These are a few of my favorite things

Years from now you'll likely ask,"what was I like when I was little?"  It will be fun to look back at this.  Here are a few of your favorites right now:

Aidan

• favorite food:  mac 'n cheese  (macck cheez)...you also love rice, orzo with pesto mixed in (you also call this rice), apples, pears, cheerios, cheddar cheese, toddle raviolis, dried cranberries, frozen waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, can biscuits, and of course milk.
• favorite word:  Nooooo
• favorite book:  last week "the very hungry caterpillar", this week "love you forever" and "guess how much I miss you" read by grandma or "the night before Christmas" read by Aunt Gretta.  Your favorites change frequently, but you always want me to "sid douww" (sit down) and "ree book" while pointing very adamately on the couch cushions or the floor.
• favorite song:  "the wheels on the bus" and you signal to me to sing it for you by rolling your fists over and over each other.  You also love to listen to VeggieTales, which you "bohhh leyi" (bob and larry).
• favorite toy:  easy. cars and trucks.  You especially love the little hot wheel sized ones.  You sometimes walk around almost all day two-fisting them and scream like your life depended on it if one is taken away.  Sometimes you sit all by yourself for minutes on end just positioning or pushing your cars around on the coffee table or your play table. 
• frequent request:  "watsz tommy" as in watch Thomas the train on tv.  And when I say 'frequent', I mean like all the time.  When you ask, you smile while you say it--I wish that I could catch you on video asking me.  It's so cute.  When I tell you guys that we will watch Thomas, you throw your hands up in the air and roar,"Tommyeee" and run to the tv.
• favorite lovey:  you, lately, really love to snuggle one of two blankets--a soft yellow one (given by the Hoffmans) and a blue one that's soft quilted on one side and fuzzy, soft on the other.  You also love your pull-string musical puppy--although, you don't really care that it's musical; you just like to hug it.
• Newest craze:  anything related to Thomas the Train.  Grandma gave you "Toby the Tram" for our collection.  You have been soo crazy about this thing.  Several nights you even slept with it.  The train fascination has definitely struck you.

Tid bits:  You love to get dressed in the morning, but you hate having your diaper changed.  I suspect you're sure you don't have the time to spend on such things.  Sometimes during diaper changes, you insist to "go peep" (go pee pee) just like Connor.  We strip you down below the equator and stand you up on a small stool at the potty and wait.  And wait some more.  Until finally you announce, "aww duuhh" and you happily climb down.  The first time you were up there, you did a little dribble, but none since.  I'm not sure you even know how to make it happen yet.  You seem awfully amazed and tickled when it happens in the tub.  But, I'm all too happy to entertain this dress rehearsal of sorts.  It'll happen eventually.

You now really love your nursery teachers.  Miss Gloria and Miss Azalia light up with terrific smiles when you walk in pulling your 'cars' rolly backpack behind you.  A few weeks ago you handed your pack over to Miss Azalia and ran to Miss Gloria to give her a hug when at drop-off.  I was so shocked and so happy.  Happy to know that you are loved and that you love the ones who love you when I'm not around. 

In addition to all that sweetness, lately we've noticed an increasing aggressiveness from you.  Sometimes you just walk right up to Connor, reach out and pull a huge chunk of his hair.  Or grab his chest for a good, long pinch.  I'm guessing you're figuring he has it coming given past crimes, or even assuming future incidences.  Thankfully, for me, you hate time-out and nearly fall to pieces with even the slightest correction.  You are a star at apologizing.  "I saarreey" rolls right out and usually with a smile and hug. 

You're not the best, however, at accepting those apologies though.  At any injustice, ie. a swiped toy car, a speck of mac n cheese falling on the floor instead of  your mouth, or Connor beating you to me for 'mommy's home hugs' at the end of my work day, your sweet mouth turns stiff and the bottom lip is forced out to accommodate all the sobbing that will eventually ensue while you throw yourself down onto the ground in protest and desperation.  It's quite a sight to see. And hear.
The best of all.  The absolute best of all for me, as your mama, is to come up to you when you don't know I'm home and watch your face lift up from whatever car or truck or train that has your attention at the moment.  You see me, grin, and happily say,"Mommy!"  while you make a beeline to me with arms outstretched.  Then you let me hug you.  Afterward, you pull away a bit but don't take your eyes off my face while you say it again, this time almost in a whisper as if it's a secret between the two of us.

I love you too, sweet boy.  My sweet baby boy.                                        

Two

Aidan, yesterday you turned two.  No more one year old boy. 

I think that you sensed that it was your day.  You woke up so early--6:15am which is really unusual for you.  I'm hoping that we're not starting a trend. 

When I went to pick you up out of your crib--which, by the way, you don't seem in a hurry to lose..and, fine by me--you immediately began chanting, "more tommy, more tommy!" ...translated "more Thomas".  You love Thomas the Train, and we've let you and Connor both watch episodes of Thomas the Train while we ease into the day.

Everytime you see one of the engines or freight cars or such, you squeal with delight and point and shout until one of us acknowledges that we've seen it too.  You even get excited, no crazy excited, when you spot the pencil-size Thomas face on your very tiny toddler fork during a meal. 

Your morning routines are pretty predictable these days.  Get up, watch a little cartoon with Connor, drink you mi-mi (milk), and usually refuse whatever food I put in front of you (cheerios end up on the carpet or I find half-slobbered pieces of blueberry waffle all over the house where you've dropped it following Connor.

When I change your diaper in the morning now, you insist on dressing for the day. "Shar! Shorr! Shorrtt!" is your plea for shorts and a shirt.  There's no lounging around in your pj's all morning for you. I think that you're trying to be ready so you don't miss anything.

So, after Thomas and milk and one ditched waffle, we made our way out the door and went to Walmart, so I could hunt supplies for your birthday cake and so Connor could pick out a birthday present for you.

The first lesson that I, as your mommy, learned about my new two year old came only a few hours into your day:  that is, NEVER take you to the toy aisle of any store. NEVER.  Once your keen eyes spotted Lightning McQueen and Mater you screamed over and over til you got your fingers on them.  And, then we made our way down the to the Thomas end of the aisle.  More squeals.  I let Connor pick out a car to give you and a few cars and one Thomas for me and your daddy to give you--I had a large cloth grocery bag that I used to conceal the gifts from your wanting eyes. 

You were fine...until it was time to make our way to check-out.  You were desperate to convince me to turn that buggy around and take you back to those precious toys.  Heads on either side of us turned to see what was making all that noise...and what a dreadful face you gave them.  Sooo pitiful.  As if you were being stripped of all hope of any more happiness in all the world.  And the squealing and anger toward me, the pusher of the buggy.  Angry squawks to turn that buggy around.  To go back right now! 

You fell asleep in the car on the way home.  At 11:15am.  Way earlier than usual (1pm), but remember, you had gotten up like 1 hour earlier than normal, not to mention the tantrum at the store, so you were wiped out.  

Daddy carried you, sweet and sweaty, to your crib and lay you down to nap.

Connor wrapped your gifts after lunch--well, I wrapped and he helped me tape them.  He was very excited to give you your presents later.  (secretly, I think that he also was excited to play with them, but his enthusiasm for your surprises was truly genuine).

I assembled your cake.  It was angel food (I told you it was the cake that angels ate and that's why I wanted to give it to y'all, b/c y'all are my little angels).   I cut the two rectangular cakes to look like a semi truck cab and trailer.  The cab was blue (I'd originally wanted red, but I couldn't get the icing any darker than pink).  The trailer was purple (I added a little blue to the pink icing from earlier).

Connor, of course, couldn't wait for you to wake from your nap.

We had an early supper--pizza from papa john's.  Connor was so sweet to you and you were so excited for the attention.  You didn't eat much;  you seemed a little out of sorts frankly.  You and Connor got down from the table and played while we finished up.

You were so tickled to see the cake.  You immediately pointed and said, "Truck!"  Connor, of course, snuck a few licks.  We sang 'Happy Birthday" and you were the center of our all of our attentions--a rare occasion all at once.  And you loved it!  You couldn't quite give a strong enough 'blow' to get the candles out, but you did reach up and squeeze one of your candles out with you fingers (that fearless curiosity of yours!).

Incidently, you got mad at Daddy for smearing the icing on the cab of the truck when he was stealing a lick--you yelled, "No!  My truck! My truck!"

By the end of it, you and Connor both had purple icing from fingertips to legs.  I saw you put your fingers to your lips a few times, but mostly you just enjoyed playing in it.  Such a sweet sight for a mama to see--her boys having fun and us all enjoying your birthday happy.

After all the icing had been washed off y'all's hands, faces, and all the other crevices, you fell asleep in my arms drinking milk.  I was glad that the earlier bedtime that night (8:15pm) provided a little more light than usual.  I watched your face and how you enjoyed our time with me holding you, rocking back and forth beside your crib.  Your hair fell over your forehead so sweetly and your eyelids fell so that I could see that your eyelashes almost matched the hair on your head.  You clung to me when I picked you up to transfer you to your bed.  I gave you your special blanket, the blue fuzzy on one side and smooth on the other side blanket.  You were out before I even left the room.

Two is looking pretty good so far.

The magic box

After good friends gave us some homemade treats in this box at Christmas last year, it has kept hidden leftover stocking candy, valentine's treats, school party goodies, sugary presents from Grandma, and extra birthday party favor candy, only to be doled out by Mama or Daddy...slowly.

One afternoon, when Connor was in the foulest mood and I was at the end of my patience, I remembered the box way up in the cabinet out of sight.  I announced that we had a 'magic box' with treats inside. 

Ears perked.  "What's in there, Mama?"

"Ohh, very special treasures!  BUT, these are only for sweet, obedient, helpful, and kind children."

I felt a little bit guilty about that, but, like I said, I was out of patience.

He asked, "Am I a very sweet and kind boy?"  His hands were out, all ready to receive--and, in that moment, he looked almost angelic.

My heart melts.  My mind was saying, 'at least make him work for it...get him to clean up the endless piles of cars on the floor.'

But no. 

"Of course you are sweetie!" with a big kiss on his cute cheek, as I untied the bow.   His face lit up and he jumped up into my arms giving me a huge huge.  "Thank you Mama!"

There we were.  Connor munching on a chocolate valentine heart while I stood beside him at the counter, so happy to be able to give him such pleasure. 

I don't know--maybe my motherly instincts didn't totally miss that day. Surely, along with the sugar in him tummy, the take away of that moment will remind Connor later of another unearned gift.


In Matthew, Jesus said,"be like these children: full of trust in God.  They are the most important in the kingdom." The children ran and jumped into Jesus' arms with no worry about how good they were, or how important they were, or even how nice and kind they were. 

God's love is a gift.  All you have to do is reach out and take it.

Maybe someday he'll remember moments like that--when he was rewarded for doing absolutely nothing--and think of God's amazing gift of his son for us, one also unearned.  The biggest and most special gift of all.