Bear Cub becomes a beach bum...

**Warning! Due to the high levels of chasing after an extremely active 2-year-old, this Mama was unable to capture many moments of this weekend on camera. I welcome any other photos from fellow beach-goers to help boost our albums! Thanks!

What a beautiful weekend we had! We spent Friday and Saturday night on the beach with Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles. It was a very busy and tiring weekend, but we all enjoyed ourselves and got at least a little bit of a chance to relax! Our weather was gorgeous -- bright sun, but low humidity and the ocean temperature was actually refreshing and not like bath water! The end of September is a great time to hit the beaches here in Florida -- no hurricanes pending, of course.

Bear Cub's favorite thing at the beach was definitely playing in the sand and scooping it into his dump trucks. He also loved making "mountains" with his bulldozer and we attempted a few sand castles, too. Those were quickly destroyed by our man, of course.

It was so fun to spend time with our family - even though we all suffered through some of BC's famous meltdowns, willfulness, and pure exhaustion. But hey, that's life with a two-year-old! Those times just make you REALLY appreciate all of the smiles and laughs that you get from him most of the time. He definitely makes life interesting! :)

Time keeps on a-marchin'...

Check that out!
Just a cute profile shot of him smiling!

Wow, I can't believe it's Thursday already! The weeks really fly by for Bear Cub and me. Sometimes, I can't really even remember what we've done - all I know is that we're constantly on the go...whether it be inside the house or out. :)


This week has been a good one. Here's a little recap for you:

Monday: It was back to library for our weekly story time. Our usual "reader" is out on maternity leave, so it wasn't quite the same, but BC still had a good time. I'll just be happy when she comes back at the end of October!

Tuesday: Hmmmm....one of those days that I can't quite remember. Oh! We did go to the gym again and BC did just fine in the playroom. And of course! We had our gymnastics class, too. He enjoys it and just thinks it is HYSTERICAL to run away from the circle time and see me chase him. I wonder how many calories I burn while we're there?? A LOT!


Wednesday: We met up with BC's friend, Emmy, at a local park. We had a great time! It's a park that we hadn't been to yet, so it was fun to have somewhere different to go. Our weather was beautiful yesterday -- pleasant and even slightly cool in the shade -- so it was the perfect park day. BC and Emmy had a lot of fun -- they each played with some tractors that we had and did lots of scooping and digging in the dirt. By the end of our play time, it looked like BC had been working in a coal mine all morning. He loved it!


Today: Well, yesterday afternoon I noticed he had a drippy nose and lo and behold, he has a full-blown cold today. :( I guess that's probably one of the side effects from taking him to the gym's playroom (even though we wash hands as soon as we walk out of there!). He's a little under the weather today and I'm hoping things perk up for him soon. We have a fun weekend ahead - going to the beach for 2 nights with Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles! So today we're taking it easy at home, in hopes of a recovery for our big weekend ahead.


Potty training continues - at least on and off, as he shows interest. Yesterday at Target we bought some "big kid" pants -- really, just the cotton training pants, so he was pretty excited about those. He wore one pair for a while yesterday around home (until the inevitable happened). AND then...he went on the potty again! Daddy had a great idea -- telling him that he was a fireman and that that there was a fire in the toilet. Wouldn't you know....that boy put the fire out! ;) We've tried that twice today already and had success each time. Yeah! We then do the "potty dance" and BC runs bare-bunned to the pantry where he knows his "special treats" are. We're making progress! Good thinking, Daddy! :)

In other news, Bear Cub has definitely begun to voice his opinion, and quite strongly at times, I may add! Sheez. We've even experienced a couple of full-blown tantrums out in public. He does this great trick (ok, not really great, but interesting) where he will put his arms straight up into the air so I can NOT get a hold of him. Then he buckles his knees, too. I get a great arm workout trying to lift and manage him during those times! All I can do is smile politely at the people as we go screaming and flailing past. Hey, if they are a mom or a dad, I know good and well they've been there, too! :)


He's also been bossing Zoe around. Poor little girl. He's never mean with her at all, but now he'll just tell her to "Come on, Zah!" or "Get down, Zo-zo!" But of course, he still wants her approval on all new things and loves to copy her. He likes to kick the grass back (like she does after she does her business) and roll around in the grass with her, too. They really are best buds. Just now...he thinks he's in control. And the scary thing is....sometimes I feel like he is!


Hello TWOS, we have officially arrived! :)

Another first...

