peace

A friend of mine posted this today to celebrate the International Day of Peace.  I told Aiden what peace means and I think he wrapped at least part of his two year old mind around it.  He asked if you were at peace when you were asleep... I told him yes, and he said that we better go to sleep then.  That brings a smile to my face.

skype ball

Skype ball with Gran Gran and Pop Pop - woohoo:

Skype Ball from LB on Vimeo.

toys on ice

This weekend was a pretty low key, last weekend of the summer!  We went to a housewarming party.  This party was packed with kiddos, unlike the last where Aiden was the only kid invited.  He was pretty happy to see all the kids because I think he thought parties (where there weren't birthday cakes) were a drag.

Also, the highlight of the weekend, Aiden had earned enough stickers on his good sleeping chart to go to Toy Story 3 On Ice!  I've learned that there are always coupons for better seats for these shows, so we had pretty decent seats.  We arrived a bit early and Aiden was so patient waiting for the show to start.  He bounced up and down shouting in his seat for nearly the whole first half.  Then as the second hour of this two hour long show hit, he slowed down and had wide tired eyes the rest of the show.  There were a few ridiculous scenes with Barbie and Ken where the ice skating just throws it over the top.  Disney sure does know how to put on a show.  At the end, Aiden jumped out of his seat to dance.

Toys on Ice from LB on Vimeo.

farmer's market

We have a new nap time strategy.  Instead of going home right after school, Aiden and I plan to go out someplace to really tucker him out.  So far it's been working.  Yesterday was a trip to the Brown campus farmer's market.  They had Dahlia the Cow visiting today which was a treat.  Aiden got a pretty wet nose kiss on his hand.  We then had some of mom's favorite pizza for lunch.  We even got to meet up with daddy right after his class for some swinging.

costume

Last week I finished stitching Aiden's Halloween costume.  We have another family costume this year (since I only have so many year's where Aiden is game for that, eh?).  It's an idea that Aiden came up with all on his own.  He is not a koala bear, but I used the fur from an old koala bear like the one above to make his costume.  It was kinda sad to hack apart a stuffed animal, but trust me we have plenty!  You gotta do, what you gotta do, when your fabric store is so subpar that they don't have grey fur.  It ended up being a lot easier that way too.  Any guesses on what Aiden will be?  Big clue: It's from a classic story.

impressions

I spent hours labeling all of Aiden's clothes for school.  I loved the Oliver's labels I used, but geesh what a task.  It felt strange to look at all his little clothes piled in one place.  Not just because there are so many, but they are still so little!  Yet he's headed off to a school where he's expected to put them on (and even zip!) all by himself.  You should see what they've taught him to do in three short days - He puts his sweatshirt on the floor, puts his arms in, then flips it over his head - all with a huge smile!

Monday night was a two hour orientation for parents.  After three "phase-in days" of only and hour and half the week before,  I'd pieced together some funny little tidbits from him telling me about his day, but I was preparing myself to not know much about his school experience (which is a little disconcerting for me, although she says no news is good news...)  We got this nice email from his teacher on Friday night.

"What a great first week for your Wee Threes! There were a few tears, but they were quickly gone as the little ones got engrossed in works, circle time, and in meeting new friends. I was really impressed with each child’s ability to transition through out the morning! More exciting than that, though, was when the children partnered up with each other for our tour of the school. Upon holding hands with another, one child declared, “You are my friend.” And, with that, all of the Wee Threes told each other that they were friends!
....
I look forward to seeing you all Monday night and answering your questions—as you can see it is a little tricky to fill you in at drop off or pick up time. I know how hard it is to wait behind a closed classroom door (“What’s going on in there?!”), but Monday night will help alleviate the mystery!"

Oh goodie, she is going to feed my frenzy I thought!  Rebecca used to joke about how many questions I'd ask and how important it was for me to know how Aiden's day went.  I won't know more than what he tells me on a daily basis, but at least I will have a general idea of how his morning is structured... It was a nice intro to the classroom and a chance to get to know his teacher a bit better.

