Little Man Ian

First Ice Skating

2012-01-16T20:15:00.011-05:00

Our neighbors built an ice skating rink in their backyard this winter, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the warm winter has given them a pool instead. This weekend was freezing cold, so the rink froze enough for the neighborhood kids to enjoy.

Here Ian is - ready for his first ice skating adventure.

We walked around the edge a few times and he really liked slipping around. Fun time was over when one of the grown ups stepped on the ice and it cracked. I'm guessing we'll get another crack at it as it's supposed to be 7 degrees tonight.

Friends in Virginia

2012-01-08T19:24:00.067-05:00

Ian and I had a really special weekend in Virginia. College friend Amy has two kids - Emma (5) and Henry (2) - that I get to see at least once a year. Ian did too when he was a baby, but now he gets left behind on girl weekend trips. But I really want him to get to know the kids, so he and I made our own voyage south.

He's a seasoned traveller these days and it showed as we headed to the airport. He pulled his own (Diego) suitcase the whole way. When we got to security he pulled his shoes off, put them in the bin, and pushed the bin into the Xray deal. He took what I said to heart about not touching the sides of the "tunnel". He walked through the metal detector with his hands glued to his sides. What a pro.

This also was a special trip - the first flight post-Ian without checking a bag. It helped going to Amy's - I didn't have to bring toys or a carseat. But still - it was fantastic not hauling so much stuff. Ian's growing up.

Notice the headlamp on as he walks down the Boston streets. He kept it on all the way to security.

These are his travel "guys." I bring them out on trips and it works great because they are new every time.

Amy worked Friday morning, so Ian and I had a fun morning playing with all the cool stuff they have at their house. The kitchen was one of his favorite play items. He cooked all sorts of things.

Then we had some color time. Ian drew a turtle and a fish.

I drew a monster (a happy monster) on my hand which was Ian's "best friend." A couple months ago we read a book about Thomas and Percy being best friends and that's a phrase Ian has latched on to. He really liked this monster friend and pulled my hand to the slide so he could go down the slide with his new best friend.

In the afternoon, we all went to the playground. We played some hide and seek and then the kids found this bush they could walk through. That was the best thing ever. It's amazing what simple games kids find such pleasure in.

Speaking of simple... this ditch full of leaves was the highlight of the weekend. Emma and Ian really clicked as they ran up and down the ditch, both of them giggling nonstop.

Poor Henry was a little young to traverse the leaves, but he had fun sitting in them. I know the next time the three get together, they will all be able to play together.

Ian has been running and then jumping onto our laps lately. It's really fun for us, but as I saw him running towards Emma, I knew that's what he had in mind. Not as fun for a 5 year old to take on a tank. Fortunately I got to him in time, "Ian!! Don't jump on Emma!" He didn't. He stopped right in front of her and sat on her lap. Priceless.

These two really hit it off. She tried to get him to hold still so she could build a house around him. That lasted for... well, it didn't really last at all. He's likes crashing things to much.

Saturday at the playground was really fun for Ian as he and Emma chased each other around.... until one of Emma's little friends showed up. Ian was instantly forgotten.

Here he is watching Emma run off. Sadly. "Ian lost Emma," was what he said. We told Ian that he had to get used to heart break eventually. It'll make him tougher, right?

This trip definitely has to be an annual event. It was so fun watching Ian get to know these kids.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

We had the most fantastic New Years Burlington weekend with Dave, Dan, Mer, and Caiden. I think I could move to Burlington (especially if it was farther south). It's such a great little town - great food and coffee shops, beautiful lake, amazing grocery store.

Here we are at Magnolia's. Ian absolutely powered down the gluten free bread. What a treat for the little man!

On Saturday we had a really fun time at the aquarium. The boys didn't play much together, but they played next to each other a whole lot. There was a little play area for toddler sized kids. While we were there another mom sat down to read a book to her daughter. Ian was really interested in the book and sat on the mom's lap to join in. The little girl was a bit threatened by Ian taking over her mom's lap. Although I don't know what I think about Ian sitting on strange people's laps, it did make me happy to see he is comfortable with others. (Getting ready for pre-school and all!)

Saturday night was the best dinner. We went to Flatbreads for super tasty pizza. Ian was incredible! He sat and played with Caiden's monster truck (which we accidentally came home with - sorry, Mer! I have it set aside for the next time we see you). He drove the truck up and down the little metal pizza holder for more than an hour while we ate and chatted. Very low maintenance!

Burlington... oh, how we love you!

December 365

2011-12-31T21:38:00.000-05:00

December 31, 2011

December 30, 2011

December 29, 2011

A friend that I literally haven't seen in years has a daughter about six months older than Ian. The family lives only 15 or so minutes for us, so finally, finally we got together over Christmas break. The two kiddos got along pretty well. At one point Ian got a little possessive of a pig they were playing with. He took it in the closet and hid. Other than that, they played well...

Ian. Innocent here because you're two. But watch that hand, young man.

December 28, 2011

Mr. Defiant does the opposite of what we ask. During dinner Ian was a little squirmy and not really eating his food. We about gave up on him getting a good meal in and then Dave Mak came up with the idea of, "Ian, don't eat that chicken." What do you know... he ate the chicken. He then proceeded to clean his plate bite by "don't eat that..." bite.

December 27, 2011

December 26, 2011

December 25, 2011

December 24, 2011

December 23, 2011

Ian and I spent some time at the farm today. A boy was walking MJ the sheep around and offered to let Ian help. And this was too cute - he hid behind MJ so that I could get a picture that looked like Ian was walking her by himself.

December 22, 2011

Ian's response when we ask him a question is usually "No!", but the other default is, "Yup!" Today Rossita must have been working on him to say, "yes" instead because suddenly there is no more "yup", only "yes."

December 21, 2011

December 20, 2011

Sad Face

Crazy Face

Happy Face

I"m Cute Face

December 19, 2011

December 18, 2011

Ian helped us volunteer at a local 5K this morning. It was so, so cold. We spent some time in the ATM to warm up a bit. Ian was a trooper, but melted at the end. We decided this was a good way to get Ian to hate going to races.

December 17, 2011

December 16, 2011

December 15, 2011

When Ian is reading or singing, he wants NO input from Mommy. If I try to sing along, I get a "No Mommy!" or just a small grubby hand covering my mouth.

December 14, 2011

Ian: Ian go run in the busy road.
Me: No way!
Ian: Way! (then giggle, giggle, giggle... This is his joke that he know gets a good laugh from everyone.)

December 13, 2011

Ian: May you open the orange please?

December 12, 2011

This book ROCKS!! It's full of common nursery rhymes but with truck nursery rhyme words.

Example:
This is the way we scoop the dirt, scoop the dirt, scoop the dirt.
This is the way we scoop the dirt, every Trucktown morning.

Ian absolutely loves the whole book and has learned it nearly word for word in a short time. I sang one song to him a bunch of times - Rumble Rumble Monster Max... to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle. He never sang along as he had with other rhymes. Well, a couple nights ago we went through the book before bed and he recognized the picture and sang the entire song word for word. Blew my mind.

December 11, 2011

December 10, 2011

We were walking with Ian down the sidewalk and he stepped into a doorway (not hidden at all, mind you).

Ian: Where is Ian? I don't see him anywhere!

He's been big on peek-a-boo lately. So darn cute!

December 9, 2011

December 8, 2011

December 7, 2011

Getting closer!! This is a step in the right direction. James undies. The goal is to "keep James dry. James doesn't want to get wet."

December 6, 2011

Look at those pretty lips!

December 5, 2011

December 4, 2011

Ian and I had a really fun afternoon at the aquarium. He's so fun watching all the fish and playing in the toy area. I'm amazed how long his attention span is with the fish. We spent a lot of time at the GOT (Giant Ocean Tank). Every time a big fish swam by it startled him and then he'd go crazy giggling.

December 3, 2011

In an effort to make potty time fun... Lightening McQueen. Vrooom...

December 2, 2011

Here's another first for Ian. His first football game. We were outside playing with his bike. When we came inside the boys here got distracted by the game and Ian wouldn't let me take the helmet off. Go Pats!

December 1, 2011

This is a bit old, but I just got the photos from a neighbor. Ian's first trick-or-treating excursion with the neighborhood boys!

Floss Fun

2011-12-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when Ian gets ahold of the dental floss.

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T13:55:00.000-05:00

What a fantastic Christmas! The first thing Ian said this morning when I went into his room was "Santa!" He's starting to get it! He doesn't get it completely, though, because we got out of bed at 6:45 this morning. I have a feeling that time will get earlier and earlier as he gets more and more into Santa and Christmas.

We didn't do a ton of gifts this year for little man, nor did Santa, but it was a pretty perfect day. Santa put a wonderfully soft, cuddly elephant in Ian's stocking. It reminds me of Thailand. I doubt Ian will cling to it but when he tosses it aside, it's mine.

We got up and headed right downstairs to open presents.

First we dug into stockings. Ian got the elephant, which he then named "Elephant", and Harold the helicopter.

This gift was probably the big hit of the day. Legos and farm stuff all in one. What could be better? Opening presents wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be a quick affair - tear off the paper and on to the next. Instead, Ian opened one and then played with it for a long time. Three hours in and we were only on the third or fourth present. I'm sure next year will be different.

We took a break from playing and opening to make pancakes. Ian's a skilled measurer and stirrer.

I also made some chocolate bark for the neighbors, so Ian helped smash the macadamia nuts.

Awww....

The big gift that we got for Ian was a little piano. One of his favorite songs is Rumble Rumble Monster Max (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle). Here he's pounding on the keys, singing. Too cute!

My guys...

The kids came over in the afternoon. William drew Ian's name for Christmas and picked out the perfect Thomas set. Ian, of course, loves it.

