Kids in suits

The only time he will wear this Bear Suit is when we go out.

Obviously.

Toddler Tuesday :: LawnMower OutsideBackyard Right Now

His demands are simple.
Lawn Mower, Outside BackYard, Right Now.

He will do this every. single. day. if we let him.

And why not I say.

Toddler Tuesday :: First Fridge Art

My lovely friend Andrea hosts art classes from her home studio and she has a drop in Toddler class come up everyone once and a while. 

We were very happy to sign up last week for the Mixed Media class, which was an hour of hilarious toddler wrangling amidst glue sticks, water, paint, felt pen, oil pastels and the occasional runny nose.

Sonny had fun, we hung it on the fridge and I realized that this right here is the First Fridge Art made entirely by him.

I had a moment hanging it up I will not lie.

Toddler Tuesday :: Literature for Toddlers

I jest.
Mostly. 
As this is his very own copy of Batman comics.

That we made sure was age appropriate before we gave it to him.

This kid loves him some Batman.

Toddler Tuesdays :: Jaunty Frenchman

 We had a cocoa smoothie this morning and then this jaunty Frenchman joined me for breakfast.

Toddler Tuesdays :: Choosing his own snacks

He can open the fridge by himself now.

I in no way influenced this decision.

Toddler Tuesday :: He does his own Accessorizing

Here he is, in his jams, a hoody and my Amma's scarf (that he picked out my scarf drawer, that he opened up entirely on his own)

unrelated, tissue paper is apparently THE BEST THING if you are two.
Who knew?

Toddler Tuesday :: where I work out some big feelings

Sonny turned two last week. 
Last Tuesday in fact.

I have not had any really big "mom" flip outs I think.
I don't think that I have, maybe I've been flipping out this whole time, and everyone around me has just been really kind and kept quiet about it and just kept an eye.  You know, in case I got really weird.

But to my mind, I think I've been pretty reasonable. 
I understand that he's not going to be my tiny baby forever.  He's already this big kid with his own VERY clear ideas of how things should be, and he's now starting to Push The Buttons.

And I know that this is healthy and normal and he should be doing this.  He needs to push and push and push until I snap, so he knows where the line in the sand is.

And in my head, I get it.
And I thought that I would handle it all in stride, because I think that I've been pretty mellow so far.
(again, perhaps an outsiders perspective might be different!)

But today we were at a friend's home where there were a lot of other kids of various ages playing, and it was great.  There were older kids and younger kids and Sonny happily trooped from one activity to the next with no problems.

Until.
A little boy, about his age, who was energetically playing with his older brother, running up the stairs and jumping down again, gave him a little push.

I saw it happen, and it was just a little shove.  Totally no big deal.
But Sonny has never really had to deal with another toddler who played in a different style, and had no real idea of how to react.

He came over, and quietly said "Boy.  Push mama."

"did he push you?"

"yeah."

"do you want to sit with me for a minute?"

"yeah."

And he climbed up onto my lap and we had a quiet minute or two while he watched the other boys playing, and then we had a quiet conversation about how the other little boy has a big brother and they are playing with a lot of energy, and how it's ok to play different ways.

He took a minute to snuggle, and then off he went playing again. 

Fine right?

But a few times over the evening it came up again, "Boy push, Sonny mama"
"I know buddy, sometimes that will happen.  Sometimes you will be the boy who pushes."

And I don't know if I am really just starting to let it settle in that he is not a baby any more, he's a little boy and he's figuring out what that means.  And now I have to figure out what it means to let him be a little boy, and let the word affect him and let him affect the world and I just want to wrap him up in my arms and hold on tight and protect him from EVERYTHING.

And recognize that I can't do that.  Recognize that I have to let him go out into the world and that it's far better for him to.

But it is breaking my heart and I have had quiet tears through dinner and I am realizing and accepting that I am going to be the mom who cries, and that he's going to roll his eyes at me, and hopefully give me a squeeze before heading out with his friends knowing that his mom is a bit ridiculous and a wet hen and that I love him.

And he will be totally ok.

