Texas is coming to an end only 15 more days till we start our journey home! I’m excited to get back to Utah and mostly because of my Family, Horses, and Dogs. Texas has been a great experience, we have been living with another couple, and their son a few months older than Atticus. It has been a learning experience as always its nice to not have to cook every single night but to know that there will be food on the table every night is so nice! Lauren has helped me see some ways to improve my parenting, also has helped me see things that I like the way I’m doing them.

I’ve mostly been a homebody this summer, lets face it I am a homebody. Still some of the fun things we have done this summer include:

• Zilker Park
• Austin Zoo
• Thinkery
• Waco Zoo
• Going to TN
• Pflugerville Lake
• Pool
• Park
• Eating Out
• Playing in the sprinkler
• Learning how to climb

Some fun things that Atticus has learned this summer

• How to run
• How to Climb
• Talking
• Making Noises
• Pikaboo

I’ll probably write posts about each of our adventures and back date them, so for know I’m going to write about the things Atticus has learned this summer.

As you know Atticus has been walking since February but he has really taken off since we got here. Franklin (their 2.5 month older than Atticus) was just learning to walk when we got here so Atticus really liked following him around and pushing/pulling him to the ground. ( I know I shouldn’t think its funny but it was) They have since both gotten much faster and though I don’t think that Atticus is wanting to pull him down now Franklin still runs in fear. Just this morning Franklin started running. So Atticus started chasing him, screaming, and waving his arms around like a mad man. Franklin was terrified.

Alex and I play I’m going to get you with Atticus. About a month ago Alex was chasing Atticus up the stairs to bed and to keep his speed up when he got to the top Atticus just started crawling, it was funny because we haven’t seen Atticus crawl in months later I was chasing him and he has his arms behind him (Imagine a Ski Jumper) like it made him run faster and that is the stance he takes almost every time he runs now.

Climbing has been a hard one the house we are in is tile so as Atticus has been climbing it has been a little nerve racking also Lauren is a cautious person so she was always telling him no and to get down. One of Atticus’ favorite places to hang out was on the couch arm right over the tile floor. One day I was watching the kids and had Atticus’ tent by the end of the couch with some pillows in it and he decided that the game of the day was to dive head first off the end of the couch into his tent with the pillows. I was great fun! Later after we moved the tent away I helped him climb down safely off the end of the couch I think he did it a few more times over the coming days but eventually he stopped doing it. occasionally he still gets up there and hangs out on the couch arm but he hasn’t fallen off yet (tap on wood).

Besides the couch he liked to climb on the kitchen table, chairs other tables pretty much anything he can. Lauren was gone for two weeks and I let him climb to his hearts content and now he only climbs on the chairs or this shorter table ( that he likes to climb on to mess with the lights or jump onto the couch).

His outdoor climbing is pretty extreme he’ll try anything.

Alex and I don’t really work on teaching Atticus things like animal noises.  I’ve taught him what the lion and the Tiger say but that is it. We have a horse that I will regularly tell Atticus to go get by saying horse and clucking. Then the other day we were watching the Equestrian Olympics and out of the blue he said neigh.

We have been playing Peekaboo with Atticus for a long time. I loved it when we were playing and he would come uncover/cover my face. Recently he has started covering his face, either with his hand or he’ll get under the blankets and use the blankets to cover his face it’s darling.

His vocabulary has grown so much since we’ve been here. Before we came he would has dog, hi and maybe a few other words. Now he says, Brush your teeth, Corn, No, Light, Bye, Bath, Bottle, All Done, More, Night, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. In Thai he say Fi (light) and Mai (no). He loves to turn the lights on and off.