She explained more about the red chair spot, and it's actually not a punishment at all.  And she told me that Aiden found the spot all on his own...so I guess he wasn't worked up like I thought.  She also said that she was happy to see how quickly he introduced himself to the other kids on the playground.  I feel like a detective trying to piece his day together and figure out what he did, but I think I need to just concentrate on the time I spend with him and put my detective hat away.  School is for him to have his own independent time, and he's clearly already loving it.

apple farm

I had heard that apples were early around here this year, so if we wanted to get a batch we were going to be picking in the warm sun.  Saturday we headed to Johnston, RI to the Dame Farm for some picking.   Aiden picked every apple himself sometimes after some real concentration and tugging.  Although I think it's safe to say that we spent about half of the time using the portapotty.  After we had our apples weighed (all 6 pounds or so) and rinsed, Aiden attempted to bite into his little mini apple.  He konked out in the car with the little gnawed apple in his hand.  I love naps in the car.

choc milkshake day

Did you know that today is National Chocolate Milkshake Day?!  Who knows where these things come from and how they float around on the internet?!  I was curious to learn that the first milkshake was in print in 1885 and actually had whiskey in it.

We celebrated by taking a trip to our favorite greasy spoon for Awful Awfuls, the Newport Creamery. They call their milkshakes Awful Awfuls here is the explanation from the trusty internet:

What is an Awful Awful?
As Newport Creamery's advertising copy has been known to say, "It's a drink!" Specifically, an ice cream drink. Even more specifically, a blend of flavored syrup, milk, and a secret frozen ice milk mix. The ice milk differentiates the Awful Awful from its cousins, the Cabinet and the Frappe, and from its evil twin, the Friendly's Fribble Shake. They're "Awful big, awful good," and if you can drink three at a sitting, the fourth one is free!

Aiden also had fun at Snip-Its getting his haircut.  They have this little gimmick where they give you a card to wear around your wrist while you get your cut, then afterward you take a bit of hair and deposit it into this machine with your card and out pops a prize.  Aiden was so excited that a Snips ball popped out and he thought it was "magic" that turned his hair into "dis ball!"  We also used up some of our leftover tickets at Fantasyland and found a new side table for the living room.

stone house

We cruised down to Little Compton, RI for date night on Friday.  These photo are borrowed from the Stone House 1854 website, but the photo of the table was the actual table where we sat.  I'd heard about this place twice in less than a month from two sets of unrelated people.  People that live in much more exotic places like LA and San Fran, so I figured I should at least take advantage of being right down the road from this "gem" and it was a good way to break out of our routine.  I surprised J when Rebecca showed up to babysit and he didn't even know where we were headed as he followed the GPS.  It was a very nice dinner in a very cozy tavern tucked underneath the old stone house hidden behind a swinging door.  It was a blend of old and new design, and staying overnight there would be quite interesting (and expensive!)  The poutine we started out with was the highlight, and the steak was good comfort food.  Aiden had a great time seeing Rebecca and telling her all about his new school.  

grandparent's day

Happy Grandparent's Day to Aiden's favorite cheerleaders, spoilers, and gigglers.  We love you!

balls

Aiden is still talking about the ball pit at Edaville:


Edaville Junction from LB on Vimeo.

Woah, I skipped recording some of our fun in the midst of all the excitement around here lately.  Labor Day weekend was packed with little mini trips.  I was somehow camera free the whole weekend, so I can't quite give you the full picture.  One of my favorite tidbits was visiting Wickford.  Aiden was so excited to visit the water with the boats and the big mean swan who thought he was tougher than the big dog on the dock.  It was such a nice day and there was live harp music in the park.  We visited the little shops and ate some yummy fish and pesto pizza lunch.  Aiden is on a pesto kick with me.  We also made a hibachi trip and Aiden was pretty excited for some chicken.  He wasn't quite as jazzed for the flames this time, but he giggled with the chef when he tried to get food in his mouth.  He was just pitching a bunch of pieces at a time and Aiden thought it was really funny to throw food.  This chef was a good pitcher because just about everyone at the table managed to snag a piece of squash. I feel like were on the verge of settling into a new routine now that school has started.

intro

Aiden's teacher asked that we write "a brief intro to our child including schedule, interests, likes, dislikes, and anything that will help the teachers know your child more personally"... I cringe a bit when asked to write this sort of thing, but here is what I wrote:

