Chicken Nugget Game

Many people have heard me tell of the famous "Chicken Nugget Game" that Cody likes to play. It consists of you pulling up to the drive-thru window, ordering chicken nuggets (you can add fries, milk shake, etc. if needed) then Cody makes them and hands them to you. Then you pay and he thanks you for coming.

We play this pretend game over and over again at the playground. Here is a version of the game played today at the furniture store in a cardboard box house. You'll see his helper Abby in the back trying to make orders for him.

One time, I noticed that he took my money and gave it back to me. At first I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I then figured out he was swiping it just like a debit card! How observant he is!

Trip to the Aquarium

Our family outing was to the SC Aquarium this weekend. I thought the feature exhibit was penguins, but no...it was snakes! Yeah.

Cody and Abby had no problem at all touching the snakes. Cody acted like a pro, using two fingers to touch the skin and avoiding the head, just like the snake handler told him. Abby even had fun touching the sea urchins and snails. She then put her fingers in her mouth, which grossed me out when I really started thinking about it.

The kids loved playing on the boat and in Camp Carolina. They could spend hours there if we let them. Maybe next time!







I also found this cookbook in the gift shop and took a picture of it. I thought it was funny that it said "Charleston Receipts" instead of "Charleston Recipes". I was told that it is an old spelling, but I'm thinking its an old misspelling. Either way, I got a good chuckle out of it.

Cody's Birthday Party at the Fire Museum

Cody's Birthday was so much fun at the Fire Museum. I may come back and write a bit more later, but the main highlights were seeing all the friends who came, watching the kids play in the museum, and having a real firefighter come to visit the kids. We also had some folks from church come and take some pictures (we didn't even ask for it!) and these are those pics below. Thank you Gary, Melinda & Sully!

Firefighter Keith was in NYC during the 9/11 attacks. He came and talked to the kids and some of the dads. I am sure he has some great stories to tell, but I wasn't able to chat with him much during the party. The kids had fun looking at his gear an trying on his "real" fire helmet. Thank you Keith!

Cody was so overwhelmed by all the friends, food and presents - you'll see he looks exhausted in most of the pictures. He was so excited about his cake too - a firetruck cake! He even wore his own fire chief outfit while he blew out his candles. Man, he is cute!

I told him later, "I can't believe you are three years old!" He replied enthusiastically, "I can't either!" : )

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came, who gave Cody presents (I don't know what we will do with it all), for those who helped set up & tear down, to Publix (for an awesome cake that was way better than anything I could have made) and to the staff at the Fire Museum for putting up with our friends & family. We had a great time!

Fireman Cody

I found a cute Fire Chief outfit for Cody to wear to his birthday party this weekend. It came with a jacket, helmet (one that won't break), badge, fire extinguisher, and siren/bullhorn. He was so excited to open everything and get it all on that he actually peed his pants! (He will probably hear this story again for many, many years!) He kept talking into the siren bullhorn saying, "Fireman, its my birthday!"

Drummer Abby

We cleaned out our kitchen cabinets with hopes to better organize all the clutter. We did a pretty good job, despite a few discussions on the proper storage for pots and pans (to stack or not to stack). I realized that I was saving most things plastic (just in case I might need it for leftovers), most of which had no matching lids. I also realized that I had a number of wooden spoons that I used for iced tea, but Clay didn't really like using them. So, we decided to let the kids have fun with the discarded items. Here is Abby playing the drums using some of the wooden spoons we gave her...they make great toys!

Festival of Lights - James Island Co Park

We have tried to make this a Stuckey Family tradition each year ...visiting the Festival of Lights at the James Island County Park. Last year, Abby was just a tiny baby and didn't get to see or do much. This year, she still stayed in the stroller, but enjoyed seeing all the lights. Big Brother Cody and Daddy went for a carousel ride while we watched and cheered him on - it was Cody's first carousel ride ever!

I also got a picture of Cody with one of my favorite light displays of the "Charleston 9" fire truck. If you look closely, you'll see Cody's eyes matched the lights on the truck! : )

Favorite Pic of 2008