Weekend Review...

Zoe...enjoying some fresh air.  We've been letting her run "loose" in the yard some and she seems to like this small amount of leash-free freedom.  She's a pretty good listener and will "stay" when we call to her.  We only do this when both of us are available to RUN and grab her if we need to!  But...isn't she PRETTY?!?!  :)

For this year's tomato crop, we're trying the "As Seen on TV" hanging plants.  Bear Cub had fun just climbing up and down the ladder!  (will keep you posted on our future harvest...)

A view from the top...

It became strangely quiet on Saturday afternoon, so we went to check on BC.  He was in the front room, working very diligently on this puzzle.  We've always sat right with him to help, so we were really impressed to see that he can do it all by himself now!  AND...we saw some great problem-solving skills as he pieced the picture together, without any frustration on his end.  Go Bear Cub!

Happily watching one of his "shows."  It's cute because now he'll laugh at a program or look over at us and say something like, "That was funny!"  

The serious pucker...a new look when he concentrates on something...

Have a great week ahead!  I'll post more again in a few days!  :)

Learning how to ask questions...

Bear Cub is starting to figure out how to ask questions and it is VERY cute!  We have not gotten into the "WHY??" stage yet, but we are excited by his new use of other questions.  Prior to this, he sort of just said things in a command, and then waited for a response from us.  For example, instead of saying, "Can I have fruit snacks?" he might have said something like, "Want fruit snacks!"  

A couple of cute ones from yesterday and today (both conversations occurred in the car).

We were talking about a fun, bouncy place that we used to go to.  He loved climbing and "driving" some inflatable cars there.  So, in the car, he asked loud and clear:

"Can we please go to the fun place and I can play on the cars, Mommy??"  :)

If we hadn't been on our way to an appointment, I would have spun that car around and headed to the "fun place" right then and there after that nicely posed question!

And today...we were discussing the zoo and he was saying he wanted to see the penguins again.  He then said he wanted to go there with our friend, who he calls "Uncle" Matt.  BC said he wanted to hold a penguin and I said that we probably wouldn't be able to do that, but we could ask.  So, then, deciding to practice the BIG question, he said,  "Can I please hold dat penguin, Uncle Matt?"  And then, he answered promptly, with a "YES!"  So, Uncle Matt...you are now the official person who controls who can or can not hold the penguins at the zoo.   Too funny!

Have a great weekend!  I'll try to post some new photos soon!!  :)

For me...

This tiny, tiny flower is even better than the biggest bouquet of flowers, since it was hand-picked by my Bear Cub (all on his doing) and with such great pride.  How very, very sweet!

Have a wonderful weekend ahead!  

Almost a week...no post! EEEEEEK!!!

Taking some time out to smell the flowers...

Aren't they beautiful!?!?

PlayDoh is a big hit these days!  He loves the kit his Mimi gave him for Valentine's Day!

More PlayDoh art...

Yes, indeed, you are seeing this correctly...the boy has a lizard!

He used to love for us to give him a "Peter Pan boat ride" like this, but now, he is just getting too heavy!  So we suggested he give Fuzzy and Coconut a ride.  They loved it!  ;)

Potty time!  We're doing ok with this still...it's a constant trial and error, it seems!  He's coming along!

Hello everyone!  Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted!  Our weeks truly seem to fly by and even on days when I don't think we have anything planned, sure enough, something does come up!  We've started getting back into the pool and Bear Cub is doing great.  He was a bit clingy for the first half hour or so, but he's back to playing, splashing, and putting his head under with no problem!  I did sign him up for the 2-week swim lessons again at our gym, but they are not until August.  Why so late, you may ask??  Well, I needed to wait until after his July birthday for him to be able to be in the 3-year-old class.  This class is kids/teacher only...no mommies in the pool!  I didn't think he would need the "Mommy & Me" class again this year, so I figured we'd get in a whole spring and summer's worth of swimming, then finish it all off with some serious lessons!  It seems so far off now, but with the way time flies, I know it will be August before long!  

I started wondering...why the lack of blog postings by me?  Well, Bear Cub's napping routine is a bit touch and go again these days.  Sometimes, he'll get in a GREAT 2-hour nap at home, slumbering away in his bed, and other days, he firmly announces, "I not tired!" and we have to get up for more play time.  These days are hardest because he is exhausted by 4:00 p.m. and by that point, I don't want to put him down, in fear of getting him to bed too late at night.  Other times, he'll fall asleep in the car and I'll just park under a shady tree and let him rest while I sit and relax.  It's not a very productive time for me, but it still is nice to have some quiet time as I listen to BC softly snore in the back seat.  Long story short...when there is no nap at home, it's hard for me to blog!  And on days when there's been no nap, I really don't feel like blogging once he's in bed!  