After he opened his present, Ian was a little helper. He didn't open anymore of his presents, but helped all of them open theirs. I was so impressed that he helped but didn't have a fit because the presents weren't his. We still have a pile of presents for him to open over the next few weeks or so. As it was, the day was a bit overwhelming for him.

Dinner was our traditional Chinese food - easy and tasty for everyone! And we ended the evening by watching The Year Without Santa Claus. Ian has loved, loved watching the traditional Christmas movies. He so rarely sees TV stuff that he locks on at every chance he gets.

The day after Christmas - We had a perfect little day with Ian yesterday, but the overstimulation hit him today. He woke up saying, "more presents!" and then cried and cried because he wanted TV, presents, anything... After about two rough hours, he finally clicked into his typical happy self. He has been playing with his farm legos most of the day.

What a wonderful Christmas...

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:01:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve came too quickly! What happens to the time? The three of us had a really enjoyable day together. In the afternoon we took a little hike in the woods.

Keeping with tradition, we went to La Salette to see the festive lights. Last year, Ian was in the Ergo and couldn't really be bothered with the lights. This year was another story. He was fascinated by the lights.

When he saw red and green lights together, he pointed and said, "Red light stop. Green light go."

This was the "shark Christmas tree." When we replied that perhaps the lights were doves, he said "No doves! Sharks!"

We finished up the evening by reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Ian was all snuggled in bed...

GrammaNan!!

2011-12-20T21:34:00.000-05:00

Grandma Nan and Grandpa Gary spent two weeks with us at the beginning of December. Ian still was obsessed with "GrammaNan," but this time the rest of us were allowed into his circle as well. The love was distributed a little more even.

One of our excursions was to the zoo. The fear of the scary bird was conquered! This bird pecks at fingers against the window which is something that Ian wanted no part of. This time he had a firetruck that helped him overcome the fear.

The giraffes are always a hit with little man. We got a good look at their long tongues!

Ian and Grandpa Gary watches a video of a giraffe baby birth. Its birthday is almost the same as Ian's. "Baby giraffe fall on the ground."

Another adventure was a drive down to P-town. We did some window shopping, stopped at a coffee shop, and then Ian and Grandma Nan looked for rocks and shells on the beach.

Ian was introduced to football via Grandpa Gary. Here Grandpa Gary is teaching Ian about field goals and kicking. It's intense.

Christmas came early for Ian. Grandpa Gary and Grandma Nan gave him a brand new bike!

Right now the next grandparent visit is planned to be in June. We're hoping we can figure something out sooner than that. Six months is too much time to pass. Ian'll be a different little man!

Thanksbirthmas

2011-12-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Thanksbirthmas.

Thanksgiving. Birthday. Christmas.

The weekend after the real Thanksgiving is when we celebrate with Tony's kids. That weekend also happens to be Eliza's birthday, so that adds to the celebration. And we top it off with Christmas decorating. The whole weekend is always so much fun. So festive, full of great food, and just plain fun.

This year we introduced Ian to his elf. The girls helped Ian find the name - Kerry. Ian actually called him "Scary" but since he doesn't really say S's, Kerry it is!

Ian and William put together some Christmas trees for the yard.

Eliza had quite a haul of gifts to get through, but she had help. Ian's favorite gift was a lipstick set.

He wanted to make sure everyone's lips were pretty.

Everyone's.

Fall Work (Play)

2011-12-04T14:33:00.002-05:00

The Big Trip - Part 2

2011-12-04T14:06:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the airport for another ride on a "big white airplane." Although, AirAsia was really a "big red airplane."

We had another smooth flight with Ian. This was about as smooth as it can get. He fell asleep before we took off and woke up as we were descending into Chiang Mai. This city is in northern Thailand and was a completely different experience. Phuket was beach and relaxation while this was tuk tuk riding and shopping.

We spent almost every night strolling through the night bazar - a collection of vendors of stuff and food. Tony loved the bargaining that was involved. We also took part in a fish spa. Ian was fascinated by the fish, but didn't partake in the activity. Tony and I did and it was an experience I can't even explain. The fish go absolutely nuts eating dead skin off the feet (yuck). It's so strange that I'd highly recommend trying it. Once.

Tuk tuks are 3-wheeled motorbikes taxis. Ian loved riding in the tuk tuk. If we got in a regular taxi, he'd cry, "Nooooo. Ian go in tuk tuk."

Speaking of "no." Wow, did we hear that word a lot.

Example:

Me: Ian, it's light outside.

Ian: No! It's not! It's light outside.

He's often quite contradictory with himself which really cracked us up.

Because of all the lovely "no's" we heard, Dave gave Ian the nickname Dr. No.

Dave: Are you Dr. No?

Ian: Noooo! No Dr. No.

Dave: Is Dr. No back?

Ian: Nooooo! No Dr. No's back.

Here we are in the tuk tuk:

We had a great trip with a guide (Ann) to an elephant camp. On the way there, we stopped at a local market. Ann took us through and explained what all the different foods are. This is a table full of various insects. Some large, some small, but all bugs. Tony got some silk worms and crickets.

Ian, boy who only eats white rice, gave a cricket a try!!!

And then promptly spit it out.

The elephant camp was so interesting. Many of these elephants were living on the streets begging with their mahouts (elephant owner) or were part of the logging industry. Thai law changed and logging with elephants is now illegal. This put the elephants and their mahouts out of work. Elephant camps were set up to create homes and jobs. The camp is definitely a tourist experience - the elephants play soccer, paint pictures, play harmonica, but even with that it was such a unique experience for us.

Visitors could buy bundles of sugar cane and bananas to feed the elephants. Ian would hold out a sugar cane stick but as soon as the trunk came near him he'd drop it and hide. He was fascinated, but preferred to be fascinated at a distance.

Here he is... not wanting to touch the elephant at all.

Part of the day included an elephant ride. We had a bit of a rough start. Ian was super nervous as soon as the big guy started moving. One of the first things we did was walk down a hill into a river. Ian: "No water! No water!" After we got through the river, though, he got more comfortable and ended up really enjoying the ride.

Whenever we passed other tourists on elephants, they all smiled and waved to Ian. Many of them took pictures of him. I was stopped by some Japanese girls who wanted their picture taken with him. The little guy has no idea....

Ian missed the next adventure due to a nap, but I don't think we would have been able to take him into these tiger enclosures anyway. We showed him pictures and he really enjoyed that. "Mommy pet the tiger."

He never did tire of the tuk tuks.

The next day I had a really terrific time with Ian while the guys took a cooking class. We spent the day at the Chiang Mai Zoo. For some reason I didn't have high expectations. Boy was I wrong! This was a great zoo. Very well kept. The animals seemed healthy and happy. They were more active than I ever see animals at home. The biggest Thai vs. US difference I saw was safety standards. I guess the Thai regulations expect people to have common sense. For example, don't put your hand in a hippo's mouth - even though it is RIGHT THERE! You'd never see this in the States!!

What does Ian look like here?

A flamingo!

We some some rare animals at the zoo. Pandas!

One of Ian's favorite parts of the zoo was a ride on the cheesy train around the park. Below us was a herd of deer, but then random giant figures were placed in the woods. We saw things I'd expect such as elephants and rhinos, but also strange things like King Kong and dinosaurs. Ian didn't get that it was cheesy. He just loved the ride on the train.

For our last day in Chiang Mai, we called up Ann again to see if he would take us to Doi Inthanon National Park. This turned out to be our favorite part of the trip. It was simply breathtaking. Real. Simple.

Here is Ann with Ian:

Ian wouldn't get close to real elephants, but statue form was a big hit.

There is something about being above the clouds...

Nap time:

These "bricks" are carved out of mud:

Check out this crazy ladder made out of bamboo:

We hiked through the rain forest and ended up in a little village with a coffee shop. Dirt floor, no walls, and a roof made of leaves. The coffee beans were picked from the forest we had just walked through, roasted here, and ground by hand. Here is the coffee man, making our coffee.

Again, here Ian is... the object of Thai women's affection.

And here he is, wanting nothing to do with said affection. This was his typical response by the end of the trip. No eye contact.

This brings us to the end of our journey. We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Bangkok airport. Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like spring rolls and pad thai.

Ian kept himself entertained after dinner with Lightening McQueen and Mater.

Amazingly, the rest of the journey was as smooth as the beginning. Ian slept about 6 hours on the long flight. The rest of the time, he was reading, playing with trucks, or watching Dora or Blues Clues.

We couldn't have had a better Thanksgiving vacation. We are all ready to go back. Today.

Baby Bumblebee

2011-12-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

Over the past month, Ian has become quite the singer. His favorites: Baby Bumblebee (that ends with "ouch- it's sticky!") and Wheels on the Bus.

Tractor Painting

2011-12-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

This is a little hello to Grandpa Gary and Grandma Nan. Ian found one of his favorite things on one of Dad's paintings - tractors.

November 365

2011-12-01T21:27:00.000-05:00

November 30, 2011

Thailand was great for unintentional potty training. We didn't do anything prior to the trip to encourage using a toilet because we didn't want to deal with anything but diapers on long flights and unknown places. But twice Ian asked to poop in the potty while we were playing in the pools. Of course, son! Well, we got cocky and thought it would be a piece of cake when we got back home. Just get the guy some fun undies and he'd be good to go. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

"Nooooooo..... Ian want diaper! No Ian want underwear! No Ian poop on the potty!"

November 29, 2011

Little Man uses "no" to turn a sentence negative.
"No Ian want to go to bed."
"No Ian want to put a coat on."

November 28, 2011

I don't remember what little man wasn't happy about, but it sure seemed like a big deal at the time to him. He probably wanted a banana or raisins and nuts.

November 27, 2011

Snack stop during a hike in the Blue Hills. Roast beef... mmmm....

November 26, 2011

November 25, 2011 - Thailand

Home again. Sad face.

