at home with a weepy 2 year old today...

Little guy has a fever and he's gnawing on everything. Maybe getting more teeth in? Don't know, but unfortunately, he doesn't feel well -- lots of things (small things) makes him sad and weepy. Poor guy.

Our plan to get rid of the pacifier may be thwarted this weekend.... we thought we'd tackle it over a long weekend so that we didn't miss out on too much sleep on a school night. We'll see what tonight holds?

Speaking of pacifier -- this is Mercer's first 4 syllable word that he's said plainly. "pac-i-fi-er." His voice gets a little bit softer and a higher pitch when he says it. Also he inflects his voice at the end like he's a little unsure of what he's saying. He does that when he tries to say other 3 & 4 syllable words like helicopter (cop-ter?), cylinder (cyl-cyl-lur?), chiropractor (prac-tor?).

He went to his first chiropractor visit last weekend. It was really cute. The guy we go to doesn't crack bones, so we were not afraid of that. He just looked Mercer over, felt his spine. His legs. His neck. Later that day, we also went to our annual neighborhood putt-putt golf tournament.

There are more and more kids each year at this event. Mercer met & played with a boy 1 month younger than him who lives on the next street over. He also played putt-putt at a house that has a little boy that's a few months older than him that we don't know so well. This is on top of the kids around his age that we already do know. +/- 6 months, there are 6 boys and 1 girl his age! During the golf tourney, we were not able to take many pictures. Todd & I were "tag-teaming" watching Mercer while socializing or playing golf. We caught him trying out a Sit-and-Spin for the first time (he spun off every time he tried it).

The day afterwards, all 3 of us played the hole at our house over and over again. Todd built a ramp and the ball - once hit up the ramp would drop into a pot / determine your score. A total luck of the draw type of hole. As seen here, Mercer really likes taking the golf club and whacking things with it!

Tomorrow starts the 3 day weekend. Thankfully, we didn't have major plans because at this point, our plans now depend on how little guy is feeling. We're hoping to check out another state park -- this one with a marina so we can take a boat ride, ride bikes, and/or hike?

One thing I know for sure that will happen this weekend: I will be learning how to "can" vegetables this weekend. Long story - but I got a free water bath canning kit, cases of a bunch of free jars, and a book on how to do it. I'll blog about canning in a couple of weeks after I host a canning party. Since I have to "teach" I will need to get in some practice in the next few days.

Have a safe, healthy, enjoyable holiday!