We've had a nice week so far.  Our busy Monday went well with library story time and then afternoon gymnastics.  He's a bit all over the place still in the gym, but I was proud that he let the teacher help him with some front rolls this week and even tried a couple of different, new moves.  It takes a bit for him to feel comfortable in a situation and I think he REALLY has to check a new place out...from top to bottom...before he settles in.  We're going to stick with it, as I think it's a really good program AND he has a lot of fun doing it.  That's the important part!

I did have a bit of a stomach bug this past weekend, which put a damper on some fun Sunday plans.  It was short-lived, pretty much a 24-hour thing (thank goodness!), and luckily no one else seems to have been affected.  Phew!  That is NO fun.

Well, enjoy the pics from the past week or so.  We've been outside a lot, enjoying our warm weather.  It's ladybug season once again! Not sure if you remember or not, but BC LOVED looking for ladybugs last Spring and it seems to be a continuing interest!  This year though, he is ready to catch them himself and loves to collect them in his bucket.  They eventually fly out or he finds a "new home in the bushes" for them.  He is a nature lover, that's for sure!  Have a great rest of the week...I'll try to get back to my old blogging ways!  :)

Picture post from the weekend...

Sometimes you just have to veg out after some heavy-duty cleaning...

Bear Cub...THE BLUR...always on the run!

The 3 "puppies" out for a walk...don't even ask what Bear Cub was pretending to do.  Oy.

There goes Coconut!  Along for a comfortable walk!

Check out the car he made with his cheese and Viennas!

On our way back to the car (for the 2nd time...got a little turned around on the trail) after our fun nature walk.  Right before this was taken, BC stopped on the trail and announced,

 "IT HOT!"  And it was!

Posing for a picture on a "crumbled up tree" as he called them.

"WOWSERS!" is what BC exclaimed once he and Daddy hit the golf ball.  Wowsers...now where in the world did he get them from?  ;0)

Future Tiger Woods?  I'm hanging on to these photos...just in case Sports Illustrated ever needs them for a cover story on our Bear Cub!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Getting ready for our friends to come and play!  

What a crew of leprechauns we had!  They loved the sand table!

Snack time!  Yum!!  

Bear Cub and Daddy...all smiles this morning!

Ooooh!   We had a leprechaun leave green shamrocks on the floor of our house last night!  BC was a little nervous about this...like..."There was a little green man in here last night?!? YIKES!"  :)

Hope you all had a fun and lucky St. Patrick's Day today! We had a little play date at our house with some friends, as you can see.  It was quite busy, but lots of fun, too!  The kids came over and we did a little craft...making rainbows with little squares of colored construction paper.  Very cute!  The kids played some and then we had a snack and it was time to hit the sand table!  The kids did really well together and I'm happy to say it was an easy clean-up too!  I decided to forgo the glitter...although a pot of gold is just not the same without a bunch of gold glitter heaped on top!  ;)  Aaaahhh...perhaps next year.   :)

Stay tuned for a post about our weekend!  I have some good pictures from a great nature walk we took at a local State Park.  Very fun!  Have a good one and may the luck o' the Irish be with you all!  

A what in the where?!?!?

I meant to write about this earlier in the week, but it slipped my mind until today!

Here's what went down:

Setting:  A local park with our friends

Bear Cub is busily running around, checking things out as usual, which also means a quick peek in the trash can (Ewwww! Right?!? Not to him, apparently!)

BC runs up to me (I am chatting away with my friend) and says:  There is a animal in the trash can!

Mommy:  Ha, ha! (To my friend) - Doesn't he have a wild imagination?  What kind of animal did you see?  Is there a giraffe in there?  How about a zebra?

Bear Cub (in a Sheesh, Mom!  Don't be an idiot-kind-of-voice): There animal in there!

My friend:  (as she's walking over to the trash can)  Maybe there is an animal in there??  

Seconds later, my friend is jumping around, yelling:  Aaaagh!  Oh my, oh my!!  THERE IS A POSSUM IN THE TRASH CAN!!!  

So, there you go...that's the last time I don't believe something that Bear Cub tells me!  

Yes, indeed there was a poor possum in the trash can, curled up contently among some litter, not bothered at all by the strange people that have peered in to its haven.  Oh my.  We figured it must have climbed up the post to get in, but probably was having a hard time climbing out.  Still a little creepy to see a critter like that out during the day.  Hmmmm....I meant to call the county park services to warn them and get them to help, but I forgot.  

