Spring Break

Wow! The Ratliff family was quite busy during Spring Break. At first, we thought the weather wasn't going to be good - it rained the first 3 days! But, by Tuesday, the weather was great. John, me, and Foster enjoyed being together.

John built Foster a great swing set and we have utilized it every day and even invited the neighbors over too! We were able to visit with friends and family, eat lots of home cooked meals, take naps, get organized, and of course... play, play, play. Really there wasn't much time for shopping, but we did sneak a few opportunities in.

John and I did get to catch up on some movie watching - after Foster was in bed! Foster inherited two new teeth over spring break and two more on showing signs of entering soon! He now has four on the bottom and two on top - the two coming soon with join the others on top.

John got to go on his annual Bristol trip with his friend Ed, which left me and Foster at the house from Friday until Monday all by ourselves. We had a good time and played outside a lot! We even went to a petting zoo - the barnyard in Tuscaloosa. We went with our great friends Terri and Jackson. We did get lost trying to get there, but once we were there is was loads of fun. Except------ Foster was bitten by a turkey! Foster leaned his hand on the fence and the turkey stuck his head through and tried to gobble up Foster's fingers. I had to reach in and pull him away. It was terribly scary! I was more scared than Foster. All in all, it was a load of fun, but next time we will know to stay away from the turkey. Miss Terri warned the turkey that it was turkey season and that we might have to serve some turkey at Thanksgiving :) Foster and Jackson got to pet Llama's, bunny rabbits, baby goats, sheep, and little chicks. We will certainly go back one day soon.

Walk, no Run!

Foster is quite the mover and shaker these days. His vocabulary and understanding is quite amazing. He often moves so quickly on his feet that it appears as though he is running. John and I are having such fun with Foster. He giggles all the time and loves for you to play peek-a-boo, imitate what he is saying, and play steam roller in the floor - this is where you lay in the floor and he rolls all over you and giggles. Foster now leads us where he wants to go, by grabbing our hand in his and pulling - of course he 9 times out of 10 will take you to the back door where he wants to go outside. Right now he is babbling a great deal and while doing so will hold his hand as though he is pointing to you. It is really funny and John and I say - he is "telling you about it".

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a fun day! Foster turned one on Monday, February 16th - 1:21 p.m. to be exact. For actual "birthday day" festivities, we took Foster for a fun day at Barnes and Noble and he got to pick out several new books for his collection. He even got a new Melissa and Doug toolbox, which he LOVES. Afterwards, the family went to eat at Piccadilly and then home for birthday cake and presents!

He wasn't quite sure what to think about an entire cake with icing displayed on his highchair, but he had fun nonetheless. He mostly had icing, which made he quite happy and energetic afterward.

The real birthday party occurred on Saturday, February 21st at 4 p.m. at our home. It was a grand day and we had over 30 family members in attendance. Foster was more excited to play with everyone than to pay attention to the cake and presents. He did wear his birthday crown and was fine with everyone singing Happy Birthday! He had a great time and was very excited. The next day he was still so tired from the event that he feel asleep in his highchair after breakfast - which rarely happens! He was excited to have Granna, Papaw, and Aunt Jamie spend the weekend with us.

Ha Ha Times are Here!

Well, in one week, Foster has called 9-1-1, thrown his stuffed dog into the toilet, and gotten his head and arms stuck in the cat door.

9-1-1, Foster loves to play with phones, and you can't fool him, he knows what is real and what is a play phone. When at Marthann's house he called 9-1-1 and instead of calling back, the Coaling police came to her house. They knocked on the door and asked if everything was o.k. and Marthann said, yes. Of course, Jason #1, (there are two), said a call was placed to 9-1-1. They both laughed and then Marthann invited him in, she needed to speak to him anyway:) - only in Coaling!

Foster is fascinated with the toilet, or should I say the water in the toilet. So, one morning he decided that his stuffed dog, one of the many, needed a bath and put it in the toilet and closed the lid. Thankfully, I was right behind him, so the pup was o.k. and only slightly wet!

To keep Foster and Sadie, our dog, from the laundry room where the cats litter box and food bowls are, John installed a cat door - large enough for our monster cat Gizmo to fit through. Foster often sits and looks through the door, but one afternoon he decided it would be great to go through it! Of course, he got stuck, with the door closed, and a cat on the other side - pinned in. It was quite scary and John had to help, but we were able to get him out without to much trouble!