feeding

tractor

toe jam

Rebecca, Aiden, his Partner in Crime, Tyler, and his mom Cheryl were Toe Jam Puppet Band regulars this past season at the Buttonwood Zoo on Mondays.  I always loved hearing Aiden tell me about how much fun he had at the Toe Band.  We'd ventured out on a few long weekend holidays, but now I can go with Aiden any Monday that I want!  We cruised out there today and I captured these snippets:

Toe Jam Puppet Band from LB on Vimeo.

fireworks

Happy 8/9/10!  Fireworks from this past weekend:

theater & wand

This is a photo taken after the official magic show was over (because you can't record magic shows with very serious magicians - bummer) and there was a guitar player playing before the fireworks. Aiden hung out and played with his new wand (Most of these photos were in the dark - ug not so hot).  This is the stage that Aiden marched right up onto in front of hundreds of people and the big lights:

magic!

This time last year we sort of happened upon the Rehoboth Fair. See my iphone photo rundown at the second half of this post.  This year we almost didn't make it there after a nice afternoon at a housewarming party for a friend of mine.  My bait was the fireworks show, which we heard last year from our house and it's a bummer missing a good fireworks show when you can hear it right over the tree line.

We made it in time to check out all the animals and even catch another year of Lance Gifford's magic show!  Last year we were crying from laughter when the bunny peed on a little boy, and this year was beyond belief.  Let's just say that J almost lost his contacts he was laughing/crying so hard.

We had somehow ended up with seats in the front center, so when he asked if anyone wanted to come up to pet the bunny kid's swarmed up to the stage.  J paused (because we know what can happen with this bunny from last year's debacle) but he was a sweet daddy and helped Aiden reach up on the stage.  As the magician lifted the bunny up it sprayed a line of pee everywhere!  It looked like it was shooting out of a water gun and it mostly got right on J's arms.  He was in denial for a few seconds thinking it was a prank, but oh no, it was real bunny pee all over him. Everyone was laughing already, but the story gets better.

After we had sorta recovered from the bunny pee and it only faintly smelled, they asked for a volunteer to come up on stage.  They wanted a little kid "say, yay, tall" (tinier than expected) and a big strong man.  There were tons of kids standing tall raising their hands high in the air.  Aiden just stood calmly with his arm half up, and all of a sudden the magician was asking J how old he was... I assumed that when we yelled out that he was only two he would be disqualified, because you'd never believe a two year old could be mature enough to handle standing in one place on stage, right?

Flash forward a few seconds and Aiden was hiking it up the stairs onto the big stage.  I could hardly believe how little and big he looked under those lights.  Is it possible to seem so little and so big at the same time?
The magician asked him his name, and he replied, "Ainen!"
The magician asked him how old he was, he held up two fingers and said "Two!"
The magician asked him where he lived, he quickly answered, "My house!"
The crowd laughed.

He continued to make people giggle (and me and J cry from laughing so hard - Was it nervous laughter too?  Possibly, for good reason as you will see later in this story)
"What do you think of the show so far?"  Aiden said into the mic, "Cool!"
Then the magician went looking for a big and strong guy to also come up on stage.
Aiden pretended to flex his muscles and held up his fists.
It was a strange feeling to hear people say "Look at that kid, hilarious!"   That was my kid!  My two year old.

Eventually they got another poor guy up on stage (J didn't want to go up so that he could watch Aiden).  They bring out a big box with straps, and ask the strong guy and Aiden to check it out.  Aiden turns and lunges towards the box trying to push it with all his might.  The magician jokes that Aiden is doing his evening stretches.  Then he makes a joke about locking Aiden in the box, which halted my amusement for a second because that wasn't what we agreed to when we let our baby up on stage under those big lights.

