38 months

Hey Keaton,

Whoosh, this month was a full one. Full of so much fun and family time. As you like to say, "I love your cuddly skin!" And a close second favorite expression was, "These are my hugging muscles!" You are my cuddler that pays very close attention to just about everything, then you ask "Is that going to be important?"  What a critical thinker. 

One thing that defines this month is swords. "Ay yi yi" was copied frequently as I tried to wrangle your new found love.  My theory is that I can teach you how to be calm and gentle and your former college fencer dad thinks you already have fencing skills.  Your love started in Epcot's Norway when you saw a little girl carrying her very own nor-wee-gen sword.  You picked that as your favorite and it really kept you happy.  We even lasted to see the fireworks as you swiped the air at the big booms.  Then how could you resist the Lego Chima swords at Legoland.  "Look at my new lion sword, isn't that unique?" "Hey, guess what you can share his sword with me Aiden"

You are going to love this summer with your brother around, but whoosh I'm trying to save up my energy to keep up with you two, squirrelly devils. You love it when I call you squirrelly and you laugh about the Those Darn Squirrels books which have become favorites (same author as Dragons Love Tacos).

It's just like this year of crazy weather to all of a sudden feel like summer. You are enjoying diaper-free life in underpants during these hot days, and I'm enjoying it even more. You had your first visit to Smaland at Ikea where you immediately made friends with a bigger boy.  You love keeping up with the big dogs just like your brother used to; you both are little chihuahuas.  When you are playing with little kids you laugh harder than I normally hear you laugh and really live it up.  You like the idea of sharing with your friends, but you try to tell me that some kids aren't your friends…um, ok kid.

You found your old tootsy rattles and I told you that when you were a baby you would wear them on your feet and giggle - You replied, "What was the joke?" You made me laugh and then tried to stick your long feet in those tiny footsies.  You know how to make us laugh.  Like when we were playing in the playhouse at Building Museum, "It's 6:00 I have to go to work. Bye! Should we go?!"

While point to the Washington Monument, "Hey, that building is on Google Earth!"  You love looking over your brother's shoulder as he plays computer games and especially as he travels the globe with Google Earth challenges.  You also love looking through the Guinness Book of World Records with him - just to yell out "creepy!" as much as possible.

One visit to Target you were accidentally dressed as a miniature Target employee in your perfect red polo.  You were so excited when the produce guy noticed.  You are proud when you get to be your dad's workout weights as he lifts you in the air.  You were proud when you 'rescued' your dad's sunglasses from the guy that tried to help pick them up after they fell off his head while he was jumping onto stage following the juggler during the Rocky theme song.  You are sometimes a confused guy with good intentions.

After the donut appetizer course at GBD (golden brown delicious!), you were tired and ready to go home.  The chicken and biscuits arriving didn't deter you from being ready to go, but you cooperated with a belly full of donut holes.  You would probably prefer a plate full of fruit anyway.

"I need a new mouth, Mama" after you took a bump to the chin and your teeth cut into your inner lip.  You also had a scratch on your forehead at the same time, so for a short bit this month you looked like a street fighter.  You are a tough guy, who wasn't afraid of the dark maze at the Space Center or the big scratchy rope climber at Legoland.

"I'm not a hammock, don't lay on me!"  But the funniest was before you learned what it was called you asked your dad, "I want to go on mommy's outside sleeping curtain!" You love to pretend the hammock is a big ship - you and your brother break the relaxation with a few "mayday maydays!" 

You love to pretend you have an imaginary map - "I found some treasure, it's a hot dog!"  (from the new Pigeon book, which I knew wouldn't disappoint). You loved building special traps against the trees in the backyard and checking them for imaginary guys.  You will stomp around our somewhat unkempt yard with a new stick every minute.  You loved finding the slimy salamander at the playground with your little buddies.  You passed around a worm at the park with your field trip buddies. You touched all the slimy underwater guys at the creature show at your school.  "Slimy, creepy crawly guys are my favorite, Mama!"

