It's Fun to Play at the...

... Y. M. C. A!! (that was for you, Jason!)

Andrew had Speech at 11 and his hearing evaluation at 2. With speech done at noon, that left us some time to grab lunch before heading back to the hospital. Surprisingly, the boys finished lunch quickly (Noah is usually a very slow eater), which meant we had some extra time to kill. So... I surprised the boys with a quick trip to the Y.

20 minutes to run wild on the giant climber was perfect! They ran off some extra energy and had a blast. Last time we were there, Noah was hesitant and wouldn't go up the climber without me.

Today, he took off right behind Andrew and before I knew it, he was peering down at me from near the top! Both boys had a blast and I had fun watching them. And I was very impressed that when I said they could have one more time down the slide and then we'd have to go, and Andrew took his turn and came right out to get his shoes.

Noah, on the other hand, climbed as high up as he could get and refused to move!! I sent Andrew in to get him and was grateful that worked because I was not looking forward to climbing up there!

(and since you're wondering, Andrew passed his hearing test with flying colors, as we expected he would)

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Andrew likes to climb on the couch, usually standing on the arm, to look over the ledge at whatever I'm doing in the kitchen. He generally chooses this spot when I'm cooking in the electric skillet, since it means he is close enough to see what's going on, but not close enough to be in the way or get hurt.

However, I was a bit surprised to turn this afternoon and see Noah's face smiling at me from over the ledge. Always one to copy whatever he sees his big brother doing, I can't say I was completely shocked. But, even standing on the arm of the couch, Noah is barely tall enough for his head to be at the edge of the ledge.

Yeah. He was standing on the back of the couch.

Didn't I do a recent blog post about Noah being full of trouble?

Scooter

The worst thing about getting a new scooter for Christmas is not being able to ride it until spring because of the snow and ice!

Warmer weather has been teasing us the last few days, which means we've been outside more. And it means Andrew has been thrilled to be on his new scooter! He asks to ride it all the time. Tonight, we walked to the corner to meet Eric, and Andrew rode the scooter. He's still got some coordination to learn on it, but he gets a little better every day. I'm sure it won't be long before he's trying jumps and tricks.

Happy Birthday, Dazie!

Eric had to work today for their annual cleaning day. One Saturday a year and unfortunately, it meant missing the birthday party for my niece, Dazie. So, the boys & I headed north, with a stop at mom's so she, Mimi, Kayla & Memphis could ride with us.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, and I was finally satisfied with the installs on the carseats for the three boys and had them in positions that allowed seating for the grownups, too. Though, any future carseat purchases may look at one of the narrower options on the market. Getting three of the widest ones in there, with room to spare, was no easy chore!

Everyone had a good time at the party and hanging out. The kids played great together and had a fun time. And we got to say goodbye to Uncle Bo, who leaves in a week for training in the Army before finding out where he'll be stationed-- though Georgia is the likely option.

After getting everyone back to their homes, we finally got home a bit after nine. Both boys fell asleep in the car. I managed to get Andrew out of his jeans and into his pajama bottoms, but when I asked if he wanted to sleep in his shirt or put on his jammies, he replied, "I just want to sleep."

Safe to say, we were all worn out from the fun.

Light Entertainment

How do you keep a toddler entertained for quite a while, and at the same time provide a good laugh for the adults?

Put a flashlight in the toddler's hands!

Noah found the flashlight while at mom's and was immediately thrilled. He shined the light at various things around the room, smiling and laughing and pointing at it. However, the best part was when he cradled the light in his arms. He'd spot the beam on the ceiling, but of course, as he would turn to point at it, the beam would move. He looked like a dog chasing its tail. We all enjoyed a laugh every time he did it.

But, I think we better pack extra batteries for the flashlights when we go camping.

Helping

What are big brothers for, if not for helping you take off your shoes and coat when coming in from an afternoon out?

I followed the boys into the house, arms full of groceries and such, and before I could get stuff set down and take off my coat, Andrew had Noah on the tower to help him with his shoes.

They bicker and drive each other (and me!) crazy so many times a day... but then a moment like this makes all that seem not so bad.

