This morning, as you clicked your glass against my own with a sweet and carefree "Cheers," I smiled to myself as I thought, "just one of the many things I love about you." I find myself thinking quite frequently how easy you are to love. And so, in honor of this day of love, I celebrate YOU and the love you so freely bring to our lives...
I love... when you nuzzle your face into the crook of my neck and pat my back with your hand when you're tired, or just feeling especially snugly.
I love... the way you playfully refer to me as Mother Bear, and you as my Little Bear.
I love... that, while your grammar is exceptional, adorably imperfect syntax errs still slip through the cracks. This morning, after you finished your cup of yogurt, I was midway through my own, and you asked for a bite. "Mmmm, that's deeeelicious! May I have a bite again?"(rather than "another bite"). I thought it was incredibly cute, very much like you. You also have a pretty firm grasp of "I," "you," "my," "your," and almost always add an "s" for plurals and possessives, but when questioning if something is your very own, you ask curiously, "Is this mines?" Love, love, love our little exchanges!
I love... your sky-is-the-limits imagination, where anything can happen... be it pirate attacks and calls to to the coastguard, fleets for refuge when running from Gizmo "the abominable sea monster," fire rescues at the dining table... or my personal favorite, our dinosaur enacting where you almost always are my sweet baby T-Rex. Just this morning you curled into my arms and asked if you could nursie with Mommy T-Rex. I love that I'm always included in your thoughtful story lines.
I love... the sound of your laughter... it is the very definition of a belly laugh!
I love... impromptu "I love yous," which almost always come hand in hand with hugs and kisses.
I love... how expressive you are. I'm sure somewhere in your future, you will dabble a bit in acting, because you really are quite a little performer.
I love... that you frequently use phrases like "Oh, dear" and "Oh my goodnush," also that you yoddle like a pro. ;-)
I love... that you're just a little bit melodramatic.
I love... that with every story you tell, you begin with "Once upon a time..." I also love that they almost always include taking a trip to the pond and jumping lily pads with Little Bear and your friends (your favorite inclusions: Andy, Chrissy, Caelan, Avery, Erin, Landis, Gracie, Anna, and Levi), and usually end with you eating pie, freshly made by Mother Bear (AKA Mommy).
I love... the dimples on your cheeks I could get lost in.
(This list will be ever-growing over the course of the next week... for now, dinner calls!)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
The sweetest words to end the day...
Tonight, as our little boy wrapped his arms around us before bed, he whispered the sweetest words to ever end the day... "I love you all so much." Immediately one of our favorite bedtime stories resounded in my mind, "I Love You So..."
And so, my angel boy, this is for you:
"I love you."
"How much?"
"SO much."
"How much is so?"
"Way, Way MORE than you know..."
I love you as BRILLIANT as each sparkling star,
and as WAY OUT as space, I love you that far.
I love you as GIGANTIC as a great lion's roar,
and as DEEP as the ocean, I love you MUCH more.
"That is a lot," you say, "but HOW did it start"
WHERE did love come from to be in you heart?"
YOU put it there, really, when you and I met.
And I knew for certain WITHOUT you I'd fret.
From MY HEAD to my TOES, I was feeling inside
a devotion to you SO DEEP and SO WIDE.
And now it's ENORMOUS and wonderfully real
and hard to describe HOW MUCH I feel!
I love you as AWESOME as a thundery sky,
and as SOARING as mountains, I love you THAT high.
I love you as SILLY as a puppy dog's kiss,
and as QUIET as midnight, I love you like THIS.
And so, my angel boy, this is for you:
"I love you."
"How much?"
"SO much."
"How much is so?"
"Way, Way MORE than you know..."
I love you as BRILLIANT as each sparkling star,
and as WAY OUT as space, I love you that far.
I love you as GIGANTIC as a great lion's roar,
and as DEEP as the ocean, I love you MUCH more.
"That is a lot," you say, "but HOW did it start"
WHERE did love come from to be in you heart?"
