Here are some of my chores:
My favorite part of being pregnant!
You have done quite well in the transition to a big boy bed every night. (mostly still nap in the crib since my last post said it all--you don't really nap but rarely now!) I put some toys in there with you though, and you have quiet time in your room still in order to learn the art of down-time and so that I can manage a day without pulling out my hair with all your activity each day.
Crying during haircuts are also a thing of the past (we hope). You even sat by yourself this time; shhh...it really was the lollipop that did it.
You do make larger messes each day than I ever thought possible though! It is grand to say that we will just live with them a bit, but you will not pull out one or two toys from your tubs but dump the whole tub over to get the 1-2 toys. Perhaps you are like your Mommy in wanting to see all the options before deciding, but... We regularly spend 30-45 minutes in the morning, often late afternoon, and evening picking up the messes on the floor. Otherwise, we literally could not walk into your room or around the family room! (and the picture below is a "good" day)
You are becoming far more adventurous in your eating but PB&J is still the all-time favorite!!! Other favorites? Still all cars, and now TRAINS! You love to talk about Percy (forget Thomas). If you are not found playing with your trains, you are found with a golf club in hand (always the iron...hmm...) swinging at various balls. You enjoy watching Daddy playing Wii golf but especially enjoy flailing your arms with the Wii game Flingsmash. Perfect game for little kiddos because that is really all that is required! :)
Your understandable language skills continue to improve. You love to pretend you are talking on the phone (or really talk on the phone), but you will regularly look at us if we try to take the phone back and say "quiet, quiet" with a scolding finger. Hmmm...where did you learn that? You also can count actively to two. (there it stops) We passed by something the other day with two cats on it. You yelled "Look...see...two kitty cats."
I cannot forget that you like to walk everywhere on your tippy-toes. Sorry no, ballerina in the making though. You are all boy! Oh, and that is seen every day (multiple times a day) as you prove the saying "Boys turn everything into weapons." You will hold up golf clubs as swords, and random toys as guns. "bang. bang." Where did you learn all this; we never taught you!
And your logical, engineering turn of mind can already be seen. You line up your cars when playing with them. You even lined up all your bath letters, fitting them as best as they could mesh.
You are currently rather obsessed with your Sunday school teachers (and our friends) Nick and Jaime...Nick especially. Anyone youngish who is not your Daddy but male becomes "Nick." And every time we go to the church (even throughout the week for work-out or Bible studies) you talk about Nick or Nick's car. :)
So many other humorous stories and anecdotes...
We love you, David!
Here are a few phrases (some already gone the way of the do-do) to remember for posterity.
He has grown up:
Swagbucks is one method. I have blogged about it in the past, but as a refresher: through searching on the blog, doing a few other quick things each day etc, I normally get enough points to redeem for about two $5 Amazon gift cards/month. Every little bit counts and this is an easy way to get credit but this takes longer than a few of the other methods below.
Try signing up for Viewpoints. They are a great review website that I wish I had known about when considering big purchases. Free to create an account, and they will email you with possible freebies, etc...I have gotten to try new Ghiradelli chocolate for free, wipes, as well as a $100+ electric/rechargeable razor for Michael (he still uses). In exchange, they request that I write a 900+ word review of the item. Try counting how many words are just in this paragraph alone! I have also written anywhere from 5-20 reviews at a time for different promotionals they have regularly. The promotionals will be a certain number of reviews equals an Amazon gift card. The amount varies ($5-25), but again pretty easy work. I have written many reviews ranging from electronics to baby stuff to kitchen stuff. The reason I recommend signing up for their emails is that otherwise, you never know when they are doing a promotional. It seems like one every 3 or so months. One of the easiest/fastest ways to get an Amazon gift card when the opportunity comes up.
Clear Voice Surveys. The surveys are pretty easy--maybe about $2 for 20 minutes of time. My favorite part though is that every time you don't qualify for a survey (usually within 30 seconds or less), you earn $.10-$.25. That may not seem like a lot, but again, it all adds up and for such little work too!!! The surveys do close within a week or so, generally, so I recommend trying to do it when you get the notifying email because you will often opt-out anyway. They pay out after $10 in the form of a $10 Amazon gift card. Depending on the month and how often I do surveys etc..., I probably will get one every 4 months or so. Again very little work most often though.
My Survey. Another survey website that pays in points for doing surveys. Many take very little time because I am not exactly what they are looking for, but they still give points. Not quite as easy as Clear Voice, but worth mentioning. After 1100 points, you can get a $10 Amazon gift card. I seem to do this about once every 3 months. There are many other prizes too. I don't even find myself doing every survey every time. You can log in after a notification and often do 5-6 surveys at a time.
Harris Poll Online. More surveys. Normally pretty easy and short. You earn varying amount of points for each survey. I do not do surveys for them except around 1-2 times/month and I still earn enough for a $25 Amazon gift card once every 6 months or so. They also give out a huge amount of other prizes as options too.
Opinion Outpost. One of my favorites as far as accruing the most quickly. I had heard various reviews before trying this survey site out, but for me it has been great. They send lots of survey opportunities each week (try to do them within a couple days of them being sent for the best success). If you do not qualify for a survey, normally you find out within the first 30 seconds. If you do, you can count on about $2-3 per survey of about 20 minutes time. The money accrues in your account and you can cash out at $5+ in the account. I often opt for the Amazon gift card, but the cash can also be used 1:1 for a visa gift card or check. I have not been doing this that long (maybe 6 months) and have already earned $56 with not too much work. This site seems one of the most rewarding.
I have tried many survey sites over several years and have unsubscribed to many. I discovered many wasted my time for very little compensation. These above have stood the test of time because they are the most rewarding.
I would be remiss though if I did not mention Pinecone Research Panel. They pay $3 for every survey opportunity (and they never email you unless you qualify for the survey). I normally get 2-3 opportunities a month. Not a big committment. (I have earned $60 over the last 8 months) They pay via paypal. They are not open to new members except occasionally, but I am telling you about them now...will try to notify you when they open to new members again.
PS Amazon gift card credits never expire once added to your Amazon account. And all these credits above are e-credits. Yeah!!!
got to go run and add two $5 Amazon credits that I just got from Swagbucks seconds ago to my account.
I have learned a lot about shopping at CVS over the past year and will hopefully never have to pay for toiletries again (as well as splurging on some diapers and food stuff occasionally). FYI, these items were all purchased with internet printable coupons (available to everyone) and one or two coupons from the paper (which around here come for free in the local weekend edition). So no cash out of pocket for coupons either.