Craft Time

The big boys made Valentines today and of course, Noah had to be right in there to make one too. He tries so hard to keep up with all of them and do what they do. I'm convinced he's going to be our first trip to the ER because of all his dare-devil ways of doing what he sees the older kids do. Today, I caught him trying to climb the outside of the bannister on the staircase!

The stickers on the craft were a bit hard for him to manage. They'd stick to his fingers and he couldn't quite figure out how to transfer them to his heart. So, we compromised. He put the stickers on, "just like the big kids," and then I would pickup a sticker, remove the backing and carefully reposition it just as he had it. He thought it was great and was quite upset when we were done crafting and had to clean up!

I guess in my planning, I'll need to pick activities for 4-year-olds that can also be adapted for an almost 2-year-old.

Hide & Seek

Somehow, hide & seek just isn't the same when your little brother runs along behind and points out where you are hiding.

The bigger boys were playing hide & seek this morning. Noah, of course, doesn't really understand it. He knows you stand and make noises. And he knows part of the game is to run and sit somewhere. And to find where everyone else went. He just doesn't understand that one person isn't supposed to do all of those things in one turn, which is what he tries to do.

One boy would count and the others would take off. Noah would follow along behind, as fast as his little legs would let him and then he'd point to where someone was hiding with a "there he is" sounding noise... Usually pointing before the person was even hidden.

How to win at hide & seek? Play with Noah and just follow him.

And, he's off!!

Andrew found his flag and was waving it around. Then, he grabbed his step-stool and decided he was the starter in a race. Even better, Noah jumped right in and played along, appropriately wearing his race car overalls. Andrew would wave the flag and shout "Go!" and Noah would run in circles around Andrew while making car noises. Noah would win the race and then they'd start again.

I do love seeing their creativity. And playing together is pretty fun to see, too.

Happy Birthday, Memphis!

Memphis turned 2 today so we spent the afternoon at their house, helping celebrate. Nothing big-- just family-- but it was a great time. Memphis gets crazy excited when he sees Buzz Lightyear, so Toy Story was the theme. Popular with all the boys!!! We watched Toy Story 3 after he opened it as one of his presents, and had a good time visiting while the boys ran around and played together. The magnetic fishing puzzle we gave him was also quite the hit-- evidenced by all 3 of them crowded around as he opened it, anxiously awaiting playing with it.

I have many fond memories of spending time with my cousins as a child, so I love that my boys are developing such a close relationship with their cousin. It's so much fun to watch them together and I hope they will always be close.

Happy Birthday, Memphis!!

The Lion King

Andrew first watched this movie a few months ago. He said it was scary and he didn't like it, so we put it away until he felt ready to see it again. That happened a couple weeks ago. He asked to watch it with me, which we did, and this time he said he loved it! "The Lion King" is my favorite Disney flick, so I'm quite happy to see him enjoying it.

He more recently has seen commercials for the Broadway production of "The Lion King" and has inquired about it. He recognized the music, so I explained they tell the story on stage, with music and puppets. We went to their website so he could see a video of what it all looks like. Now, he asks daily to go see it.

Having seen the stage production, I would be thrilled to take him... if it were actually coming our way. All those commercials they keep airing and we are not on the published schedule-- which runs through September!!! Try explaining that to a four year old!

Tonight though, he was happy to listen to the music on my iTunes. Why it shows the cover for the movie soundtrack cd, I have no idea since it is the Broadway cd, but oh well. He stood there and sang along, staring at the same, non-moving picture on the screen, for the first 6 or 7 songs. The only reason he got down was because he had to sit at the table to eat dinner... where we declared a movie night before bedtime. Of course, we watched "The Lion King."

Daddy's Shoes

Noah is a "mama's boy." Not in that kids-teasing-other-kids-on-the-playground way... 'cause, well... he's only 21 months old. He is just very attached to his mama. He needs to know where I am, gets jealous if I hold Andrew when he thinks HE should be the one being held, runs to mama when he's upset and all those typical things.

