Letting Him Help

One thing I'm discovering about this whole "terrific two's" stage:

Helping is fun.

LBB adores helping. He adores being part of what Mommy and Daddy are doing. And, he adores feeling like a big boy.

The other day, he jumped at the chance to help make orange juice. :) I showed him how to push the orange slice down, and he had so much fun "squeezing" his orange juice. (I definitely had to help though to make sure we got all the juice out.)

Now, each morning when he wants his orange juice, he quickly drags a chair into the kitchen to help.

The same day he helped make his orange juice, he enthusiastically joined me in the kitchen to prepare dinner. While the 30 minutes or so of dinner prep usually involve him being very rambunctious and all over the house, this time, he spent the whole time in the kitchen with me. Completely focused. And very content. He helped put the chopped potatoes in the bowl, and loved helping with the other prep. LBB is very good about knowing what is "HOT" and what is "OWIE", and we're very vigilant about making sure all possible dangers are out of reach.

And of course, anything that involves helping with dirt is a BIG hit among the two year old crowd in our home.

We started our tomato, carrot, cilantro, and basil seeds yesterday, and LBB got a big kick out of pouring the dirt in the trays and pinching the seeds and putting them in the pods. I have a feeling this summer I will have a LOT of help in tending our garden. :)

Sometimes it's easy as parents to discredit how much it means to toddlers to let them help. They are budding little spirits, so full of life and energy, and so very curious about the world around them. Letting them get dirty, have fun, and dig their tiny hands into projects is important to them (and is part of what makes being a parent so wonderful.)

Letting your toddler know that you enjoy having them help is one of the greatest things we can do for them. Letting them know that you believe in their growing capabilities begins now, but doesn't stop even when they are older. And letting them have that quality time where they are learning from you? Well, it doesn't get any better than that.

Sometimes, it's easy to describe this stage as "terrible two's", but it's not that at all. Sure, there are those tantrums and the stubbornness, but all in all, this is such a wonderful time of tremendous growth. It's a chance for us as parents to really get to know our little ones and see what makes them tick.

Often times, when we're having a cranky day, it's because we spent way too much time sitting and far too little time exploring. Exploring the world around us. Exploring nature. Exploring art. And even exploring new ways of playing with the same "old" trains and tractors. :)

Let's learn a lesson from our toddlers...never stop being curious. Explore, explore, explore.

This Is How Our Naptime Rolls

That portable DVD player is probably the best $90 we ever spent.

And don't judge...because we probably have the world's most difficult child when it comes to sleeping. :) And if watching 20 minutes of good, wholesome, educational television is what calms him down enough to fall asleep, I'm not going to complain one bit.

Most times he can fall asleep without it, but the days he needs it, there's no sense in arguing the fact.

What tricks do you use to get your little one's to sleep?

To Infinity and Beyond

photo from disney.com

LBB is a Pixar nut. Words can't begin to describe how much he loves Cars, and now his love has extended to Toy Story.

And his favorite?

Buzz, of course. :) My sweet little almost 2 year old does a wonderful buzz impersonation where he sets the "laser" on his arm, and then proceeds to flying around the house making whooshing sounds. It's adorable. And when he is watching Toy Story, which is now a daily thing, he gets excited when Buzz is shown for the first time. And at the part where Buzz realizes he is a toy and that he can't fly, my sweet LBB says in the most sympathetic voice: "Buzz?"

It's adorable...I love seeing LBB turn into a little boy who VROOOMS like Lightening McQueen and flies like Buzz Lightyear. It's all those little stepping stones that show his imagination is beginning to blossom. There's days that I'm very nostalgic that he is getting so big so fast, and then there are those moments when I can't do anything but stop and smile when he pretends he is Buzz.

Phew!

This has been a busy morning...

We took 5 rubbermaids, a backpack carrier, pack n' play, exersaucer, and a few other big toys, sorted through them, and Dear Sweet Hubby is bringing them to the kids consignment shop (but not really one because they pay up front).

That's 2 years worth of sweet baby boy stuff. :) But...it's really doing no good taking up storage space in the garage and play space in his room, especially with his Birthday and Christmas coming.