Hope that poor little guy in there was ok.  But I do know now that I'll look twice before I casually walk up to a park trash can to throw something away!  Yikes!  

Lesson learned:  Listen to your 2 1/2 year old at all times.  

Wild imaginations don't always equal wild made-up stories!

Meet Coconut and Fuzzy...

Bear Cub would like to introduce you to his two new best buds...Coconut and Fuzzy!  In the last couple of weeks, he has started playing and pretending with his stuffed animals!  It is too cute!  These two pooches are by far his favorite, although we have hooked up the leash to several other animals around here too.  He has never had a "lovey" of any sort, so it is fun to watch him grow attached to some lil' stuffed critters.  He likes to take them in the car with us and even today, Coconut (the white dog), came along to the park.  BC even pushed him in the swing for a while.  He puts them to bed, shares his water with them, and loves to take them on walks.  In the house today, he wanted to put the leash on Coconut and pretend that our house was the store PetCo.  He walked from room to room, telling Coconut about all the animals in the "store."  He pointed out the hamsters, fish, kittens, and even the lizards!  I'm telling you, he has a fantastic imagination!  :)  

Coconut is a new addition to our family, given to him by our dear neighbor and friend...our neighborhood "Nana," as we call her.  He carried Coconut all the way home, even stopping to put him in the grass so he could go "potty."  The funniest thing was when BC had the stuffed dog do "kick-backs" in the grass after he apparently went poop.  Oh my.  

Bear Cub still loves his cars, trucks and trains, but it is fun to see a different side of his imagination come to life.  Let's just hope we NEVER lose Fuzzy or Coconut...I may have you ALL on the lookout for their replacement!  Ha, ha.   Have a great day!  :)

Geez, Louise...it's Wednesday already!

All smiles with Grandpa and Grandma!

Taking a wild ride on Grandpa's shoulders!  I think they were being fighter jets here...  :)

Happily helping Grandpa open his gift!

Hi everyone!  Hope your week has been a good one so far!  I can't believe it's almost over...sorry for my lack of posts!  We've been busy since the weekend!

To start off, I have to wish my father-in-law a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!!  We hope it was a great one for you, Papa S.!!

Speaking of in-laws, we had a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa this past weekend, as you can see in the pictures!  They came on Saturday to have a fun-filled day with our Bear Cub...while Mama and Daddy got to go on a full date DAY!!  It was SOOOOO nice!  We went to Epcot, had a real "sit down" kind of meal, and thoroughly enjoyed our peaceful afternoon together.  It was so nice to have that much time alone.  

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Bear Cub was loving life with his grandparents!  As soon as they walked in the door, he said something to the effect of, "Mommy and Daddy leave now!"  That goes to tell you that there are no more tears when we leave him!  They had an afternoon adventure at the ever-great "Outdoor World (Bass Pro Outlet)," lunch at McDonald's, and a trip to the park!  Phew!  You can bet that BC slept great that night.  Grandma and Grandpa spent the night with us, which was great too, giving us a chance to visit once BC was in bed.  Thank you again for coming over to stay (and play!) with us all!  We appreciate it! 

This week has also been busy.  On Monday, we had our usual story time at the library and I have to say...Bear Cub was FANTASTIC!!  We've had a couple of "rough" weeks at the library - with him being squirmy, all over the place, and just not ready to sit there and listen.  But Monday was a dream!  I told him to choose on animal on the rug to sit on (it's a farm scene rug) and only had to remind him twice to sit still.  He listened, participated, helped the "teacher" clean up...he was amazing.  I was VERY proud!  It was a good day.  

Also on Monday, he started his new gymnastics class.  He got right into it and really did great!  Again, I told him it was time to listen to his teacher, and he really tried hard to copy her movements, paying attention along the way.  We had a lot of fun!  Also proud to say that he could go up and down an inclined balance beam, all on his own!  I think this was the right class for him....

Tuesday we went to the gym where I got back into the pool to swim laps.  I usually get back into this come Spring and Summer, so it was about time.  It felt great to be back in the pool!  And...I had a new swimsuit on, so you can't beat that good feeling too!  Bear Cub continues to do really well in the playroom there...no more tears or anxiety when I leave him.  He always asks for, "One more tiss and hug!" before I leave, which of course, I happily oblige.  He's a little kisser these days and I love it!  