Then they ask Aiden and the other guy to stand over at the side and smile.  Aiden gives them his chinny, squinty fake smile.  They help test out the strong chain for what was called a Houdini Metamorphosis trick where two magician guys switch spots in the locked up box.  They asked Aiden and the strong guy to hold their hands up and I kept thinking that some bird was going to come flying out of the box and land on his arm.  I had visions of comforting him from some horrible bird nightmares  - Ug, my imagination is horrible.  Luckily it all ended smoothly with a cheer, when the magicians switched spots and the main guy popped out of the box in the chain. Aiden looked unimpressed and just kept shaking his hips to the loud dramatic music.  I really thought he was going to start break dancing up there, but he carefully followed directions and stayed in his spot.

After the trick was complete, he invited Aiden to come over to center stage.  Aiden walked over and kept his distance, the magician pressed him to come closer, and he shimmied a tiny teeny bit, then a little more, and finally close to the microphone.  The magician asked Aiden if he would like a big prize or the small prize?  Aiden paused, and then with a half smile, said "Both!" The magician said, " Ooh, aren't you smart!" and presented him with a magic coloring book, magic coin trick, crayons, and a pass to the vortex ride (which happened to be a big advertisement message to buy "everything you see here for your little magician!").

Then the magician said he had one more surprise and a question for Aiden, "What do you think every good magician needs to make magic?"  Aiden mumbles, "a gurlfend!" - The magician asks, ""What did you say you need for magic to happen?" - Aiden replies with a question in his voice "a girl friend!? - "I thought that is what you said!  He's two years old, ladies and gentlemen!  Who are his parents?"  I was still crying from laughing so hard and now from embarrassment. The magician continued, "Well,  here's your magic wand and if you get good enough at it maybe it will help you find a girlfriend!"  

Aiden took a bow, waved from the stage with his magician loot as the show ended, and then hopped down to greet a bunch of people still laughing about his girlfriend comment.  Even in line to get an ice cream pop everyone already knew his name.  He was then running around with his pop up magic wand saying "Remember I went up on stage and made magic!"

It was beyond belief how he actually responded to those questions with a sense of humor.  I have a sneaky suspicion that the girlfriend comment came from his love of the bunny magic trick his great poppie does, since the bunnies have a girlfriend which leads to a handful of little bunnies.  I never would have guessed it would pop into his mind like this though!  What a strange feeling to be so amused and embarrassed!  I'm just glad that he felt so good about his first trip on stage.  I have a feeling it won't be his last.

p.s. Sorry no film was allowed - but I guess some memories are meant to be lived instead of recorded.... although I really, really wish I had this to share with you all....and especially with Aiden at age 16.  ha!
I do have some photos from the rest of the day I will post later...

SAHM

So you figure there are 168 hours in a week, so where does all that time go in this new SAHM routine?
Putting in my hours from this past week - I am loving this job ;)

Hours spent sleeping: 49 (one day of sleeping in to almost 8 which meant I got a bunch of work done)
Hours spent "working": at least 30 (getting all my part time work, new freelance gig, and upcoming wedding photography details arranged)
Hours spent chasing Aiden on his bike: 3
Hours spent pushing the truck on a stick around the block: 3
Hours spent playing with the neighbors: 3
Hours spent playing freeze and running (no tagging per Aiden's rules) around the house: 3
Hours spent coloring and tracing: 3
Hours spent at a playground (mostly on the slides!): 3
Hours spent reading to Aiden: 7
Hours spent puzzling: 3
Hours spent at the library (mostly also doing puzzles and puppets): 3
Hours spent at the beach: 3

Hours spent napping: 10 (waaay less than normal)
Hours spent attempting to go to sleep before nap: 8

Hours spent with tv on: 4 (just right for relax time)
Hours spent in the shower/bath: 3
Hours spent on the potty or getting to a potty as fast as possible: 2

Hours spent eating, cooking, or making a kitchen mess:  13
Hours spent having lunch with friends: 5
Hours spent driving in the car loaded with toys and books: 8
Hours spent painting, caulking, fixing the bathroom up: 2

It's that easy to fill up 168 hours!