Yesterday afternoon we headed to Great Clips for Daddy to get his hair cut before heading to the grocery store. We've been eyeing Bear Cub's hair and we knew that it was about time for him to get a "real" haircut. It's been trimmed twice at home, but the fly aways were back and looking pretty uneven this time around. So we decided that it would be a good thing for him to see Daddy get his haircut and then MAYBE he'd be ready to do it himself. We sort of half thought that BC would get his cut, but in reality, I didn't think it work out. This is why (unfortunately) I did not have my camera with me. :(

Daddy went first and Bear Cub was a bit nervous for him. He sat on my lap and we watched as the haircut began. Meanwhile, I was talking about how fun it was to get a haircut and how good it felt. Oh boy...the things you have to talk up! Daddy was quickly finished and all eyes turned towards BC and me. He quickly scurried away, headed towards the front door and my immediate thought was, "Ok...not gonna happen this time!"

But...believe it or not...we got him to sit in my lap in the chair. Then we opened a lollipop for him to lick. Then...the lady came near with a comb and oh my...NO WAY!! Bear Cub started turning his head, this way and that, to get away from the dreaded comb. Hmmmmm....next tactic, please!

The stylist kept on trying and he kept on squirming. Finally, she asked for some help from another stylist and between all 4 of us adults there, his hair got cut! Yeah! How did we manage to keep him under control? Well....the first stylist brought the entire basket of lollipops over for him to rifle through and she opened any which one he wanted her to. Oh my. Then, on our parental parts, we added the allure of a new car from Publix if he would let them finish. **Sigh** We are pushovers for bribery and that really scares me. ;)

Well, all of that effort produced a great first "real" haircut and Bear Cub looks like such a big boy now! I'm sorry I didn't have the camera with us, but in reality, I don't think we would have had any extra hands or time to get a shot. It was all we could do to keep him distracted from what was happening.

Yesterday's math question of the day: What does...

2 hairstylists + one squirmy toddler + one sweating and nervous Mama + 5 semi-licked lollipops + the promise of a new car = ??

Answer: ONE HANDSOME BEAR CUB!! :)

Side note: It was so cute when we got home...BC always wants to show Zoe his things, so he rushed in looking for her. I caught him bending down, with his head near her face, saying, "Zah! New hair-tut!" He wanted to show off his new look & like we always tell him, "WOW! Zoe loves it!" :)

Bear Cub showing the camera is new car...

All smiles reading his new Halloween Maisy book...

A touch of Fall?

Practicing his balance beam walking...he's getting pretty good in gymnastics at that!

It's amazing...he always finds a golf ball when we're out on the course. Hmmm...almost as if there's a golf ball fairy out there (wink, wink)!
Our adorable pair...
Another fun past time is looking for and picking up pine cones. One of these evenings, we're going to bring a bucket out and collect some so we can do some pine cone art around Christmas. Again...the teacher within still stirs...
Getting a big squeeze from Mama...Here's a pic from right before we headed inside. What a BOY he is! This was after he'd been running through the sand traps and rolling in the sand. What a mess! :) He slept GREAT last night after all that fun!

Could it be? I have to admit that yesterday evening was GORGEOUS here in Florida. After a nice day of shopping and dinner out, we took Bear Cub and Zoe out onto the golf course to run around a bit before the nighttime routine was to start. There was a semi-cool breeze and no humidity...it was delicious! :) Of course, we are back to hot and sticky weather today, but this gives us a little hope that one of these days we'll experience a little Fall weather too. At least I sure hope so...I don't like to be teased by the weather! Enjoy the pictures!

Yippee!

Quick update: Bear Cub walked right into the play room today at the gym and didn't even LOOK BACK for me at all. When I finished with my workout (about 35 min. today), I went to pick him up and had a hard time getting him to leave all the "tool tars" they have in there. Wow...what a difference 5 days make! Yeah for BC! Hopefully it will continue to go so well...
Have a fantastic weekend! :)

Victory! (At least for today...)

Working with his letters while Mama cooked...he's getting really good at identifying most of them!
He's into playing with my school stamps...a little messy, but lots of fun!

From this weekend at a local winery (yes...in Florida...how odd!)

BTW...the wine was NOT so good. Big disappointment...

One morning this week after being in the playroom...I found him up on our bed, reading Daddy's "Country Life" book on the bed. I guess he needed a little down time to himself! Don't mind the gunk on the bottom of his shoe...yuck.
Find anything good in there?
Potty training experiment one afternoon...let him run around without any pants on with the potty available in the tv area. No success that day...but no messes either!
Having a snack...in a basket!