November 24, 2011 - Thailand

November 23, 2011 - Thailand

November 22, 2011 - Thailand

November 21, 2011 - Thailand

Although I have plenty of photos, I'll spare Ian the embarrassment of his first time pooping in a toilet.

November 20, 2011 - Thailand

November 19, 2011 - Thailand

November 18, 2011 - Thailand

November 17, 2011 - Thailand

November 16, 2011 - Thailand

November 15, 2011 - Thailand

November 14, 2011 - Thailand

November 13, 2011 - Thailand

November 12, 2011 - Thailand

November 11, 2011

When they were here, Grandpa Cowboy and Grandma T worked on teaching Ian "oak" and "maple." He actually isn't bad on identifying them both now. If he doesn't know, though, the default is oak.

November 10, 2011

This is an example of something "scary." Ian doesn't even want to see it. He gets too upset to play.

November 9, 2011

November 8, 2011

November 7, 2011

November 6, 2011

Ian and I were in the car today when I stopped at a stop sign, I looked in the rearview mirror. There I saw Ian shaking his head back and forth. "Ian look both ways at the stop sign." Cute!

November 5, 2011

Ian has been learning his Spanish lately which makes it really fun when he combines the languages. Today he saw a dog in a car and his comment.... "The perro in the car."

November 4, 2011

I've been talking to Ian about our big trip coming up. We talk about riding in the big white airplane and who is going to be there. "Mommy. Ian. Uncle Dave Mak." The last couple mornings, I have woken up to Ian talking to himself about the "big white airplane."

His memory is better than I thought it would have been at two. Here is our recent conversation about our September London trip.

Me: Ian, where did we go last time we rode in the big white airplane?

Ian: Donedon.

Me: What did we ride on when we went there?

Ian: Double decker bus.

Me: Who all went on the trip?

Ian: Mommy, Daddy, No-yo, and Ian!

November 3, 2011

I got home from work today to see a big 'ol patch of hives on Ian's leg. It didn't seem to bother him, but the size of it made me a little nervous. I traced it to see how quickly it grew. About an inch or two in an hour. I was reminded just how healthy this little one is. I don't even know the last time I called his pediatrician. Tonight I was grateful for their all hours answering service.

He also has a brand new stutter. Same day as the hives. I'm guessing it's coincidence since it's pretty common for 2 year olds to go through a stutter phase. But still... it definitely made me take note. It started with the letters N and M, but now is most letters, especially when he gets excited. He has a lot going on with all the words he's learning, plus Spanish. We'll be patient...

November 2, 2011

November 1, 2011

The summit photo from our fun hike a couple weeks ago!

The Big Trip - Part 1

2011-11-29T19:20:00.001-05:00

The past two weeks have been dreamlike for us. After talking about it for years, we finally took advantage of Tony's exotic work destinations and created a vacation. Thailand bound.

Tony was already in Asia, so Ian, Dave Mak, and I started the adventure together. Ian and I spent the night before our flight at Auntie Kate's and Uncle Paul's because the flight was too early to get to the airport by train. We had such a fun night and Ian absolutely loved Uncle Paul's sweet potato soup.

On the way to the airport, Ian had a messy little breakfast.

Our first flight was to Detroit. Smooth and uneventful for the little man. So far so good. We had a long layover in Detroit which left Ian a little squirrely. He didn't take a nap at all in the day and got a little nutty. See for yourself.... crazy face.

Detroit had a fun fountain to keep him entertained (and wet.) Down one change of clothes. Bummer.

Even though he didn't take a nap, we could tell little man was tired. Here he is playing with his trucks, head nestled in his blankets.

Flight #2 didn't start off so hot. We foolishly didn't check our tickets to confirm that we actually were in the seats we purchased. As we were getting on the plane we discovered that we had been bumped from our seats which were together and all placed in B seats. Way to go, Delta. Put a 2-year-old between strangers for a 15+ hour flight. And the flight attendants wouldn't help us - said we needed to fix it ourselves. Deep breath. Shake it off. This is still going to be a good flight. (Positive mental attitude on this one...) Somebody took pity and took one of our middle seats so Ian and I were together. Dave was right in front of us which kept Ian entertained because he could peek between the seats.

After the initial Delta SNAFU, the rest of the flight was smooth as silk. Ian's biggest meltdown (and I hesitate to even call it that) was when we first got into our seats. He recognized the TV screen and started crying for "Birdies, Birdies!" (translation - Rio: the bird movie that he watched on a previous flight.) But we couldn't start any movies until up in the air, so it took some convincing that yes, we will check to see if Birdies is still available, but we have to wait for now.

The sleep situation couldn't have been more perfect. He slept for about 5 or 6 hours of the flight which tuned him up well for the time adjustment.

We got into Hong Kong about 9:00pm, so checked right into our hotel and crashed. Amazingly, Ian crashed too. My worry was that he was going to be wide awake since it was really 8:00am at home. He slept through the night and by 6ish the next morning he was rearin' to go. I honestly expected a sleepless night from him (and therefore us).

He had a ton of fun playing in the crack between the two beds.

We got up and moving. Our next flight wasn't until 8:00pm, so we had the day to explore. To Ian's great excitement, we got to ride on a "double decker bus."

We stayed on Lantau Island (the island that the airport is on) and began our adventure to see the Big Buddha. Thanks to Ian, we had quite an early start but learned that the cable car to get up the mountain didn't open until 10:00am. We went to a nearby courtyard and got some Chinese pastries. Yum. Ian was a little helper and threw all our garbage away for us. He loves it when I ask him to help out like that.

Because we had about an hour before the cable car started up, we hiked around a nearby park. It was lush and dense. A real treasure in the hubbub of the city.

We could choose a regular cable car or a glass bottomed one. We did the glass bottom and were so happy for that. Not only were the lines to the glass bottomed cable cars shorter, but the view was outstanding. A little freaky. But outstanding.

The destination - Big Buddha.

Dave and I were both a bit disappointed on the commercial-ness of the Big Buddha. Ian wasn't. The place was filled with these bubble machines. I don't quite know the connection between Buddha and bubbles... whatever the reason, Ian was thrilled and did all sorts of bubble chasing.

Ianism: We were in Starbucks (because of course Buddha should have a Starbucks nearby) and struck up a conversation with a woman wearing a Rock 'n Roll marathon jacket. Whenever we said "rock 'n roll", Ian said Madonna. I'm not sure where he made that connection, but it was consistent.

The highlight of the Buddha expedition (for the adults) was getting away from the crowds and bubbles. There was a great hiking trail down the mountain. It was such a peaceful time.

After our hike and a tasty dim sum lunch, we loaded back up into the cable car.

Ianism - On our ride back down the mountain, Ian pointed to a woman in the car with us and said, "Scary. Scary. Scary." over and over. She gave us a funny look and I had to explain that the skulls and crossbones on her shirt were scary to him. That got a good laugh from everyone.

The Hong Kong airport is one that isn't kidding when they say you need to show up 2-3 hours ahead of time. We were about 3 hours early for our flight so that we could eat dinner in the airport. Even with that big time buffer, we had to rush through dinner to make the flight. But we made it and were Phuket bound! Another easy flight with the little man. We got in and settled around midnight or so. Long day, but so much fun!

Day 1 in Phuket - Tony still had another day of work, so the three of us hit the pools.

Ian absolutely loved the kiddie pool. It was a perfect depth for him to "bim" (still working on those s's).

To say this hotel was outstanding is an understatement. Not only was it breathtaking and filled with amazing service, but it was so, so kid friendly. Example - all Ian's food and drinks were free. They were also really conscious of dietary restrictions, so they had a good gluten free selection (including GF burgers).

Day 1 in Phuket was utterly relaxing.

Day 2 was a bit more adventuresome.

We went to James Bond Island. That meant a lot to the menfolk in the group. To me, not so much. I did enjoy the beauty of the trip though.

It was a very touristy excursion, but even with that we saw such amazing sights. Part of the day involved a canoe ride around the rock formations. When we signed up we thought we would be doing the canoeing, but hey... it's not so bad being paddled around.

Ian really got into having to lie back when we went through tunnels.

I'm ready to go back.

Needless to say, Ian was quite a novelty to the Thailanders. Perhaps the ridiculously blonde hair? This was one of the guys working on the boat that really had a fun time playing with little man. They played "cars crash." And every time we got on or off the boat he wanted to help carry Ian.

After James Bond Island and the canoeing, we stopped at a place in the middle of the water for lunch. This began Ian's white rice meal plan. He couldn't get enough - and ate nothing else.

The hotel had a Kids Zone. It's for kids over 4. Parents can drop them off and have a kid-free day. They saw us playing in the pool and invited us (well, Ian) in to play. He had a blast and made great friends with the ladies running the show there.

More "bimming", but this was at a different pool with an official swim up bar. We ordered pizza, hung in the pool, had drinks. Talk about paradise.

Even Ian got a special drink. Thailand is full of fresh, fresh food. All the juice is fresh squeezed and as tasty as it gets. This drink is 1/2 passion fruit, 1/2 soda water. He loved it and fully took advantage of the pool bar. He would swim up, take a drink, and go back to swimming.

We did a couple adventures outside of the hotel and the sights out the car window were so foreign to all of us. Ian was quite intrigued. I liked seeing his interest in the sights.

And here we are... back in the kiddie pool.

And here Ian is... eating more white rice.

This is so characteristic of how the trip was for Ian - an object of admiration by the locals. We got of the res for a more authentic dinner. Ian was done with his rice and wandering around a bit and the waitresses nabbed him to hang out with them. This was early on in the trip and he was still tolerant of others. By the end of the trip he had enough touching, kissing, and patting by strangers. When someone would try to get his attention, he would bury his head in my legs and say, "no!" At this point though, he just followed along in his frozen sort of way.

Stay tuned for part 2...

