Some Rainy Day Fun

Ah, I love Spring. But most of all, I love the rainy days in Spring.

A few days ago, we had a very rainy day...

...and we spent it with a quick morning walk while my little guy wore his Froggie rain boots and Sharkie rain jacket. (Thank goodness for the conveniece store right across the street...I was dying for a Dr. Pepper.)

Then, we built towers with blocks...

...ate lunch with very yummy Alpha-Tots. (Gotta love a great GLUTEN FREE find for LBB.)

And watched a little Veggie Tales.

You can never go wrong with lovely rainy days. We did lots of other fun things that day...like a trip to Chipotle (yum yum yummy yum) and our grocery shopping at Whole Foods (which always makes me a happy girl.)

I love rainy days...there's something so amazingly relaxing and invigorating about them at the same time. So tell me, do you love rainy days? What's your favorite part about them?

And Sometimes I'm Amazed

Well,let me rephrase that.

All the time I'm amazed. :)

LBB keeps growing by the minute. And today, as he worked on an ABC puzzle, we handed him the letter "D", and said the name. Then he said to us:

"D. Duh. Duh. Duck."

Learning letters. Learning phonetic sounds.

Sigh.

1 year ago, I was excited that he was walking running and that he was beginning to talk more. 2 years ago, I was in awe over his sweet smile and waiting for him to roll over.

And now he's on the brink of learning his letters. Asking questions. Learning his colors.

And I'm learning that time goes much too quickly. Much, much, much too quickly.

So, tonight, when it was nearing 11:30 and he was STILL up and not ready for bed, instead of feeling a little too tired to enjoy the moment...I snuggled up with with near 2 1/2 year old, watched Dinosaur Train, and made roaring noises while we learned about Pliosauruses.

It's awesome being a Mommy, no matter how fast the days fly by. :)

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.

A snowy Sunday thankful thought

Last night, I had about 18 thankful thoughts go through my head. It was a wonderful sort of night. :)

We got snow in our neck of the woods! It was that lovely, first dusting of the year, when everything is fresh and new. We put the radio station on that plays Christmas music, which is always an exciting thing, and enjoyed the wintery goodness.

Dear Sweet Hubby and LBB played outside in the snow (but only for a few minutes...Mommy forgot LBB's gloves at PaPa and GiGi's. Whoops.) After LBB went to bed, Dear Sweet Hubby and I spent some quality time with our new Wii. :)

It was a wonderful night...so I'm having a tough time choosing just one thing to be thankful for.

So...I'd have to say my thankful thought for today is:

I'm thankful for every moment that God blesses us with. Each one is special. Each one is to be cherished. And each one is a gift from the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

I'm beyond amazed to think that the One who made the stars and each perfect snowflake makes sure that I'm thought of. That is quite an awe-inspiring thing. Sometimes I get distracted and think about the things that are "missing" in life...second child, our own home, and whatnot. But it's those nights like last night that make me remember how wonderfully I've already been blessed.

I hope that today brings you loads of joy and happiness! As for me, I'm going to go enjoy some quality time with LBB on this snowy day...and get some work done on this week's homeschool stuff. Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

(And I plan on posting two days worth of Pinterest challenges later on today. Check back later!)

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. :)

Elmo & Jason Mraz

We are big Jason Mraz fans in our household. And LBB is a BIG Elmo fan. So, it makes complete sense that LBB is nuts about this video...it's on his Best of Elmo 2 dvd, and it's definitely one of our favorites. :) And whenever he hears "I'm Yours" on the radio (which is often...it's Mommy's relaxing song, haha), he calls it "ELMO!" It's adorable!!!!

And while this blog is titled "Little Boy Blue" there is also that little bit called "and Mommy too." So, here's Mommy's version of the ELMO! song. :)

Also, my thankful thoughts for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and today:


Thankful thought #9: Thankful that my hubby had a good, safe, and productive business trip this week. (That was one of the reasons for my internet break...I had him take the laptop with him.) He had training for his new store opening, and he came back even more excited for this opportunity.