I always have a hard time going through his things, so I tend to save more than I sell, but this time we finally are at a point where we know that despite our attempts to get pregnant with a second blessing, there is no telling when or if that will actually happen...so what is the point of holding onto all that stuff?

I ended up keeping one rubbermaid's worth of stuff of LBB's...the cute little sleepers he was so cuddly in as a newborn. The adorable little blue suede boots that looked so dapper on his tiny feet. And the sweet little rattle he always had to hold onto. :) It was a hard morning in some aspects, but freeing at the same time. Now, our little guy is surrounded with toys that are evidence of his "big boy" status.

And while I know 2 is still very young, it's so much different from when he was first born. He plays with trains. He builds with duplos. He uses construction equipment like it's meant to be used. He races Hot Wheels.

He's a big boy.

Definitely not my little 8 pound bundle that I was holding in my arms 2 years ago. As his birthday nears, I've been filled with nostalgia and trying to steal as many hugs as I can.

They really do grow up too fast...here's to slowing down and enjoying each and every moment. :)

I Think Too Much

And when I think too much, my brain starts to argue with itself, and I end up being up at 1:15 am listening to the two sides of my brain argue back and forth.

Sheesh. Quiet down, thoughts. ;)

Well, really, I'm up right now because LBB was fussing just a bit and I'm making sure he gets back to sleep ok. Before that, I was just getting ready to stop spending way too much time on pinterest and head to bed. Really. I was. (OK...I may be fibbing. If you hear of a "Pinterest Anonymous" group let me know...I might know someone who could use a little help.)

But, then LBB fussed because he fell asleep in front of his bedroom door, which I am sure is not comfortable after a while. The worst thing? He CHOOSES to fall asleep there. We put him back in bed, and he immediately tried going back to the door (while he was still mostly asleep, mind you). He even managed to argue that he wanted to sleep by the door.

Sorry, Buster. Not gonna happen.

And trying to get him back in bed is not easy when he falls asleep by the door. Mostly because he literally falls asleep-RIGHT BY THE DOOR! As in, most of the time his sweet little face is 1 inch from it. So, thankfully I am still pretty skinny and can squeeze my way through a 5 inch opening (I think I may try out for Cirque de Soleil...I'm sure that is one of their acts), because if not he'd be sleeping by the door everynight. I always have to stick my arm in, turn and scootch him over a bit without waking him, make sure his face isn't pushed against the door, and then shimmy through the doorway. I don't know why he likes to sleep there...I'm sure it partly has to do with the fact that all his Cars are in their door organizer and he loves to drive them around while he falls asleep. I think it may also be due to the fact that he can then hear Mommy and Daddy while he nods off. And...he's LBB and LBB does things a little differently sometimes.

Do your kiddles have any strange sleeping habits? Please make me feel better here and leave a comment! :)

But for now, I think LBB is asleep, so I'm going to go hit the sack too. Hopefully my brain decides to cooperate...I'm tired of listening to it argue back and forth. ;) Goodnight!

(And I suppose since it is technically Sunday, I should do my thankful thought....but I'm tired. And if I blog it right now, it will be "I'm thankful for my pillow, my blanket, and my fat white cat that likes to cuddle up at bedtime." I think that's a pretty good thankful thought, but I'll get back on here later today when I'm not half asleep.)

Happy Saturday!

Thankful Thought #5:

I'm thankful that Dear Sweet Hubby is leaving work a bit early today!!!! I love having him home, so I NEVER complain when he tells me he scheduled himself to leave earlier than normal, even if it's only 1 hour. :)

Not only is it a treat for me, but it's a treat for LBB because there are more hours before bedtime. Tonight they are going to go play outside a bit, and then we have a few things we need to do out and about. Nothing exciting, but relaxing and wonderful at the same time. :)

Anyhoo...today is laundry day, and since we live in an apartment, we do laundry in the laundry room. Luckily, the laundry room is literally right down the hall from our door, so it's never a hassle. LBB brought his Little People dump trucks down to push around while I put the laundry in the washer, and then when we put the clothes in the dryer, he checked the lint trap, put it back in the dryer after he tapped it out over the trash can (even though there wasnt't anything in it), and then closed the door when the dryer was full. Gosh I love that boy...he constantly takes my breath away. :) It's really the simplest things, isn't it?