Aiden is a very active kid. He does well with routine, but doesn't require it. He likes surprises, making jokes, and helping. He enjoys playing games (which I think will translate well to his works) like Zingo, Uno Moo, Chutes and Ladders and big puzzles. He likes to name guitars, roar like a dinosaur (sometimes a bit too loud), and drink milk. He sometimes doesn't like being sticky or too hot. He gets hot very easily, but it's normal for him to be a bit sweaty. He likes to repeat “excuse me” when he wants attention (and we are working on just saying it once and then waiting for your turn). If he slows down and gets very quiet off by himself, it usually means he needs to use the potty. He eats very slowly and sometimes doesn't swallow right away. He can eventually get his pants on his own, but usually needs to sit down. He is looking forward to school and meeting new friends.

cookie cupcake

The night before Aiden started school we went to J's welcome back party with his department.  The host had this great cookie monster cupcake just for Aiden.  We didn't want him up half the night, so we saved it for right after he got home from his first day of school.  It was the perfect special treat to celebrate a good first day.

school boy

Today started with Aiden waking up and saying "Is it time for school?"  He was as gung ho as you can imagine our little independent guy could be for his first day of Montessori school.  He joked, "What's my teacher's name - Mrs. Goo?"  I joked back, "Mrs. Migillacutty?" We went back and forth with the giggles and the funny names, then he finally said, "I think it's actually Mrs. Healey!" He ate a pretty slow breakfast.  We had plenty of time before we left for some photos.  Then he trotted around in his new backpack he picked out with Rebecca.

We arrived at the school with a lot of time to spare.  We even drove around the neighborhood a little bit, but once we'd passed the "brown school with bricks" he wanted to go in.  We headed in right before a little rain storm and he smiled at the other kids.  He even introduced himself to another cool kid, Milo. He was very excited to find his name triangle on the class sign.   Daddy showed him the potty but he was very worried about missing out on the classroom opening up, so he didn't want to use the potty.  He just looked in the mirror and named all the bugs painted on the frame.

When the teacher finally opened the door he waited his turn to say hello.  The kid in front of him had a little trouble saying goodbye, but Aiden wasn't phased.  He just looked at me and asked if it was his turn yet.  Mrs. Healey greeted him by shaking his hand and asking if he was Aiden Brennan or White?  (just the start of sharing his name with other kids -and this is in a class of only six kids! oh well).  He showed the teacher his family photo and she asked who was in the photo.  It was a photo from the Desert Museum in Tucson and Aiden was holding his prairie dog friends, Copper and Todd.  He pointed to them and said, "This is Copper and Todd with US!"  Mrs. Healey was excited to meet the family and hang up the photo in the classroom.  She said welcome to the classroom and Aiden bopped right in the door without even looking back at us.  No hugs, he was ready to go.  I'm proud to say that I didn't cry at ALL!  

Today was a very short phase-in day, so it was only an hour and a half.  The three and half hour days won't start until next week.  I went back on my own to pick him up.  When I arrived I could hear the class singing through the door (with Aiden's loud voice chiming through).  Mrs. Healey peeked out the door and Aiden spotted me and jumped right up yelling "Mommmmyyy, My mommy is out there!"  She shut the door again to say goodbye and when she opened the door again Aiden ran into my arms for a big cuddle (still no tears- yay! - win for mommy).  Mrs. Healey was busy dismissing the other kiddos, but said something about Aiden "crying a little. " Aiden then said, "Ok, we'll wait here for Daddy!"  I explained that we would see daddy at home later and he promptly grabbed my hand to walk down the hall.  

I didn't get much more explanation from the teacher, but Aiden told me that he cried because "that boy wanted my truck with the pointy thing on front."  He then gave me a long explanation of the truck, while I asked if he would share with him more next time.  He said that he got to sit in the red chair to see the "magical" light while he calmed down.  (This is the little library calm spot which is sorta like a weak time out.  It's not considered a punishment but just a spot to calm down.  They have a little touch lamp there that distracts them from their fussy business.)