Thankful thought #10: Thankful for a day off with Dear Sweet Hubby after he was out of town for 4 days. It's always nice to just relax and have fun at home after a few days apart.


Thankful thought #11: Thankful for my family...my Dad drove Dear Sweet Hubby down to the airport (and LBB and I so we could say goodbye) and picked him up, just so I wouldn't have to drive through the city. My Mom watched LBB on short notice Thursday morning while Dear Sweet Hubby and I got our flu shots and then did some pre-Christmas shopping for LBB. It means a lot knowing they are close by and there for us when we need them.

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.

A big thankful thought...and then a small thankful musing

Thankful thought no. 4:

I'm thankful that God blessed me with a husband who holds my hand when I am sad, pulls me close, and says it will all be ok. I'm thankful that I've been blessed with a husband that reminds me how blessed I am, just when I need to hear it, and not in a "You shouldn't be whining" kind of way. And I'm thankful that the husband I've been blessed with can focus on me when I know he is a sad about the same thing.

And to add to today's thankful thought...I'm thankful for my amazing Mom that lets me call her at 11:45 at night when I am in tears just to tell me that it will be ok. (And friends, please don't worry much...everything is fine. Just a little sad, is all.) Thank you, Mom. :)

And not on my list of thankful thoughts, I suppose, but I had to write about it tonight because it was one of those moments that made my heart melt into one giant puddle of Mommy goop.

Sunshine spilling on my sweet little boy's blonde noggin. Pine needles tickling his face. And a smile that can make any sad thought go away.

My sweet baby is not such a baby anymore...he is growing and becoming a sweet boy. He played underneath the big pine tree outside his window today...joyously running around the trunk. Pushing his Cars through the pine needles. And watching in awe as the first bird came to the birdfeeder he and Daddy made.

I'm blessed, and I know that. I struggle sometimes, wishing for something that is seemingly not meant to be right now. My human ways search for understanding, and when it can't be found, my frail heart begins to doubt.

But then, my sweet son hugs me and gives me sweet eskimo kisses. And I can hear God telling me that it will all be ok.

I apologize for the forlorn post tonight...thank you for reading it...and I promise soon I'll be back to normal.

Good night, dear reader.

Thankful Thoughts #1, 2, and 3

A few years ago I did one of those Thankful Thoughts a day, and I saw a few posts on other places this year and it gave me a gentle reminder. I'm going to do it again...but this time, I'm not going to do the thankful thoughts that are the big thankful thoughts (like salavation, love, family members, and so on) because I think that if you read any moment of my blog you probably get the vibe that I'm thankful for all that. :)

So I am going to focus on the little moments. And since today is 23 minutes into November 3rd, I will post 3 thankful thoughts tonight.

1. I'm thankful for the sweet little boy who is now all over his croup. I was missing LBB's rambunctiouness and downright craziness. :)


2. I'm thankful for Dear Sweet Hubby listening me vent about everything that was irritating, and not even batting an eye. :) I'm sure he didn't care to hear about the same things 3 times in a row, but he is sweet, and he loves me, and it's those little things that he does that really make me realize it.


3. I'm thankful for surprise sweet hugs and an enthusiastic "LOVE YOU" from LBB. :) And then him grabbing my face to give me a big sloppy kiss. :)

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.

Contentment (Otherwise Known as "Our Story and What We Are Learning From It"

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”--Frederick Keonig

We've had a lot of change in our lives in the past 4 years.

4 years ago, I was working Full Time at a big orange store as a department head in bookkeeping. Dear Sweet Hubby was working his tail off with no real rewards at a small tool store as an assistant manager. I dreamed of being a Mom, staying at home, and raising a family.

We decided the time was right and that we were going to try to have a child. So, we packed our belongings, moved to a 2 bedroom apartment in a different suburb, and were shown that not everyone gets preggers right away. :) Apparently, my plans were different than God's.

