I don’t think he had ANY idea that he was even in a costume at the Halloween party.
But he loved the extra attention!
Four men and a Lady
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Keen Kayden
ok, so a while ago I told you about my LOVE for (perhaps obsession with/addiction to)
turns out
my son inherited a similar gene.
only, it’s for…
Story is, we got them at REI on clearance. I thought:
“Awesome! super durable shoes perfect for next summer!”
(they are about an inch past his toes in length)
I hadn’t even taken them out of the box yet, but the next morning Kayden found them in the hallway. He brought them to me, sat down, and put his foot up in the air with a big hopeful smile on his face.
He was wearing these footed pj’s so I just put them on right over the footies. He ran away tickled with his new shoes. He has begged to wear them every day since then. Luckily, he can walk fine in them despite the fact that they’re too big.
One day had a babysitter who didn’t know about this preference for his Keen sandals and when she tried to put on his other pair of shoes, he turned to her, put up his hand and said “no, no, no.” She watched as he deliberately went over to his shoes and dug out the Keens. So funny!
I can relate.
cottage cheese
What? Cottage cheese under the bathroom sink?
Can you see the almost invisible surprise?
THE CULPRIT:
We’ve made it a habit to check the garbage can before we empty it…there are usually a couple of things we don’t really want thrown away.
The only time it’s hard to think it’s cute is when we’re rushing to get out the door and I can’t find ANY of his shoes. I eventually find them here and there…
Thursday, October 6, 2011
25 things to do with a wiggley toddler boy
Thought I'd share this list of ideas I just found... Love it! I will do many of these in the coming months!!
please NOTE:
The picture below NOT a picture of Kayden!!
…It was just on the website next to this list and I thought it was a good visual of the first activity idea. (That is for you, Mom, so you wouldn't worry that he has changed so much that he looks like a completely different kid!)
1. Put him in an empty bath tub, give him water colors and let him go.
2. Put rice in a cake pan and let him pour from cup to cup.
3. Put him outside everyday regardless of weather.
4. Give him a small spray bottle of water and a rag. Set him loose on the fridge front, bathroom tile, linoleum, etc.
5. Make homemade play dough; give him a rolling pin.
6. When reading aloud, ask him many questions. Get him pointing, naming, giggling over each picture.
7. Have him run and tag the front door, run back and give you a high five, and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
8. Find an empty box we can fit in; stay in the room with him to ensure safety- but get that book you’ve wanted to read for a while, because he’ll be busy for a while.
9. Teach him how to build a fort with the cushions.
10. Let him spread the PB and J.
11. Play with him for at least 10 minutes at a game he loves. This will satisfy much of the need for attention that leads to naughtiness.
12. Bubbles!
13. Boys tend to be tactile learners; stacking cups and plastic containers in an accessible cabinet can be fun.
14. Fill the kitchen sink with soapy foam; get out a big ladle and some cups and let him go at it. Let him “do dishes.”
15. If you have a play house, let him throw a safe ball out of it.
16. Find an old spoon and let him dig in dirt.
17. Music facilitates learning like no other activity. Make up silly songs to everything- be silly and tease your children with music.
18. When he is feeling mean and you are feeling mean, tickle him.
19. Don’t be afraid to repeat activities often; if he is getting restless, immediately choose a “go-to.”
20. Let the little guy “help” you in all of your tasks until he discovers his blocks or trains again. You’ll be teaching him valuable skills. This one can be hard because we want to get things done, but the boy will be grown soon and might now want to help anymore. This may be one of the most special times of your lives.
21. Play a favorite dance song of yours; let loose and dance around. Your boy will either laugh or join in; both are fun.
22. Use your pull up bar low on the door frame- and let him swing.
23. Find markers and a notebook; let him go to.
24. Assess his needs- is he hungry, tired, wet, overstimulated, bored, or lonely? Help him fulfill that need.
25. Replace every negative thought immediately with a positive one. Instead of, “My kids drive me crazy” think on purpose “This is a phase; Jonny really is a good kid” or “My kids must be bored. What can I do to help them?” See an article on this here.
http://powerofmoms.com/2009/04/thought-replacement-therapy/
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
country lane park
I have counted 74 parks within a 3.5 mile radius of where we live. They are EVERYWHERE here! But Country Lane Park has the coolest playground I’ve seen. This is Kayden with his new friend, Harris who stayed at our house during the day for a couple of days while his mom was at school (dental school with Darin).
Note the following features of this AWESOME park:
The boys are in the trailer because we WALKED! Love that this park is just down the road!
That’s right. This kids’ park has a little CLIMBING WALL! Love it!
I think my favorite part is that everything that Kayden would need help on or need to be closely supervised on HE CAN’T GET TO. The playground is designed so that the big slide can’t be accessed without going up some big steps and a long tunnel—which scares the little one. Any platform over 4 feet in the air is completely encased by fencing and can only be accessed by climbing things only a bigger kid can handle. AND the ground doesn’t have sand, or wood chips, or rubber chips, it’s that squishy rubber floor that makes no mess, but provides plenty of cush! LoVe It!!
So, Kayden has a great time going up and down the stairs just his size that have fences and slight incline slides and feels like such a big boy without Mommy’s help. And mom? She can totally relax and enjoy watching him play without concern.
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