You'll notice not many household chores fit in there, but I know that next week will not be quite as packed with friendly fun (and hopefully I will still have a napper by then!)  I had grand plans for fancy dinners and fixing up this joint, but that will all get done eventually.

not on film

We've had a ton of fun lately, but a bunch of it is not caught on film:
- Our first hike in the "real woods" around the Turner Reservoir Loop spent looking for frogs and turtles.  I think we have a new family activity since we all loved it.
- A playdate with a new school friend that he will hopefully recognize on the playground in a few weeks.  Meeting the other family from the school really sealed the deal for me that this will be a good experience... let's hope they meet my expectations ;)
- Another trip to the Creamery for the crafts! and a little ice cream Aiden helped scoop himself in the "itchen" - I'll have to post a craft review soon... our favorite craft leader is going off to college in a few weeks - Aiden told her he will miss her.
- A visit to the beach crawling with city campers (who were creating a talent show with acts well beyond their six years! - uh, I'm not sure I can handle little girls - they also apparently have boyfriends at that age!)  Aiden was pretty focused on digging and trying to jump into the water, so I was glad he didn't see any of that action.
- A work lunch where they invited Aiden to come along with us and he cooperated and charmed folks... luckily, he didn't have a potty accident until after we were headed to the car... Ug, oh well, first accident out with me.
- A trip to a park with friends where they have a huge slide built into the hill, which daredevil AB had no problem slinking up the rope net to get to the huge long tube.

Here is a fun evening game that WAS caught on film:

Also, on film, Aiden's new favorite distraction - Talking Carl:

33 months!

Dear Aiden,

This has been a big month of transition and the month where friends became important to you.  We made some pretty big life transitions in our family.  I resigned from my full time job so that I will be there more for you.  Rebecca got a "real" job (and no matter how much we would explain that she doesn't leave our house to go to work and that you were her work, you didn't get it) and we were all very happy for her to become an Early Intervention Specialist where she will help other little kids in their homes. She was such a match for our family and  we were so lucky to have her.  She knows you so well since she's helped and comforted you since you were three months old.  I hope that she will always be part of our family.

Last month you would introduce yourself, but this month you genuinely wanted to play and interact. You'd ask ahead of leaving the house for Gymboree if you could be a frog and ask a friend to be a princess to play on the jump pad.  Once we got there you would run up to the first kid you see to try to get them to play frog games or pretend to poof into a princess (you don't really get why some boys say they "can't" be a princess).  I'd say that some times you were a pest, but most of the time the kids liked to go along with your story.  I would just step back and listen, and sometimes if a kid wasn't listening to you anymore, before you got all worked up into a bossy fit, I would gently redirect you to try something else.  Although, you usually ended up making friends with even the bigger kids.  I think you'll be happy starting school in a little over a month and it will really feed your excitement for friends.

We went on a steamy bike ride after work one day and you saw two bigger kids come out of their garage.  You looked at me and asked, "Can I go say hi?"  I said sure and you hopped off that bike quicker than I thought you could.  You bounced up to them, "Hey, I'm Aiden, do you want to...?"  You weren't quite sure what you wanted to do with them.  They were sorta shy big kids and just sorta stared at you.  So you went on, "That is my mom over there, and that is my dad!"  They continued to stare at you.  You then started jabbering about your bike and my heart hurt a little at how your enthusiasm was completely lost on these bigger kids.  They didn't really want to play with a little kid, but they were polite enough to just listen and stare.  I chimed in that it was time to keep riding, and you waved bye and bounced back towards us unaffected by the lack of response.  I explained to you that sometimes bigger kids are shy or just busy with other things... You didn't care that they weren't that interested in playing with you and you just pedaled on... I hope it's always that easy for you.

You're very into sequence or what comes next/after/before/last.  You will explain, "I'm goin to spin around, make a scary face, then fall down."  Then you giggle once you've done it or screech if anyone prevents you from completing your plan.  You've always been good about transitions, so we will ask you, "What is the last thing you want to do before you go?" or "Before we do that, we'll do this."  Usually we will always go potty before something and you are a master of keeping up with full time undie pants now (I promise not to get into details about your swimming poop families).