As we walked to the car he told me, "School makes me very tired, I need to go home to rest!"  On the way home he told me about the trucks some more, how he peed "by the billions" in the potty, that he told Mrs. Healey he had broccoli for breakfast, and that he was ready to go back to school now.  I think we're on the right track.  

34 months

Dear Aiden Da Magician,

This month went by in a poof!  It seems like you waved that wand up on stage with the magicians at the fair and summer vanished.  School is right around the corner! There were so many transitions this month and you breezed right through them (minus not being sure you need to nap anymore).  I wish I could say the same for myself.  I've been feeling a bit batty but nothing a little game of "abracadav-raaaa" with you can't fix.  You are so good at distracting me from my worries with fun little games.  Look mommy I made the french fry "abracadav-raaaa"! We wish we could get you to make more broccoli disappear!

During a streak of cold rainy days I started pulling out all your fall clothes to be sure we had what we needed ready to go.  You took one of the bins and filled it up with friends, and said "Here is my pile of animals I'm going to take to college soon!"  I think you think college and school are the same thing or you are just ready to move out.  Then you went on to say, "I won't grow up too soon right?  Oh mom, when I grow up maybe I'll have too many animals."  You kept jibber jabbering and I literally had to hold back crazy mom tears.  All this growing up is just too darn fast.  In the meantime, I distracted you and me with a batch of foamy animals hidden in little dissolvable capsules.... which you really think is magic!

One of my favorite memories from earlier this month is how excited you'd get about finding scenes in the clouds.  "Look at the clouds it looks like flying broccoli!"  You ask questions, "Can you find a cloud that looks like a kid playing with his mom and dad?"  This is usually your favorite game to play in the car.  Second is looking for the "Big Blue Bugga" which is a gigantic blue cricket-like pest on the roof of the pest control building along the freeway (A RI landmark).  If we hop on the freeway you ask if you get to pass the Biiiig Blueee Bugggggaaa!  When we drive past you yelp, "Here he comes, he just flew on our car!"

This month we got used to spending a ton more time together - which meant that you were testing out some boundaries with me.  Your dad took a surprise trip to Australia and you were lucky enough to have your grandparents around to spoil you, which means we never quite fell into a routine.  You tried giving up nap, but then you would fall asleep at dinner with your goopy fork in your hand.  I think once school starts you will get into a groove again, but this was definitely the month of transition.  I am in denial and instead of full on canceling our Gymboree membership since the classes won't fit with your new school schedule, I put it on hold.  There is something about saying goodbye to Gymboree that makes me sad.  We've had so many fun memories there.  

At Gymboree Art, while painting the big wall mural, you announced that you were painting a forest! The teacher said "what lives in the forest, animals?" and you replied, "no, they all live in the zoo!"  We clearly need to get you out for more hikes ;) although your loud kid hiking means all the animals pretty much disappear.  I think you would just love to find a little froggy or something like that though, so we'll keep looking.  In the meantime, we have the frogs at the pet store and your plastic froggie friends.  You love naming the frogs (my favorite being Frogerson).  You convinced me to go back to our neighbors garage sale to buy this frog game that was a little too old for you.  It's actually a challenge for your dad and me, but you like cheering us on as we try to flick these frogs up onto this moving tree.

You like naming your toys and making up words lately.  You got a truck with a push bar which you like to take on walks.  You named the truck Francine and when I asked why you said "because it look like a pig!"  Uh, okey dokey.  It makes sense to you.  You also got tons of new stuffed animals this month between your grandparents and daddy's trip treats.  There is Uno, your new Vermont Teddy Bear, and Patches, the horse that turns into a pillow and a blanket (also from Vermont - Thanks G/P!).  The Australian animals your dad brought home have different names nearly everyday.  You love to create rhyming made up names for animals and then the last animal you name doesn't rhyme and you laugh.  You love to rhyme with made up and real words.

You think it is a funny game to stick stickers all over your legs and arms and call yourself "polka dot sticker Aiden!"  We set up a sticker chart for "Aiden's good sleeping" and if you get "enough" stickers you get to go see Toy Story on Ice, which you've been begging to see after seeing segments on Youtube.  The incentive works about 50% of the time to get you to settle down for bed AND stay asleep all night.  The other 50% of the time you are motivated to be a "sleeping superhero" and you tell me how brave you are.  I'm afraid that your sleep habits will never be stellar, but at least I don't have to get up to go to work after restless nights anymore.  You're my curious nonsleeper and I'll take it, because at least I'm never bored with you.

