Friday, March 26, 2010

Heaven

The other night, our curious firstborn was asking Matt about Heaven while brushing his teeth. After some discussion of its size ("Bigger than big.") and location ("Maybe very high in the sky?"), Matt asked Tobin if he wanted to go there and T said, "Yes, but I think I'd like to just visit first." Then Matt asked who he knew in Heaven. Tobin lit up and said, "Johnny Cash, Granddad and Carl Perkins!"

Fast forward to tonight when Tobin and I were chatting while he finished eating. He told me that he climbed a mountain that was so tall it went past Heaven. I asked if he visited Heaven and he said yes, and that he had seen God. Curious, I asked, "Well, what did he look like?" Almost nonchalantly Tobin said, "He was a circle." He went on to explain that God didn't have eyes or a throat or a chest, he was just "round."

Besides being entertained by these exchanges, I am amazed at how Tobin's mind works, and I love his confidence in his own opinions and experiences, even the imaginary ones.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

"That's Ok"

I'm dealing with a slight cold this week. In the evening, my throat is a little scratchy, and I've found myself coughing through story time. So last night, I decided to abbreviate the books Tobin and I were reading by trying to omit adjectives here and there. Tobin caught me both times. My first attempt was during A Visitor for Bear. It went like this:
"And Bear made a nice fire to two sets of toes."
"'Crackling fire'"
"Right, thanks T. 'Crackling fire.'"
I read the rest of that book as it was written. Next on our list was The Berenstein Bears in the Dark, a book we hadn't read for a few weeks. As we worked our way to happy resolution of Sister Bear's fear of the dark, I tried to skip a word again:
"Sister Bear couldn't believe her big Papa had ever been afraid of the dark."
"'Big powerful Papa,' Dad."
"Right. 'Big powerful Papa."
"Hey Dad?"
"Yes Tobin?"
"That's OK. Sometimes I have trouble with words, too."

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

What did you do last weekend?

I only ask because Evan had a pretty busy weekend. He stood (propped up a bit) for about 20 minutes, sharpened his clapping skills, shot some hoops with his brother, and danced to good music. Video evidence is below.

Evan's New Activities from matt smith on Vimeo.

Friday, March 05, 2010

Skills . . .

Evan is advancing quickly in the motor skills department. We should find the time to write an entire post about his ability to grasp, his improved balance, and abilities at the table. For now, enjoy video of him playing ball with his dad.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Bedtime stories

Reading bedtime stories is the most consistent part of the bedtime routine at our house. Tobin loves it, and a great motivator for him is the promise of "more books" for completing an evening task ahead of schedule. Last month, he told me he wanted to read a story to me as part of it. He chose one of his favorites. Below is video of him reading it. (He told me he's taking a break from reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear this week, but he still likes to watch this video).

T reads Brown Bear, Brown Bear from matt smith on Vimeo.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Two Choices

Tobin expresses his will strongly sometimes. Lately, the dinner table seems to be the place where he flexes his rhetorical muscle most. A few nights ago, he told Allison that he wasn't going to eat the food she had prepared, and he demanded (loudly) something else. When he started crying at the table, I said "Tobin, you have two choices: you can stay here at the table and eat with us now, or you can go to your room until you're ready to eat with us." He dried up pretty quickly and resumed his charming dinner-table chatter.

Shortly after, Evan began crying from his place at the table. Allison and I moved to get him ready to finish supper and get ready for bed. While we were moving around, Tobin's voice authoritatively said "Evan, you have two choices: you can stop crying and stay here, or you can go to your room."