But I will be awake every night until I hear him sneak in way past curfew, and I'll let his friends crash at our house so that we know everyone is safe, and I'll cry over every little thing.

Of course I will.
I'm crying right now!




Or maybe it's all just hormones and I need a chocolate.

Toddler Tuesdays :: Wizard training

Sonny is at a point right now where he will let me put hats on him and he'll just keep playing like I didn't interrupt his Very Important Work.

 

I am kind of flipping out over the Dress Up possibilities!

Toddler Tuesdays :: Working in the Garden

I have never had much of a green thumb.  Honestly, there were weekends when we were tweens that Mom would drag us out to the back yard to Weed....ugh, even thinking about it makes me shudder.
She had to drag us out there because we HATED it. Oh man it was preteen torture!  I can't imagine that she had any fun back there either with the two of us whining and wailing and generally being sullen and awful.

We were terrible.

But even though I didn't have the most auspicious start to my gardening career, I have for the last few years thought quite lovingly about the future garden that I would have, growing veggies and strawberries.  Strawberries are the Big Draw for me.  I have wonderful memories of being little and picking fresh strawberries with my Poppa on summer vacation.

And carrots out of his garden too now that I think of it.

Last year I went as far as buying packets of seeds to plant.  And I somehow managed to STEAM THEM.  I think I left them on the shelf above the sink and a few too many hot sinks full of water and draining past did them all in.

Incredible I know.

But this year.  THIS YEAR!!  I have already PLANTED two different types of kale AND STRAWBERRIES in the back garden.

And I love it!  Really, completely love it.  I am hoping to pick up carrot seeds this week and later in the spring we are going to put down some squash, zucchini and cucumbers too.

And Sonny, bless is little heart, loves it back there.  He pushes a little plastic lawnmower that our neighbors passed down to us and excitedly calls me over to "help snakes".  Toddler speak for Please Pick up that Dead Worm and Do Something With It.

The things we do.

Toddler Tuesdays :: First time on the Ferry

We took a family trip off the island for the first time.

That might be all the news I can share here.  It was a Big Deal!
We don't get the chance to do trips away very often around here, with school and work schedules being as hectic as they are.  But we planned ahead for Geoff's reading break to take a night away.

AN OVERNIGHT TRIP WITH TODDLER.

Not so bad actually.  I was anticipating it being Much Worse, but other than two days without napping, in which he became somehow more intensely himself... does that make sense?
(He's usually pretty gregarious and friendly, and he just got louder and friendlier.)  It was easy peasy!

It was great.  We got to see some friends who we haven't seen in two years and we also got to visit with our old Vancouver Landlady and take a peek through the old apartment!  So fun!

Plus there is this funny little set up on the Ferries now with a climbing boat and a big TV in the corner.  Sonny got hooked on Thomas the Tank Engine for a while.

xo

Toddler Tuesdays :: BEACH!

I feel like these pictures speak for themselves.
xo

Toddler Tuesdays :: FISH!

Here on the island we have a little Aquarium that is home to a variety of molluscs, shellfish and fish.
Our Boy Sonny is a big fan of animals and so getting him out there to check it out was a no brainer.

They have a Toddler activity hour, that we missed by 15 minutes naturally, every Tuesday.  I was sold on the annual pass however so we'll go back again soon!

He was so sweet this trip, there was a little girl we met who is exactly one month younger than him and he made sure that once they and officially met that he held her hand and showed her around!

(picture him reaching for her hands, over and over saying "HANDS!" and dragging her around.  She finally had to put a stop to it and politely push him away... but we were chatting with her Mom and they have grandparents in our neighborhood so hopefully we'll run into them again at the park nearby)

Toddler Tuesdays :: Pizza is introduced

We tried Pizza for the first time.

We like it.

(this kid ate three slices!)

xox

Toddler Tuesdays :: Sonny Incognito

I am going to start a new feature here to share little tidbits of My Boy Sonny.
Just little glimpses of what he's up to and share with you the Incredible World of The Toddler.

Because seriously.  It's pretty spectacular.

Just look at this guy!  He's out, lounging in comfort with his good buddy Duck.  Trying on some sweet shades.

xox