Bowling!

After basketball glass on Saturday, Papa, Mom and I went bowling. It was really fun! We went bumper bowling. In bumper bowling, there are rubber bumpers in the gutters so the ball will bounce off of them and keep going. No gutter balls! Whew, my mom really needs the bumpers.

In bumper bowling, they set up a ramp for me to use. I put the bowling ball (6 pounds) on the top of the ramp and push it. It travels down the ramp and down the alley.

My mom is NOT a good bowler, not even close. Part of the problem was her ankle, she couldn't really bend her foot. Part of the problem was her nails, she didn't want to break one. But -- the biggest problem was her aim. For some reason, the ball never goes where she aims it.

I know you are all just waiting for the scores...

My papa bowled a 138 -- not bad for a guy that had shoulder surgery in September.
My mom bowled an 83 -- She switched to granny style in the 5th frame, and she started to purposely hit the bumper. Her score got a lot better after that.
I bowled a 75! -- This means my mom only beat me by 8 points! Only 8 points!

The Shark Story

On Friday, I went with GG to pick up my mom from the airport. She still has a sore ankle, and she isn't driving yet. From the minute my mom got in the car, I started to talk. I didn't stop until I went to bed that night.

On the ride home, I told her an 8 minute story about a shark. The shark was in the ocean, and it was coming to get us! I told my mom "And then the shark jump out of the water. It's comin'! It's comin to get you. You gotta jump over it, and then you gotta swim. It's comin'! Here he comes outta the water. You gotta stab it!"

I thought that was a pretty good story. My mom just kept asking me why it was coming after her.

Christmas 2009

It's been almost a month since Christmas... But, I still want to tell you about my Christmas. It was great! Uncle Butchie aka Uncle Tooshie was in town, and we had lots of fun together.

On Christmas Eve, we all got dressed up for church. But first, we have to go to Oceania Inn for Chinese food. It's the family tradition. My mom dressed me up in a black velvet number -- complete with poor boy collared white shirt, black velvet shorts, suspenders and a little jacket. Add to that white knee socks and black shoes... Oh, and don't forget my navy blue wool overcoat complete with rose boutonniere. I looked awesome! Uncle Josh says this is the last year they can put me in shorts and knee socks.

After dinner, we went to church. It's a candlelight service, and that freaked GG right out. She didn't want me anywhere near the candles. I was really good at church. I mostly just collected the candles (unlit) from everyone and passed them out, and collected them and passed them out again ... over and over. I was the candle organizer and darn good at it!

After church, we went to Aunti DeeDee's. All the McKinnons were there: Pat, Andy, Kelly, Jason and his wife Jennifer. We exchanged gifts, and then we went home.

On Christmas Day, my mom had to wake me up because the whole family was waiting on me for breakfast. I came downstairs and saw all the presents by the tree. I noticed one had my name on it, so I told my mom I had to open it because "Santa wanted me to." I bet she thought we were never going to eat breakfast, but after I opened that gift, I was ready to eat. After we ate, it was time to open presents. I had so many! Some were from Santa, some from my mom, some from Uncle Butchie and Uncle Josh, and some from Papa and GG. In fact, about two hours of opening, I just stopped and told my mom I was taking a break! I got some clothes, different Play Doh toys, a Batman toy, lots of GeoTrax toys, and a remote control Lightning McQueen!

Later in the day, the Fortiers came over. We had dinner with them, and then we opened MORE gifts. I also finished opening my gifts from earlier in the day. I had my energy back. Then, everyone went to the movie, and I stayed home to play with Uncle Butchie.

It was a great Christmas! So great I can still remember it a month later.

First the Present and then the Past

So, I'm finally back. Blame my mom again...on the road again...

This has been one heck of a week for us. She went away for work on Tuesday. On Monday afternoon, I had a low grade fever -- about 99. On Tuesday, it was about the same. But, by Tuesday night it got all the way up to 103.1 Papa and GG took me to the ER. I had a fever, but you couldn't tell. I was in a good mood when I walked in the ER. Turns out it was a double ear infection. I'm on antibiotics now and feeling good!

On Friday, my mom was at the airport to catch a flight home. She fell off the shuttle bus at the terminal and rolled her ankle. It was pretty bad, but she wanted to come home so she got help from the people who were traveling with her and from a skycap and made it to her plane.

