homecoming

So Papa is finally done with the monster ~2 month tour! What a relief. Of course the new dates are already filling in but he's home now and I got to sleep in today!!!! Even though we had several visits during the tour (1 on the road and two recent stays at home while the tour was in our area), Max was really missing his papa.

It was so sweet to come home last night to see my boys romping around the house in their matching jeans and undershirt ensembles (it was an accident, how could I have known?)

We took a stroll down the block and watched Max and friends go to town with sidewalk chalk and climb all over the stoops and gates. Yesterday the spring weather was in full force and everyone was giddy.

Max really surprises me with his language skills sometimes-its funny because sometimes he still just screams and babbles and I'm still translating for him. But last night he started to relive a memory and his description was so evocative. We typically read Frosty the Snowman when Max is sitting on the potty before bathtime (he's a big creature of habit!) and I guess the snow reminded him of a fun trip we made in early January.
Max: When it snows, you can walk in the snow, you don't fall down, you crunch in the snow and then we take pictures and we throw snowballs at Papa and G-pops in the window. You don't fall down. I don't fall down, you know?

He's picked up a habit of saying "you know?' and cocking his head as if to make a point. It is slightly more refined than the prevailing "you like that!?" after many of his demonstrations of skill or wit. "You like that!!!?" casts a strange "Roadhouse" vibe over our activities so I'm enjoying the "you know?" as a change of pace.


With his many monologues generally being told in the present tense - the one tense he's really firm on-sometimes it does take a minute to figure out if he's talking about life, a story we read, a movie, his fears or what. I find if I just let him go it all becomes clear at some point.

He is also really into singing and making up his own songs (followed by "you like that?!!" of course or "say 'thank you' mama"). He likes to stand on a side table or even a lunch box, announce he's on the stage and that one should not talk while the signer is singing. He then sings for me while air-guitaring or playing his little gee-tar. There was a great one this weekend "hold me, baby hold me, hold me, baby!" (you like that?!)



In other homecoming news, my big cousin Mark, is recovering from his accident marvelously and has transferred to a recovery center in Austin. He will be treated as an outpatient starting next Thursday! Mark's sister, Maribeth, gave birth yesterday to her daughter, Patricia Evelyn Brown!