 'Almost done?' a couple of times as the doctor hurriedly worked to stitch Channing's eyebrow back together.

Two hours, three stitches & one grape popsicle later, we're home.  

It's a bird! It's a plane!!

It's...just Channing hamming it up for his two-and-a-half year picture in the much loved green chair.  Convincing him to sit still for a photo shoot is nearly impossible.  I thought I had him under the spell of the new camera, making a big deal of how I started taking his green chair picture when he was just a tiny, little baby and wouldn't it be fun to use the new camera to take a picture of him all grown up to put on the blog.  

He was beyond excited, until he realized that I would be the one holding the camera and he'd be the one doing the sitting.  It didn't go over well.  He wanted to be the photographer.  He was appeased with the point-and-shoot momentarily.  Key word-momentarily.  Then he wanted the big camera.  'Me a big boy.'

I'm still getting the hang of this thing, having had it only five days.  I've got THE book.  Mamarazzi.  Check it out here.  It's had some interesting tidbits and tips.  Catchlights.  Using tissue taped to the built in flash as a diffuser.  I am taking THE class.  Oh Shoot! Digital Photography as offered by www.jessicasprague.com  Our lesson on shutter speed inspired the green chair photos that came out good enough they were spared the downward trip to the proverbial cutting room floor.  

Well, that and the fact that this new camera can shoot up to 7 frames per second.  Makes catching a toddler in the act of impersonating Super Grover a whole lot easier.  

A Spring Day with Channing

Aunt Kris here, trying a guest post.  Please don't have expectations that this will be as well written or creative as Holly's posts - it won't be anywhere close.

But, I spent some time with my great-nephew on Saturday and took some pictures that I feel are Fresh Picked Blog worthy so Holly has graciously let me post them here.

The afternoon started with Channing throwing a ball into the air, to himself, despite me yelling, "Throw it here, throw it to me, let's play catch."  He was almost in a trance

Until Grandma came out and offered him the pruning shears...oh, boy, scissors!  But he was very careful and focused as he trimmed a few dead branches (and a bit of new growth, much to his Papa's dismay).  He eventually got frustrated, though, and started pulling the plants out by hand, which he then handed to his Grandma.

Then the trouble started.  He ran behind a tree to "hide" and then invited me to go for a walk, which really meant run.  Having recently wrenched my knee I had trouble keeping up but I sure enjoyed trying.

We stopped along the way so I could teach him how to blow away a dead dandelion, which didn't work so good with air so he tried spit.  He didn't enjoy that so much so he took off running again.

I kept asking, "Where are we going, it seems to me that you have a destination in mind?"  He didn't answer, just kept saying, "'Mon" in that very cute way of his.  Finally, I said, "Are we going to the park?"  And he said, "Ok!"  It was so cute - little stinker.

We eventually turned around and when he got back to Grandma's he was very pleased to see a few newly acquired friends, including a snowman.

The grill was going, Uncle Joey taught him how to open the screen door and, somehow, he talked Mom into putting leaves on her head (and a few on his, which made him giggle).

The perfect Saturday ended with Grandma letting him blow out the candles and pick candies off of her belated tiramisu birthday cake that Aunt Kelly arranged for the party.

All in all, a good day for Channing Flynn (and the rest of us).  If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

Glimpse

We went to REI to pick up a birthday gift for Uncle Joe.  Upon entering, a salesperson asked if he could assist us in any way.  Channing promptly replied, 'Me get a backpack a Uncle Joey,' and marched determinedly past said salesperson on his quest.  Channing hadn't been to this Target before.  Yes, we go to Target so much that Channing thinks any retail store is Target.  It was quite the little adventure.

We checked out the great sleeping bear and spooky old tree in the children's area, climbing the stairs, but declaring the tree and bear too spooky and keeping a safe distance away from them.  

From the play area, we made our way to the Wall of Backpacks.  Fortunately, Joe had a specific request.  Otherwise, we might still be at REI standing there dumbstruck and wondering how in the world to choose just the right one.  The requested Surge was available in a vibrant red, yellow & purple combo or in a more subtle red & grey.  Channing chose the latter and insisted in putting it on straight away.  He then meandered through the store smiling and waving at everyone he saw, exclaiming, 'Me got a new backpack a Joey!'   


We paused in front of the mirror by the fitting rooms just long enough for Channing to admire himself.

Oh yes, he wore it all the way through the store and right through the checkout process, refusing to take it off for it to be rung up.  The easy solution to that was to put him on the checkout counter.  I think we amused more than a few of REI's patron's that afternoon.

After checkout, it was requested that we march across the bridge one last time.  March.  March.  March.  As Channing stood on the bench watching the waterfall and trying to see fishies in the pond, this mama caught a glimpse of life four or five years from now, her little guy, not so little anymore, donning a pack of his own and with that same determination setting out to see the world that kindergarten has to offer, making a few new friends along the way.

Bobot Papa

Channing was still on his bobot (robot) kick Monday when Papa & Grandma stopped by on their way through town.  Not only did Channing show Papa & Grandma the paper bobots he made at the bobot factory with factory foreman, Daddy, he convinced his loving, doting grandparents to play bobot the only way he knows how-with a bucket on the head.  It doesn't matter the shape of the bucket.  In playtimes past, he's unceremoniously dumped his Rubbermaid full of trains and tracks and wooden farm animals on the floor, only to don the bin, exclaiming, 'Me a bobot!'  

I'm not entirely sure how I managed to take the pictures of Grandma and Papa playing along with this game.  The laughter that rolled from my belly made the tears stream down my face and took my breath away.  Truly.  I laughed that hard.  

[beep beep]

Our dining room has turned into a robot factory.  As fast as I can crank them out on the Cricut, Michael & Channing are gluing little paper robots together.  Is everyone as fortunate as I to have a husband who will actually sit and glue together little bits of paper and scraps of whatnot for an entire evening to keep his favorite little guy entertained?  I thank my lucky stars every time this happens.  Every time.  

We made these:

Channing obsessed over the puppy bot initially.  This morning, I whipped up the 3D guy.  OK.  I shouldn't say whipped up.  It took close to an hour.  Well worth the $2 and change in paper for the hours of entertainment that this little guy has provided Channing today.  He's loved him and kissed him and taken him for a ride in an airplane like daddy does it and taught him to kick a ball and introduced him to a plethora of other stuffed animals and toys that reside in Channing's toy bin.  

Again, he's made of paper.  PAPER.  And it has been HOURS since he came into our world.  There is not a single wrinkle or scratch or scuff on his perfect paper being.  Channing's been incredibly careful with him.  I'm waiting to see how far this will go and wondering if the next time we decide to leave the house, Robot will need to come with.  I can already picture Channing gently clinging to Robot as we push the cart through Target and pick out books at the library.