But, as he's getting older and gaining in his independence, he is realizing that Daddy isn't such a bad guy. He often runs to the door in the evening to greet Eric with a hug (tonight, I'm pretty sure he said "hi" for the first time, too). He asks for Eric to pick him up and hold him while we're in the kitchen fixing dinner. He'll sometimes sit on Daddy's lap, choosing it over Mommy's. And, from watching Andrew, he's learned that Daddy is also great for lift-jumping you high into the air.

It's only been in the last few months that Noah has started wanting Mama less and realized Daddy is okay, too. Of course, I've always thought his daddy is a pretty good guy. It just melts my heart to see him growing to understand Daddy's shoes are good ones to want to fill.

TS3 on Ice

As a special treat, we took Andrew to see Toy Story 3 on Ice this evening. I remember going to a few of the shows as a kid and always enjoyed them, so when we learned this year's show was TOY STORY, we couldn't pass it up.

Andrew was definitely excited about it and has been counting down the days. Waking this morning and realizing the show was this evening had him talking about it all day. When mom got here to stay with Noah, I took Andrew in to change his shirt, since he had just finished dinner. Once he was changed and had his shoes on, he went right to the back door, ready to leave and had to be reminded he also needed his coat and hat.

We picked Eric up at work and went to the show. There was a railing in front of our row of seats and Andrew stood at it, anxiously awaiting the start. He got a light-up Buzz spinner toy, which made the dark arena not so scary. And then his whole face lit up as things got underway.

As each character came out, Andrew excitedly shouted the name and laughed. I had as much fun watching his excitement as I did watching the show. Thankfully, Disney understands kids and included an intermission that was long enough for Eric to take Andrew to the bathroom and for mento go stand in line for cotton candy when they returned. I made it back just before the second act started and Andrew happily ate his treat while watching.

When the toys got to Sunnyside and Lotso came out, Andrew cheered so loud, the lady sitting in front of us was so startled she jumped out of her seat. She just laughed at Andrew's excitement.

Before we knew it, the finale was over and the lights back on. Andrew asked if he could go potty and then come back so "the movie" could start again. When we told him no, this time it was over, he started bawling. Poor guy! He didn't want it to end! It was past his bedtime, long before it ended, so he finally settled down and fell asleep on the way home.

What a fun evening for all 4 of us! Noah got some one-on-one time with Mamaw, not to mention all the favorite toys to himself. Andrew got some needed one-on-one with Mommy and Daddy. And Mommy and Daddy got to see the pure joy on their child's face as he watched his favorite characters come to life and loved being able to do that for him.

A win-win for all....

My Clown

Noah really is quite the character. Strong-willed, independent, fearless, loving, silly and so much more. One minute he's snuggling, head on my shoulder. The next minute he's tackling Andrew and laughing the entire time. He still doesn't have many words, but he most certainly knows what he wants and won't stop until he gets it.

He loves to laugh and to do things to make those around him laugh right along with him. He is well aware of when he is doing something silly-- spinning in circles til he falls or putting toys in his mouth and making funny noises with them. Tonight, he entertained by trying to fit the glasses for Mr. Potato Head on his face. Way too small, of course, but he thought he was funny and so did we.

I can always count on Noah to make me smile!

Dancin'

The tv screen wouldn't photograph so you could see what was on. Our classic favorite, "Joseph and the Amazing, Technicolor Dreamcoat"! Andrew still enjoys watching it and now has his little brother hooked on it too. At this point, it was Pharaoh's song about his dreams. Noah loves it and gets up to dance every time it comes on. Tonight, Andrew decided to get up and dance along with him.

With any luck, next time I'll be able to get the dancing action on video!

Choo-choo!

Andrew has been admiring this train at Target since he first saw it, last summer. The train is from the opening sequence of Toy Story 3, came with Woody & Bullseye, and the pieces can be taken apart and rearranged into a ton of configurations. A four-year-old boy's dream!!

For months, he's asked to look at it every time we've gone to Target (and if you know us well, you know that's a lot). He's asked for it a few times, but at $40, it wasn't one of those things you let them get "just because."

