a cougar in the mother country

I know, this is a snake. While we were packing, Anderson insisted on running around acting in this towel! It was hilarious.

There are 2 things any real pirate needs: an eye patch and a sword. Pants are optional. Speaking of the patch, we can't anymore. Speak of it, that is. Anderson now knows the word "patch" and p.a.t.c.h. We can't even spell it. The only way to keep it on is to literally keep him so distracted that he forgets about it. Any little reminder, such as a spoken or spelled out word, immediately draws a hand to the eye & with a quick swipe, it's gone. We have now started referring to it as the cougar. Just one of the many reasons that I love my family is they didn't even question this & started using it in conversation as if it were normal. "So, how many cougars do you go through a day?" and "How many colors do the cougars come in?"

Since this was Anderson's first trip to Memphis, he got to meet a lot of new people! Memphis will always be a "home" to me because it is like my mother country! He met 2 of Pops' siblings, Uncle Jerome & Aunt Bernice. I am sad Aunt Ann wasn't in town because he would have loved to meet her, too!

Uncle Jerome accidentally shrunk his hat & Anderson loved it! A little background on the Salvaggio family-first, how cool is the last name Salvaggio? And, to top it off, all 12 of them have some really fun, Italian name. Yes, I said 12! Pops is the youngest of them & was always seen as the baby. Uncle Jerome is just awesome and makes the best olives & managed to spoil Anderson in the short time we were there by buying him toys! Anderson wanted his cane at one point & I swear he would have given it to him if I hadn't intervened!

My little leprechaun! Thanks for our shirt, Great Aunt Lori & the shoes/green patch, Aunt Cole!

Another milestone in his life-meeting Anna! It is a rare person who can break into the mold that is Melissa/Nicole, but Anna definitely did when we met her in 4th grade. The 3 of us literally did everything together. She is my childhood. And, spaghetti. Lots of spaghetti. Sadly, this was the best pic I could get. I am hoping that he is looking at her glasses with jealousy.

Meeting some more of the fam.

Aunt Paula, savior of the vision! We met her at the eye place where we ordered Anderson's glasses. He pushed my hand away to hold hers. It was like he knew that he owed her a lot. She clearly appreciated this as she showed up with toys for him later.

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to hang out with my 6 year old cousin, Jacob. He is everything a boy should be-adorable, curious, energetic, sweet and hilarious! He was a great distraction for Anderson & the cougar & kept trying to take care of Anderson by giving him toys & putting stuffed animals in the pack & play. Sweet.

We decided that the trampoline was only for pirates (and their moms). Anderson had on his pirate pjs from Marisa, pirate shoes from GG & pirate cougar, of course.

Anderson loved the trampoline when I was holding him, but did not want to be put down! I was trying to take pics of Jacob doing his spiderman jump & the bug kept sneaking in them.

Spiderman!

Cousin Shae also was a fun distraction as she jumped right in to help wrestle the cougar. Having cousins was such a big part of growing up & I realize now how lucky we were to all be together so much. So many of my memories include my cousins and I love that Anderson gets to experience that now!

My favorite part of this is the fact that the conversation is continuing around the kids sitting on the table. Only in my family. Tye dye shirt from Thanksgiving!

Oh, the cougar strikes again. I feel like having a toddler without an eye patch would be like a vacation. Maybe not a 2 week, all inclusive one because toddlers are interesting little people, but a brief bit of relaxation nonetheless. I would be lying if I pretended like the cougar wasn't kicking my butt a little. He requires CONSTANT supervision. And, I am not talking being in the same room, I am talking holding his hand, carrying him or sitting him in your lap. It is pretty intense stuff. But, what a great problem to have-too much time with your baby! GG picked up his glasses today and they are being introduced tomorrow, so more to come on that.

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