Little Man Turns 2

Yesterday we had a really fun backyard birthday barbecue bash for little man - more about the actual party in a later post. Today we had a quiet and relaxing time planned for just the four of us.  I hadn't really thought about this until today - but I like not having little man's birthday party on his actual birthday.  It makes for a quiet way to focus on our big 2 year old - from the birthday fairy decorations on his chair to birthday cake for breakfast to giggles with mommy, daddy, and big sis about the silliness that only comes with being 2.   Happy Birthday Little Man!  The photo birthday/milestone retrospective follows - he is growing up so fast!

Welcome to the World Little Man

6 Months Old

One Year Old

18 Months Old

2 Years Old

About A Boy

I thought it would be appropriate to list a few of the many things little man is doing lately as he approaches the ripe ol' age of 2 this Sunday:

1)  Everything big sis is doing little man HAS to do.  It is quite cute to us and VERY annoying to big sis.  We just acknowledge her frustration, tell her he is learning and pretty much that is just what little brothers do, and then laugh at the kiddos when they aren't looking.  And to be honest she is still REALLY patient with him.

2)  Hippos are still a favorite.  Little man is quite fond of Tasha, the Backyardigan hippo and regularly falls asleep with her now.

3)  Animal noises are cool to little man right now.  I seem to remember this being a fascination with big sis a bit earlier than 2 - but pretty much anything verbal has occurred earlier with big sis.  My favorite animal imitation by little man is his elephant - he adds arm motions for the trunk and everything.

4)  Little man is speaking in complete sentences which most people now understand (not just us!).  It is really weird to hear him talking so clearly.  And really amazing all at the same time!

5)  He would LIVE outdoors if we would let him!  He loves to play in the water and help clean up the yard and dig in the garden.

6)  Sorting and putting things in their place are also a big fascination.  He will dump out all of his toys from a box just to "clean up" - over and over and over again.

7)  The terrible twos are upon us.  And let's face it - they have been going on since 15 months of age.  But his tantrums are getting bigger although not more frequent as I had expected.  I am sure that will come . . .

8)  He is a pretty smiley guy - and very mischievous.  Little man likes to stir up trouble or make a joke and then say "thads funneee".  Little ham!

9)  Sometimes he still cries when we drop him off at school in the mornings.  But not as often and definitely not for long.  He usually wants to walk/run into school with big sis, get a bit of cuddle time when we hit the hallway, and then greet his teachers and get to that all important playtime with his school buddies.

10)  Little man finally has started his love of reading.  We regularly read before school, as soon as we get home, and then we sometimes have to pry bedtime books away when it is time to sleep.  Love it!  And love him!!!!

Ice Cream Noise

It is little man's big week - he turns 2 this coming Sunday.  So in honor of this milestone I am hoping to make this week "all about the boy" on the blog.  We will see if I can actually stay true to the theme - his big sis likes to steal the show.  But since big sis has had quite a few big moments lately I thought it only fair to give little man some extra attention this week . . .

Birthdays are all about cake and ice cream, especially around here.  And since the ice cream truck has started cruising our neighborhood the kiddos are quite smitten with the ice cream bug.  No worries about too much ice cream - we regularly "herd" them back inside to avoid the ice cream truck tune.  We want to keep frosty goodies a special treat in limited amounts.

The following video shows how excited little man is about the "ice cream noise."  He even has a book that plays the same song. And my favorite part is the way he actually eats his half of the ice cream sandwich - no need for a plate!  As usual big sis was available to answer all of mommy's questions :)

Culture

This past week has been "family time catch up" week.  And we have spent a lot of that time drenched in culture.  Last weekend was the dance rehearsal, dance recital, and then a children's play.  I wouldn't have wanted to do so much sitting with either kiddo but unfortunately no one asked me about when was the best time to have these events.  Big sis of course did great until she was so exhausted and hungry that she melted down in tears.  But they were short lived tears and easily fixed by FOOD. 

I was most impressed with little man who at the age of almost two made it through all the sitting with very minimal fussing.  He really surprised me and watched a lot of the dancing and the play.  He started the play asleep but when he woke up he didn't cry or fuss.  As long as he was on mommy or daddy's lap he seemed ok. 

The rest of the week included stitch night for the girls/walking for the boys, shopping downtown, walking to vote at our local voting center, a fancy dinner with Disco for work, a trolley ride through the shopping/eating area near our house as well as good pizza and gelato, and play time at our favorite indoor playground

We ended the week with a Greek food festival.  As per usual, big sis was a bit picky about her food choices - but little man ate anything you put in front of him.  I was proud of big sis because she tried and loved calamari. Although, truthfully, it is so close to fish sticks I am not sure she could even tell the difference.  But we will take what we can get when it comes to expanding her palate!  I can only take so much of chicken and cheese . . .

Rainbow Connection #2

Big sis had her first dance recital today. It was a huge event for the dance studio and a long day for us. She held up well until the finale, which she didn't perform. But who could blame her after such a big event . . .