YOU put it there, really, when you and I met.
And I knew for certain WITHOUT you I'd fret.
From MY HEAD to my TOES, I was feeling inside
a devotion to you SO DEEP and SO WIDE.
And now it's ENORMOUS and wonderfully real
and hard to describe HOW MUCH I feel!
I love you as AWESOME as a thundery sky,
and as SOARING as mountains, I love you THAT high.
I love you as SILLY as a puppy dog's kiss,
and as QUIET as midnight, I love you like THIS.
The many reasons a mother smiles...
November 25, 2009 at 7:01pm
Tonight, I opened up my laptop only to find a fruity fish gummy smooshed onto my screen...... um, Beni, did my computer look hungry?
December 8, 2009 at 9:21am
As I was browsing through eBay auctions, I came across one for 12 small dinosaur figurines... Beni caught a glance and said, "May I have it?" and I said, "Well, I don't know, Beni... let me think about it." His response: "Oh... maaaybe laaater?" (insert Beni's trademark sly grin here, of course!) ♥
December 10, 2009 at 10:17pm
"Beni, you are a true artist! Who taught you how to draw so well?" ... "Anna and Chrissy!" HHAHHA! ♥ Chrissy and Natalie's daughter apparently play a very significant role in Beni's world of art. :)
December 15, 2009 at 9:01pm
Tonight, I blew a raspberry in Beni's armpit and discovered something quite unnerving... MAN SMELL! He's only TWO! Do they even make toddler stink-be-gone? Hahha.
December 15, 2009 at 10:53pm
"This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, ...courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life." ♥
December 18, 2009 at 9:49pm
I love extra cuddly evenings with my little boy. So very blessed. ♥
December 22, 2009 at 3:45pm
I love my little boy's unbounded imagination.
December 27, 2009 at 12:43pm
I am continually impressed by my little boy! We were playing with his new dinosaur set, going over the various features and individual strengths and differences of each dinosaur... we were talking about the Stegosaurus' back, and I mentioned he had a very unique set of "armor-like spikes that act as a shield (and temperature control)," and Beni added, "those are his plates!" And... yes! That is undeniably the "proper" name for them. He learned this on the show Dinosaur Train months and months back and I am stunned he retained it. (I obviously didn't!) He's so amazing to me! ♥
January 3 at 9:19pm
Idioms and toddler are quite a funny mix. Beni is terribly restless tonight, and Angelo mentioned that he was acting like he had "ants in his pants." Fast forward about 10 minutes, Beni and I were lying down (as I was trying to convince him that sleep is, in fact, a GOOD idea) and Beni asked me to take off his pants, I asked why, and he said, "Because I have ants in my pants. I need new pants!"
January 7 at 10:05pm
I love Beni-rambles. ♥
January 17 at 7:47am
In light of the many giggles Beni's first words of the morning give me daily, I present you with today's mid-sleep ramble... *puff* "I just farted!" (20 seconds pass...) "Slow down race car!" Although probably unrelated, it's much funnier in my mind to connect the two. :)
January 17 at 5:35pm
Beni asked if he could go outside, and I asked him to put his shoes on first. He picked out a pair, and I asked if he had socks on, he paused for a moment, looked down, and said, "No, just feet!" I couldn't help but smile. ♥ He really doesn't even realize he's so adorable and funny!
January 19 at 10:04am
Beni, ahem, "broke wind" again this morning, and Angelo announced, "Hey Mama, Beni just farted!" and Beni asked, "How?! ...... from my BIG BUTT?" Hah! Where does he get this from? Oh, of course... anyone who knows Angelo can only imagine... ;-)
January 27 at 10:27pm
Tonight, as I watched my kid devour his self-made "brew" of chocolate milk and ranch dressing, I realized he really is just like his Mama -- he'll eat anything!
December 27, 2009 at 12:43pm
Our Beni, who is definitely still not in bed, just brought me an egg from the fridge and announced, "Mommy, look at this egg... it is so tiny and so sweet! (as he hugged it ever so gently) -- It is an oval and I will find another in the fridge!" ♥ He kills me!