We had to pick her up because she couldn't drive - it was her right ankle. Papa drove my mom's car home, and GG, me and mom followed in Papa's car. When we go to Papa and GG's house, Papa took me in and up to bed. GG took my mom to the ER. She made two trips in one week. The nurse who took care of me was the same nurse that took care of my mom! She sprained her ankle. She did the same thing to the same ankle two year ago. They just sent her home with an air cast.

Now, she's using GG's old cane to get around. I taught her how to use it. I'm a good teacher. Otherwise, we just spent the weekend as usual. I went to basketball class. I'm still trying to perfect the behind my back and through my legs move. I think I'll get it before class is over. We went to Target, and Papa let me get Free Willy. I watched that

More North Pole!

These are pictures from the actual North Pole. It wasn't as cold as I expected. They had everything in a building. I thought that was very smart of Santa.

The North Pole Express!

These are pictures of our train ride to the North Pole! It was so much fun!

I went to see Santa at the Rochester Museum

The Museum sponsors Papa's base ball team. They got Santa to come all the way to Rochester so I went to visit him. When I got there, Mrs. Claus said "Hi Xavier." My mom said, "X, Mrs. Claus knows your name!" I said, "That's not Mrs. Claus, that's Applesauce." My mom likes this story, but I don't know why. She said she would add something to this post. Anyway, I sat on Santa's lap. He asked me what I would want if I could only have one thing, and I told him a tree. I was hoping my mom heard that -- we have never had a tree in Midland. But guess what? Emma gave me my very own Christmas tree, and it had yellow and blue ornaments on it. A Michigan Christmas tree!!!

X's Mom's Note: Santa was being played by "Doc" Hawarth. Mrs. Claus was being played by his wife who is affectionately known as "Applesauce." I couldn't believe that Xavier recognized her voice. Thankfully, he did not recognize Doc!

The Paci Incident

These are pictures of me using my pacis to buy a toy, and the toy I bought. The picture of me sleeping is after I finally stopped crying and fell asleep before my party. Don't I look exhausted?

Still more pictures -- from the Christmas Tree lighting at the shopping center near Papa and GG's

I'm totally fascinated with marching bands, so the last shot is of me trying to join the band!

Picture Updates

As promised, I have some recent pictures to show you. These are from when I donated my toys and one of my birthday cake.

All Aboard!

On Sunday, December 6, Papa, GG, mom and I went to the North Pole! That's right, we went all the way to the North Pole. We hopped aboard the North Pole Express. We boarded a train in Owosso, Michigan. They even served us hot chocolate like on "Polar Express," but they didn't sing the song. We rode the train for an hour, and when it stopped we were at the North Pole! I saw Santa Claus! I asked him for candy for Christmas. I also rode on some rides, including a really big slide with mom. I was really into the ventriloquist's show. My mom said it kind of creeped her out, but I liked it! I think my favorite part was the chocolate covered candy cane my mom bought me...

It was a really great time!

Saturday November 28 and Sunday November 29

These were both very big days for me. On Saturday, GG, mom and I went to the toy store. I was going to buy a toy with my pacis. I was totally psyched for it. I told everyone I was joining the Big Guy Club. I spent a long time looking for the perfect toy. I finally found it. It was kind of a bike, like a tricycle, but it didn't have pedals. You make it move simply by turning the wheel back and forth. It's lots of fun. I was very proud of myself. I took the bike home to show Papa and Uncle Butchie. When it was nap time, though, I wanted my pacis. I cried and cried and cried. I told my mom "I don't want to be a big boy." When she explained that I had used my pacis to buy a toy, I said to her "Take it back. I want my paci." After about an hour of crying, I finally fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was time for my birthday party. I still was unhappy about the paci situation, but there was so much going on that I forgot about it. We had pizza and cake with ice cream. The cake was shaped like a monkey, and we gave out frosted butter cookies shaped like bananas. The party was bananas! I got lots of great gifts, and Emma and I had fun running around like crazy people!

When it came time for me to go to bed, I was not happy. I wanted the paci. I cried and cried and cried. I was up until midnight. I finally fell asleep, but my mom says that around 3 am, I started to yell "Yes, yes!" and then I fell right back asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I had a paci in my mouth. You read that correctly, I found a paci in the middle of the night. Oh Happy Day! My mom asked where I got the paci. I told "I found it -- under the cover." I was so happy to have it back, that my mom and I struck a new deal. I can only have the paci when I am sleeping. Hey - it's better than nothing.