Those are the ones that make life wonderful.

My Son MUST Be Broken

Because if he wasn't, his naptime routine this morning would have been the same as usual:

Argue. Yell "NO!"Get in bed. Read a book. Get another book. Read that book. Get hugs and kisses. Cuddle up. Watch Mommy leave. Get out of bed. Yell a little. Bring all the cars and trains he can muster to the door. And go to sleep on the floor.

But he has to be broken, because this morning, he walked up to me, said "Night-night" and when I double checked with him that he was ready for nap, an enthusiastic nod and "night-night" followed. So, I picked him up, gave him hugs, got him in bed, gave him one big bear hug, said prayer (he loves saying prayer), and then he pushed his cars around for a few minutes in bed.

And now...

...he's asleep. That cannot be my son in there! :) I think the planets and the stars must be aligned perfectly or something.

Nature Walk

Yesterday we went for a very nice hike along one of our favorite parts of the state. Dear Sweet Hubby and I love hiking, and even with LBB in his carrier, we rarely shy away from most trails. :) We started hiking with LBB last summer when he was 5 months old, and back then, he was carried in the front carrier by me. Needless to say, as he got bigger, I was definitely happy when we invested in a Kelty Child Carrier...and when Dear Sweet Hubby started carrying him. Haha!

But now, LBB has gotten a taste of hiking on his own and not being carried by Mommy and Daddy, and he loves it! So, yesterday, we carried him for about 1 mile before he decided he didn't want to be carried anymore. He then got out and hiked the majority of the remaining 2.6 miles with us...pretty impressive!

What was even more amazing was not just the fact that he was hiking all on his own and for such a long distance, but the curiousity he shows! I love watching him investigate the flowers. Feel the rocks. Pet the wooly caterpillars. Watch a spider crawl by. Clap for the cricket when it jumps. Sing and dance in the middle of the pine trees that he and Daddy ventured off to explore. It is magical.

He is so focused when he hikes. He watches everything. Takes in as much as he can. Collects rocks that he finds interesting, along with sticks, leaves, and you name it.

I have a feeling that we might as well just start leaving the backpack carrier at home...he doesn't show much of an interest in it, and he is well capable of hiking these long distances (he just did a 1.5 mile hike last week as well.) Besides, he has so much fun watching everything on land, on the water, and in the air...and he can absorb so much more when he is on his own two feet. :) He's a natural born outdoorsman, and I know that makes Dear Sweet Hubby soooooo happy.

I love my little outdoors guy.

I Lost My Toddler Manual

Because if I could find it, I'm sure I could find where the pause button is on the 21 1/2 month old model. ;)

LBB had a wonderful day today. He had his first Toddler Storytime at the library, and I was a little nervous, but he did sooooo well. :) He had a few Toddler moments, but thank goodness it is a storytime full of toddlers, because he was not the only one. He sat quietly for a while, which is usually a good sign with LBB because that means he is listening and absorbing. Towards the end he started opening up and stood right by the librarian (remember how much we love her?!?!?) and just watched as she read. Then he wandered off and played with the feltboard. After storytime he brought the felt pieces to the librarian and said bye-bye. So precious.

And...he made a new friend! Two of his friends from Baby Storytime were there (they had moved up a session earlier) so he got to spend some time with them, but when we walked in, he was immediately enthralled with this little baby he saw. And then...

...he met the baby's sister. :)

LBB and this little gal hit it off pretty quickly. She called for him to sit by her in the fire truck before storytime. In storytime they played with the felt board together. She held his arm as they listened to the story and even gave him a hug when she left and said bye. :) Ah...the cuteness of toddlers.

In other LBB news today, he's been an absolute monkey. He climbed up onto the arm of the couch. Stepped up onto the 1 foot tall bench in the firetruck seat at the library. Climbed over his arm chair like it was a mountain. And then, while I was cutting up an apple for him, I turned around to see him SITTING on the top of the kitchen cabinet. AGH! This boy is definitely intent on trying to see how far he can scare me!