5 months later, and with no success, we stepped back and assessed the situation. Dear Sweet Hubby was completely unhappy with his job situation, I was feeling more than stuck where I was at, so when the opportunity for Dear Sweet Hubby to get a new job working at a strong retail company, we jumped on it. Not to mention the fact that the new job made it possible for me to become a housewife, and a hope of moving back into the "country". (We believed we weren't cut out for the big city lights.) So, we packed our stuff, again, and moved to our temporary city where Dear Sweet Hubby had to do his training. We literally lived in an Econolodge for a month, and then found this adorable little apartment. (And by little, I mean tiiiiinnnnyyyy.) But, it was nicer than any other apartment we were in, had a washer and dryer, a wonderful kitchen, and the balcony overlooked a wooded area that regularly housed a family of deer. Needless to say, those 4 months we lived there were absolutely wonderful. We were giving everything to God. We weren't attempting to get pregnant because we knew it just wasn't the time. And we just enjoyed the moment. We learned a lot from that moment in our lives.

Right before Thanksgiving, Dear Sweet Hubby finished his training and was told he'd be getting into his own store, and that he had to be there the Monday after Thanksgiving...talk about short timing! So....we packed up AGAIN, and moved into an apartment (sight unseen) in a small, tiny, Midwestern town. And of course, those dreams of having a family popped up again.

4 months later, a tiny plastic stick told us we were expecting, and 9 months later (with one more move due to a mold issue where we lived) we welcomed our sweet LBB into our family. And then, news that Dear Sweet Hubby's store would be closing due to repairs that were too costly, so off we went...right back to where we started from! Dear Sweet Hubby took a store that was 30 minutes from our first apartment. Crazy, isn't it?

So, we lived with my parents for a few months while we got our bearings straight, and then moved into the apartment that we are in now.

Did you count the moves? In the past 4 years, we have lived in 6 apartments, a hotel, and my parents' basement. :)

And...we just got wonderful news that Dear Sweet Hubby will be opening a new store 45 minutes from where we live. His current commute is 1 hour through traffic, and this is going out of the metro, so no traffic now! Immediately, our wheels started turning...well, if we could buy a house. If this. If that. When we have another child. If we can have another child...

...I am going to be completely upfront and share what breaks our heart each and every month. We dream of having another little one. We can't wait for the day that LBB is a big brother. We long to hold another sweet newborn in our arms. In fact, we've been waiting for that day for 20 months now. We know that when it is in God's plan, it will happen according to Him. Sometimes, though, that's not easy to accept.

But.

What's all this got to do with contentment? Do you see a common thread in this whole story?

I do, especially now. God has led us on an amazing journey. He has blessed us with an amazing marriage, an amazing son, and the ability to have me stay at home, be a housewife, and homeschool our little guy while Dear Sweet Hubby works at a job he loves. We've made some stupid mistakes, and some we are still paying for, but through it all, God is teaching us how to be content.

And I've gotta say...sometimes we can be really ignorant. Sometimes we try to ignore the lesson he is teaching us. Sometimes we try to make it happen in our time. Sometimes we get lost and ignore the way he is guiding us.

So, when the news of Dear Sweet Hubby going to this new store and knowing how cheap houses were, yadda yadda yadda, we started to get that discontentment bug again. We started to think about how we needed to rush to do this, rush to do that, move again in 2 years, and then rush around doing things in a house. But, we stopped.

We prayed. We talked. And we took a deep breath.

And decided, that deep down, when you find contentment in the place you live...in the apartment, house, underground silo (whatever it is you call home!), you find true happiness. When you realize that the list of things you want to do around your little apartment to make it work perfectly for your family makes you happy, while the lists of things to do to buy a house scare the living daylights out of you, it's probably wisest to go with what makes you happy.

God put us here for a reason. We live in the suburb we live for a specific reason...Dear Sweet Hubby has some time to relax after work before he walks in the door. LBB is close to all the cool extracurricular activities that the metro has to offer. And we live close enough to my parents to be happy and have that family time that is so special for us. Our apartment is home. And someday in the next few years, we would love to move into a 3 bedroom apartment in the complex for a little more space, but even that comes with contentment. :)

So, all that rambling comes down to one thing...and it's a big one.

