friiidaaays

60 degree Friday afternoons are made for biking, scooting, chalking, sneaking behind trees, and fixing baseball bats.

family dance

Aiden's teacher is part of a folklore group in this area that puts on a family dance once a month.  It's contra dancing which reminded me of PE class in elementary school.  Aiden was so excited and loved dosido-ing and sashaying - He was thanking everyone for bringing him and insisting that I mark my calendar for the next one.  KC couldn't quite keep up, but he liked the cookies and the feeling of the vibrating feet on the ground... poor tired guy.

happy heart day

The love bugs were working really hard today, and according to Aiden, those tricky guys turn everything into hearts! Pancakes, lunch treats and even the dinner meat loaf! There were 45 valentines created, written and distributed between Aiden's class and the play group party. Aiden practiced his knot tying by stitching FL shells on to his school valentines (thanks to Gran for helping find enough with holes in them). KC was pumped for special Barney love songs and valentine stickers at gym class. I was pumped by the treats and crazy good croissant egg sandwich at a new bakery. So many treats in one day - thanks love bugs!

happy valentine's

From my little valentines have a happy one! Love this from Eric Carle.

happy mardi gras

Happy Mardi Gras from our party animals to yours!

sunshine

I felt like we were soaking up the sun in today's 60 degree temps... Riding with the windows down, we headed straight to the park after picking up Aiden. We even met one of his buddies from school there. Keaton loves the tunnel slide and today the long rays of sunshine through the trees put on a bonus light show inside.

basket heads

These funny baskethead boys run around giggling.

FL flashback

Almost a month ago! Take me back in time...
Florida from LB on Vimeo.

navy museum

We got our special approval to enter the Navy Yard and head to the "hidden gem" museum. KC spent the majority of the time trying to peek inside canons and pretending to be a robot like the scuba suit guys. Aiden spent nearly the whole visit snapping his own photos and KC insisted on holding his own camera and pointing it at every thing without actually snapping a shot. We spotted our van in the parking lot through the giant periscope. They even let you sit on the rotating launch seat.

I funny

interview with ab

There are some moments when you still seem like my little spunky toddler guy and other when you are such a big kid.  You are a saavy little guy and when you got a new doggie bank, who gobbles the coins, "He's not hungry for pennies, he needs more quarters!"

What a daredevil kid:

"Look Mom, I'm riding with no hands!"

"I'm a monkey professor!"

"Look Mom, these glasses fit my new nose!"

This getup below inspires singing of Italian Christmas carols - 

"You can come see me up close now that I've had my bow, see my fuzzy mustache?!"

One word to describe you would be: Crazy! 

Why do you like being a kid? 

Cause I get to be crazy...uh uh, blah, nah, nah 

If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why? 

Baby Cheetah because they are cute and because cheetahs are really fast 

Tell about a funny time in your life. 

Practicing football with daddy

What is your favorite thing to do? Why? 

Rub Keaton on his head and give him a pat pat pat

 What do you love most about your sibling? 

He's cute and chubby and very ticklish

 What was the nicest thing you did for someone? 

Let Gran Gran have two of my grapes

 What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now? 

Homework

What is the grossest thing you can think of? 

Poop

 What is your happiest memory?

My first day being in Mrs. Healey's class when I was two and I remember I kept forgetting her name. My favorite time was when Daddy came into my class to talk about Australia.

skipping

Somebody was asleep in the car when we arrived at Mr. Skip's monthly dance party... He played shy guy and then Mr. Giggles popped back out to play!

nature

A visit to the warm and cozy nature center on a cold day to say hello to the molting snakes (up close!), add a joke to their funny box, play puppets with binoculars, and pretend to be scientists.

musicale

Last weekend Aiden sang his little Mary Poppin's loving heart out at his school's annual Musicale. Aiden's class did a particularly good job of belting out Let's Go Fly a Kite. Aiden is right over the teacher's head (which was a bit of a bummer angle) - You can catch his sway to the music and the tshirts I helped the kids make (abstract with a stencil) in the video below.

lizzy woah

We had such a nice treat!  A visit from Auntie Lizzy and Uncle Woah on what I call their babymoon ;) We ate our way around the city and took a mini tour of VA yarn shops!  (turns out that 15 minutes in a yarn shop is 45 minutes in the real world - who knew?!)  We ventured out to the new Food exhibit at the Museum of American History...complete with a wall of wine history and Julia Child's kitchen.  Aiden snapped nearly 100 photos of the exhibits and even had a chance to test out a cotton gin.  We celebrated the Chinese New Year with a traditional pomello citrus fruit (that the guy at Trader Joe's sold me since they were out of grapes...) It was about the size of KC's head and like a very mild, sweet grapefruit.  We had some french toast casserole with the leftover french bread from the Cheestique cheese spread we enjoyed while knitting the night before...  A nice relaxing visit!

22 months

Dear Keaton,

What a month of so many distinctions... I look back over the month of photos and I can't believe they were all taken within the same 30 days.  We went from sand to snow boots covering your tootsies within a matter of a week....and then back again to sand.  You definitely prefer the sandy toes to those silly boots that somehow cause you to tip over (I remember those trick boots did the same thing to your brother).  