But most amazing of the whole night was bedtime. Normally bedtime is pretty drawn out, and depends on perfect timing of tv, storytime, snack, and all that stuff. But tonight...LBB was playing with cars, and we cleaned up so we could do a little letter work before bed. We did a page of his letter workbook, and then got his pj's on. And while normally we would go and watch a little tv while he ate a few crackers or a piece of bread, tonight he crawled into bed. Handed us a bedtime story. And sat quietly (well, with a little bit of talking to his GI Joe) while we read the story, his Bible story, and his Elmo book. Then we said prayer, tucked him and his stuffed friends in, and voila. He was ready for bed. Craziness. Sometimes it is super evident that he is growing up.

I really need to find that Toddler manual...even if I could pause him growing for just a little bit. :)

Elmo, Elmo, Elmo

We are having an Elmo overload in this household. We did LBB's room in Sesame Street because he really showed in interest in all things Sesame Street, especially Elmo. We did his first birthday party in Sesame Street...and it was all cute and adorable.

Until it became an obsession. :)

I always said I wouldn't be one of those moms that got annoyed with what their kids watched, no matter how annoying it may be. That was, of course, before I had LBB. And while I show a great deal of patience for all things Elmo, there are some days that it becomes a tad too much. (And I always make sure I don't let on that I'm getting tired of hearing about Elmo...I know it is a really big thing in his Toddler life, and I want to make sure he knows I am interested in what matters to him.)

Like today...we got LBB all ready for bed, and had his bedtime story placed in his bedtime bin (we put his pj's, diaper, slippers, water sippy, and bedtime story in a bin.) And as we started reading "Hello Calico", he immediately said "Elmo." Sigh. We bought him a pop up Sesame Street book a while back, and it is easily one of his favorite books...but it would be nice to read him another book once in a while. :) So, we snuck in the rest of "Hello Calico" and then read him his Sesame Street book. Then we had to say good night to all of the Sesame Street decals above his bed. We had to put BOTH of his Elmo's in bed with him, Bearemy, and his little fox (there really is no room left for LBB, but he manages. Haha.) And of course, we couldn't leave the room until we followed the normal bedtime routine, with an added set of two kisses for Elmo 1 and Elmo 2.

Sigh. See what I mean? Elmo overload. This coming spring we plan on switching LBB to a twin sized bed, and along with that, a new room theme (I make his quilt, so I want to make a quilt that is going to grow with him...and the Sesame Street theme is not being transferred over!) So, until then, I'm going to dream about redoing his room...and while I know I'll still have to read him his Sesame Street book each night, along with the obligatory Elmo goodnight-kisses, I won't have to say goodnight to decals on the wall. :)

And just as a sidenote, I'm not complaining at all. :) I can't help but smile when he has us be involved with all things Elmo...it is so sweet, but there are definitely moments when I can't wait to have a little less Sesame Street consuming our lives.

Too Small

Sigh.

As Autumn approaches, it is time to pull out our chilly weather pjs. And, despite all my efforts to keep LBB from growing, he has, in fact, outgrown a large percentage of his blanket sleepers as he's sprouted up like a bean stalk.

So, alas...it's time to stock up on 2T blanket sleepers because my tall little guy can't fit into 24 months. It's happy and sad at the same time. I love getting new comfy pj's for him...but this means he is officially into Toddler sizes.

Sigh. He's growing up too fast. :)

In LBB's Words: Basketball

I may only be 21 months old, but I know a lot about the world.

And I know A LOT about sports.

That makes me Mommy's basketball coach. See, she doesn't have a whole lot of luck when it comes to certain sports, so it's my job to help her. That's what a good LBB does.

Today, Mommy and I went to the basketball court with my blue bouncy ball. He can really bounce high. I gave Mommy Mr. Bouncy and pointed to the hoop, just in case she needed a refresher course in the basics of basketball. She didn't think she'd do well, and even told me that she wouldn't make a basket, but then she made one, and I yelled proudly for her! I'm a good coach.

