Chuck E.

Bennett was invited to his cousin's birthday last weekend.  Rocky was so excited to introduce his son to one of his favorite childhood establishments, Chuck E. Cheese.  I however, was dreading it, annoying music, pushing kids, dancing robots dressed like overgrown rodents.  Taking your child to one of these suburban hyperstimulation zones is one of those parental necessities like pinning your kid down for stitches that I hoped could be delayed a few more years.

 

My child is two.  His favorite things to do involve cleaning, cooking, building and books.  He doesn't understand complex games like punching monsters, dunking ducks or pummeling skee ball into tiny targets.  He is nervous around strangers and afraid of people wearing masks.  Despite family he adores and cake(!), the entire enterprise seemed like a disaster in the making. 

 

He watched his dad put a token in the machine one time and then he was able to do it himself everytime after.  He picked out which age innappropriate games he wanted to try, waiting patiently for his turn, and then ripped the tickets out when he conquered the monsters.  He clapped with gusto when the giant mouse appeared and helped sing the songs for the birthday kids. 

 

 

He loved it and I think we have to go back.  But I will do almost anything to make him that happy again.  And again.

What We Learned: 27 Months

I know I have commented on my child's manners before.  Yet, in the past month, his politeness has only continued to improve.  His unprompted please, thank you's, 'scuse me's, and the occassional sorry can almost make a mom forget those times he uses his hands instead of spoons, his sleeves instead of tissues, and those grabby-grab "mines."

Bennett learned to share his crackers, cheese and germs.

We learned to like soggy snacks.

Bennett learned to cover his mouth.

We learned a cough can be cute when masked with an "ebow."

Bennett learned that Atticus likes pancakes.

We learned Bennett is quite the tattle tail.

Bennett learned he likes music with his meal.

We learned that while iTunes has millions of versions of wheels on the bus, Bennett knows exactly what he wants and it's "not dat one!"

Bennett learned that sometimes mommy has a hard job too.

We learned that Rocky is useless without me.

Bennett learned to stay out of the way when daddy shakes the mayo without the lid on.

We learned that you should double check the refrigerator door.

Bennett learned that you have to say goodbye to "my favorite" butter when it melts everywhere.

We learned that a mayo-filled kitchen and a refrigerator of rotten food pales in comparison to a leaky roof.

Bennett learned that you better get as much mommy time as you can get.

We learned that sometimes you spend an entire evening with a toddler glued to your lap and ignore the mess in the kitchen.

Drivel

I apologize for the recent blog silence.  There isn't much to report from Casa de King as of late.  We have tried a few new restaurants, resolved some resolutions, read a book, walked the dog. Rather than succumbing to permanent blogger's block, I'll fill you in on the little bits you've missed out on lately. 

Bennett came down with his first cold of 2013.  When I went to check on him before I went to bed, I put his satin-sided blanket over him.  He woke up about ten minutes later to hack up a lung.  When he discovered this foreign blanket on him, he started screaming, "I don't want my jacket on! Take it off"  Note to self, he'd rather freeze all night than have anything that resembles his puffer jacket touch his skin. 

He still loves cooking, even with the spice display at Harris Teeter. 

 

He is also very interested in cleaning, the dishes, the wall, the floors.  He needs "his" bottle and a "towwa." 

 

This kid is his mother's child.  He has quite the sweet tooth proving it with an attempt to devour a donut in a single bite. 

Really, not much to report. We haven't even taken many pictures. However, even bathtime qualifies as a highlite this time of year and thus requires a photo.  He's even looking a the camera.  I wish we had discovered the "Bennett say cookie" trick earlier in the month, perhaps you'd see more eyeballs around here. 

Big Stuff from the Big Man

I have been campaigning Rocky for years to forgo the traditional Christmas presents and instead go on a vacation or buy a new refrigerator or something else equally romantic. My years of persuasion finally wore won my husband down. We agreed we needed a new buffet for the dining room and set out to find one. We visited countless furniture stores, antique shops, craigslist and the internet. Nothing was quite the right size, color, price or condition we had in mind. We finally pulled the trigger when the buffet I had adored years ago resurfaced. I love it as much as I thought I would.

And Rocky loves that we can finally toss the china boxes we have moved five times.

Merry Christmas to us!

Chwistmas with a Two Yea Old

If I haven''t said it before, I'll say it again.  I wish I could spend every Christmas with a two year old.  They have a basic understanding of the decorations, the reindeer, the big man.  They can sing along to the music and point out the "decowations" from the back seat.  They get excited about the tree and most certainly, the pwesents.  They don't have that gimme gimme attitude just yet either.

 

The gimme gimme doesn't arrive until Christmas Eve when they get their first taste of present opening.  For Bennett, it didn't so much matter what was in the box, as long as it meant shredding of paper and moving on to the next package.  In fact, it didn't matter if the gift was for him, as long as it meant more, more!

 

 

Now, this is a good thing because I knew between the grandparents, aunts and cousins this kid was going to be spoiled and wouldn't give much credit to Santa or his parents.  Mommydaddy (we're frequently one word around here) gifted clothes and books.  Santa got a break with the requested hard hat, (play) food, fireman rainboots (that he won't wear), and play dough.  I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the biggest hit was the $5 assorted play dough accessories.

 

There were many other winners this Christmas.  A cash register, "It works!" McQueen cars, two "hammas," a bowling set, and a socca ball.

 Guess what the socca ball is now used for! 

Occassionally, two yea olds remember to say "gank you."  If not, a hug will suffice.

 

And this will be the only family photo captured for all prosperity.

 

If you haven't already experienced a Christmas season with a two-year old, I highly recommend you do it .  At least once.  Maybe a few times.

What We Learned: 26 Months

 

I probably shouldn't admit this, but there was a time I didn't think my child was all that smart.  When he was about ten months old and didn't give two hoots about crawling, never the less rolling over, I figured this kid to be a lazy one.  He would be enamored with an old box of junk for 40 minutes but wasn't too interested in age appropriate toys.  We all know he wasn't much of a talker until about a year ago.  But at 26 months, I am constantly impressed with his new skills and understanding. 

 

Yesterday, I explained to him that we had to put on his socks because it was cold in the house.  He said, "the air come out?"  I asked him "what air came out?"  "Outta the frigerator!"  Tell me, this kid isn't a genius.

 

Bennett learned not to be afraid of the bathtub or the barber.

 

We learned that it is possible to be cough and runny nose free during cold season. 

 

Bennett learned bilingual songs in preschool.

 

We learned Bennett knows more Spanish than his 1/4 Panamanian father.

 

Bennett learned how to fix everything in the house.

 

We learned a child can never have too many tools.

 

Bennett learned the words to Rudolph and Jingle Bells.

 

We learned that he really only likes to sing "HAY!"

 

Bennett learned that while Santa is a nice man, you don't want to get too close.

 

We learned that we should listen when he says, "no thank you."

 

Wishing You Joy...

...hope, and peace.  And a two year old at every Christmas feast!