I was on the phone the other day and you came over from your puzzle, looked me right in the eye, and said, "Mom, this is serious, please stop talking, it hurts my ears."  Uh ok, I guess if I can dish it out, I should be able to take it because I know I've probably overused that "this is serious" remark lately.  Poppop got so many awesome photos of you this month.  But also in the mix there were some photos with an expression we dubbed the "hostile cheese face" where you would munch your teeth together and appease us.  That expression is right up there with the face you make when you pretend you got soap in your eye.  Or that mischievous look in your eye when I caught you trying to eat a raw squash like an apple.  There are some expressions that I will always remember even if they aren't captured on film.

There were so many fun new memories with Gran, Pop and Lizzie while they were here.  Lizzie won the Golden ticket at the carousel by pulling the golden ring.  You loved playing hide and seek and one particular time with Gran she hid really well.  All of a sudden we heard her giggling from deep under the pull out sofa.  You were pretty surprised!  You loved bossing PopPop around to make all the vehicles in your elaborate building kit.  In true grandparent fashion, there was a new game that Gran created where you throw the squishy ball in the stairwell and it bounces in all crazy directions.  When Poppop tried to take your ball away, you yelped, "It's not a 'take-my-ball' It's a stair ball!"  

We cruised up to Vermont and we were all pretty charmed by the bright sunny summertime version of Vermont (minus all the closed restaurants that must cater to a ski crowd).  One of your favorite car distractions was showing us on the map "How to get to Austin!"  We'd ask if you meant Boston, but you'd always correct us that you meant Austin.  You told everyone about how you visited two "fad-tories" in Vermont - one that makes teddy bears and the other makes ice crrrream!  You gave Gran and Pop a bit of a run for their money with the potty, but overall you were a good grandson.  You are a lucky, lucky grandson!

You know how to con me into buying things. Like a trip to get shoes earlier this month when while I wasn't looking you put on these funny little cowboy boots.  You convinced me that they would be perfect for you to pretend to be Woody...and I could be Jesse... and as you kept talking you were trotting around in the store being all cute.  Some man passed by and started singing "These boots are made for walking...and that's just what I'll do" and you chimed right in.  That's how I was suckered into buying those cute boots even though you will probably outgrow them before the end of the month.  

You're a pretty determined kid, but there are some times when you just aren't up for trying something new or even putting on your own pants.   You'll say, "I can't go backwards on my bike - Oh look, now I can!"  You like to say "I can't" followed by a celebratory "I can!"  One rainy day when it was just me and you we played Chutes and Ladders for over two hours and you were determined to slide down every chute you could land on and were excited about it - even though I repeatedly tried to tell you that was a bad consequence (that leads to two hour games!)

You pull out so many funny little phrases including some that you mix up occasionally.  You told us that you have "macaroni pizza, uh no I mean pepperoni!"  You joke that you'd like a ham-a-burger and then laugh.  You told me the other day that "gummy worms sleep on a bed of ice cream!"  You love playing with your pretend food by stuffing it down your shirt and saying it is in your tummy.  You're all time favorite thing is to watch Lion King snippets on YouTube.  You'll say "Can I watch the Lion King Can You Feel the Life?" (instead of Love) And you'll make up your own additions to the song while dancing your animals around - "Can you feel the live upside down - oh ya!"

Your personality is so easy to peg now.  Gran Gran in her curlers still gets the scaredy cat in you to come out a bit.  Gran said you are a unique combination of confidence with a dash of hesitation.  You came downstairs after your grandparents left and your dad was still going to be out of town for a while, and you gave me a pouty lip and told me, "There aren't enough people in my house to hug!"  I told you that I would give you double hugs and you said, "That will help, but what about ice cream too!?"  You know how to try to add in a little magic to the day and that makes me feel like one lucky mom.

Love, Mom

peace

Such a silly peace professor with a cheetah: