"Look, Mommy! I found a treasure!"
And then I am handed a rock, stick, or "special" leaf just as he bounces off to go find more.
Timmy's teacher told me weeks ago that whenever they find something of that sort on the playground, they call them treasures. I've been receiving a lot of them lately, and I sure do treasure the little boy who is giving them to me! He has grown up SOOOO much lately, and truly these past 2 months have been full of extra sweetness.
One of the new things he says quite often is "Do you remember that day?" and then he'll start listing something from a month ago, recalling every detail from that day. When we talk it through, it's so amazing to hear his voice light up at his favorite parts of "that day" and it warms my heart to realize that the way we spend our time, the activities that we do, and the people we interact with really do matter!
He is very, very aware of nurturing type situations these days. He will notice a bird's nest in a tree and talk about how the Mommy bird is taking care of the baby bird. The other day I told him my back was hurting and he said "Maybe you just need to sit down for a few minutes and rest." He is suuupper sweet, gentle, and protective of his friends' baby siblings. He guards their blankets, gives them bottles, and talks about them long after we've parted. At home, he even gets his grocery cart and one of his stuffed animals, and pretends that he's pushing a baby through the store. Whenever the time comes, I think he's going to be a wonderful big brother and an extra helpful "big helper."
Some recent childhood milestones.... pedaling on bikes for real! (He is so happy about how far he can go!!) Watching Peter Pan for the first time. Dressing up as a cowboy. Having one "girlfriend" in particular that he kisses on the lips every time he sees her (and talks about it long afterwards.) Watching Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, Pinocchio, and the Wizard of Oz.
At his truest self, he still doesn't take a breath... just talks, talks, talks. Tim and I often say "Does he realize that he's allowed to keep his thoughts to himself? Just to think them, without verbalizing every single one?" I LOVE, LOVE how expressive he is but driving when he's chattering away--innocently expecting an answer every 2 seconds is quite the car ride. The other day, a friend came over and we had barely opened the door before Timmy was grabbing a picture of us at the mountain house, showing it to my friend and explaining all about how we get on the airplane, go to the loghouse, ride the tractor, and see all the farm animals. We tell him, of course, all the things about manners like not interrupting, using inside voices, and sometimes doing "quiet play" while the adults talk. But at the same time, it's hard to get frustrated with him, because he's always SO excited and happy to tell you what it is that's on his mind. Recently I asked him if we had had a fun day together and his response was "No, Mommy. It was SUPER--IFFIC!" Superiffic. haha I learned a new word that day and we've been using it ever since. :)
In general, though, I've noticed that adjectives are big for him and he uses them all the time when describing something he sees or something he's doing. Words like slippery, sparkly, shiney, prickly, crooked, gigantic, bumpy, beautiful, curvy, heavy. I have to say, I appreciate his detailed descriptions. It makes for some interesting conversations!
Other things we've been doing around the house are things like bringing his favorite shows to life. One show he has always likes is "Blue's Clues." So I cut up got blue paper, cut out the shape of paw prints, and occasionally I'll just set them in hiding spots throughout the house. He gets so excited when he "finds a clue!" We also play "shape searchers" and go hunting around the house to find common objects, like pillows, etc. and point out what shape they are.
At night time, we've tried to switch things up a bit too. Instead of just reading books, we've had fun making up our own stories. I'll say "Once upon a time" and make up a little story about something I know he can relate too. Like a boy who goes to school or a horse that lives on a farm, or a kid who tries to learn something new. It's been such a sweet, fun thing to do and I just love watching the smile on his face as he gets excited about "what happens next." Then sometimes I'll ask him to make up a story and I just crack up at what he chooses to say. I remember doing this with my mom when I was little, but I was probably 6 or 7. I look forward to seeing how this new little ritual evolves into more elaborate stories in the years to come.
He also loves making up stories with his sticker set ( Love this peel-able kind from Melissa and Doug. And my French Doors have never been more decorative. haha)
A few breakthroughs!!!
I don't know why it took me so long to learn this one, but....for whatever reason, it did. Over the past month or so, I have made much more of a conscious effort to give Timmy warnings before it's time to leave somewhere. Letting him know that he gets to finish what he's working on before we go somewhere, or that he gets to slide down one more time before we leave the park, or that he gets to play chase with his friend a couple more minutes before we say goodbye... It's HUGE for him. He really seems to appreciate that heads up before we transition, and shame on me for previously expecting him to say "OK" when I would announce a departure out of the blue. At any rate, now that I've learned this, it's so nice! Sometimes, it's the simple things that make your day a whole lot easier. :)
Another breakthrough is figuring out some quality, educational ipad apps for him! I finally found several that I like, and it's amazing to see how much he learns from them and how fast he is at catching on. I love the ones that "sort" things by category---size, shape, color, theme.... it really engages him and makes him think. Obviously, we try not to let him have too much "screen time" but a little is definitely nice. And since he doesn't nap much, it's a good quiet activity/lesson in being still for a bit.