Zoo Day

2011-11-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a really special day with the little man. It was such a laid back, Ian-pace day. We started out at the zoo. Every time we go there, Ian is more and more interested in the animals. His favorites today were the flamingos and some tiny little monkeys. We spent a long time checking those guys out. But he stopped at every single exhibit to check out the activity inside. In the past, he got a little worn out, and by the end would just run past the critters.

I'll tell you what's NOT one of his favorites - this bird. I think he remembered it from last time. He wouldn't come near the glass. All the other kids love the funny looking thing because it comes and pecks at fingers on the window.

We stopped for a little snack break half way through the morning. One of the nice things about fall/winter zoo attending is that none of the concession stands are open. I don't even have to say "no" to fried dough or pizza. He just eats what I bring.

He doesn't complain, though. Who would with tasty snacks like this? Jerky, macadamia nuts, raisins... mmmm.

After the zoo, Ian and I headed to Newport. What a cute little town! We had a really fun time walking around and checking out some of the shops. His favorite was a clothing store that had really fun racks for him to hide in. I think he could have played peek-a-boo all day long.

We stopped for an afternoon snack at a little coffee shop. He got his milk and I got my coffee. It was so fun because he actually stayed in his chair for a really long time. Relaxing. This was a day that didn't seem at all like I had a real two-year-old... you know, one that has the "terribles." Ian was super happy all day long.

October 365

2011-10-31T20:39:00.005-04:00

October 31, 2011

October 30, 2011

First Snow - 2010

First Snow - 2011

October 29, 2011

October 28, 2011

October 27, 2011

October 26, 2011

October 25, 2011

Ian has some fears of Halloween. I'm not sure how he knows, but certain things are scary. He saw a pirate's hat with a skull and cross bones on it and was very wary of it. "Scary. Bones scary." How does he know? I also showed him a package of vampire teeth. Again, he wanted nothing to do with them. Scary.

October 24, 2011

October 23, 2011

We did a little water project. What floats and what sinks? Anything involving water tends to captivate Ian's attention, but he was interested in guessing what each toy would do.

October 22, 2011

We had a really fun family day making Pumpkin Chili. Ian was a big help. Sometimes the ingredients made their way into his mouth instead of the pot, though.

When he wasn't eating, he was really good at stirring.

October 21, 2011

This is a typical breakfast in our household. Helmet eggs. Aparently these egg poachers look like "helmets", thus helmet eggs. Ian loves, loves these things. Usually he has four, but is known to eat up to seven. Yes, seven eggs. The kid has an appetite.

October 20, 2011

Ian still isn't big on apple peels. He eats them more often than not, but when he's not in the mood, I find little peel piles in the house.

October 19,, 2011

All the fun apple picking means all sorts of fun apple treats. Here we made a little baked apple crispy sort of thing. Yum! I. Love. Fall!

October 18, 2011

October 17, 2011

Ian was being feisty over the weekend, so Tony (the disciplinarian) did the classic parent thing. He counted.

Tony: Ian, do I need to count? One..... Two....

Ian: thwee.... four.... five....

The "cracking down" was quickly forgotten because of the cuteness of the two year old.

October 16, 2011

Little man is growing up. We've put away the high chair and pulled out a booster seat. Ian's so proud of his "big boy chair."

October 15, 2011

Contemplation

October 14, 2011

Observations by Ian the Narrator:

It's not raining. (The emphasis is on the NOT.)

It's not Ian's food. It's Maddie's food.

It's dark outside.

It's light inside.

Ian likes apples. (A lot. He can put down several in a day. Love the fall!)

October 13, 2011

Ianisms in the car:

"Red light. Stop!"

"Green light. Go!"

"Big pickup truck going too fast."

"Big black car going too fast."

"Ian ride in the big black car."

"Ian like the big black car."

"Red stop sign."

"Digger resting." (When he sees construction equipment, it is either "resting" or working.)

We've noticed that he's not a question asker (yet). He's a narrator. He pretty much just sits in the back seat and talks about the drive.

October 12, 2011

Me: Ian, would you like an apple?

Ian: Mmmmm. Yip! or Yes please.

Ian: No thank you. (Impressive, I think. For now that's what he says. I'm sure it'll change.)

October 11, 2011

Ian, what are the seasons?

"Winter. Mmmm..... Summer. Mmmmmm.... Spring."

Fall doesn't make the list yet.

October 10, 2011

"I lub you, Mommy." A random, out of the blue comment. Melt the heart...

October 9, 2011

October 8, 2011

More apple picking at our favorite place - Shelburne Farms

2011

Some things don't change....

2010

October 7, 2011

Ian was running through a mud puddle and his feet went right out from under him. I asked him to turn around so I could get a picture, so here he is posing.

October 6, 2011

Last Friday, Ian and I went apple picking. He was a bit more interested in the lambs than the apples, but it was still fun. The kid ate about five apples. Peels and all.

Tony and I made applesauce out of the goods. We'll see how many jars we go through in a year. I'm hoping to make it through with 30. It's hard to go back to store applesauce after the homemade stuff.

I need more apples.

October 5, 2011

"Ian like onions now." And he does. He's been picking them out of his food for months, but decided that now he likes them. Same with egg yolks. He would eat them in scrambled eggs, but poached or fried were easy to pick out. But recently we hear, "Ian like yolks now." That one's intermittent still.

October 4, 2011

A favorite past time of Ian's is jumping. He counts before the jump.

The count used to be: one, two, four, five, six!

Now it is: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! (He gets his fingers involved too, but only can do the number one.)

October 3, 2011

I wish this wasn't a blurry photo. So cute!!

October 2, 2011

Run. RUN. RUN!!!!

October 1, 2011

Ian's current favorite toys:

October Snow

2011-10-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

We had an early snow storm over the weekend that made for a fun snow day on Sunday. We only got 5 or 6 inches, but they were so destructive. Trees, power lines, and branches littered the streets. It was super fun for Ian because we spent a lot of time watching the Bobcats and front end loaders work. He was fascinated, as were Tony and I. We've never seen huge construction equipment like front end loaders clear trees out of the roads before.

This is a picture of a street that is part of our normal "loop" that we walk or bike around. There's no getting down that road for the next few days. The poor houses down there probably will be without power for quite a while.

We went out for a walk to check out the damage in the morning, but quickly abandoned the idea. The snow was done falling, but huge branches kept falling throughout the morning. The snow was so heavy and all the trees still have leaves on them. Not a good combination. It was a much more destructive storm than Irene was.

Ian's good with the snow. We're sure looking forward to the winter ahead. Lots of snow forts, I imagine.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T20:18:00.000-04:00

For two weeks, Ian's Lightening McQueen costume has been hanging from his door handle. Almost daily, Ian would go to the costume and say, "Lightening McQueen Halloween!" He picked it out. My preference was the cute, furry zebra. His was Muscle Man McQueen. A true little boy costume. So today, after all the pre-Halloween excitement, I was excited to see Ian's reaction to putting his honored McQueen on. Ian's response.... "NOOOO!!! Thomas the Train!" Only a two-year-old.

He did get over his anti-Lightening stance and dressed up for the day. A handsome little car guy, if I must say so myself.

Because of the storm, Halloween was canceled in our town! I didn't even know you could do that. We grouped together with some neighbors and went to a few houses of people we knew. Ian was so cute following the older boys. I'm not sure if he ever actually said, "trick or treat." I doubt it. But he certainly got plenty of treats. Here they are in their final resting place.

Next year it may not be so easy to get rid of them.

Our Market

2011-10-27T20:08:00.000-04:00

Farmers market Tuesday's have been a real treat this summer and we're a bit sad as this chapter is coming to a close. Today was the last day of the season that our little market is open. Every week, Ian and I made our way to the market, picked up a bunch of veggies and eggs for the week. Ian got a piece of whatever tasty fruit was in season. The past few weeks... pears.

Ian knew the routine and helped me pick out veggies every week. I'd hold the basket and ask him to get broccoli, onions, sweet potatoes.... He would could them out as he put them in the basket. At the beginning of the summer, he just said, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6" really quickly. But now he is much better at actually counting.

After we loaded up with food, we would walk around the trails behind the market. It's protected land that has a bunch of trails as well as farm animals for kids to check out.

Here Ian is checking out the chickens. We have gone through different phases through the summer. Sometimes the chickens are scary. Other times, not. The rooster was really scary for a while because it made a "big loud noise", but he's over that now.

There is a pile of rocks by the chickens that Ian used to work on his jumping. He would climb up the pile and then swung his arms back and forth, counting to ten.

And then.... Jump!

The kid is resilient. I'll give him that. This game gets repeated over and over. And over....

Fall Camping

2011-10-25T21:07:00.000-04:00

We love our Auntie Kate and Uncle Paul weekends! This time we headed up to NH for some camping and hiking in the Whites. Mt. Chocoura to be exact. Maddie even got to make the trek this time.

Here we are... all loaded and ready to go!

When we got to the campground, Ian helped set up. Here he is working on the air mattress pillows. Yes, air mattresses. Paul and Kate have introduced us to a whole new exciting camping experience. Air mattresses. We see no reason to tough it out on the hard ground. We have nothing to prove and only regret we didn't do this sooner. We might've camped more!

Here the crew is.... roughing it. At least we had tents!

In the summer, this campground would have been kind of awful, I think. Way too many people. But in October, we were the sole campers. We were lucky it was even open. Here is a sign that it wouldn't be our kind of campground during the heat of the season. A cable hook up:

I love this picture - Uncle Paul and Ian taking in the great outdoors!

Grandpa Cowboy and Grandma T gave Ian his own little camp chair and it was perfect for the weekend. He loved pulling it up to his "table."

And then he dragged the chair over to the fire so he could stay cozy. "Fire. Hot. Stay back." He's a good rule follower.