Oh, how I love the 75% off toy clearance! Noah got the FP classic, wind-up tv, just like the one I had as a young child. And at only $10, the train was quite a steal, and perfect entertainment in all the snowy, cold, stay indoors weather we've been having! Andrew was beyond excited when I put it in the shopping cart on Thursday, and immediately started asking if we were done shopping and ready to go home.

My only problem with the train is that it tends to reside underfoot in the kitchen. Andrew says it's because it "chuggers" better on the tile and sounds more like a real train. Choo-Choo!!

Singing

Andrew's choir sang "Il est ne le divine enfant" at the Christmas Eve service. The entire month or so that they were rehearsing it, Andrew regularly complained. He didn't like "that French song" and refused to practice it. He didn't participate well at rehearsals and screamed at me if I would sing it at home and try to get him to sing along. Typical Andrew, however, he managed to sing right along at service at not miss a word.

This evening, Andrew decided to pick up a book to use as his "songbook" and walk around the house singing. Loudly. "Il est ne" is all we heard for a solid 10 minutes.

Silly boy!!

Toddler Taco

Andrew requested TACOS for dinner tonight and left us shocked with that request. He has never had a taco, never considered eating a taco and never asked for a taco. But, when it comes to new foods, if he's asking for it and willing to try it, I'll do whatever I can to get it for him ASAP, before he has a chance to change his mind. So, tonight was taco night. Andrew's had some meat, lettuce and cheese and he took THREE bites, no prompting, before deciding he didn't like it and asking for chicken nuggets.

Unfortunately, since Andrew has chicken nuggets most every night, Noah has started thinking he needs them too. Of course, I want him to eat a variety of foods, so we compromise by giving him one or two nuggets along with a full helping of whatever we're having. (and the boy has been known to eat 8 nuggets in a sitting, so 2 doesn't nearly fill him, leaving he rest of the meal to do that).

The problem with tacos is that they aren't very toddler friendly. The shells are crunchy and break into sharp, pointy pieces. Lettuce is a choking hazard. And with Noah, cheese is not allowed since he is milk protein intolerant. Not to mention, the spicy meat would cause a big reflux flare and make for a L-O-N-G night for all of us.

So, this was my adaptation to make a Noah friendly taco. I thought it looked so good, I snapped a picture of it. Ground beef, pulled out before adding the seasoning. Fritos Scoops corn chips, since they're softer than a taco shell and crumble more like a cracker instead of breaking into sharp pieces. Diced tomato. And diced avocado-- something I've found makes a decent substitute for cheese & sour cream in Mexican dishes. (though I do still miss cheese).

He didn't eat all of it (never touches avocado, no matter how often I offer it), but at least he had a plate that looked much like ours so he wouldn't feel left out.

The Polar Express

Christmas may be over, but The Polar Express is still a favorite movie to watch. Just the sight of the opening credits brings squeals and clapping from Noah. I wasn't quite fast enough with he camera to catch him clapping, but trust that he was.

We spent many an evening in December, cuddled up in bed after dinner, watching this or that Christmas special or movie (thank you ABCFamily and their 25 Days of Christmas). We all enjoyed it... Andrew got to where he would ask at dinner what show was on that night.... and the boys were usually asleep long before the movie would end.

Now, Andrew still sometimes requests movie time after dinner. Some nights we play Wii. Some nights we get on jammies and crawl in bed for a movie. Some nights we play and then have bedtime. Whatever our after dinner time brings, the four of us enjoy it together...... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Play

I think it's pretty clear that "play" is the word written here. At OT this afternoon, Nikki had the dry erase board out for Andrew to list his foods for the day. They choose what order they're going to try the foods in and list them on the board. After completing the chosen number of bites (usually 4 "because I'm 4 years old"), Andrew gets to erase the food from the list.

5 foods on the list today and once done he got to go play. So, he told Nikki hey needed to write "play" on the list. And then he insisted he wanted to do it. Now, I know Andrew knows all of the letters on sight-- upper and lower case. But the only ones he's really written are the ones in his name-- Andrew. Needless to say, Nikki and I were both surprised when she dictated what letters to write and he wrote them all so clearly!!

I guess we'll be working on writing skills a bit more!