Contentment isn't an easy thing to achieve. Sometimes you have to go through a lot of discontentment to even know how to get there. Sometimes you'll think you are "achieving" it only to find out that you had your blinders on and have to start over.

But once you find it, ah. It's a wonderful, relaxed feeling. You can begin to look at things with joy in your heart. Small things, big things. Happy things, stressful things. All of them take on a new look. And while as humans we are meant to struggle now and again with this issue, God will lead us on a path that helps us learn to be happy with what we've been blessed with. It is an amazing thing.

So, on this evening when I've rambled your ear off, please, take a moment and think...are you content? What is that makes you content? (And leave a comment if you want!)

That's all for now...I'm seriously going to go look at pinterest now. :) Have a blessed evening!

I literally unplugged the television...

...and hid it in my room.

LBB has a slight addiction with TV. Ok. I correct myself. EXTREME obsession with TV. So, on Saturday, I called our cable provider and cut us down to basic cable. (I realized we spent too much time in the evening watching shows when we could be doing other things after LBB went to bed.) On the plus side, hello more time together, less annoying background noise, and about $100 extra a month. Sounds good to me.

And then, this morning, LBB woke up raring to go. At the lovely hour of 4 am. See, LBB doesn't care that we practically eliminated cable, because LBB has a plethora of DVDs to watch...and watch them he does. Now, I can defend myself (slightly) and say that all but one that he regularly watches(Cars, of course) is educational. And of course, I will also state that the majority of the time it was on as background noise.

HOWEVER...

I'm not a big fan of being woken up at 4 am to watch "MiMi's" (firetrucks). I always said when I worked at a big orange retail store that once I quit there I would not wake up before 6 am unless it was for a very good reason.

Firetrucks are not a very good reason, unless they are in my parking lot putting out a fire.

And it was then, as LBB sat yelling because I wouldn't turn that black rectangle that sits prevalently in the living room, that I was convinced LBB had an addiction. And as Mommy, it's my job to reign it in. I tried distracting him. Calming him down. And then, after loads of him yelling, I stood up, disconnected the cables, unplugged it, and put it in my room. And here it sits, unplugged and feeling slightly neglected. :)

For a whole entire day. That's right. LBB went a full day without one single moment of television. And oh, goodness, it was wonderful.

He was less cranky (although he is cranky due to a lovely 2 year molar trying to pop through). He played ALL day. He laughed. He danced. He painted. He played by himself off and on, giving me time to organize my entire craft closet. He learned how to jump. He read TONS of books. He took a very decent 2 1/2 hour nap that Mommy used to catch up on some sleep herself. He had loads of fun in preschool. And he even snuggled with me on multiple occasions. :)

Now...this is only for a few days that the TV hides out in our room. Once we know he's gotten it under wraps a bit, we'll put it back out there, and really stick to our guns on TV time. Some rules we decided on:

1. I am going to make a TV cover. Just something that covers the screen (and doesn't look hideous.) When the TV is covered up, no TV. Period.



2. 30 minutes before dinner. Most days, LBB's choice of what he watches, but if we checked out a DVD that has to do with school that day, then Mommy chooses. And after the 30 minutes, TV is turned off, cover put back on, and that is that.



3. On certain occasions, TV can be a reward...like "LBB, please do such and such." And if he does, 15 minutes of whatever he wants to watch.
   


4. One episode of Veggie Tales on Sunday. That can be his "Saturday morning" cartoons. :)



5. And last, but certainly not least...family movie night once a week. Mommy, Daddy, and LBB have yummy snacks, put our PJ's on, and watch a fun movie. Even if it is Cars each week, that is fine.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that he would easily watch Cars 2 times a day, his Mighty Machines movies for the first 2 hours he was awake, and then random things in between. He would play sometimes while he watched, but not like he should have been. I love watching him learn from these shows (like I Wanna Be a Fireman and whatnot), but it has to be in moderation!!!!

