K - N - ox!

Because he changes and adds a few more words daily, we thought it was time to document some of the things Knox is saying right now.
He tries to put many words together. I just have to fill in the blanks. That's actually really fun, because his eyes glisten when I repeat what he was trying to say. For example: When he wakes up, he says, Daddy. Work. Patpillar. I say, "Yes, Daddy is at work at Caterpillar."

Socks off. Socks on. Shoes off. Shoes on. I did it! Moma do it (as in, wanting me to repeat what he said). Moma hold it. Daddy hold it.

Eat! When asked, "What do you want to eat?" he always replies, "Ummmmm..." followed by one lip smack. I have no idea where he got that from, but it is so funny. He will often say he wants gogurt (yogurt), butter (peanut butter), chicken, waffles, sausage, bickit (biscuit), sausagebickit (sausage and biscuit), or ancakes (pancakes).

I fell. Whoops! If it was a really hard fall, he'll say Okaaaaay.

Eat it. Want it. Hold it. Drop it. Do it. Dunk it. Ride it. Push it. Buy it. Read it. Stop it. I shouldn't mention this because I'm telling on myself, but he did say Dern it one time at the shop. I didn't acknowledge it though, and I threatened Uncle Jack not to either. I haven't heard it since, and I've tried not to say it either.

Right der (Right there). Backder (Back there). Dart, ain't it? (Dark, ain't it?) *We are certain Uncle Chris is proud of those!

Uncle Jack has done a great job training Knox with his cool-dude lingo. What's up?! Peace out. Homie. (I'm just amazed at how quickly his vocabulary increases. It was just a couple of weeks ago when he only said Up?! and Peace!)

He has recently changed the way he spells his name. He has gone from Kay. iNn. Ohh. X! (dragging each of the first three letters out with his southern drawl) to Kay. iNn. ox!! He is putting O-X together and saying them quickly, and it is too funny! He is so proud of himself.

Peepotty! (I pee-peed in the potty!) Beeboy! (I'm a big boy! -or- I want to be a big boy and sit right here by myself.)

He is still doing very well counting to ten, and he almost always follows it with a big Yea!!!! and clapping his hands. Every now and then he'll say 'leven (eleven).

He loves to read books. I'm honestly amazed at the memory that he has, and I'm beyond thrilled of his desire to learn. One example that comes to mind: After only reading the book to him maybe twice, he came to me one day and said, Dangull (Daniel). God. Lion. Angel. (Obviously it was a book about Daniel being protected by an angel when he was thrown into the lion's den for praying to God.)

Sing, sing, sing. Oh how he loves to sing! Together we sing anything from Jesus Loves Me to The Wheels on the Bus. We both enjoy the songs with motions. My favorite to hear him sing solo and do the motions is Itsy Bitsy Spider.

We're also amazed at his ability to identify vehicles and places. Driving down Hwy 145 is quite a treat with him. Toro (Mi Toro). Donalls (McDonald's). Junya. Shop. (Junior's shop.) Tractor. Bank. MallMart (Walmart).

He doesn't miss much. He is very, very busy - so full of life - very friendly and outgoing. I love his personality, and I wouldn't change a single thing about this kiddo. We're having a blast with him!

Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving this year was a splendid one! We spent most of our days just relaxing and playing, and of course pigging out! Daddy got me an early Christmas (and Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and birthday) present - an awesome camera! I sometimes went a little overboard trying it out, but I think I got a few really cute shots to document this special holiday for Knox.
The weather was gorgeous Thanksgiving morning, so we played outside with Nana. Knox loves tractors and lawnmowers, so he spent a lot of time on them.

Riding the lawnmower with Nana

It's been a tradition for many years for us to be with Grandma on Thanksgiving night. But since we've remodeled our house, Daddy wanted Grandma to come to our house and cook. So, we hosted our first Thanksgiving in our own home. It was wonderful!
Grandaddy, Nana, Uncle Jack, and the Gapens (Chris, Erin, Reed, and Chase) came and joined the fun. Knox was so excited to see Reed and Chase. My heart melted a time or two watching (and listening) to Reed and Knox playing together.

