splashy

This super splash zone in Mentor is a hidden gem. It was the perfect afternoon for a splash!

smiley

The legendary EatnPark Smiley cookie is celebrating his 25th birthday this year. This was a cookie I used to enjoy before and after trips to camp before the restaurant was right around the corner here in town. It had been a long time since I'd had one, and this was Aiden and Keaton's first batch. But they are on board with the 25 year tradition ;)

fireworks

Keaton loved the fireworks!  Giddy the entire time just like his brother!

fourth

The fourth of July is our kind of fun... Time with family hanging out wearing a little extra red, white, and blue.

pen glen

The Pen Glen trains through the woods were open just in time for our visit. We zipped through the woods and Aiden was thrilled. He loved reading the track signs and his favorite was the Horrendous alley ;) He wasn't such a fan of the covered bridge which he deemed spooky, but was otherwise giddy from the ride. We checked out the nature center and Aiden picked out a bunch of snakes and magnets at the gift shop - Thx Gran and Pop ;)

happy independence!

ladder ball

There is a new ladder ball champion in town!

duck pond

We visited one of my favorite Metroparks spots.  The boys all got to run around 'getting lost' together, watching fishies, sharing blueberries, and playing pretend didgeridoos (thx to creative G!). Cameron showed off his guns and stared at all the stuffed birdies.  Glad we could all meet up!

AB would rather

This edition was recorded live with the big girl cousins - Aiden started a new phrase for exciting/cool/hip = "how embarrassing" - you have to hear it used to get it probably ;)

Here it goes::

Would you rather fly or be invisible? 

[Aiden puts up his pretend phone hand] - Let me check - Is there a choice of both?

Nope. Ok, I pick flying because then Keaton could not punch me because I fly really high and he could not reach me!

Would you rather eat a caterpillar and turn into a butterfly or a goose and turn into a swan? 

 I'd rather eat duck and be a swan like Howard from the Good Deeds book. 

What candy would you make an island out of? I don't know because as soon as I visited I would eat it all up! 

Would you rather turned into a robot or a monster? A robot because then my hand would turn into a laser which is actually a hand! 

Would you rather live in Alaska or Hawaii?  Hawaii because then I could go hula hula loo la [hip shaking groove]

27 months

Hey there, Man on a Mission,

One of my favorite memories this month was you going up to a random big girl on the playground and saying in your friendly determined guy voice, "I going on a mission!" She asked, "What's your mission?"  Your quickly reply with your finger in the air, "Treasure!"  That pretty much sums up your take on life.  You are on a mission all the time, and you usually end up finding treasure, you charmed lucky guy. 

You are pretty good at separating from us without trouble for a babysitter or a playroom.  This month you had a definite case of daddy clingies, so you wanted to stick with him, but you still shared your sweetness with me. You were heading off on a drive with your brother and dad and I was blowing you kisses from the stoop, you said to your dad, "Aw, dad look at that fresh face!" You will wake up, come to me and say "Good morning tickle tickle, Is it too much? No screaming Mama!"  It's like you have a storage bank of phrases I say to you and you just spit them out one after another.

You love Toy Story 2 and especially the part where there are two Buzzes.  You get that one is the real Buzz and one is the fake.  You will use the real versus fake in your pretend play and even ask, "Real mommy where are you?"  You pretend to be scared and shaky just like Woody.  You shake your little fists and make a funny wide eyed face.  

You are lucky to be at your grandparent's house to relax in between our move.  You made me giggle when you said, "Gran, I want some ham?"  She replied, "Ok what do you say?" to prompt a please.  You replied, "Ham is really good!"  You still eat more fruit than everyone in the house.

You are on a big independent streak lately.  You started giving your own order at restaurants.  Especially at our favorite kids night at Orso, right when the waitress walks up you immediately say, "water and noodle with meatball pease!"  You can put on your crocs shoes faster than your brother especially since you usually really want to head out wherever he is going.  You love riding in the fast car with your dad and brother.

You love having your brother home for summer break. When coming out after your nap or if your brother wakes up after you in the morning, you see him and say, "Oh Aiden, you here again!"  You like to ask your brother to play games with you.   You'll say, "Hey, Monsterrrr Aiden come eat my feets!"  Or "Aiden, You want to make more cackle noise?!" and you will both run off cackling.  You are both reaching the end of bath time together.  You both love showers just as much now.  You like to say, "I ready for bath, I want to be nakeds!"

You sometime sing a sleepy time growly humming song.  The other day you called out, "What's dat noise daddy?!"  It's you making a sleepy song buddy. You are a little off in your sleep with the move, but I think we will get you back on track again in the new house.

"Look atda whad I found, a boo boo!"  You raising your foot for a kiss and say, "Oops, mom I kicked a boo boo!"  Your tummy hurt the other day and you said, "The squishy Keaton tummy hurts!"  You recovered well from being a sick puppy and we got to enjoy the start of summer after getting all that out of the way.