Ok...I was finally able to upload some pictures to post. Geez-Louise! :)

I am also happy to report that Bear Cub did EXCELLENT today in the gym's playroom! Hooray! I was able to work out for 30 minutes and he was fine when I came to pick him up. Apparently the ladies showed him a "special" drawer that holds all the small cars to play with. This boy of ours LOVES cars, so this occupied him for the length of my workout. I guess he called out "Mama!" a few times, but they were able to keep him distracted. I was so happy and told him over and over again how proud I was of him. We went for a swim afterwards and he looked at me and said, "Mama.....SOOOOO proud of baby!" with a big smile on his face.

Yes, indeed, I am always so proud of this "baby" of mine. :)

Wednesday update...

Hello! Well, for some reason, it feels like it should be Friday already! That's not a good thing when it's ONLY Wednesday! I think it's because of our busy mornings this week. We have continued to go to the gym, for about 20 minutes each morning. Bear Cub cries, but the ladies in the play room have not come out to "fetch" me, so I am guessing they are able to settle him down some in between his crying. We will try again tomorrow. My goal is to go everyday this week -- even though I personally don't want to work out EACH day -- but in hopes of establishing some sort of routine. I'm hoping too that BC realizes that I will indeed be back to get him. Today he told me, "Mama come back and pick baby up." So maybe he's getting it that I will return for him? I reassure him constantly, throw in a little bribery, and talk the play room up "big" when we are away from it. I do hope this works. And really, it's not so much for me (because my wonderful husband never minds me running to the gym in the evening), but mostly it's for Bear Cub. Already I'm thinking of next August when he will be dropped off at his first day of preschool... maybe this will ease the pain of that day? At least for HIM? :)

So that has really been the focus of our week. Tomorrow we have a pool date with some friends and I'm hoping to get up to school for BC to see the buses and for me to visit with my once-upon-a-time co-workers. He loves to go there, so it's usually a great outing for us both!

Have a great rest of the week! Will blog again soon...and post pictures. Our crazy computer is not accepting my photo memory card. :(

Here's a little piece of computer-buying advice....DON'T BUY A COMPAQ! This one has been nothing but trouble....grrrrrr.....

A tale of suspense...

...Her hands are clammy as she says her good-byes and she quickly departs. Her heart beats rapidly as she wonders if this could be it. Will it work this time? Is it possible?

She walks with a purpose as she enters the room. Time is of the essence for her. She steals a glance at the clock and mentally notes the time. Can it be that only less than a minute has passed? She can't believe she's made it this far. She strains her ears to listen for the cry. She hears nothing except for the noises of the machines around her.

She hastens to push the buttons on the machine so she can begin her journey. Her legs move automatically and push onward...harder and faster...as she nervously looks behind to see if she's been followed. She breaks a sweat...is it from the pumping of her legs or the shadows that cross her mind? Her eyes wander back to the clock and then, another furtive glance behind. She is still alright. She could be in the clear this time.

Twelve minutes go by and she thinks that she truly has made it this time. Perhaps she can slow her legs down, at least to catch her breath. But then...what seemed to her to be the inevitable...another woman, walking with the same purpose she had started with, looking directly into her eyes.

"It's time," she says aloud. The woman nods her head in confirmation. She wipes the sweat from her forehead and thinks to herself that perhaps tomorrow will be the day. She will only have to wait until then to find out...

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So, what in the world is this all about? Awww....just a fun way of me telling you about my trip to the gym this morning and TRYING to leave Bear Cub in the play room for what was supposed to be my 15-minute workout. As you've read, it just didn't work out today...so we'll try again tomorrow...maybe the cries will lessen some as each day passes and I won't be the crazy-looking woman on the elliptical machine looking nervously behind me....just waiting for the lady in red to give me the signal to come fetch my son. **Sigh** I'll keep on trying...

Writer's Block...

Right before these were taken, Bear Cub had ruffled his hair up with his hands and wanted to show me his "hair do." Pretty funny... :)

Well, I just don't have a lot to write about today! We had a nice week - did some swimming and went to gymnastics on Thursday afternoon. Bear Cub had fun again and was able to better sit during the circle time and stretching. I guess I have a bit of writer's block...or just not a lot to report on, so I'll leave you with a couple of really cute pictures from last night's bath. Hopefully I'll be inspired soon with an idea for another post.... or maybe all you really want are the pictures anyway? :) Have a wonderful weekend!

How cute is THIS??

In today's mail was a new book for Bear Cub from Grandma & Grandpa (Thank you!!) and also enclosed was an article from November 1982 titled, "Tumbling Tots." And there, doing what looks like a chin-up on a bar in gymnastics class, is 5-year-old Daddy Bear! It about brought tears to my eyes to see the similarities between our little Bear Cub and him. Now this is serious motivation for me to bring our camera to gymnastics class so we can get a photo of BC in the same position as Daddy! I LOVED IT! Thought it was just too cute not to share...