Today was wonderful. It was nice not having it on. And when I told Dear Sweet Hubby that I had told LBB that he could watch TV a little before bedtime, even he said "You know, why don't we try to pass on it tonight." :) (My Dear Sweet Hubby also has a weakness for television.) I'm so glad we did. LBB was read two books by Daddy, snuggled on the couch, and had his yogurt. A wonderful ending to a wonderful day. :)

Fingers crossed tomorrow goes just as well. :)

Eating Healthy...

...and it rocks.

Since the post I wrote last week about eating healthy, I have been focused. We went to Whole Foods and stocked up on some nutritious food. We went to a local co-op and got a few other things that we found there. I've made granola. Made whole wheat french toast. Ate more fruit in the past few days than I have in a month. And just in general ate so much better than I have before. Not to mention...no Pepsi! (OK...I had one today, but it was disappointing, so that is a good sigh.)

And I remind myself of this thing I read about having a nutritious diet: "80% is perfection." So, the crescent dogs and chips we had for dinner tonight...that's ok, because tomorrow I will be back on track.

It feels so good to be taking care of myself and my family like this. I know that we are making changes to have a healthy future. And when I see my LBB begging for a banana in the store and passing up a cookie, it makes me smile. He's been healthy all along, it's time for Mommy and Daddy to follow suit. :)

And while those crescent dogs sure did taste yummy tonight, afterwards, I just didn't feel as well as I have the past few nights. I think that's a good sign, right? And I think it's even better of a sign when my steak and potatoes hubby says to me "When are you making a dish with lentils again? I really like those."

Hoorah for good eating. :)

We've figured it out.

LBB is an early riser.

And I mean early. Like, 6 am is sleeping in. :)

So, on Dear Sweet Hubby's days off, there used to be a slight disagreement on sleeping in. I was tired from waking up at 5 am every day amd then chasing crazy toddler boy around. Dear Sweet Hubby is tired from waking up at 5 am everyday and then working and commuting. Both valid arguments. But no compromise. Right?

Wrong! We figured it out. On days when it is possible to not have to be anywhere by 8 am when Dear Sweet Hubby is off, we got a routine going. We takes turns on who gets to sleep in first. They get to sleep for an hour after LBB wakes up. Then it's the other person's turn to take a "nap."

Does this make us lazy? I don't think so...I think we finally figured out how to get enough rest with a tot who likes to be up before even the birds are awake for the day. :) And it's nice to get that quiet time while sleeping, and equally nice for the one on one time in the morning with LBB (especially for Dear Sweet Hubby.) Plus, we get the day started at 8 am at the latest, and that means we aren't missing much in comparison to most "normal" family's days off together. :)

Ah, compromise. What a beautiful thing.

A Lesson in Gentleness

The other night, after LBB was sound asleep and Dear Sweet Hubby was relaxing, I took a much needed Mommy's night out and went to (drumroll please...):

The dollar store.

Oh, yeah, this Mommy knows how to rock her quiet time. ;)

And at the dollar store, I bought tons of goodies for LBB's preschool and 3 snowflakes for our patio. (See, I spoiled myself, haha.) AND...I bought "Mexican Jumping Beans".

I thought there was an off chance that LBB might enjoy them. I thought right. Since introducing him to his little "caterpillars" (we make sure we avoid the term "bean" lest he thinks it is a nommy) he has shown a gentleness that is heart melting and adorable. He quietly whispers "shhhh" when he is telling them goodnight. He softly picks them up and places on the carpet, which he observes as soon as he lays on his belly and props himself up with his arms.

He makes sure the kitties stay away from them. He puts them softly back in their new home (a snack container), and hands them back to me to put up on the counter. It is really the sweetest thing, and a lesson that he was greatly in need of due to his extreme toddler tendencies. :) Who would've figured that for a dollar, I could find a sweet little treat for LBB to learn what it means to be gentle? Not me, that's for sure.