You are pretty interested in music. Just like your brother, if I start to sing you will declare, "That's not how that song goes!"  You loved cheering with your brother when you woke up in the morning, "Let's watch da Tonys!"  So I would switch it on the DVR and you guys would watch the musical vignettes over and over and try to dance along.  You loved watching the Spring Follies show video from Aiden's choir equally as much.

"Guess what?!" Then you proceed to give him a full on, close eyed huggie, that's the biggest best guess I could come up with!  My favorite is when you say, "You want to cuddle me, ok?"  You love the knock down daddy game just about as much as I like watching that squeal fest.

You are pretty good at asking for help for what you need, which I am very grateful for.  Although you have many moments of frustration that you cause over and over.  Like stuffing toys inside other toys until they get stuck and then stomping around yelling, "I can't get this guy out!" You finally have the hang of opening and closing things that used to be tricky for you.

This was a big month of transition. We moved out of our temporary spot in Virginia. After two years, the rooms held some great memories. Against the backdrop of the giant windows, you took your first bites of food and your first steps (in the only room with carpet, albeit scratchy yick carpet). I will miss that house for those reasons, but I will not miss the inability to fix the aesthetics that bugged me (like questionable old curtains, a pink tub, and one of the oldest kitchens still standing - vintage in the least charming sorta way).

When the movers showed up you weren't too pleased. You yelped, "What are you doing in Keaton's house?" to the mover packing up your play table. He answered, "Taking good care of your table" so you growled at him. That sorta sums up your feelings on the move. Outside of the big move, you are usually a get up and go guy. I wrote twice in my notes the phrase "Come on, let's go!" because it so sums up your attitude usually. You are constantly on the move. You can really tucker yourself out and that's led to a bunch of testing lately. The fits are getting shorter and easier to nip, but oh boy I look forward to ending this phase.

You saw a commercial for a waterpark one morning, went and got your swim suit from your room, and then said "I ready to go in the splashes!" You love running around the splash pad on your own chomping the water drops spraying everywhere. It's a new found freedom that you can hold your own. When you wanted to go to the lake you said, "I go to the giant pool with fish in it!"

You love babies especially your baby cousin.  You were so smiley and coochie cooing all over the place when you first met him. We went to dinner with our little buddy Sam and his parents.  He started crying and you showed some two year old empathy, "I make him happy mommy! Here buddy have a smile!"  You like to coo at stranger babies and ask the mom, "What's this guy's name?"

  We had a playdate with one of Aiden's buddies who has a younger brother and sister, so it's tons of fun for you too. Their dad is Russian and I guess Ponchiki, the Russian word for little donut is a term of endearment.  So the younger brother who really liked you kept calling you little donut, which made you squeal with excitement every time because I think you thought the banana bread I brought was going to be replaced with a giant tray of donuts ;). You had a sprinkle donut the other day, which you insisted was "a bagel with shinies."

You love playing with little plastic guys.  I will hear you wandering towards your room looking for them, "Where are yoooouuu Mikey?!"  My favorite is when you come to find me "Come here buddy!  Kiss pease!"  You might plant one next to my lips, but not quite right and you declare, "That's not it, let's try again!"  I want to always remember you pulling my finger with your little slippery sweaty hand saying let's go!

You are at an age full of questions.  Your favorite is definitely, "Where are we?"  If you think the answer is funny you will giggle.  You laugh hardest when surprised, so we will try to keep the surprises coming.  We are all grateful to be on a mission with you.

Love, Mommy 

babies

Our baby met his baby cousin who he calls baby Camera. Cameron shared his ninja turtle sticker and bouncy chair.  Happy two months Cameron!

thanks

This was a photo used in a card to thank parent volunteers at Aiden's school.  I thank his teachers for their hard work, love, and dedication.  We say goodbye to  Ms. T atianna with a sad heart, but will always remember her asking for a thank you hug.  At conferences, I told her Aiden was really going to miss her next year and was going to need to take the visiting necklace to see her in the room next door, she quickly chimed it that she loved him and was going to need to take the necklace to come see him.  We are thankful to have known her and her friendly smile.

good list

The summer reading program started and we are bouncing around to the fun shows that they put on at the libraries. There are more scattered throughout the summer, but so far our favorite was visiting with Blue the triceratops marionette, a close second learning the Antelope Dance with a singer from Boston.  

Aiden's direct quote about Oz when he is first falling into the world: "This place is half amazing, half dangerous... wait actually fully DANGEROUS!  Oh, no fully AMAZING!"

Asking to watch the Tony awards over and over again on the DVR - Favorite moment on repeat is when Neil Patrick Harris jumps through the paper hoop during the intro sequence.

box monster

There is a box monster in my house! It's replicating and trying to eat my kid - aaaaah!