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.
This summer the head has been oppressive. We did our best to overcome the oppression by going to the pool late in the afternoon and doing our weekly outside playdate in the morning at fairly shady parks. And now, after all of the effort to deal with the heat, we are finally served with a beautiful gray day with light showers.
It was the perfect day for the guys to go out with their new Thomas the Tank Engine umbrellas and get wet in the rain. The pictures below are from the beginning of their outside adventures, but by the end of the 30+ minutes outside, they were both pretty darn wet. Apparently it isn't that exciting to hold umbrellas over your head. Instead, it is much better to leave the on the ground to collect as much rain as possible (while getting yourself wet in the rain), and then pour any accumulation over either your head or your brother's.
And, when they came inside, I had sweatpants and t-shirts. That's right, I said "sweatpants". Now that it's only 75* today, I feel that I need to keep my kids bundled up. Oh well, we should be back in the high 80's tomorrow, so it'll be back to shorts and sandals. But for today, I'm enjoying the rain, the coolness, and the relaxation associated with a rainy day.
Over the last 2 weeks, I've spent a lot of time at the "big" pool at either my Mom's or my subdivisions. Watching my little guys makes me realize how much they're growing. Z can now sit on his tush in our kiddie pool at our pool and still be able to breathe. My mom taught A how to be a "submarine" and hold his breath underwater while moving or trying to get objects, so now he has to do it all the time. And, when in the big pool, A can touch his feet comfortably on the floor of the 3ft section of the pool and doggie paddle around.
Swim lessons start next week for A, and he is totally primed for a successful class. Woo Hoo!
This summer has been hot and humid, and thus filled with many afternoons in either the "big pool" of our subdivision, or our little backyard blow-up pool. When at home, I let my little guys enjoy the backyard pool sans clothes, and have been known to scrub 'em with a bar of soap and hose them down just in time for dinner. It's certainly a thing I think I will forever associate with summer, and probably this summer in particular.
A turned 4, and Z's acting like he's 13, so we've got lots of growing up happening at our house.
Z is now officially in his toddler bed and he's adjusting fairly well; after a few tearful falls and even a few smooth landings, we decided it was time to retire the crib.
A is working on learning to write his numbers and letters, complete simple mazes, and start reading sight words. We have a number of workbooks that G's sister gave me (thanks Coll!), and I went overboard and bought a ton more from Target's $1 section. So, A likes to do "activity" sheets regularly these days.
Z is walking up and downstairs without crawling.
A is learning the difference between telling the truth and telling falsehoods. I hesitate to call them lies because I don't think he completely understands the difference between what he wants to be true and what is true.
A has figured out that he can now open the fridge and enjoys the ability to grab his milk and take a swig any time he feels like it, and Z is learning to say "Pease" and "'ank oooo" whenever A allows Z to grab his own cup too.
Growing up is also about understanding consequences like sitting in time out when you throw toys or slam doors or go into the bathroom unassisted when you plan to put toys in the toilet (Some day, a plumber will be very happy with the bill he will earn from me for all of the toys he's going to have to snake out of my pipes. Oy vey!)
But generally, growing up is about learning. testing, experimenting, observing, feeling (sometimes very acutely), and simply being.
And finally, growing up, at least at this stage of development is full of imagination. Both of my guys are regularly pretending to do a multitude of things from cooking, cleaning, driving cars, playing with dragons, flying planes, and sitting on the sun.
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.
And, when they came inside, I had sweatpants and t-shirts. That's right, I said "sweatpants". Now that it's only 75* today, I feel that I need to keep my kids bundled up. Oh well, we should be back in the high 80's tomorrow, so it'll be back to shorts and sandals. But for today, I'm enjoying the rain, the coolness, and the relaxation associated with a rainy day.