Meet Joe. Joe is Ian's little bird flashlight who accompanied him throughout the weekend. Ian named him. It's the first name he's given to any of his "guys" that isn't the actual animal itself (such as Doggie for a stuffed dog). Joe was big on eating things and then feeding them to Ian.

"Joe wants a carrot."

Sunday morning we got up for the big hike up Mt. Chocorua. Ian was fantastic! It was almost 3 hours up and a little over 2 down. That's a long time to just hang out. He had green race car and Joe to keep him entertained.

Tony and I noticed a big difference between this summer and last with the mountain climb. Ian's a tad heavier! Both our legs were all quivery by the end of the day.

Kisses

2011-10-20T20:37:00.000-04:00

Here's Ian's giving kisses...

Thank You

2011-10-20T20:31:00.001-04:00

Ian got some Halloween gifts in the mail from GrammaNan and Grandpa Gary. He was thrilled with the goodies!

The cups - Thomas and Lightening McQueen - are a particular hit. Each meal he picks out which cup he wants to drink from. Usually it's Lightening McQueen.

He also got a book "scary spider face" which has been a HUGE hit. I'm not exaggerating when I say we read it at least 15 times a day. Again and again. Good thing it's a cute story. Ian's getting to the point that he can "read" along in some parts.

Here's a little sample of reading with Ian these days:

More Apple Picking

2011-10-08T14:25:00.007-04:00

We didn't even make it to the orchard in the morning before Ian crashed which was a good thing. He was squirrely all morning. He needed sleep.

After he got his rest, though, he was ready to go. Run, run, run. Eat. Eat. Eat. I'm not sure how many apples he ate, but we certainly got our money's worth.

This year we took advantage of the hay maze. He loved running through the hay. I don't think he got the concept of the maze. More, he just looked at me when he got to a dead end with a "what the heck?" look on his face. The real treat was the giant pile of bales at the end of the maze. Good climbing for the little ones.

Borderland Adventure

2011-10-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

Tony finally came home from Europe so we spent the day together outside. Hiking at Borderland was beautiful! It's finally fall.

Ian is getting to the point that he can get down during the middle of a hike, run a bit, and then climb back into the pack. It used to be that once he was "free" I couldn't get him back into the pack without a struggle. This is great news for us because it means longer hikes! Also, when he is on his own, he actually does pretty well with running forward. We can still keep moving along with our hike... not overly quickly, but at least we make forward progress.

Maddie was so funny. She walked in between Ian and us, but kept looking back nervously. She wasn't sure who she was supposed to stick with.

September 365

2011-10-01T13:54:00.001-04:00

September 30, 2011

Ian got a typhoid shot today for our big trip in November to Thailand! He was a champ. Not a tear. Not a whine. He tightened up his leg when the needle went in, but that was it.

The shot really must have hurt his leg for the rest of the day, though. Whenever he got up from sitting for a while, he really favored that leg. And whenever I picked him up and touched his leg, Ian would say, "No Mommy touch Ian's owie."

September 29, 2011

Here are some more ring bearer pictures:

September 28, 2011

September 27, 2011

Ian and I were cooking dinner and as I cut the onions, I started getting tears in my eyes.

Ian's response: Ian lub Mommy. No Mommy sad face. Mommy happy face.

Melt the heart... He knows that tears mean sadness and that Ian loving me gives me a happy face. This is such a fun time of hugs, kisses, and love. He's an absolute dream kid (mostly!).

September 26, 2011

Ring Around the Rosie.

Every time the kids come over, Ian gets a round or two of this favorite activity going. It's amazing the power that a 2-year-old possesses. When Ian wants Ring Around the Rosie, Ian gets Ring Around the Rosie. He's not mean or demanding. Just cute.

September 25, 2011

The big boy bike!

We're pretty convinced Ian will be a mountain biker. When there's an option to go off road, he does. He likes going over sticks and rocks. He seeks out little hills in the neighbors' lawns to go fast. He even tried to pick up his bike and put it on a retaining wall. I put a stop to that one. At least for now.

September 24, 2011

Ian's favorite books:

September 23, 2011

Ianism from Bath, England:

Me (as Ian is running to an intersection): Ian, what do you do when you get to an intersection?

Ian: Stop!

Me: Then what? (thinking... hold Mommy's hand and look both ways)

Ian: Go!

September 22, 2011

This weekend, Ian will be in his first wedding - a ring bearer for Kate and Paul.

Yesterday I started to tell him about it. "Remember Auntie Kate and Uncle Paul?" His face lit up. Clearly Saco made and impression. The rest of the conversation: "Auntie Kate and Uncle Paul are getting married. You are going to be in the wedding." In typical parrot Ian style... "auntie kate. uncle paul. getting married. in the wedding." That was it for our conversation.

Today I brought it up again. "Ian, do you remember Auntie Kate and Uncle Paul?" His response... "getting married."

Seriously? He remembered that from yesterday?

September 21, 2011

"Ian like bananas."

"Ian like goat milk."

"Ian like Lightening McQueen."

"Ian no like apples."

Ian's telling us what he likes and doesn't like now.

September 20, 2011

When Ian gets nervous (e.g. when a stranger talks to him), he taps his foot.

September 19, 2011

September 18, 2011

There's that crazy face again.

September 17, 2011

September 16, 2011

September 15, 2011

We had a fun play time in a serious playground in Bath. I think the adults had as much fun as Ian.

September 14, 2011

Look at that big boy suitcase! And the happy face.

September 13, 2011

"Mommy happy face. No mommy sad face."

Empathy. Empathy is a trait this sweet little boy possesses. If I have a "sad face" Ian gets worried and says, "no mommy sade face. mommy happy face." And then he gives me a kiss or hug. Or both. So, so sweet.

September 12, 2011

Water and Ian are always a big hit. So why not preserve the clothes, take of the shirt, and let him play?

So that's what we did.

Well, in this particular fountain, we started to notice that everyone that walked by put their hand in - like it was sacred, holy... something. Clearly we were missing something. We collected him and scooted on out of there.

September 11, 2011

Facial expressions are big for little man these days.

Ian, show me "happy"! (Happy means mouth open. You'll see many photos to come with "happy".)

"Crazy Face"

"Surprise Face." (Oh my!)

September 10, 2011

We spent the weekend in Montreal for what felt like a European get-away. What a great city!

Now that Ian can ride on his little scoot bike, he's ready to ride the big one!

September 9, 2011

September 8, 2011

September 7, 2011

Ian had a serious growth spurt this week. Suddenly we noticed that he started feeling like a tank when we picked him up. A serious tank. Tony happened to weigh Ian about a week and a half ago. 30 pounds. He's been right at that 29-30ish pounds for several months. And so I weighed him today - 31.2 pounds. For us, 1.2 pounds isn't a lot in a week (or a day for that matter). But for little man, that's a huge difference.

And the change isn't only with weight - it's with height too. Over the weekend, I duct taped wooden blocks to the bottom of his shoes so that he'd be tall enough to fit on his little scoot bike. In theory it was a good idea, but the shoes toppled over. It was a sprained ankle waiting to happen.

Then Monday, Tony took him around the block for the first time with his regular shoes. Before this week, just his tip toes would barely touch. But Monday, he could get enough purchase on the ground to scoot himself along. And by today.... he zooms around. He gets more confident with every ride.

September 6, 2011

Somebody got a haircut! And that somebody's trying to count.

September 5, 2011

We are in trouble.

Big trouble.

September 4, 2011

Sweet little Ian was playing in his room before bed time. When I came in, he was sitting on his couch, "green and white blankets" in hand, "light blue pacifier" in mouth, reading. Apparently he was ready for "night-night."

September 3, 2011

Ian is a rule follower. Tony, not so much. Ian asked for a peach and Tony went to cut it for him. Ian screamed.... "No! Wash the peach!"

September 2, 2011

Look closely at the eye lashes. Ian put on my mascara while I was getting ready for work. Pretty impressive if I must say so myself. He actually got his eyelashes. AND he put the mascara away when he was finished.

September 1, 2011

While Tony was showering, Ian got into his hair product. This is the style Tony found Ian sporting when he got out of the shower.

Such style for a little man.

Ring Bearer Extraordinaire

2011-09-26T21:06:00.000-04:00

This was it... the big day. We went down to CT the day before so Ian could have a regular night sleep and be all rested for his big moment walking down the aisle. Yeah, so he woke up at 3:30 and had NO interest in falling back asleep. Seriously? Of all days, little man.

He was a disaster to say the least through the morning. Feisty, sleep deprived. Two. I ended up getting in the car to drive to the wedding site an hour plus early with the hope he would nap early. (He's been napping around 11:30 or 12:00.) Thank goodness that worked a bit. He fell asleep about 9:00 for an hour. He was better. Not typical sweet, wonderful little Ian, but better than crazy face, monster kid.

The big goal of the day was to get him to ride his little bike down the aisle. I didn't have high hopes for it happening even if he was in a non-sleep deprived state. He gets shy with people around. But after the morning we had, I really didn't have hope.

Practice did go well and he mastered the aisle...

Getting him dressed for the ceremony wasn't so easy. Here he is taking off on me... see ya, Ma!

But finally I wrangled him into his little outfit. Precious. Just precious. Even if he was being a little bugger (which was getting worse and worse as the morning drew on... a proper nap was so desperately needed).

Here's a classic Ian. He froze at the little girl tried to get this flower on him. She couldn't get it and he stood there for the longest time frozen solid.

Finally he reached a tipping (tapping?) point... nervous, but still frozen. Check out the little foot tap. That's his thing in an uncomfortable situation.

