Superhero!

E likes to tie his blanket around his neck like a cape, but it doesn't stay put very well. While at WalMart yesterday, I spotted a generic superhero cape and mask set for $5. I put it in the cart and E played with it while I shopped. He wouldn't let go of it to ring it up, so the cashier had to lean across into the cart to scan it. Once we were in the car, I opened the pack and he wanted his mask on immediately. He wore the mask all the way home and then wore the entire outfit until bed time. This little set was by far the best $5 I have ever spent. I laughed for hours watching my little superhero play!

 

He decided that clothes hindered his flying...

 

Must keep running to keep cape billowing...

 

 

Captain Underpants!!

 

 

Even superheroes get tired and want their mommy. You still must maintain your secret identity though! Do not remove the cape and mask!

I can't tell you how happy these photos make me :-) I cannot look at them without laughing. I look forward to many more nights of superhero fun!

Having Options

Wednesday night we had a CRAZY thunderstorm. It is very rare that storms wake me, but this one was intense. I have never seen lightening that looked like a strobe light before, but this lightening was almost constant with very little time lapse between each flash. The thunder that accompanied was not much different. I lay in bed listening to the craziness and before I really thought about it, I turned to my husband and said, "Thank goodness E is deaf." I was grateful that E does not wear his hearing devices when he sleeps and was completely undisturbed by the noise of the storm. This got me thinking about how awesome it is that E has the option to hear when he wants or to embrace the quiet when it suits him.

When E gets up in the morning, he likes to have a little down time before he is ready to "put on his ears." E wakes up like his Daddy...very slowly. It typically takes about 30 minutes before he is ready to face the day. During this time, he wants a lap to cuddle, a sippy cup of milk, and quiet. There are other times that E chooses the quiet as well. Because we use sign language as a family, E doesn't miss out on anything whether he chooses sound or not. It would actually be pretty nice if I could have a choice to "turn off my ears" when I needed some peace and quiet.

Some of these things are a little tongue in cheek, but others are true advantages of E being deaf:

• We can make all the noise we want after he goes to bed
• Storms, barking dogs, fireworks, etc do not disturb a good night's sleep
• E will never have to worry about a spouse that snores
• Need peace and quiet in your dorm to study? No problem for E
• Had all you can take of someone whining? Turn off your ears
• Need to tell someone something, but it's too loud in the crowd? Sign it!
• Want to communicate underwater? ASL to the rescue!

Think about it...how nice would it be to have an escape from the audio pollution from time to time?

Now that I've shared that bit of info, here's a picture of E since that's why you are REALLY visiting the blog ;-)

Daddy came home the other night and took off his hat and sunglasses. E picked them up and put them on. The paci completes the ensemble. This is our E and he makes me smile and laugh constantly. I cannot describe the joy this little cuddle bug brings to our lives!

Must Be a Waffle

This past weekend, my husband officiated a wedding in SC. We were able to go back to Spartanburg, where we lived for three years prior to moving to NC. As we entered the city, we saw that the Hot and Now sign was on at the Krispy Kreme. To my husband, this classifies as a sign from God that he must have doughnuts. A hot-off-the-line Krispy Kreme flat out melts in your mouth and there is not much that tastes better on this earth! We decided it was time for E's first Hot and Now experience and yes, it warranted taking a picture with the neon sign:

E loved watching the doughnuts being made on the conveyor. Of course, he really loved the final product of warm, gooey deliciousness. E had never had or seen a doughnut and so he used his logic when asking for more. He signed "more waffle." The only sweet, round thing he had ever eaten was either a waffle or a cookie. Round + Sweet + Hot...must be a WAFFLE!! I love that toddler thought process :-)

The Two's

So, E is two years old now. If you say, "Oh, no...TERRIBLE two's!," I may be compelled to hurt you. I don't think there is anything terrible about a two-year-old. There are good days and there are bad days, but mostly, there are just days when they are trying to figure out how do handle things on their own. There is nothing terrible about that. Thus far, we have been extremely blessed to have a very well behaved toddler. I am always so proud when people comment on how nicely he is sitting in a restaurant or behaving in public. My husband had to take E with him to sit through a church business conference the other night. Adults have difficulty sitting through these. E read his books and played with his iPad and behaved beautifully for the entire thing! We can take E to restaurants. He refuses to sit in a high chair or booster since he wants to be big like everyone else, but he behaves like a little gentleman as he sits on a regular chair with his head peeking above the table. The key to getting these results is knowing our child. When he is due for a nap and rubbing his eyes...guess what...not the time to take him to run errands. When he has been cooped up in the house on a rainy day...you got it...not the time to expect him to sit quietly for an hour. There are of course hits and misses on our toddler learning curve. Here are a couple examples of our recent adventures:

A Miss!