When we first ventured out to the sandy beach in Florida it was still wet from an earlier rain.  You stepped tentatively and said, "Mama, sand is slippery, I tippy!"  You keep describing sand as slippery now because you think it's funny.  You were such a giddy sailor guy steering Lulu's boat and letting the autopilot steer your arms back and forth.  The floaty car, that you barely fit in still, nearly lulled you to sleep.  You wanted to swim independently in the deep water, insisting that we "let go!" which made swimming with you a bit challenging.  

I think one of your favorite parts of the trip was running to find Pop Pop, your chip supplier.  He would give you a tostito and you would run around licking the salt off. English "muddfin" with peanut butter is a messy treat that you like to lick and eventually eat.  "Yummy good!" was your favorite description for any food you love.  You love orange juice, which you insist on calling apple juice. 

This month I will remember you distinctly saying Thank you, You're Welcome, Please, and Stop It.  Sometimes sweetly and sometimes with a fierce insistence of a nearly two year old auditioning for the terrible twos and testing his limits.  You would sometimes be my ultra flexible guy and other times if we gave you a little spicey instead of your favorite "spicey bigs" you would throw it back at us.  You started hating your backwards facing car seat so much that you would gingerbread boy nearly every time I went to strap you in.  We installed your new Radian to match your brother's and you seem so much happier.

There are certain little phrases that it seemed you were testing out.  Sorta looking for a reaction from us to see if you were using them correctly.  For instance, "I broke it Daddy!" usually something you intentionally threw or busted up Legos or block towers.  You also would say "Dat scary!" at the zoo otters without an ounce of fear in your voice, and if we'd say "nah that's not scary, it's funny" you'd say "oh ok, funny"... then you'd repeat it.  

 You like to repeat the same things you hear Aiden say.  "Wegos!" are some of your favorites.  You tried trading Aiden for toys just like he does with you - "Here like!?"  If he says No, you correct him and say "No tank you!"  Laughing at your book by throwing your head back and really gut laughing to imitate your brother reading his joke book.  After pretending to read your book, you get to the last page and loudly declare, "The End!" 

You love your new Disney stuffed friends.  You dance around with your favorite Minnie Daisy.  I found a couple new Mickey Mouse books, mainly because I was getting pretty tired of reading Doctor Mickey over and over again.  Your other favorite board books lately are the Nose Book, Dr Suess' Amazing Alphabet Book, and this random opposites book.  You repeat open and closed and up and down.  Then you find a toy to show me how it opens and closes.  Or you throw a stuffed friend up in the the air and shout "Up!"

You're what Aiden calls "a silly guy!" You will sitting in Aiden's lap and tackling him by butting your head against his chest.  Then you will try to keep him pinned down while giggling and shouting "Oh my goodness!"  Aiden usually joins you in a giggle fest, and then eventually calls me for help because you've figured out how to shift your weight around to really keep him pinned.  Here is another typical scenario: You hit Aiden in the head with a car, he says ouch, you say sorry, Aiden asks what are you sorry for?, you hit him in the head with the car again...

When you are really excited to go do something your little arms jet out behind you like you have wings and you take off running:

There is a puzzle with a piece missing
There is a drum that hasn't been banged on recently
There is a window on the playground train station where you need to pretend to order food

There are library books waiting nicely on the shelf and you must get to them and pile them on the table
There is a grocery register with items to scan and pile into a too tiny shopping bag

You were so excited when we went to your new gym class at the same spot with the same teacher that your brother used to have.  You looked at me with disbelief, seeming to say this is for me!?  I don't need to just calmly sit near you and I can actually jump, run, and hang on the bars just like my big brother!?  You were the teacher's model and she used you as her example at each of the stations.  You can do a forward roll on your own.  Then you pop up and say "Yay bommersault!"

You've been playing more in your play kitchen lately.  Your specialty being "soup!" made out of "nummy trees" from the train set.  I suppose when you are mixing trees and train tracks in your "bubble pot" it might be time to get more of the play food back out.  Wooky and Jessie and their hats (that love to fall off in the car and under tables) are a favorite for you and your brother.  

Your retired kindergarten teacher Gran commented that you have a good grip on a pencil.  I am pretty sure that is from you carefully copying your brother.  You are getting more and more into crafts.  You especially like what your brother calls "picture pages" where the page has little water color paints built in.  You love anything where you can dip in water and attempt to splash it around... or try to spill it.

You were so excited to see Aiden up on stage at his school Musicale.  When his performance was over you kept asking "Where'd Ainen go?!"  You still love to rock in the basement on the piano and guitar.  Your specialty are the metal ukulele moves.

You are getting better at slurping spaghetti without making as much of a mess.  You like to play around at restaurants lately, making it a little more challenging.  Your dipstick straw technique into your water or milk causes little spritzes that make you laugh and it's hard to distract you from that game.  When we were on the airplane this game was particularly tricky.  The whole airport experience was a bit more challenging this time, but thanks to your baby backpack, you enjoyed strutting to the gate all on your own.  That backpack along with my sweatshirt were the best distractions because you love zipping zippers...over and over and over.

One of my favorite things is hearing you try to sing songs like "Happy, Happy to You!" to the tune of happy birthday.  You started using I love you at just the right cutie pie time lately.  That is enough to make me melt on the coldest days and make even the sunniest days sunnier.  Here's to another full month of countdowns with you... I hear you now, "one, two, tree...jump!"

Love, Mommy