On Sunday, we went to a very nice dinner. We were celebrating my birthday and Papa and GG's 40th anniversary. I had one of my favorite dinners -- steak! Yum! After dinner, we went to downtown Rochester with the Fortiers to see the lights. Every year, Main St. in Rochester hangs lights vertically on all the store fronts -- from the top of the buildings all the way down to the ground. It's really pretty. We like to go before they are turned on because when they first turn them on, it's brilliant. My mom says the lights are for the holidays, but I'm not buying it. They turned them on for the first time this year on my birthday. Personally, I think the city was celebrating my birthday!

Here's a link to a picture:



Here's a link to a video:

Thanksgiving and Black Friday in Review

I had a great Thanksgiving. We followed all of our traditions. We went to the Lions game. They lost, but it was still fun! Then we went to Granny Nanny's for Thanksgiving dinner. When we got there, some people were in the kitchen playing with food. My mom said they were cooking. I don't really know what that is -- my mom doesn't really do it. Anyway, we had lots of good food -- turkey, mashed potatoes, corn bread pudding, mac and cheese from Boston Market (my mom's favorite), sweet potatoes, and crescent rolls. Everything was delish! We missed Jeppy a lot, though.

After dinner, we went to a movie. We saw Old Dogs. It was pretty funny. That Robin Williams guy gets me every time. I ate popcorn. About half way through the movie I told my mom I wanted some Milk Duds. She didn't have any left, so she went out and bought me some. I sat on Lindsay's lap, watched the movie, and shoveled those Milk Duds in one after the other. After that, it was pretty late so we went home and went to bed.

On Friday, my mom got up super early to stand in line at Target. If you ask me, it was like a competition for her to see if she could get what she wanted. There was no way I was getting up at 4 am to stand outside, though. No way. I stayed in the warm bed, thank you very much. When I took a nap on Friday, my mom took one with me. She said shopping can make a person tired.

On Friday night, Papa, GG, Uncle Butchie and Uncle Josh, me and mom went to the Pistons game. We had a lot of fun. I especially like it when Automotion dances. Those girls are hot! When the band played YMCA, I got up to dance too. I was rocking out. The Pistons lost, but we still had fun. I also learned some new moves for the next time I play basketball at home.

It was a good couple of days for me!

Playing Catch Up

Hi there. I've been waiting to update my blog until all my recent pictures were downloaded, but I have no idea when that is going to happen. Good help is SO hard to find.

Let's go back to the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanskgiving. On Tuesday, mom and Papa picked me up from school. On the way there, my mom got a call that I was projectile vomiting. When she got there, I was lying on a cot. A couple of minutes later, my mom was holding me, and I started to cough. Mom ran (really fast) to the closest garbage can. I threw up in it (mostly). My mom said it smelled like oranges. She figured out what the problem was right away. I'd been eating a lot of those small oranges called cuties. I ate too many of them, and the acid bothered my stomach. My mom knew I was ok when, after throwing up in the garbage can, I said "I did it!"

Anyway, in the back of Papa's car when they picked me up were all the toys that were too young for me or that I didn't play with anymore. We drove to a place that works with women and children. I gave them all my toys so other kids could have them. My mom explained to me that some kids don't have any toys. I thought that was pretty sad. Plus, I had to make room for the toys I'd be getting for my birthday and Christmas. It was fun to give them away! And after, we stopped and got ice cream.


On Wednesday, Papa, GG and mom came up to my school for our Thanksfgiving feast. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and cupcakes! I liked the turkey (protein for my muscles) and cupcakes (hey, they just taste good) the best. On Wednesday night we went to the airport to pick up Uncle Butchie. I went into the airport to get him. It took him forever to get off the plane, but I was super excited to see him come down the escalator!

So the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving were fun. You'll have to wait to hear about Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

The Countdown is on

Hello everyone! You have probably been wondering where I have been. Well rest assured -- all is good-in-the-hood. Momma has been traveling, so I've been hanging out with GG and PaPa. Those two can be a handful, but they have been behaving. It was a good week, as I have been preparing for the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. Momma took me to the game, since Uncle Gosh and his friend Mr. Mike were going to be sitting near us. The game was crazy! I could not understand why our QB kept throwing it to guys from Ohio State. Even I know not to throw it to the other team.

