I have two sons, A and Z. A used to refer to his teddy bears as Tebby Dares and I still think it's the cutest thing. I hope you enjoy reading about my boys and the things they do and say.
Only a few visitors this summer - Mommy's cousin Gaye and her two kids (no pics) spent a great afternoon with Grandma at Grandma's neighborhood pool, and Uncle Jon from NY spent 10 days with us on a working vacation.
We also finally got around to seeing Great Grandma and her fabulous garden that she lovingly tends with her two adult sons.
Enjoy the pics. :-)
Daddy, A & Uncle Jon
Great Grandma, A & Z
p.s. If you're wondering about A's forehead, don't worry, it's just a surface cut. It looks a lot worse than it is.
Life with a kiddo under the age of 2 is always active, however, with Mr. Z, it is also full of "no's" (pronounced "nah"), giggles, yelling just for the pure pleasure of hearing his own voice, power struggles and "alright's" (his answer to almost anything when he doesn't say "nah"). Most recent milestones:
- Climbed out of his crib. Fortunately he scared himself half to death and has gone a few days without trying it again.
- Jumped with two feet off the ground. It used to be that he'd just scoot his feet over the edge of the platform from which he was "jumping" and fall onto the ground, but now he actually uses his little springy legs to jump, jump, jump. And he tells you about it while he's doing it.
- First competition with Daddy about who is more stubborn. Daddy won... this time.
A turned 4 this weekend. As per our usual, we kept it low-key with just a few friends and the local grandparents. A certainly had fun, and landed a ton of loot.
There will also be a lunch next weekend at our favorite burger joint for those folks who couldn't make it this weekend, so the fun is not yet over. However, below are the pics of the fun we've had so far.
But, before I delve into photo fun, here's a bit of an update about my big guy and where he is in his life today.
A is finally really getting the hang of potty training. I think he'll be ready to go to preschool in the fall.
We've been watching sight word DVDs, playing with flash cards, and writing in preschool workbooks to get ready for learning to read and write. He can now write his name without help, recognize all of his letters and the majority of their sounds, and count up to 20. He's very curious and enjoys learning.
A loves the pool, and although we still haven't managed to get in any swim lessons this year, he's showing an appropriate respect for the water while also learning to enjoy it. He jumps like a frog into and out of the water, and clearly wishes he could spend more time there. He's also great about water at home - playing in our little pool in the backyard, taking a bath, or even showering alone.
We're very fortunate to have such a loving, sweet boy for a son, and although he tries our patience regularly, we wouldn't want any other child for our first born son.
Z loves to climb up in the big chairs for our kitchen table, and any time he can, he tries to get me to feed him there. So far, I've resisted because he's just a bit too squirmy, plus he seems to forget that he's in a regular chair instead of seat that keeps him contained and has almost fallen a few times. But, today I relented for lunch and the results were rather happy.
Last week I pulled out the kiddie pool to keep the boys entertained. Enjoy their enjoyment in the kiddie pool. This week, if the weather lets up, we'll actually head to the real pool. Woo hoo!
Oy! I fed my children smoothies tonight for dinner, and apparently that's all it takes to give a sugar high to my kids. It's 9pm and they're still awake! They played outside today for 4 (yes 4!) hours, then bathed, then had dinner of smoothies and Cheez It's (Daddy had to work late so Mommy was a tad bit creative). And they're still awake. Meanwhile, I'm like dead mom walking.
Z's smoothie face and bib. Still had to change the shirt, but I suppose it was a lot better than it would've been without the bib.
Anyway, the best news is that summer is almost here. I can't say that I'm ready for school to end next week, but I am ready for some serious pool time, and also some serious potty training. We've got to get A to stay dry long enough to be able to go to school in the fall. Please wish us luck.
So, today was the summer haircut day. I shaved both of my kids for their summer 'dos. Don't they look great?
Daddy, A & Uncle Jon
Great Grandma, A & Z