February 3 at 8:36am
Beni was playing dress-up with my shoes this morning, and Angelo jokingly announced, "Beni, those shoes are funky!" Beni replied, "But, I love funky!" He is now parading around in high heels, and might I add that he walks better in them than I do!
February 12 at 1:28pm
Silly schooling moments: I was showing Beni some samples of sequence patterns, and I said "banana, strawberry, cherry, banana, strawberry, cherry... what comes next?" After pondering a moment, he gleefully answered, "A smoothie!" ♥ He seriously makes my life.
I also adore that he says "Oh my goodnush!"
Tonight, I opened up my laptop only to find a fruity fish gummy smooshed onto my screen...... um, Beni, did my computer look hungry?
December 8, 2009 at 9:21am
As I was browsing through eBay auctions, I came across one for 12 small dinosaur figurines... Beni caught a glance and said, "May I have it?" and I said, "Well, I don't know, Beni... let me think about it." His response: "Oh... maaaybe laaater?" (insert Beni's trademark sly grin here, of course!) ♥
December 10, 2009 at 10:17pm
"Beni, you are a true artist! Who taught you how to draw so well?" ... "Anna and Chrissy!" HHAHHA! ♥ Chrissy and Natalie's daughter apparently play a very significant role in Beni's world of art. :)
December 15, 2009 at 9:01pm
Tonight, I blew a raspberry in Beni's armpit and discovered something quite unnerving... MAN SMELL! He's only TWO! Do they even make toddler stink-be-gone? Hahha.
December 15, 2009 at 10:53pm
"This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, ...courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life." ♥
December 18, 2009 at 9:49pm
I love extra cuddly evenings with my little boy. So very blessed. ♥
December 22, 2009 at 3:45pm
I love my little boy's unbounded imagination.
December 27, 2009 at 12:43pm
I am continually impressed by my little boy! We were playing with his new dinosaur set, going over the various features and individual strengths and differences of each dinosaur... we were talking about the Stegosaurus' back, and I mentioned he had a very unique set of "armor-like spikes that act as a shield (and temperature control)," and Beni added, "those are his plates!" And... yes! That is undeniably the "proper" name for them. He learned this on the show Dinosaur Train months and months back and I am stunned he retained it. (I obviously didn't!) He's so amazing to me! ♥
January 3 at 9:19pm
Idioms and toddler are quite a funny mix. Beni is terribly restless tonight, and Angelo mentioned that he was acting like he had "ants in his pants." Fast forward about 10 minutes, Beni and I were lying down (as I was trying to convince him that sleep is, in fact, a GOOD idea) and Beni asked me to take off his pants, I asked why, and he said, "Because I have ants in my pants. I need new pants!"
January 7 at 10:05pm
I love Beni-rambles. ♥
January 17 at 7:47am
In light of the many giggles Beni's first words of the morning give me daily, I present you with today's mid-sleep ramble... *puff* "I just farted!" (20 seconds pass...) "Slow down race car!" Although probably unrelated, it's much funnier in my mind to connect the two. :)
January 17 at 5:35pm
Beni asked if he could go outside, and I asked him to put his shoes on first. He picked out a pair, and I asked if he had socks on, he paused for a moment, looked down, and said, "No, just feet!" I couldn't help but smile. ♥ He really doesn't even realize he's so adorable and funny!
January 19 at 10:04am
Beni, ahem, "broke wind" again this morning, and Angelo announced, "Hey Mama, Beni just farted!" and Beni asked, "How?! ...... from my BIG BUTT?" Hah! Where does he get this from? Oh, of course... anyone who knows Angelo can only imagine... ;-)
January 27 at 10:27pm
Tonight, as I watched my kid devour his self-made "brew" of chocolate milk and ranch dressing, I realized he really is just like his Mama -- he'll eat anything!