I went to the Lions game too. The Lions played the Browns; they are the two worst teams in the NFL. It was an awful game at the beginning. The Lions were down 24-3 in the first quarter. But on the last play of the game, the Lions threw a hail mary pass into the end zone, and the Browns intercepted. But -- wait! Pass interference on the defense! With no time left, the Lions scored a touchdown and won the game! Ford Field went nuts!!!!

Now that the game is over, we need to re-focus on me. This is a big week with Thanksgiving, GG and Papa's anniversary, and let's not forget, my birthday! It's going to be so much fun, and I've been telling people if they can or cannot come to my party for months. Sometimes the status changes, depending on how I feel. That's just how I roll.

After my birthday I will be using my pacis to buy a new toy. I'm going to take all my pacis to Toys R Us and pick out a toy. I know it's a big move, but I am ready for it.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!!

Wizard of Oz

It is coming up on the Wizard of Oz's 70th Anniversary so it was on all weekend long. I watched it a lot. At first the Cowardly Lion was scary to me, but my mom explained that the Cowardly Lion was Dorothy's friend. After that I wasn't scared. The green face witch and those funny monkeys didn't scare me at all. I like this movie, and that's a good thing. It's my mom's favorite.

I had a good weekend. On Saturday, I played outside for a while with Papa. We played baseball, of course. I was hitting a plastic ball off the team, and I was really nailing them. One hit Papa in the forehead, and when we went inside, he had a bright red spot on his head. I also went with GG to visit Mr. Peregon. Mr. Peregon had surgery so I decided to bring him ghost shaped marshmallows. I thought they might help him feel better. On Saturday night, we went to eat with Sharon and Loren. We went to Mr. B's in Rochester. Uncle Gosh came too. I like Mr. B's because they have a game room. I sure went through a lot of quarters.

On Sunday, my mom and I watched the Wizard of Oz from beginning to end. I was not happy with Miss Gulch when she tried to take Toto so I ran up to the TV and yelled "You're a bad woman!" to her. During the evening, we went to the Granger party. Every year they have an end-of-the year party.
I had a lot of fun. I played with Jackson. Jackson has a big train set and some musical instruments. We had a blast. My birthday is coming up, maybe I should ask for a drum set.

Baby in my Belly

Ok, are you ready for this one? Yesterday, I put a football under my shirt and told my mom I had a baby in my belly. She asked me if it was a boy or a girl, and I told her it was a boy.

Then my mom took a shower, and I was watching TV in her room. When she takes a shower, she shuts her bedroom door so we are both locked in there and she can hear me. She asked me if I wanted her to put on a cartoon or Sesame Street video. I told her, "I just want to watch Michigan football." She put in a DVD of the Michigan v. Penn State game from 2007 (Michigan won -- way to go Coach Carr on getting those 2 seconds added back to the game time). When she was in the shower, she heard me yell "Hey you big guys, I got a baby in my belly! It's a boy!"

My mom asked me what I was going to name my baby. I decided on Anock.

Is this not the scariest monster you've ever seen?

As promised, here are pictures from Halloween. I went trick or treating with Noah and Sarah. They are relatives of Granny Nanny, and we are friends with them.

We had a lot of fun! I got lots and lots of candy. I even remembered to say thank you after the cand was dropped into my bucket.

Very sad day

Yesterday, my dear friend Jeff aka Jeppy died. I love my Uncle Jeppy a lot. He was always very nice to me. He said it was because I wasn't a brat like other kids. But I know it was just because he loved me.

We all miss him a lot. If you're the type of person to pray please say a prayer for Jeppy's family -- Granny Nanny, Uncle Nerd, Bad Brad and Tortie Torte. Thanks

I don't get sick often, but when I do

I do it big!!! I am being treated for H1N1. Yep, swine flu. I started to spike a fever -- I got all the way up to 103.8 -- and my mom called the doctor.

He gave me some tamiflu and some antibiotics because my fever wouldn't go away. It's been about 48 hours that I've been on the tamiflu, and I'm starting to feel better.