I ran and got the ball again, and gave it to her, thinking she would make another basket. But she didn't. I have to be honest and admit that I showed a lot of frustration. I was about to cheer for her, but instead I flung my arms back down and huffed as I walked to go get the ball. Mommy laughed, but I don't think it was very funny. She missed two more baskets after that, and then I decided I didn't want to play basketball anymore. We'll have to try again another day.

After that, Mommy and I played "GO!" It's a game my Auntie made up with me...you stand at the same spot and yell "GO!" and run as fast as you can. I always win...but everybody says it's because I start running and then yell "GO!" They say that is cheating or something like that, but since I'm not even 2 yet, I don't think they can hold me accountable.

I really do love sports. My Mommy and Daddy, and most everyone else, think I will be good at sports. I can't wait till I get to start trying different sports out...but so far my favorites are soccer, throwing (which my mom says will make me a good little baseball player), and running.

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for stopping by and reading! I'm off to dream of kicking my soccer ball around.

Mommy's Night Out, Daddy's Night In

I don't know if you've noticed recently, but I've been blogging a lot...my goal at the beginning of the year was to blog more than I did last year. And then, our computer broke. Now that we have internet access again, I'm trying super hard to catch up...I think I'll make it. Anyways...back to my post. I'm done rambling.

My mom called me today asking if I wanted to go out for a little bit when Dear Sweet Hubby got home from work. I always have such a difficult time leaving, even though as time goes on, I'm getting a bit better at it. Normally when the boys have a Daddy-LBB night out, they go somewhere while I stay home and craft. (Or clean...that's usually what happens.) So the nights that I go out instead...they are pretty rare. :)

We went to the baby store. Breezed around some crafts stores. I drooled over some purses and earrings at one store, while my Mom picked out the most adorable one. Went to a home decor store. Did some price shopping on groceries. (I'm trying to save even more money, so we can get more food...LBB is eating us out of house and home!) And we even grabbed a bite to eat, which was unexpected, but so wonderful. :)

And the boys had a wonderful time too! LBB got some much needed Daddy time, and they played ball, ran around outside, went for a truck ride, played cars, and...this is the most adorable part...they cleaned out a spot in the garage because LBB wanted to push some of his cars around in there. :) Adorable, right? Dear Sweet Hubby keeps a stash of special cars in the garage, so if LBB goes out there he doesn't get bored or into trouble. It's always a highlight for LBB. (Have I mentioned what a wonderful Daddy my Dear Sweet Husband is?)

And when I got back, LBB was covered in just normal little-guy-play-grime and needed a good old bubble bath to get clean. :) So sweet! Mommy time is wonderful for me...and so wonderful for those too as well! Plus, they get the added benefit of a Mommy who got a break. :)

Next time though...I'm going on a payday so I don't have to just drool over the purses! This Mommy needs a new bag since we don't use a diaper bag anymore!

The No-TV Challenge

LBB has been having some issues with too much tv, but the needle that broke the camel's back was when he woke up at midnight the other night demanding to watch tv and not going to sleep until 3 am. That's when Mommy said "Enough!"

So...we're having a momentary tv turnoff for the next few days while LBB is awake. I did let him watch 10 minutes last night before bed as a treat and reward for helping clean up all his Hot Wheels (which is a big job), but tonight I'm going to see how he does without his usual bedtime tv. He hasn't had a problem with naps and skipping it...so we'll see. Send us good wishes that it goes well! :)

But...not having the tv on during the day is so nice. It was getting to the point that it was on just for the background noise sometimes, and to be quite honest, that drives me crazy! I don't like having television be that big in our lives, even if it is wholesome programming that he is watching. Not to say that we aren't ever going to let him watch tv, but we are making him go Cold Turkey for a bit until he can handle himself better with it.

Yesterday and today have had their share of "BOAT! BOAT! TV! TV!" (He loves watching his boat dvd), but I've stood strong and haven't given in, and we're seeing some definite improvement. There's been less fits. Lots more playing. And best of all...lots more reading! Just today (And minus naps, he's been up 5 hours), we've read 8 books! Curious George, Thomas the Train, and of course his Sesame Street Pop Up Book (twice). It's so nice reading with him...it makes this Mommy very happy. He's also painted a picture for his great-grandma. Played with play-doh. Helped me make flashcards for the first 2 weeks of preschool. And even played "basketball" outside at the basketball court (but that's another post.)

