The weather is beautiful and we want to play outside. What better activity then to put your kid to work washing your car. And then dragging your neighbor's child into the mix and you have one fun Sunday afternoon.
Here he is one year ago doing the same thing. And he still likes it. Hopefully, he feels the same way about mowing the lawn.
Jeremy took out his very dusty guitar recently. I bought it for his 30th birthday which was the weekend we found out we were pregnant. So, he pretty much had nine months to play and then full on parenthood set it. Playing the guitar kind of took a back seat. Well, he has rediscovered this fun hobby and Jude got to join in on the fun.
Here Jude is playing with his toy guitar. He kept trying to put it on Jeremy's guitar stand.
Over the Christmas holidays, we had the pleasure of having Jeremy's family visit. It was the first time we have all been together since Jude was one month old. He's now two, so you do the math. Hayley and Mark and their kids joined us from DC and Mimi and Gigi drove up from Mobile. We had a lot of fun doing not much of anything. We did go on a hike in the woods behind our neighborhood. It's pretty cool that Jude will get to play in those woods someday. But, until then, the grown-ups enjoyed the fun!
Jeremy, Gigi, Hayley and Maddy
Mark and Maddy sharing Maddy's coat Hayley posing in the woods Can you believe this is right in our neighborhood?
The new best friend in our household is "Bob the Builder: Trains and Treehouses". Although, we could do without the Treehouses part. We discovered this gem while browsing Netflix one evening. I needed something to occupy Jude to get a few things done before leaving the house one evening. Little did I know what I was creating. Jude is now completely obsessed with this show. The morning after the discovery he came downstairs and I heard an odd noise. He was dragging the barstool around the counter and trying to sit on it. You see, he had watched the show in the kitchen, sitting on a barstool, on the computer set on the counter. He remembered the equation and wanted to recreate the scene. He now wants to watch this show pretty much on repeat. And not just any Bob the Builder will do. It has to be this particular episode. So moms of toddler boys, check it out. Your son will love the entertainment and you will love the gift of time (30 whole minutes).
Disclaimer: Yes, I let my child watch television. It sure is a mother's helper in a pinch.
I've been putting this post off for too long. Something about having to sum up another year seemed like an emotional task. I wanted to be so eloquent when writing about this second year and I finally decided, there is no way to do it perfectly. But, writing nothing is worse than writing imperfectly, so here it goes.
I'll start by saying that I learned my lesson after last year's big b-day party. Too much work and not enough time to enjoy it, for both mom and Jude. So this year, we decided that small is best. Especially since we have finally figured out that Jude does not dig a crowd.
We woke up the morning of his birthday and decided to skip church. Mostly because there was no nursery during the holiday weekend. It was a pretty dreary day outside, so instead of going on the hike we had planned (Jude loves walking in the woods), we went to Krispy Kreme instead. We then went to Dick's Sporting Goods. That may sound like an odd celebration spot, but Jude loves going there. For a two-year-old, there is lots to see including an escalator, treadmills, and lots of bouncy balls. We ended the morning by going to Jude's other favorite destination, Publix. He rode in the buggy and got his cookie. Publix is the master marketer to kids!
Riding the escalator with Mommy.
Playing basketball with Daddy. Later in the afternoon, it was time for a celebration with family and friends. My sister and her kids, Jeremy's mom and grandmother, and our neighbor from across the street rounded out the guest list. It was the perfect size gathering for Jude. We cooked tacos, had birthday cake, and opened presents. A nice, laid back birthday, perfect for a two-year-old.
Justin and Jude horsing around on the couch. Gigi and Mimi getting the trucks out of the boxes.
That's right, I made made his birthday cake. Who needs to spend $40 when you can pay $6 for tractors and place it on top of a Duncan Hines cake. Yummy!
Riding his balance bike from Gigi. I've heard these really help with learning the art of bike riding. We shall see!
On a dinner date with Maddie from across the street. She wanted to be up close and personal to the birthday boy. It will be so fun to look back at these pictures when they are all grown up!
He loves his bathtime and it just got more interesting with a new Thomas track thanks to Lisa!
I love it when you catch a genuine smile with the camera. He laughs so much, but I rarely capture his joy on camera.
The below video was taken the morning of his b-day. I'd like everyone to see how well he is talking. I started to wonder how long it was going to take. I now have to watch what I say, that's for sure!
Playing basketball with Daddy.
He loves his bathtime and it just got more interesting with a new Thomas track thanks to Lisa!