December 27, 2009 at 12:43pm
Our Beni, who is definitely still not in bed, just brought me an egg from the fridge and announced, "Mommy, look at this egg... it is so tiny and so sweet! (as he hugged it ever so gently) -- It is an oval and I will find another in the fridge!" ♥ He kills me!
February 3 at 8:36am
Beni was playing dress-up with my shoes this morning, and Angelo jokingly announced, "Beni, those shoes are funky!" Beni replied, "But, I love funky!" He is now parading around in high heels, and might I add that he walks better in them than I do!
February 12 at 1:28pm
Silly schooling moments: I was showing Beni some samples of sequence patterns, and I said "banana, strawberry, cherry, banana, strawberry, cherry... what comes next?" After pondering a moment, he gleefully answered, "A smoothie!" ♥ He seriously makes my life.
I also adore that he says "Oh my goodnush!"
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Answers from our two-year-old. <3
What is your favorite animal? - Dogs and cats
Who is your favorite dog? - Gizmo
What is your favorite dinosaur? - T-Rex
Who is your best friend? - Calaen, Levi, and Alice in Wonderland
What is your favorite color? - Green and blue
What is your favorite number? - 2
What is your favorite movie? - Tinkerbell
What is your favorite TV show? - The Magic School Bus
What do you want to be when you grow up? - A Sunflower
What is your favorite toy? - Racecar and Trev the Train
What is your favorite food? - Carrots and potatoes
What is your favorite drink? - Nursie
Who is your favorite dog? - Gizmo
What is your favorite dinosaur? - T-Rex
Who is your best friend? - Calaen, Levi, and Alice in Wonderland
What is your favorite color? - Green and blue
What is your favorite number? - 2
What is your favorite movie? - Tinkerbell
What is your favorite TV show? - The Magic School Bus
What do you want to be when you grow up? - A Sunflower
What is your favorite toy? - Racecar and Trev the Train
What is your favorite food? - Carrots and potatoes
What is your favorite drink? - Nursie
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
In honor of Thanksgiving...
Today and always, I am thankful for my son's laughter, and for the joy that he so freely shares with others. I am thankful for the warmth in our home, and for the love our family shares... as well as the love we share with friends. I am thankful for days to express being thankful.
I'd also like to share some special moments of the last couple of months since my joy of a little boy turned two years old!
August 13 at 7:10pm
Our little eco-child just said, "YAY, RECYCLE!" Hahhha, starting him early! :)
August 15 at 9:37am
When Beni wants to play "chase" he says, "More gotchu?" ♥
August 19 at 8:48pm
I am now officially "Mommy," and no longer "Mama" according to Beni. His "baby-ish" words are few and far anymore... bittersweet, with a little more bitter than sweet, I think. He's growing up so much quicker than I could have ever imagined!
September 1 at 8:04pm
As I was boiling water, I walked away briefly to talk to Angelo... a minute passed and I said "Oh! I think my pot is boiling over!" to which Beni responds, "Bubbles! Hurray!" He's such a goofball and I love him so very much!
September 1 at 9:26pm
Angelo picked some mini pots and pans for Beni this afternoon, and just a moment ago Beni was intently stirring away, so I asked what he was preparing for us and he said, "I'm making food... pasta!" and grinned like a goon in delight. :)
September 2 at 8:58am
I wonder how I'm going to go about explaining to my little boy that he can't cook an egg all on his own just yet. He's been begging since he woke up, and at one point even dragged me to the fridge saying "Mommy, open door, PLEEEAAA...SSSEEE? I cook egg, PLEEEAAASSSEEE MOMMY?" I handed him cheese instead, and I'm pretty sure that he scoffed at me. Hahha!
9:00am
Okay... giving in... I'm weak, I admit it! Egg cooking lesson with my baby in T-Minus 2 seconds...