Thanks to my mom-in-law for sharing this awesome little piece of history.

Like father, like son...in so many ways it's unbelievable!

Potty talk!

And no, not in a bad way! I just had to report that Bear Cub went on the potty tonight! Woo-hoo! This is actually the second time in the past 2 weeks that we've had success! We are so proud and BC is too. He earned his "special treat" --- 5 M & Ms --- and you've never seen candy get gobbled up so quickly before. WOW! So now we have to work on him telling us when he has to go --- these 2 times were just from sitting...and waiting...and sitting some more.
But, hey -- it's great start! :)

I'll post again soon with some pictures. Have a wonderful rest of the week!

"Be patient"

What a big smile for the camera! I hope his permanent teeth will be as beautiful as his baby teeth are!

Bear Cub was playing with his teddy bears on Friday afternoon and wanting to rock them in the rocking chair. He then decided to read them a book...it was precious! He chose a book that we've read MANY times together and I was amazed to hear him almost repeating the words exactly as they are written! This little Bear Cub really listens when we read to him!

When the camera came out, he ran to the table and said, "Hold table...say cheese!" So...he's getting the hang of this whole "camera" thing, that's for sure!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! Ours was fairly uneventful, with just the usual errands that needed to be run and things to get done around the house. We went to Wal-Mart today for a few things and Bear Cub was getting very tired and VERY antsy. He kept saying, "Ready go home!" And this pretty much started when we first entered the store...

So, with all of his wiggliness and complaining, we told him to be patient and that we were almost done. Yeah, I know...telling a 2-year-old to be patient just doesn't seem too logical, but we were trying to rationalize with him. Really, it was a quick trip! :)


I thought it was pretty cute and funny tonight as I was putting him to bed when he sat up and looked at me and said, clear as day, "Be patient at Wal-wal."


So...maybe our message made an impression??
I guess we won't find out until our next shopping adventure...


Have a great week ahead! I'll post again once I get some new pictures uploaded!

Does Labor Day's passing mean the end of summer?

In the words of Bear Cub...."NAH!!"


Not here in Florida, that's is anyway! It's still sunny and HOT, so we've been up to our usual summer activities. Swimming, being sure to take our daily walks BEFORE 10 a.m., and playing inside where it's cool.


Yesterday Bear Cub and I started a Mommy & Me gymnastics class. We had done the trial class in the Spring and I knew then that it was going to be a good program. There were only 2 others in the class yesterday -- both girls -- but BC was friendly and said a happy, "Hi!" to them. I believe this class is going to be good for him, as there are times when the kids have to sit and listen, or wait their turn for an activity. Granted, the sitting and waiting is not long at all, but it is still something he needs to practice this next year as preschool looms off in the distance NEXT Fall. He had a hard time sitting during the "circle time" and was way too excited to go bounce on the trampoline. Who can blame him? :) He did really well and had fun exploring the equipment and getting some exercise. MY exercise came from chasing after him and getting him back to where we were supposed to be. I'll continue to update you as our weekly classes go by...


Other than that, I don't have too much new to report. This weekend is going to be a fairly quiet one. No big plans for us -- just some nice family time for the 3 of us. We of course are watching the latest storm nearing the Bahamas...Hurricane Ike. It seems as if we may get some stormy weather mid to late next week. SO....it could be back to fort building and diaper box creations for Bear Cub and me! Have a great weekend!

The poster boy for Pampers...

A little finger painting fun...more on him (as usual!) than on the paper!

Bear Cub's first popsicle experience! He takes VERY cautious licks. With our heat and his slow licking, that popsicle did not last long!

Yup, all done with that...so why not put in on the porch glider seat? :)

Does Labor Day's passing mean the end of summer?

A Fun Day at the Zoo! WE LOVE IT!

Sharing a laugh with Mimi...
Upside down! Actually, the camera was...

He loves the underwater viewings at the zoo!
Having some fun with the marsupials...
Taking a break to check out a VERY interesting boulder in front of him...

On our way out of the zoo, he got to play in the splash area...in full clothing...but he had a blast! It sure looked like fun as we were ALL hot!

On the run...coming back for some more fun in the "watersalls" as he called them...

Woo-hoo!

Konked out in the car...now that's real proof of a FUN day!

Bear Cub and I had a great time at the zoo with his Mimi! It was so nice because it wasn't crowded at all -- thanks to school being back in -- and BC did his best showing Mimi around the zoo. He is CRAZY about the animals and this time really loved the Meerkats and baby Orangutan. It is so fun to watch him explore and learn...we have completely enjoyed these annual passes from Aunt J! :) Enjoy the photos of our day of fun with Mimi Bear!