OH, and if you want to read up a bit on these cool little things, check out this article! I'm going to do some research so I can make sure these little guys live for a while.

Story+Art "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle (Spider Craft)

Well, that's a pretty long title...but I wanted to make sure that it could be differentiated because we plan on doing some more crafts about this book this week!

Yesterday on our way to the zoo, I was talking with Dear Sweet Hubby about how I didn't think LBB was necessarily interested in focusing on a letter a week (in addition to a weekly theme.) And then I started talking about how he seemed much more interested in reading the same book over and over and over for a week, and it dawned on me...

Why don't I focus on one story and do a few projects throughout the week that tie into that story. Think story+art, along with a little learning (like a field trip that ties in), and voila...my hybrid of preschool for toddler. :) We are still going to do a weekly theme, but this replaces the major focusing on the alphabet...he's not even 2 yet, so we can postpone that (although we do still point letters out, of course.)

At the zoo, LBB fell in love with "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle (and tried to get a little girl he met to read it to him...what a charmer.) So, of course, I bought it for him, because it is for his preschool, after all...sooooo, that makes it ok. ;)

We decided to do his first project with the book today. A sweet little Paper Towel tube spider. Read on for directions!

The materials we used: A paper towel tube, cut to about 1 1/2 inches. A piece of black construction paper, cut to a length to fit around the tube with a little bit of overlap. 8 pieces of construction paper (cut 1/2" by 3 1/4"), and two wiggly eyes. (Because what kind of spider is it if it doesn't have wiggly eyes.)

LBB had a blast trying to make a glue fountain. :) I put the construction paper around the tube for him, since he is so little...I used invisible tape because it was quicker.

Inspecting the glue bottle before starting his project. We started with a little glue on the end of one leg, and put the leg on the inside of the tube. LBB got about halfway through and decided he was done gluing, so I used tape on the rest and tape to reinforce. After all the legs are attached to the inside, I folded them at the edge of the tube so they sat nicely. This becomes the bottom.

Then, just add a little glue to the eyes (or use those fancy self adhesive ones if you have them...I'm beginning to think they would be worth the investment), and you have a cute little spider. :) LBB's favorite part of any project like this is always gluing the eyes on...it's quite adorable.

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.

And Onto The Newest Challenge

Yesterday we made a trip to Target. At Target, we purchased some Berry Fruit Squeezers. Some individually packed Annie's snack crackers. A bin. Some wrapping paper. A pack of party sized play-doh. 2 packs of training pants...and LBB picked out...

His very own potty chair.

The list I wrote up there, minus the training pants and potty chair, are all for his rewards bucket. We wrapped up some Hot Wheels we had been saving for his 3rd birthday. Dropped in the snacks, playdoh, and cars, and now he has handy little rewards bin just waiting for the first time he goes potty.

I can't believe my LBB is in the realms of this whole potty-training thing! What is mindboggling is that just 2 weeks ago he was showing a few signs, but I didn't think he was this close. And then, on Wednesday, he walked up to me, gave me some indications that he had to go potty, but in a moment of "duh-momminess", I didn't pay attention. :( Not even 5 minutes later he walked by me with a aroma that only indicates one thing. Boy, did I kick myself for not listening to him and getting him to his little bitty potty chair! But, all things turn out good, and the next day Dear Sweet Hubby, LBB, and I were at Target getting prepared for the newest stage in our family life.

Today, while he didn't go potty in the toilet, LBB did spend some quality time in the potty and is learning when his body is telling him that he needs to go. He did go in the bathroom...but not in the toilet. :) But, he is excited about it. Being very patient (which is not his normal state of being). And is trying so hard. We're going to take it at his speed and not push him, but at the same time we don't want to be too relaxed and not make it a priority since he is showing readiness signs.

So, wish us luck in this new journey! We are keeping our fingers crossed that things go smoothly, but also have prepared ourselves for the worst of the worst if that happens (but I'm really hoping it doesn't! LOL!)

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.