You love the covered egg chair your grandparents got you for your birthday.  You pretend you are in a washing machine spin cycle and then you get out and find another pretend mud puddle and you want another cycle. 

KC: Do you have gloves for me?

Mom: We don't usually wear gloves in spring and summer.

KC: I might get wind on my fingers!

Ever since you joined Figment on his ride at Epcot you've been into telling me about your senses, especially smell.  "What's that amazing delicious smell?"  You notice cinnamon buns for Mother's Day or flowers at Epcot Guys. At the Colonial Faire at the seafarers' table, you held up a seashell right as a plane went by and said "I hear an airplane in there!"

You have a funny expression you appear to have made up, but you repeat frequently. "He mooon-a-patrize me" when your leg gets sticky and you transform into a daddy.  You sometimes ask the funniest roundabout questions, like "Are those somebody's daddy's dancing with Mickey?"  You surprised me the other day trying to pass someone, you said, "Excuse me sir."  All of this isn't nearly as funny as hearing you singing the Oompas song (from Aiden's show).

You love one-on-one daddy time - you will say as I leave for the store, "Ok, bye mom, go to the store and get stuff daddy needs like paper towels."  You love to compare, "Daddy's hairs are very big, mine are tiny" - all the while trying to convince your brother you have hairy legs.  You will ask about "when I was daddy's age or what was I like at Aiden's age?  Did I have hair all over me like daddy?!" I said you haven't been daddy's age yet, your reply:  "That's right it's not a good idea to be big and gross!"

Your word mix ups are even funnier as your language develops.

"I thought we were going home to the show and tell" (aka hotel)

"The airplane is going to blast we need to get to the turtle" (aka terminal).  When you say monument it sounds a lot like 'mommy mint.'

A bug jumped on you as we were reinstalling your car seat in the airport parking garage at 12:30am after a flight delay.  You trembled and growled that "something is tickling me!"  The whole car ride home you chattered, when you should've been sleeping (if you hadn't just had an adrenaline rush): "Guys, anyone have a tickle bug on their leg? Do you think my talons could protect me from the bug? I think the bug just thought I was a tree!"

While waking up to head to Disney World in our condo, "Make the sun go back down- I want to sleep - its nighttime!" While in the dark plane on the way home, "turn that sun back on please!" On our ridiculous two hour flight delay you were mostly giddy.  Thank goodness for your good travel guy trend! When they did the safety check and demonstrated the life vest you said, "No thanks, I don't want to do that!"

When we lost a map, "I left the map and it will be really sad because he will miss his family!" It usually works when you grab a rock or a stick that I want you to put down to tell you that he wants to go back with his friends.  When there were characters you wanted to meet, "Why are they dancing I want to hug them?!"

While watching a show in the sun, "I  need some cool wind - fan me please." 

On our trip you loved making Easter eggs with your bendaroos.  You love when you recognize something or can repeat a project you've done before.  You love doing puzzles "just like at school!"  You're going to miss being at school this summer, but I know we will have plenty of fun projects at Mommy Camp.  The masterpiece you made on canvas for mother's day is going to need a whole curated exhibit ;)

You had fun at the open tennis day, and you got your own class with the instructor who liked calling you "a trip.'  You repeated later, "Tennis is a trip mommy, did you know it's fun?!"  You copied your brother who likes to change the words to songs, singing, "Old McDonald I think these goldfish will make me happy!" "If you take my heart and put it into Aiden he would be Keaton or half mommy's heart I would be half Keaton" You seem predisposed to be philosophical according to your dad who can remember thinking about philosophical thought experiments as a kid.  

When I said goodbye to you this morning as we head out on our tenth anniversary trip, you said, "Mommy, can I stay with Gran Gran?!" It's a really good sign that you really are going to be in grandparent heaven while we are off in NYC only paying attention to our own potty needs.  I joke, but I will be relieved to only have to carry my own stuff.  

My all time favorite list of quotes has expanded with your commonly repeated "I have the best family ever!" And "yay I get to cuddle mama!"  You have a silly habit of just using one collective name: Daddy Mommy which you think is funny.

Love, Your mommy daddy