I learned it from watching you!

Some signs that Zachio is getting older. He can now push the crosswalk button all by himself! He might even be taller than his baby cousin Hub! And perhaps the biggest testiment is that we have begun the wild adventure of potty training complete with big boy underwear!

For the most part he has already mastered this skill! Already has a favorite pair of big boy underwear (Fireman Emo - Thanks to Bub). He has also decided that he prefers to pee alone. Lately he proclaims:

"Daddy I have to go potty!!! I'll do it myself" and with that he darts to the closet bathroom, grabs the stool, down go his pants and elmos and he pees away. I stand in the doorway ready at a moment notice to save him in case he falls in or more likely decides to empty the entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet!!!

The other day he bolted into the bathroom after his potty declaration - with absolutely no hint that anything would be different. As I peer into the bathroom to make sure that nothing is amiss, I see him standing barebottom on the stool looking out the bathroom window. Now any of you who have potty trained a child now that this is a not good. There are few firm rules in potty training, but 1 g-d given rule is that you should always face the tiolet when peeing (as long as you are a boy - don't want to confuse any of you)!

"Umm Zachio," no sooner had I started to offer some advice on his tiolet centric coordinates, I hear an unmistakable sound! Pzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, dribble, dribble, Pzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Zachio is definately my son, distracted by a passing squirrel he had peed on the wall! Not only on the wall but on a roll of tiolet paper! The worse is that he turned to me with a big grin - "Daddio, I peed on the wall! Its like peeing on a tree!" Unfortunately, I started laughing! And between guffaws, did my best to explain that we can only pee on trees when we are outside in the woods and when we are inside we have to pee in the tiolet. Not sure if that lesson got thru to his genius mind. Only time will tell.

Best Excuse Ever!

Now before I begin, I just want to make it clear to everyone that I am not in favor of excuses. But I feel compelled to share this story with you.

I am trying my best to have Zachio "help" around the house. True "help" is debatable since he is not even 3 yet. One of the things I ask him to do is to clear his plate after super. On Saturday night when I asked him to clear his plate, he looked up at me with his adorable brown eyes and said:

"Daddy, I am not going to clear my plate, I am busy...sitting in my chair!"

Is it alright if I use that excuse at work...Sorry boss, I am not gonna teach today, I am to busy sitting in my chair!

This picture is unrelated to the post but I figured I share!

Zachio self-portrait!

Be advised - an almost three year old can use a digital camera!

Mornings are Hectic!

It might seem obvious that getting ready in the morning is a little hectic with Z running around. Luckily Zachio loves to read. So in the morning after he consumes his 0-6 bowls of cereal (the amount he eats depends on some unknown alignment of the planets that I am still trying to decipher), I give him a piggy back to my bedroom and plunk him onto the bed. I then hand him a three foot high pile of books that lives next to my bed. He dives into them right away. I quickly jump into the shower and wash my 3000 body parts. The pile of books usually buys me a solid 6 minutes to shower! For some reason, yet to be determined, the other day Z wasn't interested in his books. Of course, his lack of interest into his books didn't happen until I was in the shower.

Z walks into the shower, calmly opens the shower door, sticks his head into the shower and exclaims: "Daddy, don't poop or pee in the shower!". After these words of wisdom he calmly closes the shower door, walks into the bedroom and starts reading.

Here are some pics of our morning shaving ritual!

Bub and Zade came and Conquered!

Z's Bub and Zade came and visited last weekend! They were a tremendous help in every way possible! Not surprising that there mid-western grandson is such a good kid - he comes from good stock! Thanks B & Z!