And then the big moment came... I don't have pictures of him because I was too busy watching, helping, directing. But HE DID IT! He actually snapped out of his funk and got really excited to chase Uncle Paul down the aisle. I had to hold him back as he scrambled to get on the bike as Paul started walking down. When I let go of him, he took off. Crashed once. But was up again and got all the way down the aisle. At that point he froze. Wouldn't go any further and wouldn't turn around (that was our initial plan was to get him to come back down to get Kate.) It was so sweet. I was all emotional (typical mom), but afterwards a few people came up to me and said they cried when they saw him come down too.

So this is Ian's happy face, right? It was plastered on him for all of the photos. The photographer kept trying to get him to smile. He thinks he is. And she kept wanting me to try to make him happy. All I could say is - this IS his happy face.

You haven't been to a real wedding until you've been to one with a tractor pull. Ian was a big, BIG fan of that.

This wedding was an amazing, amazing event. I am so grateful to have these two in my life and in Ian's.

Mystic Aquarium

2011-09-26T20:47:00.001-04:00

Ian and I headed to CT the day before the big wedding for a fun mommy/son day. Our big event was getting to see the Mystic Aquarium. It was such a treat to have a day together with nothing that we had to get done. No groceries. No cleaning. No plans.

Ian's no stranger to aquariums, but he's never seen a whale before. The belugas made him a bit nervous at first. He ran up to the window but when the whale swam by, he backed up with a look of caution on his face.

It took a while and we had to get past the "big loud noise" that the whales made, but eventually they were his favorite part of the day.

Although, he was pretty content watching the fish in this tank:

And this one too. This was one of those little bubble deals that you can go up in and check out the fish from the "ocean" floor. Ian made himself at home watching the barracudas above.

Another difference from our regular aquarium was the bird enclosure. A bit more than a year ago we went into one of these at a zoo, but since Ian has developed a bird fear (Yes. Birds.). I didn't think this would be a big hit because even hearing birds tweet in the morning can send him clinging to me. After an uneasy, cautious start, Ian got the hang of the bird thing. He was thrilled when they ate from his little birdseed stick. (It was only the risk takers that partook in Ian's snack as his little stick would thrash about in an unruly way. Or the stick would be used as a bird poking device. He poked at their heads... as if that would make them eat. Most of the little birds would have nothing to do with the 2-year-olds offerings.)

Another Passport Stamp

2011-09-22T23:16:00.000-04:00

The deal for Tony's kids is that when they graduate from high school, we take a family trip with that kid. We all win! Especially Ian... he doesn't even have to go to high school and he gets trips. He came with us to Italy for Manon's trip (although probably doesn't remember much being that he wasn't born yet.) But hopefully he'll have some memories of Anthony's trip to England (although probably won't being that he's two.) Photos will have to suffice for his memories. Good thing we took a bunch.

If there's one thing I can say about Ian... he's a trooper. It's not easy for adults to get out of whack with time zones and travel, but a two year old? I expected much worse from him with all the changes. Not saying he was a sweet little angel every step of the way, but he was pretty darn good most of the time. We had a blast with him.

A favorite London sighting for Ian was the "double decker bus" and to ride on one was quite a treat.

"Big double decker bus." "Ian ride double decker bus."

Lightening McQueen was the trip's big toy. He also had an ambulance. I'd love to write his pronunciation of ambulance, but I can't even say it. It's like the way he says banana. Kind of a "ba-lalalala." He throws letters out of his mouth.

This particular Lightening McQueen talks. I heard "Mater was telling the truth." and "Go! Go! Go!" thousands of times. At least. That was until Lightening went swimming (in a glass of water.) Then Lightening "was sick." While in fact he was electronically screaming for about an hour. We couldn't turn him off and had to hide him in a bag until he (Lightening) calmed down. Then for the next day we'd get a random, "Go! Go! Go!" and finally Lightening McQueen was "all better." Never have one of Ian's electronic toys that has gone swimming (which they all eventually do) gotten better. Lightening is a tough bugger.

This was one of those moments where Ian wasn't the sweet little angel. Lunch was particularly tough and all Ian really wanted to do was curl up with his blankets and pacifier.

Happy face, Ian!

Ian had no problem waking up "No-e-yo" (Ian for Antonio. I'm not sure when he heard someone call Anthony that, but it stuck.)

Breakfast snack of champions - raisins and nuts. R&N we have to call them. We're having to spell a lot more now. If we mention R&N at an inopportune time, we pay for it. "Raisins and nuts! Raisins and nuts!!"

Ian spent a lot of time in the Ergo over the week. It was perfect for containing the two year old.

This is Tony's favorite photo. Crazy family. Every one of us.

The Ergo was useful for naps too. He usually slept from 1 to 1.5 hours every day. Gave me a workout, that's for sure. Because of course he would wake up if I sat down while he napped.

London has all sorts of green spaces which was so great for Ian. Green spaces full of pigeons!

You got it... happy face!

The London/Bath trip was a big success. Even the flights worked out well. I got all sorts of compliments as we got off the plane yesterday about what a great kid Ian was. He didn't sleep a wink which isn't a good thing, but held it together well while on the plane. But when we got off and I strapped him back in the Ergo to get through customs, he had had it. In the course of 15 minutes I got head butted (on the bridge on my nose... ouch!) and whacked in the face with metal Lightening McQueen - three times, rapid succession, while my hands were full of luggage. Nice, Ian. Needless to say as soon as we got in the car, little man fell sound asleep.

The craziness of the summer is winding down... hopefully that means more regular posts about the little man. He says and does so much and I don't want to be missing it by not writing it down.

Relaxing Labor Day

2011-09-05T19:34:00.000-04:00

We nowhere and did nothing except fun, relaxing stuff this weekend and it was fantastic! Such great, pure quality time with the family.

One of our favorite weekend activities is when we all get to Whole Foods together. We pick up groceries, grab a coffee, and then hang out in the little kid section.

Ian the organizer took all our shoes off and lined them up against the wall.

"Ian go night-night." Lying down is equivalent to going night-night, whether it be Ian, a truck, or legos.

Another adventure for the weekend was a little hike through some of our local trails. Ian was really excited for the hike and tried to climb into the pack himself.

Maddie joined us and made Ian laugh every time she jumped over a downed tree. There were many that Irene left in her wake. Ian has been really loving on Maddie lately. Lots of hugs, kisses, and play.

Pizza Pancake Night

2011-09-05T19:12:00.000-04:00

We had a big helper in the kitchen tonight as we made homemade "pizza pancakes."

Ian helped add all the crust ingredients and then was insistent (as two-year olds tend to be) that HE was the one who stirred.

The finished product was a huge hit for the little man. We made two different kinds - pepperoni and BBQ chicken - and Ian wanted nothing to do with the chicken. A true kid, right? I drove my parents crazy because the ONLY pizza I would eat was pepperoni. I hope Ian has a bit more of an adventurous palate than I did.

"Daddy make a loud noise," is a fun game Tony and Ian play. Ian takes a bite. Tony makes a loud noise. They both really crack up - Ian so much that he gives himself the hiccups.

Mommy's loud noises aren't as fun as Daddy's. Daddy's the fun one. Mommy gets the love (and the hits, kicks, and all that other fun stuff a toddler dishes out). Another game Tony and Ian play is "Mommy/Daddy." Ian says, "mommymommymommymommy" while Tony says, "daddydaddydaddydaddy." Then they laugh, laugh, laugh...

After dinner, we did fun faces.

Happy Face

Crazy Face

Really Crazy Face

August 365

2011-09-05T13:12:00.002-04:00

August 31, 2011

Rossita has been working a little at potty training the little man. Today was the first day he peed in the potty. When I got home from work, Ian told me about it.

"Ian pee in the potty. Titta dump the potty."

August 30, 2011

Ian could spend hours putting water and his trains into 'big blue bucket."

August 29, 2011

August 28, 2011

Hurricane Irene came for a windy, rainy visit. We were very fortunate in our home and made a great day out of it. There was loads of wind and heavy rain that lasted for several hours in the morning but we braved the weather for a great stomp through the water. The five of us (Dave Mak and Miss Amy too) had a blast running through the rivers rushing down the streets. Ian was adorable. He giggled and laughed constantly as he ran through the water. I don't know if I've ever seen him have so much fun.

August 27, 2011

Miss Amy came for a visit! Ian was in love. No surprise there.

Here they are doing some morning yoga.

Downward Dog

Cobra

August 26, 2011

August 25, 2011

Ian's cutting a squash. Or, more accurately, he is stabbing a squash with a butter knife.

August 24, 2011

"Oh my!"

Grandma Nan taught Ian "oh my" months ago and he still pulls it out randomly now and then. The little sponge brain fascinates me.

August 23, 2011

Ian has definitely been TWO the past couple weeks. It's amazing, though, a whole week of two-ness is erased by a simple hug, kiss, sweet look... It makes complete evolutionary sense. This is why we keep them. They're cute.

"Cute" man has been on a "kick mommy" or "hit mommy" bender lately. I tell him "Mommy's are for hugging, not kicking." Surprisingly, that usually stops the behavior. Tonight I was putting him to bed after a particularly TWO day, but he turned into Mr. Sweet for the last few minutes. (Erases the whole rest of the day.) As I was changing his diaper, he said, "No kick mommy. Hug mommy." Melt, melt my heart.

August 22, 2011

Last week at the farmer's market, we went to check out the chickens that live at the farm. We've done that in the past and Ian's a big fan of them. Except this time - the rooster was crowing. Not a fan of that! Ian gets nervous of sounds every now and then still. Less so with birds in the yard, but a sheep baa'ed a few weeks ago at the 4H barn and that wasn't cool. And now this rooster.... he turned Ian into a clinger. I'm sure he'll get over it. He won't go to high school scared of roosters and sheep, I'm guessing.

Here's that memory again... this week when we went to the market we were walking through the vendors and Ian kept saying, "no chickens." He remembered that scary rooster.

August 21, 2011

Ian is getting so comfortable in the water. Sinks like a brick, but is ok getting splashed on the head at least. Tony and I took him to the beach for a little "big rock" searching. He digs around in the water for rocks and throws them.

