Harmonica Solo

Early Reader

Andrew is an early reader. So was I. Both of us started between 3-3.5. I set up these words on our dishwasher and we spent some time together sounding them out. He's so proud when he figures it out - and then he magnets up some kind of nonsensical word for me to sound out which he thinks is hilarious. These moments are the ones that affirm my decision to become a parent. I never did it to have a little baby, though parts of that experience were very sweet - I really wanted the relationship with the child who has his own mind and voice. And this kid has got them both, big time!

Rainbow Snow

A new trick up my sleeve - filling up a spray bottle with colored water and letting him change the color of our backyard snow :)

Potty Training

We're in the very last stages of getting this guy set up for bathroom success. He has been peeing in the toilet/potty and wearing underoos since 26 months. But poop hasn't been so easy. He saved it up for his naptime and nighttime diaper. So I never really addressed it - it was easy to clean up, not a bother. But then I realized that a year has went by and he STILL does this! No longer acceptable. So back to the basics around here. We told him diapers were for babies and off they went to another friend. We've kept him naked at nap/night and put the potty in his room. So far so good.

No Cavities!

Andrew had his first big-boy dentist visit the other day. He went to a pediatric dentist at his 2nd birthday, just to take a peek inside his mouth. This visit was a full cleaning and he was a rock star. I should add that this is the dentist Shawn and I use, and kiddo always attends our appointments and sits in the room with us. So its not like any of this was scary or new to him. No cavities!

Chainmail

Most kids want to play pretend, swim in the pool, use puppets. 

Mine wants to help Dada make chainmail.

Bubble Boy

No, not THAT bubble boy. This one. I ran out of traditional bubble bottles so figured out a fun way for him to get him some bubble play. 3 bowls. Each has a mix of water, food coloring and dish soap. Stuck a straw in each and he blew bubbles til the kitchen table flooded. Made for a fun messy morning!

Snow Ice Cream

Sometimes I think I should just package snow up in old Breyers containers for him.

Tweezers

I was at a loss for what art project to give Andrew today, as we've went through our supply stash pretty thoroughly this winter. But then what did I see lurking in the bathroom? TWEEZERS! My mind was racing - what itty bitty things could Andrew pick up with tweezers - rice, sprinkles, pasta.....and into the muffin tins they went. I kid you not, Andrew played with tweezers all day today. He loaded up his little matchbox construction vehicles, he sorted by color, made small piles, filled up train cargo cars and random containers. He was in 3-yr-old heaven. Funny how the random ideas sometimes end up being so much better than a planned activity.

More Portraits

Portraits

Juni's Mom is a photographer - this past weekend she did a photoshoot for our friend Racheli and her little guy Eitan. At the end of the shoot, she invited Juni and Andrew to play around together on the set. Talk about cute, these two are just about as adorable as they come. Pretty sure I'm going to have to print and frame some of these!

On Being a Boy

I was thinking about gender the other day. For the most part Andrew is a boy's boy. He plays hard, he has an abundance of energy, he loves trains. But occasionally he surprises me. Sometimes he likes to have his nails painted "sparkly".  He also enjoys pretend tea parties. And he likes the color pink. My nephew has an affinity for carrying around baby dolls, changing their diapers etc. What does your boy enjoy that's not traditionally masculine?

Vegas, the Videos

Vegas, the Family

 Uncle Adam was a good sport and played in the bouncehouse with Andrew. In fact, I'm not sure which one of them enjoyed it more....

 Grandpa Richie helped Andrew turn the crank to get one of those souvenir smushed pennies. He's really into gears right now so enjoyed watching the handle make the gears move. In fact when we left the airplane, he asked the pilots if the plane has gears.

Andrew got more cuddly with family as the stay went on. Here they are on a train ride that has become a yearly tradition. It goes out of Las Vegas into some interesting desert scenery. Andrew, the trainlover he is, was completely gaga for it.

One of those classic pics where Andrew is giving Uncle Adam the thumbs down.

Uncle Adam and Gwampa Wichie seemed to enjoy Andrew alot this visit - admittedly it's easier to spend time with a little person who can hold a conversation than the previous younger versions of him.

Today's Quote

I'm interrupting the Vegas spread to share today's soundbite, courtesy of Little A:

"milk comes from cows, milk comes from boxes and milk comes from your up-and-downs!"

 ...guess i should wear a more supportive bra?

Vegas, the Friends

Considering these two haven't seen each other in over a year, they were two peas in a pod. Both boys are chatty, high-energy guys and kept each other busy and laughing. We look forward to their visit to Troy next month!

Vegas, the Suite

One of the highlights of our trip was meeting up with mama friend Joely and her 2 1/2 yr old Erling. They used to live in Troy but now are in Seattle. We rented a suite on the strip and had grand ole time letting the kids horse around while we caught up. The suite was aMAZing. Andrew and Erling hadn't seen each other in over a year but were fast friends.

Settling In

Hi all, we're back from Vegas. It was a great trip. But for now I'm still unpacking, so til I get settled in, I will just leave you with Andrew's first drawings of rainbows. Supercute! He is also starting to write his name.