Her dance group was precious!!! We felt bad for the little girl who started crying - Aunt K and I even shed a tear or two for her ourselves. The teachers and the little girl's mother (who was the backstage mom for our group) were trying desperately to get her to exit the stage during the performance to comfort her. Poor little one was just too scared or sad to know what to do.

I was worried how the little girl's sadness might affect big sis. But big sis danced her little heart out regardless of the drama beside her. All the little girls wanted the teary-eyed rainbow to dance with them. But when she didn't, they improvised and were able to do parts of their dance without her. The show must go on . . . Of all the performances, this one was the only one where the crowd was so involved - cheering for each move the teary-eyed rainbow could make. It was so sweet!

I have to admit that "Rainbow Connection" is one of my favorite songs - although Kermit's version is the one I prefer. But even without the sadness from one of the dancers, I would have cried anyway. It was a sentimental song for big sis' first performance!

In the video, big sis is the little rainbow to the right of the sad rainbow. Enjoy!

Rainbow Connection #1

Here are the pictures from big sis' first dance recital - thanks to the SWEET camera loaned to Disco by our pal catlady.  It is the Cadillac of cameras, especially with some of Disco's better lenses.  We have an awesome video to post but waiting for the download . . .soon.  So until then enjoy these sweet pictures of our little rainbow ballerina:

DONE!

Finals are OVER!!!  I am so excited about "summer" and spending more time with the kiddos.  And I can't wait to get some sleep!

Yup, she's my daughter

If anyone was wondering . . . yes, big sis is my daughter.  Many times we tease that she really belongs to Aunt K because they are both night owls who are picky eaters.  But big sis has my emotional side for sure! 

This month is a big transition for all of us - the last spring program at school (we are saying goodbye to some school friends already), visiting our new school to meet the teachers she will have next fall at pre-k, and our last days of dance before summer break.  I think we may have been talking too much about any and all of these before dance today.  Because when I was ready to leave a sad little, teary-eyed ballerina wouldn't let go.  We cuddled for another minute and talked about what fun she would have at dance today and our plans for when she got home.  And I held it together until she went in the door.  But when I got to the car I got all teary-eyed myself. 

She is growing up so quickly!  Even though she probably has no clue what brought on her tears today, or if she does she isn't quite big enough to express her sadness in the right words, I know these transitions are hard for her.  And for me.  I guess we will be muddling through them together from here on out.

Below is a picture of big sis on her first day of dance - oddly enough this is the same outfit she wore to dance today, her last day of this year.  So big already - and more growing to come!

Comedian

Mister mischievous posing yet again.  He wandered around the living room like this to make sure everyone saw his new trick.  Little man cracks us up with his explorations into "the silly" on a daily basis.  I love this little guy - and I love seeing his funny interpretations of the world!

Mommy's Day

Today we just spent time around the house relaxing for Mother's Day - the best way to spend it in my opinion! We had a big breakfast at home with a beautiful floral centerpiece on the table from the kiddos.  They each made a homemade card for mommy.  We lounged outside and inside.  And the kiddos were in pretty good moods all day so it was fun to just relax/play with them.  The day ended with all of us piled in big sis' bed for story time.  And I held both kiddos as they drifted off to sleep.  Perfect!

Refurbished Brick Patio

Disco has been working really hard to clean up our backyard!  My job has been to find any remaining rusty nails/broken glass and herd the toddler/pre-school crowd.  Mainly because if I cleaned up the yard I would throw away many items Disco deems "essential." 

The cool part of this process has been that the kiddos are really enjoying their backyard adventures.  Although big sis can get a bit frustrated about being outside if she would rather watch TV with her blankie - little man would live outside if we would let him!  The kiddos are great "helpers" and regularly find some way to help us.  Big sis loves digging for worms and moving them to the hops garden and little man likes to sort and stack rocks/bricks.  Both enjoy picking up construction trash with me - even though it has been 2 years since construction was completed we still have plenty of trash!

The other cool part of this process is that Disco has been re-using all of the "saved" materials he has collected over the years.  Dirt piles have been moved to fill in holes, rocks used for drainage, and leaves/grass for composting.  The left over lumber is soon to be new swingset/fort for the the kiddos.  And even though we will have to make the brick patio "permanent" at some point - it was nice to start thinking about placement, etc today.

As with most projects, the kiddos made themselves right at home on the refurbished brick patio:

Let's Pretend!

Big sis performed in her final spring program at school today.  It was bittersweet because I love those productions but this was her last time to sing/dance before she starts "big kid school" next year.  Big sis has got rhythm - and she was born with it! Her Bondo, Grandmother B, Grandad M, Aunt K, and myself all can cut a rug from time to time . . . so she literally got the boogie genes.  And she can belt out the words to the songs as well!  I am going to stop gushing with pride and praise now and let you watch . . .

I apologize for the blurry video and shaking hand - but we laughed so many times it was hard to keep still!  Big sis is the one in the center with the cute little bouncing pony tail.  Enjoy!