August 20, 2011

Another memory note....

Going down to the tracks to watch the "big purple train" is exciting, but not like watching the "big gray train." The gray train is the Amtrak and it is so, so fast and powerful. The purple train is our commuter rail that stops at the station. Needless to say, the effect is different. But what I find interesting is Ian's ability to identify purple or gray even when he doesn't see the train. When walking around the neighborhood, we can hear them in the distance and he identifies the fast, louder, fly-by trains as "big gray trains."

August 19, 2011

Memory fascinates me.

A couple of months ago, we were at a neighbor's checking out the butterflies that they raised from cocoons. We haven't been back over there until this week when Rossita was there playing with some other critter they had collected. (Two kids, aged 7.... they tend to have lots of critters.) While Rossita was there, Ian kept asking for "butterfly, butterfly." She didn't know what he was looking for until our neighbor explained that he must have remembered when we were there TWO months ago.

August 18, 2011

Tomato picking. One in the bowl. One in the mouth.

August 17, 2011

This little guy and Ian have the exact same birthday day. His mom is a friend from years ago that I just re-connected with. It was a great surprise to find out that she and her husband only live a few miles from us. Hopefully we can continue having play dates!

August 16, 2011

My brothers Mike and Steve came with their kiddos to visit us for the weekend. Ian loved the time with his cousins. Alicia and Nick were deep into a game of badminton, and Ian was all over joining in.

August 15, 2011

What a perfect birthday present from Uncle Mike and Aunt Liz. Lightening McQueen, "Max" (Mack), and Sheriff Legos. Ian was thrilled. Max has been the bedtime toy of choice for days.

August 14, 2011

Don't cry over spilled milk.

Ian's big into "dumping" now. I used to get warning before the food, milk, water...whatever would hit the floor. He would pitch his meal when he was done, tired, crabby. As long as I was watching for the signs, I could catch it in time. Now it's more of a gravity experiment, I think. All I hear is, "Ian dumping" as the food or drink hits the counter. This can happen at any point in the meal. There's been a lot of clean up as of late.

The other fun food experiment Ian has is putting anything and everything into his drink cup. Usually with the milk or water in the cup as well.

Dumping isn't always messy. Ian dumps his red dip and yellow dip into their respective dip holders. Here he is - deep concentration.

August 13, 2011

August 12, 2011

Ian's confidence in the water is growing by leaps and bounds. At the lake he gets the water up to his neck digging around for "big rocks."

August 11, 2011

August 10, 2011

August 9, 2011

Ian's earning his keep in the kitchen. Peeling hard boiled eggs.

August 8, 2011

Today was the FIRST day in Ian's life that Tony was the sole caregiver the whole day. No help from me. No help from Rossita. No help from his kids. Just father and son.

When I got home from work, I asked if he was ready to be a stay-at-home dad. He didn't even hesitate. No. He said he loves little man like crazy but he's not stay-at-home material.

(I think he did a better job than he's giving himself credit for.)

August 7, 2011

The boys on the river.

August 6, 2011

Does this outfit make anyone else giggle? Maybe it's just me? But maybe, just maybe it will be the sort of thing that embarrasses Ian in the future. That's what parents are for.

August 5, 2011

Let the canoeing begin.

August 4, 2011

Frozen blueberries. This kid LOVES frozen blueberries.

August 3, 2011

Ian wants to be just like Grandpa Cowboy. Someday he'll get to ride on the big slide.

August 2, 2011

After the previous 3 moments in 30 minutes, this sweet moment wiped anything bad from my memory...

Ian and I were at a pasture playing in the grass. I decided to look for "big worms" and laid on my belly to dig through the grass. Ian, intrigued by my quest, laid right on my back and put his face right next to mine. So we searched, cheek to cheek, for big worms. So sweet.

August 1, 2011

Is this what we're in for? Within 30 minutes we had three "moments" with little man.

1. Ian was in our porch that is under construction and Tony got to him in the nick of time. Ian had a hammer in hand and his arm cocked back to put the hammer through a new sliding glass door.

2. Ian unbuckled his car seat.

3. Ian opened the car door with his toe.

All of that within 30 minutes.

Hiking / Trail Running

2011-08-23T21:29:00.001-04:00

This is hiking with Ian... seeing him from afar as he runs everywhere. This way. That way. Right. Left. No Mommy hold my hand.

Most of my pictures of him are a blur...

But sometimes he stops to look for "big worms."

It really is such a treat to spend time with him outdoors. He was a grumpy, whiney 2-year-old for a good part of the day, but hiking was such a joy. For both of us. He genuinely is interested in the world around him. We spent a lot of time looking at a rotting tree, searching for bugs. Beetles. Worms. Centipedes. He really loves that stuff. I'm working on teaching him how to be more gentle with the little critters. He's done some damage to a couple of toads we've found. His little fingers are too quick for me sometimes.

Jumping Boy

2011-08-23T21:22:00.000-04:00

We were out to dinner with friends the other night and they told us of this fabulous toy, Jumping Boy.

No, it's not actually called Jumping Boy, but their 2-year-old twins became one with the trampoline and thus were the Jumping Boys.

Funny how life works out. The day after hearing about their jumping boys, Ian started jumping on our couch, holding onto the back as if he were on a Jumping Boy trampoline. We could use a Jumping Boy of our own.

And then a couple days later I was walking to work and someone left a little trampoline on the side of the road with a 'free' sign on it. Sahhh-weeet! Our very own Jumping Boy!

And does Ian like to jump. And jump. And jump.

We parked it next to the couch so he has a little handle.

He has quite the routine. Jump.

Climb on the couch.

Roll around a bit.

Fall on the floor.

Repeat.

Jumping Boy is also a big hit when we put it next to an air mattress. He gets some good jumps in and then flies onto the mattress. Giggles like a.... well, giggles like the little kid that he is.

Saco Bound

2011-08-07T21:53:00.000-04:00

This weekend was a test. We decided to go on a canoe / camping trip with Ian. Some say brave. Some say stupid. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, heading into the wilderness for 3 days with a 2-year-old, but it turned out to be fabulous.

Auntie Kate and Uncle Paul

Kate and Paul were brave enough to join us, as were 10,000 of our closest friends. We didn't really realize what the Saco River was. Now we know. It is the river version of a Grateful Dead concert. We also know that Ian was the youngest inhabitant on this floating party, but also the hit of the party. He got all sorts of attention from countless drunk girls in bikinis. (He doesn't realize the extent of his infinite good fortune. And his mom is glad he won't remember this.)

This actually turned out to be a great test for days in the wilderness. The people watching was unbelievable. I mean, how often do you see someone canoeing with a hibachi?

Once we got Ian's life jacket on.... (here's Tony's attempt)

... Ian was fantastic.

He mostly hung with me in the front of the canoe. His arms and legs did NOT remain inside the boat. At all.

Incredibly, he could sleep in his little spot. When he was ready for bed, he asked for his blue towel (to lie on), his green blanket, his white blanket, and his yellow pacifier. Out like a light.

Camp food was a hit. No surprise. Meat. Eggs. Nuts. Pancakes. All his favorites.

We stopped at a grocery store on the way up and Ian found a little Thomas the Train bubble blower. Thomas was the hit of the weekend. Once or twice he went overboard, but Uncle Paul came to the rescue.

The weekend was incredibly smooth and easy. I never thought I'd write that after spending two nights in the woods with the little man, but he showed us he could handle the great outdoors. Although the second night, he showed us he could handle it more than we wanted him to. We put him to bed in the tent, but he wasn't interested in going to sleep. The little bugger opened the tent himself and came to greet us at the campfire. "Hi, Mommy!" he said in his cute little voice... just one more thing we have to look out for.

Blueberry Picking

2011-08-07T21:23:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, we went blueberry picking with Grandma T, Grandpa Cowboy, Auntie Sue and her kiddos. I couldn't pick the berries fast enough to fill the container. As soon as any went in, Ian took care of them.

When putting them in his mouth one at a time wasn't fast enough, he just tipped back the whole container.

I tried to get him to help out with the picking, but that only lasted so long.

Finally, I passed our container over to Grandpa Cowboy and then Ian and I just picked and ate. We certainly got our money's worth.

Pool Time

2011-08-07T21:16:00.000-04:00

I'm a couple weeks late on the post here, but great memories none the less. Friends, Dave Mak, Brett and Theresa and their family came over for a BBQ and pool fun. Theresa and Dave are both swim instructors, so Ian was in good hands.

Theresa started working on teaching him how to get out of the pool. Brilliant.

Ian was in heaven. Nicole doted on him and he couldn't get enough of her. Older women...

Plagiarism at its Finest

2011-08-01T22:39:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a great Mer and Dan weekend. Tony and I did a race on Sunday near their home, so we went up and stayed there Saturday night. They (bravely) offered to watch Ian while we raced. Bravely because Ian is two and has been acting like it lately.... AND they have a 9 month old of their own.

A couple funny notes...

Mer gave Ian some pancakes for a snack. After three she thought that was probably enough. Mind you - this was a snack AFTER breakfast. Three pancakes. Lordy, kid! Anyway, she put the cakes in the fridge and said "all gone." Ian kept insisting on "more pancakes" so finally he climbed out of his chair, went to the fridge, opened it, pointed to the pancakes, and said "more pancakes." What he really was saying... "Come on, lady. You can't fool me with this "all gone" business."

Dan was playing with Ian in the play room and Ian said, "hold my hand." Dan, touched by the sweetness of the gesture, held Ian's hand. He held it as Ian led him out of the room and let go while he said, "no, uncle Dan." Yes, Dan was discarded like a used toy. Ian was done with him.