Tomorrow we're off to the park with some friends in the morning and then on to Magic Kingdom with another teacher friend and her son on Friday.  What a busy week it's been for us!  I'm a stay at home mom, but during most weeks, we're barely ever at home!  Sheesh!  :)  

I'll try to update again with more pictures soon ... thinking about taking BC for a hair cut this week, so I'll try to get that on camera.  He's already told me he's ready for the lollipop(s) that come along with the hair cut! The wonders of bribery, right!?!?  :)  

Look! Look! A VIDEO!!!

Oh, I do hope you all can see this video!  I've tried several times before to upload through Blogger, but it has been unsuccessful...until tonight!  This video was taken last night after dinner.  Bear Cub knows A LOT of kids' songs (since we have a bunch of CDs that we listen to in the car and sing along to!) and we think it is SO cute when he sings them by himself.  So, be sure to turn up the volume, hit the play button, and be prepared to hear some "Wheels on the Bus," "Where is Thumbkin?" and "I Have a Little Turtle."  Oh yeah...and there's some good 'ol fashioned nose pickin' caught on camera too -- one of his latest and greatest discoveries.  Enjoy!  :)  

(If the video seems to stop mid-way through, try dragging that little arrow to the right a bit...that will get it started up again!)

After dinner pics...

A silly family portrait... I'm saying, "Peek-a-boo!"

Ask Bear Cub to show you his "excited" face and this is what you get!

The boys of the house...just being crazy!

VERY definite ideas...

Our Bear Cub knows what he does and does not want, that is for sure!  I was having a tough time getting him down for his nap today, so I decided to just put him in his crib and see what would happen (these days he normally naps in the "big boy" bed).  So he chattered away, cried out a few times, and within 15 minutes, I knew the dream of a nap was not going to come to fruition for the day.  I went into his room, and he looked right at me and said:

I NOT TIRED.  I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP.  I WANT TO PLAY!

Ummmmm...ok...and with that, he was up and ready to play!  

** He finally fell asleep on the way to my dentist appointment late in the afternoon...and conveniently and unhappily woke up as I was just sitting down to get my teeth cleaned.  Needless to say, it was the world's fastest cleaning job,with both the hygienist and me trying to keep him happy.  Oh, what fun!  :)  

A new discovery...

Bear Cub drinks out of a "big boy" cup with no lid at most meals now.  Occasionally, he'll use a straw in these cups, as he did tonight at dinner.  A new discovery!  Blowing bubbles in his milk with the straw!  Oh boy!  You can imagine the fun he had with that the rest of the meal...    ;)

Another week begins!

We had a really nice weekend!  Bear Cub and I headed to Animal Kingdom together on Saturday.  Daddy Bear had an all-day meeting to attend, so it was just BC and me on another adventure!  We really had a fun time.  The park was crowded (Spring breakers already??!!), but we managed.  He loves to walk all by himself at the parks, but when it's too crowded, this Mama Bear gets nervous and has to buckle him into his stroller for a ride.  I'm telling you...this boy is FAST and he can zip away and be gone in a blink of an eye!  Yikes!  

We were able to go on the safari ride this time, which was great!  We even encountered a traffic jam when we had to stop on the path and let 3 rhinos cross in front of our truck.  Bear Cub got a kick out of that!  We saw a lot of animals and before we left, I decided that we would try to see one of the live musical shows there -- "Finding Nemo."  Well, we had a long wait inside the theater before the show, which was getting a bit difficult as I ran out of things to entertain BC with.  But wow, when the show started, the lights came on, and the music began --- he was all eyes and ears!  It was a great performance and it kept his attention for the entire 40 minutes!  I was impressed.  :)  What a day!  We were both tired once we got home around 4 p.m.  

We headed to church yesterday as a family and BC did really well in his Sunday school playroom.  He actually colored some too!  I think he is usually too busy playing to actually sit and color, but I was so happy to be able to bring some artwork home with us!  The rest of our rainy, chilly Sunday was spent running errands, getting ready for the new week, and just relaxing.

Well, we've been to the library for story time already today and this afternoon we head to "open play" time at his new gymnastics place.  It will be nice for him to explore and get acquainted with everything and everyone before we really start our class next week.  

Have a great week ahead!  :)

A self-portrait before the "Finding Nemo" show -- in desperation to keep him occupied, we took all kinds of goofy pictures while waiting!  

We had an extra friend hang around us while we ate our lunches at Animal Kingdom!! I can't believe Bear Cub didn't lose any of his lunch...

The man...all ready to with another pair of shades on!  (He loves to look at the Disney park maps that we keep in the car.  He can find most of the rides we've been on and will just talk and talk while he studies his maps!!)