All in all, it's been a wonderful day, and it's not even late afternoon yet. I should've tried this "No TV" thing sooner. :)

Mr. Hygenic

:)

Interesting title, isn't it?

LBB soaks up everything he sees...and one of the things that he's picked up on is how to clip toe nails.

The other day, he walked into the bathroom while I was getting ready. Pulled the toenail clippers out of the drawer. Lifted his foot up onto the toilet (just like Mommy and Daddy). Moved the clipper around his foot. Put the clipper away. Waved bye-bye to the toilet water. (Can you tell we are prepping him for potty training?) Closed the lid. And flushed the toilet.

Then he proudly walked out of the bathroom and went about his merry way.

Such a smart little man!

Drawing Cats

I asked LBB to draw a picture of Cat #2. He picked up the little writing book his Grandma got for him, grabbed his favorite color marker (yellow), and sat right in front of Cat #2. Then he opened up the book and started drawing. :) It was the sweetest thing, and he showed it to me when he was done. There is one leg and a round circle looking object, but I know just what he was working on. I love that little guy...he is so cute and shows such concentration when he is drawing. Each mark he makes is with extreme toddler precision.

He started using crayons when he was 4 months old, and he loved it from the start. Now he loves anything art related...clay, paint, markers, glue, crayons. You name it.

But as I write this, he is walking around with a yellow marker still. And he stopped...stared at the hallway wall and all it's nice white openess, and just as he lifted his arm, I said "We don't color on the wall." He slowly put his arm down, and walked toward me with a defeated look on his face. Ah. He cracks me up.

A Trip to the Wildlife Park

Today LBB and I got to go to the Wildlife Park with his GiGi and Auntie, and he had so much fun! He loved seeing all the animals, and it was so much fun watching him interact with them. And what a nice Wildlife Park! There were deer, chickens, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, llamas, a lynx, elk, a bobcat, racoons, foxes, and more that I am sure I am forgetting. :)

When we got there, we got a bag of animal feed. LBB lovingly fed a goose (which I think may have been his favorite...) and got to feed a deer. He watched the river otter, and then we made our way to the sheep area. He loved feeding them...he started off with just one, but they quickly became a group that obviously had a plan. Because just when we were least expecting it, the main sheep grabbed the feed bag out of my hand!!!! What a stinker! He dumped the food all over the place, and then ate the bag. Serious.

And my poor little LBB...it traumatized him! He stood there just screaming and crying, so his awesome GiGi made sure we rushed to get him another bag. :) It took him a while to get back in the hang of feeding the animals again...but right towards the end he regained his courage and fed one of the baby goats. It was so sweet.

I am so glad we got to go with my mom and sister! LBB had such a fun time and really got to see all the animals he is always learning about up close and personal (and in the case of the sheep, too personal!) There were so many sweet moments, but it's late...and I think that all the extra moments are best just held close to my heart. :) We'll definitely be going back sometime with Dear Sweet Hubby so he can watch our sweet LBB with the animals. :)

He's a Hoot

LBB makes me chuckle. Constantly. :)

Well, not constantly. There are those moments when I am convinced he is just testing my patience for the fun of it. But I still try to smile it off. I do well 98% of the time.

He is absolutely in love with trains and boats right now. Whenever he hears the train that blows it's whistle near our house, LBB stops what he is doing and yells "CHOO-CHOO!!!!" It's super cute, if I do say so myself. And tonight, he spent some time watching train videos on YouTube. Then he watched a clip of the Thomas the Train movie he watched yesterday. And...when it came time for bed, insisted on bringing one of his Thomas engines to bed with him.

And when it comes to boats, that little guy is just like his Daddy. :) Apparently a love of all things that float on the water is hereditary. He first started saying "boat" when we went on vacation and got to see some big ships. And for a while, he thought that the train blowing it's whistle was actually a boat, but he knows the difference now. So, among the train videos, he also watched a LOT of boat videos as well. Then, proceeded to go through his room to find all the boat toys he could and bring them out to the living room.