Reed and Knox found the black olives

Knox wasn't a fan

(He's not a true Gapen!)

Snap, snap!

Our sweet boys during a card game

Knox loves playing with iPods
(gotta love the same expression)

And he loves making a mess with blocks
- Chase and Knox

He loves iPhones, too
and reading a good book with Daddy

Early morning kisses for Bubba

Watching Bubba play iPod games

We put up our Christmas tree, along with a few other decorations, on Friday morning. While getting the decorations out of the storage building, Daddy found an old wrecker that he thought Knox would enjoy playing with. The two of them had such a good time exploring it. I love watching Daddy teach Knox about new things, and I especially enjoy listening to them laughing out loud together.

Friday night, Amy ("Mamie") came by to pick up Peyton. She brought Knox's early Christmas present to him - some John Deere boots! Because it was so late, we didn't let him put them on until Saturday morning. But once they were on, he instantly became a little cowboy. He wasn't sure exactly how to walk in them. We laughed so hard because it looked like he had just gotten off a horse. He strutted around, pacing back and forth, until he got the hang of them. He's already bowlegged and pigeon-toed, so it was quite a site to see!

Waiting oh-so-patiently

It just so happened, he decided to ride his horse!
True cowboy

During Knox's nap, Daddy and I put up the outside decorations. When he was ready, we took him outside to see them and to play for a little while. His little face lit up when he saw Santa Claus in our tree!

Christmas has already been lots of fun for us, and it's only just beginning!

But with a daddy this cool, how could it not be?!

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
~Thornton Wilder

Jesus Loves Me

On Wednesday nights, Knox participates in the Puggles class at our church. (Puggles is part of the Awana program.) We are so fortunate to have two special teachers, Mrs. Jema and Mrs. Julie, who work with the children each week.
Since November is Awana month, the Puggles took the stage during our morning worship. Although he never sang the first word, Knox is definitely learning. Words can never describe how great it feels to listen to our son as he walks around the house saying, "Jesus! God! Skyyyyy. Stars. Light. Moon. Animals." The first week, he learned that God said, "Let there be light." Since then, he has learned about some of the things that God has made, such as the stars and the moon, the fish and the animals, and the sky. When he sings Jesus Loves Me, it goes a little something like this, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!! Strongggggg!!!!! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Bible." He can do the motions for "little ones," "Bible," and "strong."
He is also participating more during his bedtime prayer. He usually tells God who he is thankful for that day (and sometimes who he played with or what he did). But he almost always thanks God for the sky. Soooo precious.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Bubba's Birthday

Peyton is now a teenager! We started off his big day by going to the annual pancake festival with Poppy. Knox has an obsession with pancakes, so I was very excited about going this year. I just knew he would squeal with delight.

Boy was I wrong! All he would eat was sausage! I texted Mrs. Kim and told her that evidently the Pilot Club couldn't make pancakes as well as her.
*Mrs. Kim makes pancakes about once or twice a week for the kids. If it were up to Knox, she would make them every day. When Daddy went to the races a few weekends ago, Nana and I took Knox to IHOP. It was quite a sight to see! He stood up in the booth while he ate, and he yelled at every person that walked by, "Pancakes!!!!!"

That wasn't the case this time. Who knows? Maybe it's because I got him a Mickey Mouse pancake, and he just wasn't comfortable eating "Mi Mou."

Daddy, Knox, Bubba, and Poppy

After the pancake festival, we came home to let Bubba open his birthday presents. When he tried on his new jeans, he took off his boots. And we all know what happened next...

Photo taken in honor of Aunt Erin :P

Knox and I missed the first hour of Bubba's birthday party, because Knox was still taking his nap. But no worries, he made it there in plenty of time to eat cake and ice cream - and have a lot of fun! His favorite part of all was riding the scooter (and watching Daddy ride, too)!

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't.
~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams