Halloween Activities!

I'm trying to turn little things into activities Cal and I can do together. This week, with Halloween so close, it feels like there is a lot of ways to have Mommy-and-Cal fun.

Here are some of the ways we changed the house to make it special for Halloween:

Cal definitely dipped the spider (above) in his carnation instant breakfast shake this morning.

Cal's new best friend, Bat.

My wonderful mom sent me home from Redlands with all these fun decorations.

Thank you, Mom!

The Jack-o-lantern has a little battery-operated light inside. Cal is VERY interested.

We've been celebrating Halloween in other ways, too, namely, funfetti Halloween cupcakes!

Cal gets really focused when mixing. I love it!

Cal was really interested in arranging the cupcake liners, and I was happy to let him work on it for about 10 minutes:

Then he took a few out and rearranged them. Very thorough, Cal:

Today, we frosted them. (I highly recommend turning cupcakes into two separate activities. One day, mix and bake, and the next day, frost and decorate. Two stones, one bird.)

Here's Cal with his little baby knife.

At first, I just shook some sprinkles on his plate and let him sprinkle them onto the cupcakes a pinch at a time:

Then he got a taste of one (they don't even taste that great!):

And the activity was pretty much halted in its tracks:

Here is our plate of [heavily-sprinkled] Halloween cupcakes:

A while back, our friend Megan (yes, another Megan) told us about how they let their two-year-old son make a "special" tiny pancake for his Daddy on father's day. Reed thought it was the sweetest, coolest thing and talked about it a lot. So ever since then, I've made an effort to encourage Cal to make "special" things for Daddy. Here is a picture of the cupcake Cal made for Reed, and it is extremely special:

Happy Halloween, Cal! Good job decorating those cupcakes!

Boy Stuff

My baby is turning into a little boy! *sniff* It all started about two weeks ago when I was brushing my teeth. Reed came into the bathroom and said, "Did you put him up there?" I looked, and Cal was sitting diaper-less on the potty. (Went out and got a training seat the next day--I'm sure I'll have another post about this soon.) Since then, it seems like every day finds Cal doing something more grown-up. I knew he was going to grow up someday, I just didn't think it would get here so fast!

"Put on your helmet, Mommy!"

One of the ways Cal is growing up: he is very interested in letters. While he can't identify any letters yet, he recognizes letters from other shapes. When he sees them in books or on signs, he'll point to each one and say something like, "Ooh....Pay....Tree...Mah....TOO!" There's always a big emphasis on the last letter, like he's letting me know, "I did it! I read you the whole group of letters!"

Here's Cal riding in a wagon with Cara's baby, Luke.

Hooray for a new friend (Luke, not Cara)!

Cal has also been counting up to three. He counts down to an action, like jumping, or falling backwards onto our bed, but he also counts things by touching items one by one, like Mommy and Daddy have shown him. Whenever we get to the page in Goodnight Moon that says "There were three little bears sitting in chairs", Cal counts them, "One...Two... THREE!" Just now, I heard him walking aroung going "One...two...fee.........uh....tay....pee...NIGH!" I think he knows that it's possible to count beyond three, he's just not sure what to say exactly. :)

He loves following me around and doing what Mommy is doing. I'm trying hard to incorporate him into my activities, even though it is so tempting to do things without him (so much more efficient to clean the house without the help of a toddler!).

Here in Southern California, I've spent 24/7 with him. Maybe that's what has made me notice that even his play activities are more grown up. He is a curious, mischievous little bud. Take a look at some of the following pictures.

My parents' house has a water spigot right outside the laundry room door. They use it to fill up Sammy's water bowl, which has proven a painless situation for 7 years. Enter: Cal. He will not leave the dog, or her things, alone. He has probably filled and emptied her water dish 100 times since we've been here.

As you can see, he is SOAKED.

The interest in the water spigot and dog bowl has led naturally into an interest in the garden hose. As I watered a dry spot on the lawn (you're welcome, Dad), Cal kept running right into the stream.

Perfect October activity, right?

Can you say "Indian Summer"?

Then, he found a stick. What is it with boys and sticks???

At some point, he wrestled the hose from my grasp and took charge:

After watering the lawn for 20 minutes, he got curious, and started watering other things:

Then, Sammy decided she wanted a drink, and thought she might get close enough...

...which turned into a new favorite game: squirt Sammy:

Here she is hiding, after too many close calls.

When Cal realized the dog wasn't playing anymore, he turned to his next victim:

A little too close!

(If you notice the two different shirts, we've done this multiple times this week!)

Last night, I gave Cal a flashlight and we went exploring.

Cal exploring the ice dispenser

Sammy had to follow along, of course:

"I found you, Mommy!"

Reed always teases me because I LOVE snuggling Cal when he's asleep. It's hard to explain that, after all the craziness Cal offers me all day long, it makes it even sweeter when he's a sleeping little angel. Just look at this boy:

Better rest up, my growing boy. You have another busy day tomorrow!

Friends: Courtney Hansen

It was hard for me to find a picture with Courtney by herself, because it seems like she is always with friends in pictures. That doesn't surprise me: Courtney is such a fun, outgoing person. She's a terrific, creative hostess, but not in the way that some girls recreate a Martha Stewart photo and then sit awkwardly on the couch waiting to be praised. Courtney is truly FUN. She gets people talking--what's more, she gets them laughing. Part of the reason it is fun to be friends with Courtney is that her phenomenal intelligence lends itself to a dry, lightning-speed wit. I have often felt, in Courtney's presence, that I can't physically laugh any harder. I thought that she had always been socially gifted, and was shocked when she told me she used to be shy. The fact that she overcame shyness makes me admire her even more.

Something I value even more about Courtney is her loyalty and dedication to her friends. I will never forget coming down from the stage of my choir concert, and seeing Courtney (and Whit & Kirst) standing there proudly. I said something like, "Oh wow, you guys didn't have to come." The look on Court's face was confusion, like, "You're my friend. Why on Earth wouldn't I be here?" That same philosophy has been prevalent throughout our friendship. Whenever something important was happening for me, Court was there, no discussion. I feel like that is a diminishing trend in friendships, which makes Courtney all the more valuable and amazing as a friend.

If you don't have a friend like Courtney, I would suggest getting one immediately. But beware, friends of her quality and loyalty are in short supply.

Hipster

Cal is excited about hanging out in Southern California with Aunt Hannah and Uncle Mark. Here's my busy little boy:

More Craziness: An Addendum

Biting through the packaging of the chocolate bars I bought to make lava cakes:

Filling up the Brita pitcher with eggs:

What can I say? He's busy! :)

Living with a "Terrible Two-Year-Old"

Cal is really trying my patience lately. I think everyone gets so used to throwing around the words "terrible twos", that we forget how real it is! Or I guess, in my case, I forget how consistently the terrible twos manifest themselves in the minutia of my day. Everything is a battle right now. Not because Cal is a bad kid--it's just because that is what he is programmed to do right now: fight for what he wants.

Exhibit A.

Cal got ahold of a ricola throat lozenge who-knows-when, and turns out, he loves them. Every time he sees one--whether it's in my purse or on the counter--he loses interest in anything else. During the most recent episode, I gave him a firm "No," and then put the lozenges on the counter, out of his reach.

Or so I thought...

Cal: 1

Mommy: 0

Exhibit B.

Cal also loves coloring. I hide our writing

utensils as best I can, because he will color on anything--the wall, the cupboards, the fridge, throw pillows, sheets, the floor...

A few weeks ago, I was lying on the floor where Cal and I had been playing with trains, when Cal climbed on my back and started tickling me with his little finger. Except that, after a few seconds, I realized it wasn't his finger.

My back: Cal's first body art

Worse? I was his second project of the moment:

Cal: 2

Mommy: 0

Exhibit C. (*Note: this is definitely my own fault)

I had (note the past tense) two huge frames displaying photographs I took a few years ago. I had yet to hang them, and had discouraged Cal's interest in them by consistently removing him from the area where I had them resting. One day, I heard a HUGE crash, and came in to find him standing rather unapologetically next to this:

He'd just tipped them over for no reason! I naturally freaked out and snatched him up before he could cut himself. But then, to add insult to injury, as I'm sweeping up the extensive amount of glass, Cal walks into the room covered head-to-toe in his toddler toothpaste. It took me the better part of an hour to finish cleaning up both messes.

Cal: 4 (I'm giving that last one two points)

Mommy: still 0

To finish, here is a picture of Cal's naughty smile. It's the smile he does when he knows he's being naughty:

Oh Cal, what am I going to do with you? And will I survive these truly terrible twos?

Cal and his Friends

Cal loves playing with other kids. Although I do my best to entertain him, I'm sure our apartment must get very boring for a two year old. So we both love any chance we get to go hang out with our friends.

Dancing to "Tangled" with Annie:

Climbing with Caleb, Kate and Evelyn

Double slide with Caleb:

Busy building train tracks with Connor and Nolan:

Running w/ Caleb:

Popsicles:

McDonald's Playplace:

At the park with Everett:

Oh you know, just thinking...with Bryson:

I love that Cal loves playing with other kids so much. It's wonderful to see him so excited and entertained!