Happy to You! The 2nd Birthday

Earlier this month we had a great time celebrating C's 2nd birthday. On his actual birthday, I brought in cupcakes to school. While all his little friends sang "Happy Birthday", C proceeded to eat his first of two cupcakes in ONE BREATH. Well, it might have been more than one breath, but the cupcake did not leave his mouth the whole time...he held it to his mouth and kept pushing it in!

That weekend we had a Sesame party at our house. C loved his cake, and ate Elmo at the party, and Bert later in the week. He gave Ernie to one of this little friends. C loved the balloons, presents, and especially all of the family and friends that came to celebrate. Mama and Dada gave him a big boy bike. He likes to tell us which way to go down the street, and gets a little frustrated with us when we suggest a different path!

After the party, C had a special week with his Mimi. He had such a good time with her here that he is already talking about when he gets to go to her house.

Museum, Aquarium, Rodeo, and Big Boy Bed

C has had a busy couple of weeks. I took him to the Boston Children's' Museum. Being a bargain shopper and someone that tries to make the most of my Fridays at home, I was determined to get into a museum on a free Friday. (We tried a smaller one a couple of weeks before and it was a disaster day for me...we never got it...even though C still thought it was "fun"). This time we got in and had a great time. The top photo was right after a much older kid soaked him at the water table. He really was shocked, but managed to smile moments later. The only downside of the day was that right as we were leaving, he tripped on his feet and fell on his face. It was only a small cut on his lip, but we still made a visit to their first aid room.

The next weekend he went with his Dad and our good friends to the New England Aquarium. He loved looking at the fish and splashing in the touch tank, but he didn't actually like touching the fish. He got a stamp on his hand at admission (and now at home he likes to put little pieces of masking tape on his hand and our hands so we all get stamps).

Yesterday his school had a little "rodeo" fair. Their were two ponies that you could ride, but C was not interested. He pet them but would not ride them. He preferred to rock out to the music and point out the two guitars, and follow around his little friend. M and I still managed to enjoy the rodeo even though we had a traumatic week with daycare. Through a big fluke (that will NEVER happen again), the playground gate wasn't locked properly, so C managed to walk out and follow the geese for a couple of steps. Having your kid make a break for it at school is not what you expect for an almost 2-year old!

Finally, after weeks in the making, we got C into his big boy Elmo bed. Every little step we did he noticed immediately. Big bed OUT! Big boy bed for C! Elmo bed! At M's great suggestion, we tried the bed during nap time today. It was a LONG 90 minutes of putting him down, closing the door, hearing the chaos ensue, and then putting him back down. We could hardly blame him, besides it being someplace new to sleep, this is the first time he had free reign of his room and access to a bookcase of his favorites. But I am amazed to say (and don't want to jinx it!) that C went down to bed almost immediately tonight. I had to risk it a take a photo!

It is funny to note that that he is sleeping next to his best buddy Ernie. At the "rodeo" one of his teachers asked me if there was someone in our family named something like "Arnie?" When I asked why, he said that when C gets upset at school he asks for Ma Ma, then Da Da, then Ernie. No wonder we are having a Sesame party this year!

See You Ah Da Beach

C had a great couple of says that "da beach" with Ba Ba and Aunt Kate. He liked to go for walks with Ma Ma, go "up and down" in the pool with Da Da, go in the ocean with Aunt Kate, and play "shark" with Ba Ba in the pool. He had a fun time scaring Ba Ba and Aunt Kate with a crab leg....EWwww! This is the first time that C said the word "Grandpa"...he would say "Grandpa's room" but if you ask him who sleeps in Grandpa's room, he says "Ba Ba." C used the excuse "I'm too big" when he didn't want to go in the pool, but he always changed his mind once we all joined him. He hit the beach a 7:00 am (when all the other kids were "sleeping"). During the early morning when the beach was empty, he took his time collecting shells and rocks. At the end of the day when he was overtired and worn out, he relaxed by watching the "frog song" on the computer (Kermit singing "It's Not Easy Being Green").

He definitely liked being a beach boy. When we got back home, he would pick up his play phone and "call" people, saying, " Hi, see you ah da beach, bye bye."

4th of July Down South

We had a great week long trip to New Orleans. C had a fun time swimming in "Aunt a Lou's" pool and playing with his cousins, particularly singing and dancing! He saw dad catch two little fish. We went blueberry picking, which C loved once he realized he could eat as he went along. He tried to dive into our stash as soon as we brought them home. We spent an afternoon at the Children's Museum, where he rode a bike, drove a police car, and spent the most time trying to serve us food in the "cafe". It was hysterical to see him have no fear, elbowing his way past 3rd and 4th graders to get his utensils into the serving trays. He cleared some of the adults' tables a little earlier than they were expecting. He was determined to serve us a pineapple on a plate, but it kept rolling off. He must have dropped it five times, but he did not give up...we eventually got that pineapple! C loves to be a Mimi's house. He loved riding his "car" on the sidewalk and going for walks. His new favorite game was hiding in Mimi's closet. We knew that C would miss his Mimi, so we brought home a special book that she recorded so we can hear her tell stories at our house. He loves the book, except he is surprised when she doesn't sing certain songs to him!

Elephant Ride and Fire Truck Tours

If you asked C what he did this weekend, he would tell you that he went on a fire truck and rode an elephant, and he would be right! We went to a family festival and on the way there was a firehouse that let the kids get on the trucks. Then at the festival they were giving "elephant rides" on a what looks like a giant old stuffed animal on wheels. There was a VERY long line for this ride, so C and his dad walked around, had slice of pizza, and listened to some folk music while Ma Ma waited in line. And finally it was C's "turn"! He wore a safari hat and held on tight. Notice that Da Da is wearing the fire hat...C insisted on that.

The fun continued on Sunday. I took C to the playground, and across the street, a middle-aged marching band was practicing on a football field. C thought the music...particularly the "tubas" and the "drums' were really good.

Happy Father's Day

Even though he was a little under the weather, C did a great job showing his dad how much he loves him on Father's Day. This weekend we took C to a big boys barber shop where he was surprisingly patient, still, and quiet. He sat hugging his Ernie, enthralled in the conversations around him (most of them 20-somethings getting ready for an evening out before the Bruins parade!) Speaking of the Bruins, C did manage to find a T-shirt at the last minute for Bruins day at school. It must have been good luck!

We got a portrait taken of C in a special suit...one that his dad, uncle, and grandfather have all had their picture taken in. We can't wait to get the photos to share with our families. As a treat we got C some interlocking building blocks. He loves to build big towers and then exclaim, "Oh no" as he crashed them down.

Today we gave Da Da a "digger" card and some grilling tools. Da Da grilled a tasty chicken and I made an appetizer and dessert from a New Orleans cookbook.

We love Da Da!

Long Hot Weekend

After months of cold weather, we finally had a very hot long weekend. We began the weekend playing with the water table in the kitchen. C loves to have the animals like "pen-Gin" hide under the castle. He was so into the water table when we dried him off and got his dressed for the park, he made a bee line back to the table and drenched himself in 30 seconds.

The next morning we went to the beach. We went during the one cool part of the day, but C still had a great time running the beach and squashing mama's castles. The one thing he was shy about was the water...as soon as the tide got close to his toes, he would back up.

We set up his little art table so now he has a place to "color" with his crayons". Now he says the color he is using as he goes along.

C and I went to a very Memorial Day parade this morning. He was very excited to hear drums, see big flags, and police cars with lights.