We have also had a lot of fun building train tracks on the floor, rather than staying confined to his train track table. He loves creating a new shape and sending his trains off on adventures. I often observe him stopping the train at the station and saying "Alright, elephant. Alright, giraffe, let's go" and then he pretends to pick them up and put them on the train. I guess "The Little Engine That Could" illustrations are pretty inspiring for him. :)
FUNNY THINGS!....
Me: "Don't you think you're such a big boy these days?"
Timmy: "No, I'm an ANGEL!!!"
(One of his grandmothers calls him an angel a lot...so I guess that's where he got that from. Lol)
Another funny moment recently was when he was outside playing in the yard, wearing big boy undies. He ran off to a corner of the yard, pulled his pants down, and mid-way through tinkling, he hollers out "Hey Mommm! I feel the breeze on my pee pee!"
(I guess that's one way to track the slight beginning of Fall weather we've been having!!)
P.S. I hear "Hey Mooooommmmm!!" a lot these days. He still calls me Mommy, of course, but he is increasingly saying Mom and increasingly sounding like he is way too young to be calling me that! The intonation of his voice when he says it makes him sound like a teenager. When I ask him to do something, he'll also respond with "Okaayyy Mom" quite a bit. The emphasis on OK just cracks me up. He does NOT watch any TV shows with teenage or adult behavior. He has just come up with this on his own and I can't help but get a little "flashforward" to the years to come. He is definitely my sweet, good natured, first born, "gets it the first time" type of child. But he is also persistent and determined. As a book I'm reading right now points out, those are typically GOOD qualities when kids turn into adults---applying for jobs, growing in their career, being responsible adults/parents to their own kids, etc. But no one ever said raising them is easy! Resilient kids require an extra dose of parenting, patience, and energy that more laid back kids just don't need. (I'm sure parents of laid back kids have other challenges...... as I get further along into motherhood, I hear mothers in that situation talk about having to really encourage/guide/prod their child along in certain areas......) Each kid really does come into this world with their own set of DNA, and part of the adventure of parenting is seeing certain traits develop in your child and adjusting your parenting style to fit his or her needs as you go. One size does not fit all!!!
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Well........ before I sign off, I have a few thoughts on school. Now that we are 6 weeks in I can legitimately say that I really do LOVE, LOVE our new school and specifically, Timmy's teachers. Many of my friends with older children who had these teachers in years past have warned me "Soak up this year, because they really do spoil you and raise your level of expectations for every other year!" I can see how that would be true. THEY. ARE. AWESOME. And it just feels so good to know we're at the right place! On top of it all, I love how he comes home talking about Jesus, God's creation, and singing Christian songs!
I think over these past 2 months, as I've observed this growth spurt maturity-wise and recognized how he's getting beyond that babyish/early toddler stage of exploring things/testing things .....I'm seeing how much he is truly capable of soaking in character-wise. It's such a fabulous point to get to!! Lessons on behavior, what's the proper emotional reaction, and just in general, the order of our day and what expectations are.....click SOOOOO much better at two and a half than those early months of when he was just 2. I'm so very glad I didn't stress out about discipline strategies back then, and instead accepted the truth that "It all comes down to development!" No different than when babies learn to roll over or sleep through the night or take their first steps. When it clicks, it clicks! I volunteered at school the other day, and my conclusion on that was re- affirmed once again, when I observed the "young 2's" class vs. the "older 2's" class, which is the one he is in. First of all, I LOVE how our school divides them up that way (helps with literally EVERYTHING, including potty training).....and second of all, I'm SO glad that I had the wisdom of friends who had gone before me, to steer me into that older 2's class. The difference of those 6 months, developmentally, is truly huge. And I'm so grateful that Timmy is paired with kids who match up nicely with what his level of development is, both emotionally and skill set wise!
With so much attention getting settled into our new Fall routine these past several weeks, I didn't get to type up a Goodbye to Summer blog post! So here are a few pictures of our final days of Summer....a donut date at Krispy Kreme, some time at the beach, and my 30th birthday celebrations!
He got to milk the cow this time at Old McMicky's! He LOVED it and still talks about it.
Ahhhh.....just looking at these pictures again makes me want to go back! Key West is a total escape from reality and it was soooo relaxing to spend my 30th birthday there!
Fun birthday night with friends, after we got back in town.
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