We needed groceries on Sunday after church. We needed them in the way that we had nothing in the house I could make a meal from and you would hear an echo if you spoke with the fridge door open. Yeah. We like to wait until we HAVE to go to the grocery store. One of the new stores in town has mini shopping carts for kids. I thought E might like "shopping" beside Mommy. Oh he liked it...just not the "with Mommy" part. He took his cart and was off to the races before I could even get my cart out of the bay. Let me remind you that this was right after church and I was wearing uncomfortable heels not suitable for baby chasing. I abandoned my cart and caught up to him at the back of the store where he had already proceeded to fill his cart with anything at eye level. This included spray butter, chocolate dipping sauce, bakery pastries, and a peach. Clearly, this was not a good idea. He was not happy to see me put back all of his carefully chosen treasures and even less happy when we had to put back the cart. The rest of the shopping trip was spent with him secured in one of the race car shopping carts, protesting my decision. Lesson learned. Part of me wants to take him back when I do not have to actually accomplish anything and just follow him to see what he picks up and what he does when his cart is full??

A Hit!

When we returned home from our grocery shopping misadventure, I decided to let E help me make a banana pudding for Daddy. This is the first time I allowed E to help me with a real kitchen concoction. He is all about autonomy right now and wants to do everything "big people" do. I gave him a whisk and let him mix the ingredients. He did a wonderful job! He was very patient, waited for my instruction to stir after each addition, and was very pleased with his efforts. We celebrated with the traditional "licking of the spoon."

Our current philosophy is, "Let him try it." Sometimes, it is just to see what he does when given the option. Other times, it is so he can learn from the mistake we know he is about to make. Bottom line though, you will NOT hear me say my child is a TERRIBLE anything in front of him. I believe in speaking kind words about a child when they are present. I think children as well as adults live up to the expectations you set for them. If your child constantly hears that they are "terrible two" or any other unpleasant descriptor, don't be surprised when they prove you right. Is my child perfect? No. Will he always behave? Of course not. Will he publicly embarrass me and make me look like a lunatic mom? Most assuredly. He is two and there is nothing terrible about it :-)

Playing with a Tiger

That's right! Today, we took E to Zootastic in Troutman, NC to the "cub experience." We spent the morning playing with an 8-week-old tiger cub named Spar. There are some moments in life where you feel like an awesome mom. Watching your kid giggle while playing with a TIGER CUB is one of them :-) The three of us had a wonderful time feeding, playing, and cuddling with this striped cutie. After the cub time, we took a tour to see some of the other animals. This was E's first time at a zoo and he really loved it!

Meet "Spar"

 SO Excited!

Yes, it was a great day! I love seeing the amazement and wonder on my little boy's face when he experiences things for the first time. Thanks to E, the staff at the zoo also learned the ASL signs for many of the animals. They are expecting to have a lion cub in residence soon and a new cub experience, so we will have to check back to see when we can do it again. How fun would it be to have a Daniel and the Lion's Den Bible lesson and follow it up with time with a real lion cub?!

Water, Water Everywhere!

 The final day of VBS is water day at our church. We bring a fire truck and they raise the hose high into the air on the ladder and spray down creating a HUGE shower of water for the kids. Don't worry, they pull the water from the river and it is not wasted. E's face was priceless when he walked out and saw the cascade of water. He put his hands in the air and said, "OHHHHHH!" He was the smallest one out there that decided to get into the spray. The other toddlers were more content with the puddles off to the side. As I have mentioned before, this kid has no fear.

Within the first minute or so of running into the water, E was knocked to the ground by an older kid that was not watching where he was going. That's just kids. They get excited. The bump knocked E on his booty and the momentum threw him on back so that he bumped his head on the concrete. After a short, 30 second cry, he was ready to go again, but this resulted in my husband and me "boxing out" around E and looking like crazed basketball guards in an attempt to prevent E being run over again. We laughed later at the concern that we may have taken out someone's kid if they had hit him. We were in full Mama and Papa Bear mode! I try not to be overprotective, but toddlers and hard surfaces are just not a good mix ;-)

Oh "Two"dles!

Today, my baby turned two! We had a Mickey Mouse themed party with family and a few great friends. Thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate our wonderful little boy :-) I am running very low on photos because, in my craziness, I grabbed the camera, but not the camera's battery. Thank goodness for smart phones!

 We began the birthday morning by letting E run in and see his present from mommy and daddy waiting for him in the living room. E loves all things art so he now has his very own art center.

Cupcakes, fruit, Chick-fil-a nuggets, chips, candy, ice cream, and popsicles created a great party spread. Many thanks to my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, mom, and best friend who all helped me to prepare everything so quickly. The great thing about a summer birthday is the abundance of delicious fruit in season!

Mickey party hats for the little ones seemed like a good idea, but E was only interested in trying it on for a minute. It was cute while it lasted.

E really scored some great gifts! Clothes, cars, trucks, art supplies, building blocks, water sprinklers and college fund money were just a few of the fun things he received. One very brave and loving friend gave E his first drum set. He seemed get the hag of it immediately. After finding his groove, he even decided to jam with his eyes closed and his rock 'n roll face on. You may be able to hear him add in a bit of singing lol.