Sometimes you will say the funniest, sassiest little phrases, like "Mom, I feeling tired of caring..." or

"Man, it's blazing hot!"  I liked your hair a little longer, but you were such a hot mess you needed a haircut.  Now you're just a hot mess with shorter hair.  When you become a shaggy hair sweat monster you are surprisingly not stinky, which you insist on reminding me if I tell you you seem sweaty.  You were excited to get your hair cut and whenever anyone asks you, you act all happy to tell them about it.  You also like to use your kitchen utensils to pretend to cut your hair and mine.  Ug, I hope that "I'm trimming your hair in the back" is never actual trimming.  We have at least a few more weeks of hot summer where you will have sweaty "knee pits" and you'll want to show off your belly button when you are hot.

You did so well riding in the car all the way to gran and pops and back which was over 18 hours total in the car.  We got a new lap desk which you really liked because you could do puzzles and coloring on it.  We stopped at this fun rest stop that I remember stopping at during our trips east when I was a youngin' - There is a bridge over the road with windows.  You loved waving to the trucks from the bridge and getting them to honk.  Your favorite new game in the car is a special edition travel Zingo!  I love travel games that are quick and easy and contain all the pieces.  You also fell in love with these Happy Meal guys we got on our road trip - Abba and Anna the white bat.  Abba is some sort of six legged mystical bison type creature from the Airbender movie and he shoots Anna out of his back (which I hid from you for a while before I figured out it was safe enough to play with in the car). 

When we were in Ohio you went exploring around the house and found your new friend, Todd the giant cheetah.  He's nearly as big as you are!  You have a team of three, Marchy bear, Friend bear, and Todd, who you sleep with every night now and call your "sweetest friends!" You can barely tell that you are under all those animals because you pile them up on your tummy.  When you wake up, you occasionally will heave them all down the stairs and giggle, then you yell, "Here I come!"  You love to wear just a tshirt to sleep and your new Buzz Lightyear jammie top is a favorite.  You like to pretend to be Buzz and your dad in your tiny cowboy hat is Woody.  You say "to infunity and beyond!" - You quickly corrected your kidding dad when he said "to infinity and no further!"

Sometimes you'll notice new things and get so excited about them. When we were visitin Gran and Pop's house, you noticed the cuckoo clock and you'd shout at it, "it's cucoking, that clock! it's coouking!"   You would try so hard to get the pronunciation right.  You don't even seem to notice when you have sand encrusted all over you.  You did tell me that you had "crunchies in your undies" which turned out to be sand.  You love playing with "Talking Carl" on the iphone or even better the live version with your dad.  The gist of it is that it repeats whatever you say in a higher pitched voice, which you think it just hysterical.

Your favorite game is a version of freeze tag without any actual tagging.  It's essentially a chase around the house game, then when you yell freeze the person chasing starts getting chased... and so on...  I tried to actually tag you once when I caught up with your fast feet, and that did not go over well.  You know how you want the game played and we are working on a little more two year old flexibility.  I think that is where your montessori school will be especially helpful.  But in the meantime, to avoid meltdowns at the store I've been known to let you blow on every pinwheel in the bin because you know what you want... and besides it's fun to blow on 100 pinwheels?!  But you have been more agreeable to a certain number of things at a time as long as we lay out the expectations ahead of time... so I plan ahead if I see a bin of pinwheels now.

There are so many little phrases that I want to remember.  Looking for your milk cup, "Where's my milky-saur?!" You will get on a kick where you like turning everything into a "saur!"   You will ask me to "be a good t-rex and snarl."  You will explain to me that you are a super hero guy and all "savey - to da rescue!"  You call the GPS an EMS instead and then you laugh.  You love to say "wowo" in a hushed voice which helps prevent you from screaming when you get excited.  We can't easily sub things and trick you anymore.  You'll say specific things like "that hat is too squishy to be a cowboy hat!"  You've started getting better about using a quiet voice.  You'll even tell me "shhh, really quietly mom..."