Oh...he's such a boy. And I love it. When we first found out we were pregnant with LBB, I can admit that I was originally hoping for a girl. :) (After all, don't most mommies?) And the day we found out that the little baby that was being so rambunctious, so stubborn, and so strong, was a boy, fear took over. I didn't know what to do with boys! Needless to say, I got over that fear within days, and spent my pregnancy super excited that we would be welcoming a bouncy baby boy. And when he arrived, it was love at first sight. Now I am in awe that I could have had any fears over raising a boy.

And each night, when I put away Hot Wheels, clean up Duplos, rebuild train tracks, put his ride-on fire truck back by the window (and his fireman hat on top of it), and put oodles and oodles of truck, car, firefighter, and construction books back on the book shelf, I am struck by how awesome it is to have a little boy...

...and how awesome it is, that whenever we hear a train or see a boat, he makes this wonderful look of excitement and surprise and says "WHOA!" Sigh. He's sleeping right now, but if I could I'd give him tons of big Mommy hugs. :)

God is very good and knows exactly what he is doing, that's for sure. :)

Just a short little update...

Our computer bit the dust a few months ago...so it's been no blogging for me. And at first I thought for sure I'd miss facebook the most...it's honestly the time I write in my blog that I miss the most. I write for the people who read it, but to be honest I love looking back at my entries and chuckling at the little things LBB does.

And speaking of LBB...he's been growing by leaps and bounds and learning tons everyday! Just when I was beginning to think that he wasn't going to talk and the worry-gene of mommyhood starting setting in, LBB had a "language explosion." Everyday he's learning something new!!! It's absolutely amazing to listen to him talk and, honestly, the majority of the time we can understand everything he says. The past few days he has reintroduced his love of the word "No", which he had learned a long time ago but had seemed to forget about. And of course, now the word has much more drama when said. :) But much to the happiness of my parents and sis, LBB finally says "PaPa", "GiGi", and my sister's name. It's adorable. Whenever we see a van like PaPa's or a S.U.V like GiGi's, he points to them and says their name. He makes me smile.

He is learning animal noises. Can match colors. And pretty much is a walking sponge with as much as he is learning.

We went on vacation and sat on the beach. Walked around the canal area. Sat on a balcony overlooking the water, and ate ice cream. It was absolutely wonderful. LBB has been having so much fun just absorbing, and Dear Sweet Hubby and I have been soaking up every wonderful moment of watching him. I'm so blessed that I am able to be a stay-at-home mommy!

He's gone for bike rides with PaPa. Had playdates with his new friend. And started baby story time two weeks ago...

...and had a major issue each week. He kept getting cranky halfway through and acting up, and after trying to figure it out with the children's librarian, we both came up with the same theory...LBB is getting bored. :) He's been ready to move up to the next class for some time now, but is technically too young to do so. But, thankfully, his librarian wants to move him up to Toddler Storytime!!!! We're so excited! During the baby storytime activities he's been bored and able to do all of them while the others in the class aren't...so I think Toddler Storytime will be a nice challenge for him.

It's just amazing how fast he is growing. He looks like a little boy more than a baby, and it's so important to us to make sure we enjoy each moment.

So in hindsight, although I miss the internet, it's been a blessing to have a forced reduction of the time spent on here. I've slowed down. Focused on life. And enjoy every minute of it.

Not to say that I won't be upset when we get a new computer...on the contrary...I'll be happy because I can blog again and share photos of my sweet LBB on facebook for family and friends, but I've definitely learned a lesson of how much is too much. Too much computer is bad...but there is no such thing as too much of time with my LBB.

So, until next time that I take a few minutes at my parent's to write a blog post, have a good rest of the summer!!!!

A Serious Case of the Grumpies

LBB has been having a grumpy week. I bet you couldn't tell from this picture. :)

But, amidst the grumpies, there have been wonderful moments of cuddling, laughing, and just plain fun, so this Mommy can't complain. All I can do is brace myself when I hear him start huffing (yes, like the big bad wolf), and get ready for the next tantrum.

Ah, the joys of toddlerhood. :)