Mer wrapped up the time with Ian much more than I could have - being that I wasn't there an all. This is directly from her blog (Is it plagiarism if I site the source?):

Weekend recap

We had a great weekend with Grace, Tony, Ian, and Dave Mak. Grace and Tony were doing a triathlon in Lowell on Sunday morning, and since Lowell is not too far from our house they spent Saturday night here and left Ian with us while they went to the race. We had a lot of fun with Ian!

We had eggs for breakfast. After he was done eating, Ian went over to Caiden in the high chair and kept saying "hi, baby!". Very cute.

Then we played inside for a little while. Caiden wanted to do everything Ian was doing.

Ian wanted to hold the baby. I think it lost it's fun when Caiden tried to pull his hair.

When Caiden went down for his morning nap, I took Ian out for a run in the jogging stroller. "Uncle Dan" took a nap with Caiden. When Dan and Caiden woke up, it was race car time. We had watermelon and watched Dan drive the race cars (Ian named them BIG race car, littlerace car) and fly the helicopter. Caiden watched from the backpack.

Later, Dan and Ian assembled a play house that Nana Nan got for us. Dave Mak arrived during the assembly to help too. When it was set up both boys had fun playing in it.

A fun weekend!!

July 365

2011-08-01T22:33:00.002-04:00

July 31, 2011

Ian loves the wheelbarrow and the neighbor kid loves pushing him around in it.

July 30, 2011

Friday morning I made the mistake of telling Ian we were having pancakes for breakfast on Saturday. "Tomorrow" and "Saturday" aren't in his vocabulary or comprehension and he was quite upset we didn't make pancakes "right now."

But when Saturday rolled around, his face lit up like crazy when I said we were making pancakes. He anxiously awaited the finished project. Here he is standing at the ready. Plate in hand. Watching intently to make sure he receives the first cake.

July 29, 2011

Ian's cousin Jesse was visiting from Texas with his family. It was too cute watching the two of them put together a lego-like airplane. (Well.... watching Jesse put it together and Ian pull it apart.)

July 28, 2011

July 27, 2011

July 26, 2011

July 25, 2011

We have to distinguish "smelling flowers" from "picking flowers." These are smelling flowers.

July 24, 2011

July 23, 2011

July 22, 2011

Maddie gets lots of Ian love.

July 21, 2011

Ian played with his trains before falling asleep tonight. See how they are all lined up? That's what he does. Line things up.

July 20, 2011

July 19, 2011

Ian got a bunch of Thomas the Trains for his birthday and he LOVES them. He's holding on tight to Percy here. Every night he lets me know what/who he wants in his crib with him. Purple Pickup, Thomas the Train, Percy, Mater the Tow Truck, and Lightening McQueen are the most common. Oh and of course green blanket, white blanket, and yellow pacifier. (He uses "blanket", not blankie. And "pacifier", not some other easier to say word. That surprises me.)

July18, 2011

July 17, 2011

I forgot to include this photo with the SD updates. This is a great, great sight to a parent. A baby sleeping on an airplane. The stars were aligned for that flight.

July 16, 2011

This is an absolutely adorable scene. The family was at a swim meet and Anthony started getting drowsy. Ian apparently was too.

This is how it started....

Anthony was the first one out. And then Ian's eye rub begins....

And they are both out...

July 15, 2011

Blankets. Ian hasn't ever been the 'carry around a blanket' kind of kid. Or anything for that matter. There are toys that he latches onto and really likes, but nothing that he HAS to have. But suddenly he's latching onto his blankets. Not one, but two. He has to have green blanket and white blanket. We took them to Whole Foods the other day. Both of them. And there's not tricking him to try and take just one.

July 14, 2011

You'd think putting a tinfoil burger wrapper on a kid's head would be something a sibling or parent would do for a good picture. But no, this was all Ian.

July 13, 2011

July 12, 2011

Another SD picture.

Ian got his hands on this spice jar and couldn't get enough. It was a spicy combo of red pepper, paprika, and garlic among others.

July 11, 2011

July 10, 2011

July 9, 2011

Older women.

July 8, 2011

This is another South Dakota picture, but just so Ian. He pulled all the race cars out of great grandma's bin of fun and lined them up. Grandma Nan lined up the dinosaurs.

July 7, 2011

I just adore this sly little look. Happy Birthday, my sweet boy. I hope you are enjoying this cupcake as much as it looks like you are.

July 6, 2011

Last night I went into Ian's room to say goodnight one last time. He was sleep talking which is just too cute. Mostly I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I did catch a very recognizable, "right there" as he pointed his finger. Not only sleep talking, but sleep gesturing as well.

July 5, 2011

We left the Black Hills today. I know Ian won't remember this trip, but hopefully soon he'll start forming forever memories of this special place. So much to do. So much to see.

July 4, 2011

Helpful little man. He's cleaning the mud out of the wheel wells. Thanks, Ian.

July 3, 2011

July 2, 2011

What a life. His own little chair with a bowl of watermelon on a hot summer day.

July 1, 2011

Grandpa Gary's latest passion is the geology of the Black Hills. Ian is being introduced to the art of rock breaking at a young age. He knows the basics. "Hammer." "Glasses."

24 Month Rewind

2011-08-01T22:17:00.000-04:00

24 Months! Two years! Wow. What a journey life has been with this little man.

Height: 36 inches (86.75th percentile)

Weight: 29 pounds, 13 ounces (71.61st percentile)

Head: 49.5 cm (71.59th percentile)

SLEEP

Sleep seems under control for the moment. Ian's never been what I'd call a "good sleeper," but I don't complain. He goes to bed easily at 6:00. The routine is a night-night book or two and then whatever he chooses to join him in the crib. Thomas the Train. Lightening McQueen. Mater the Tow Truck. Percy the Green Thomas the Train. Two blankets - green blanket and white blanket. And yellow pacifier. Those are the typical items.

Rarely does Ian wake up during the beginning of the night, but on occasion he wakes up around 4ish. I'm sure we could let him cry a while and it would be fine, but usually Tony sleep walks his way into the room, pops in yellow pacifier, and crawls back to bed. Wake up time is consistently 5:45 to 6:15 lately.

Naps start between 11:30 and 12 and last anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. I think the summer days really wear the little man out, so there have been a lot of 2 to 3 hour naps lately. That's a good thing. For all of us. That's the reason I'm getting this done right now.... a 3 and a half hour nap!!!

FOOD

Me: Ian, what do you want for dinner.
Ian: Meat.

Meat. Ian loves meat. Doesn't matter what kind. Just meat. Fruit is his other passion. Nuts too. Veggies.... depends on the day for those. Some days, all he'll eat for dinner are broccoli trees (with dip, of course). And then other days he won't touch any green things. Won't even stand to have them on his plate. Tomatoes. Our garden is spewing out cherry tomatoes and Ian is loving them. Yesterday, he probably ate 15 (at least) for dinner. His face and belly were covered with tomato seeds. Not a clean boy. Smoothies are still a love of his, so it's a way to get spinach, swiss chard, and kale into his little body without him knowing it.

Dip. Dip has been great at getting Ian to eat when he's feeling a little resistant. His favorite dips are purple dip (balsamic vinegar - not sure why it's called purple), red dip (catsup), and yellow dip (mustard). Lately he wants both red and yellow, then dips whatever he's eating into both. This includes watermelon.

Ian has been more involved with preparing food. We have eggs almost every morning and he cracks them and puts them in the bowl. He puts the shell in the waste bucket, then stirs the eggs, making sure to break the yolks. He knows the routine well. And surprisingly few shells make it into the mix. I think I get as many in there as he does. He also works on peeling his own hard boiled eggs.

Also with Ian's involvement is his food comes picking which plate, bowl, or fork he wants. Invariably, it's purple. Purple is his favorite color. He wants his purple shirt on every morning. He doesn't even have a purple shirt.

When we go to the grocery store, Ian labels all the food as I put it on the belt. Ukini (zucchini) and big squash (summer squash) always get followed up with "sharp knife" because that's what we do at home- cut them with a sharp knife.

Funny side note... Tony isn't so familiar with "strange" fruits and veggies. He doesn't know what a plum is and thinks peaches and nectarines are the same thing. So this morning when Ian identified the zucchini as zucchini and the summer squash as summer squash, Tony was amazed. He himself didn't know what their names were/are. Ahhh, Tony. You're so pretty.

ACTIVITY

This one doesn't change. He's an active, active kid. He loves to run for the sake of running. He is great at kicking balls. Not so great at throwing them. And definitely not with any accuracy. If I had to bet, I'd say he'll play soccer long before baseball. Not that I can make that determination at two.

He's getting more confident in the water which is nice. It still takes him a bit of time to warm up to the idea of going in the pool, but usually after a little while he'll happily splash around, kick his legs (on his belly - hates being on his back), and jump into my arms. He knows that he's not supposed to run on the pool deck, so he walks very deliberately. And if he gets over excited, all I have to say is... "Ian" in my best authoritative, life guard tone.

TALKING

The stream of words and sounds coming from his mouth is constant. I feel like he's perfectly understandable most of the time, but now realize he is speaking "Ian" and not everyone can understand fully.

* He strings more sentences together with a subject and a verb.
* "Mine" hasn't entered his vocabulary. Weird. But I think his version of mine is "Ian's turn."
* "Ian passed gas" is a favorite saying. It makes him giggle.
* No. That's a favorite. And it's such a emphatic NO!
* When I put him to bed, sometimes he says, "No night night book." I say, "That's OK. You can just go night night then." He says, "Night night book." He's no fool.
* Mommy clean the big mess. (Ian's a stickler on things being clean. Usually he's the one making the mess, though.)
* "Mommy banana . Sure!" Apparently I say "sure" a lot when Ian asks for something, because if he really want something - say, a banana - he'll follow that up with "sure!" And his prononciation of banana is hilarious. It starts with "ba" and then it's like he spews out "nanannaa".
* "Mommy pick you up."