You started getting more creative with some of your go-to games.  The laundry basket has always been pretty fun to sit in, but now you've started hiding under the laundry basket and shimmying around pretending to be Yertle the Turtle and standing on top of it.  You played a fun skype game with Gran and Pop where they would hold  up an animal and peek parts of it onto the camera and you would try to figure out what they were showing you one part at a time.  You still like playing under the couch cushions, which have now transformed from walls into the side of an egg.  You will "break the egg" pushing away the couch cushions and you will pop out tweeting like a chick.

You have plenty of little bumps from random falls, especially now that you can really cruise on both your big and little bike. One time I asked you to show me where you bumped your head, and instead of pointing at your head you pointed to the spot you fell against.  You wanted me to scold that wall or something.  We love to ask you what we do for work and see what you come up with....You usually say something about Brown Uno-versity.  We then thought to ask you the other day what your job is - You quickly replied, "I work at the doctor's office and I'm good at working to get shots...poke poke"  You love playing with you doctor kit, and telling us that we are "all ok!"  While listening to daddy's heart he asked you what hearts are for, and you answered, "for loving you!"

You're not being a huge fan of sweet flavors.  Gran made you some jello, but you were mostly playing with your first jello jiggler squirrel instead of actually eating him.  You explained to me the other day that "fruit is slimy and sometimes crunchy, but that's ok."   You are not shy to declare your love for all types of ice cream. You still love scooping your own with your craft buddy Chelsea at the Creamery.  You like to serve yourself water from the fridge door.  Your enthusiasm led to first time use of the lock feature since you wouldn't stop shooting ice cubes around the kitchen.

Over the 4th of July you were excited to watch us play ping pong and badminton.  So excited that you ran in circles cheering and getting all giddy when you'd catch the birdie for us.  Despite my mild resistance to it, you've really picked up on the Fresh Beat Band - "Let's be the Beats!  Break it Down!"  I'm happy to dance along with you, but even happier when you decide that you'd rather read books on the computer.  There is this cool site where you can click through the books yourself, and even though you don't really realize, you are giving a book to a charity for every book you read.  You have read some of them so many times that you have the pages fully memorized.

Thanks to your Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? Eric Carle book you learned baby animal names this month.  It also has special names for moms and dads in the back of the book too.  You are hooked and have remember them better than I do.   You like to remind me that a Mama Kangaroo is a Fly-er!  At some point J was explaining to you that Sophy used to be a baby kitten.  He showed you some photos of her as a tiny kitty and you asked to look at them for days (mostly because you are hooked on using scrolling through things on the computer with the arrow keys).  

It gives me a big smile whenever you run up to a new friend and say, "Hi, I'm Aiden and this is my mom Warren!"  I'm glad that you are excited to introduce me and I realize that won't last forever.  But for now, it warms my heart that I am lucky enough to spend more time with you. 

Love, Your Lucky Mama

new carousel

Clearing off my July photos, I realized I never put up photos from our trip to the Buttonwood Zoo to check out their new animal carousel.  It has 17 different types of animals!  Aiden quickly picked the tiger as his first choice.

We then ran around the zoo to check out the barn.  Aiden was amazed by the big swimming beavers (you can see some in the shadows hiding from the sun).

Taking a break in the shade to peak over the hill at the bison.

This is the little wave off I got when I asked him to smile at me... oh well, you know I'll keep clicking.

waterfire

We had a picnic in Prospect Park looking over downtown "Pro-na-dence" with my friends from college. Aiden and J came with us for the picnic part (and helped devour the cupcakes - I was so preoccupied I missed taking photos of them!  Oh well, you don't want me to make you hungry anyway), then just the girls headed down to the Waterfire (along the canals which are not so two year old friendly).  It was so relaxing to walk down the hill, watch the lighting, and take photos (and be mistaken for college girls even while trying to wrap our heads around our upcoming 10 year college reunion - waa?!)