September 5 at 9:29pm
Dinner of the champions! Beni devoured MAMMOTH portions of cheese pasta, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, and carrots... as if that wasn't enough, he then managed to gobble down some apple cobbler bites for dessert! Where on earth does it all go?! :)
September 7 at 2:12pm
I am in constant awe of my little boy! A moment ago I asked if he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and he replied "No, THANK YOU!" (This is usually just a "nope", and we've never corrected him to say otherwise. So funny!) I love him so much! Now he is happily reciting the alphabet with Super Why... hahhah.
September 15 at 8:36pm
Who needs a doctor when you have a 2-year-old who makes house calls? Beni climbed into my lap and asked me to open my mouth, and after several seconds of an "examination," he announced confidently, "Yep, I SEE sick!" ♥!
September 21 at 2:07pm
This just in: Beni wants to be a "lawn mower" for Halloween. :)
September 23 at 3:59pm
I love my boys more than anything in this world. ♥
September 28 at 9:30pm
Funnies of the evening... Angelo brought home a "slimcado," which is, apparently, an avocado with "30% less fat." What?! Then, Beni ran off with the package of strawberries, only to be discovered in the trunk of his bike... silly boys.
September 30 at 10:17pm
More funnies tonight... Cookie was barking and Beni said, "Cookie, relax!" Hah! Earlier, I was showing him a video of an Elasmosaurus on youtube while he was holding his Elasmosaurus figurine, and when the clip ended he said, "Oh no! Where his friend go? Gone?! Oh no!" I am SO in love with this stage of language acquisition!
October 2 at 2:01pm
Beni wants to "drive car into bright sunlight," and here I'm left wondering where these funny little requests come from!
October 10 at 9:44am
So funny! Beni was sitting in the office on Angelo's computer and I asked him to come out and be social with us... he replied, "No Mommy, I'm working right now." Hahahahha! Okay, baby... you win this one. ♥
October 10 at 4:44pm
Beni has a mohawk!!!
October 14 at 4:33pm
Just measured Beni's height: 34" tall! That's well over half my height. My little boy is turning into a giant! Now if only I knew how much he weighed... hmm...
October 27 at 7:50pm
I am so amazed at the conversations I have with my little boy. I can't get over how vocal he has become about... everything! I'm so VERY blessed. ♥
October 28 at 2:49pm
Beni's word of the day: "guys." "What are you doing, guys?" "I'm ready, guys!" "Let's go, guys!" Hahha!
October 30 at 9:03am
We're getting ready to go to a Halloween themed playdate for a few, then run some errands and hopefully pick up a pumpkin to carve at around noon-ish. So excited about Beni trick-or-treating with his friends tomorrow!
November 2 at 4:09pm
Beni's first imaginary friend... a friendly ghost. He has been having conversations with him/her on and off for the last few hours, "Hi, friendly ghost!" ... "How are you doing?" ... "Oh okay! I'm doing fine, thank you!" ... "Read me book friendly ghost, please?" He leaves just enough silence for a response, and then replies with his own. I asked if he would like for me to read him a book instead and he replied, "No, thank you! Friendly ghost reads me book." Hand in hand with the time of year, I suppose! I'm just thankful it is, in fact, a "friendly" ghost!
November 7 at 8:25am
Just as we finished dressing Beni (he picked out his own clothing this morning) he trotted out of the room saying, "I'm handsome now!" Hahha!
November 12 at 8:36am
I'm laughing at my Beni for the umpteenth time. I walked into his playroom to find him trying to lasso his rocking horse with my belt while saying,"I'm a cowboy! Where's my cowboy hat?" He's my little goonlove. ♥
November 16 at 10:44am
I am yet again laughing at my little nugget of a boy. ♥ We were drinking chocolate almond milk this morning, and his cup was near empty while mine was full to the brim... he looked into my cup and said that my chocolate milk was "SO big...... giant!" and looked into his and said "my milk is soooo little."
November 18 at 10:26am
Completely out of the blue while eating breakfast this morning, Beni started singing Queen's "We Will Rock You," so, in complete and utter support of his little outburst I played the music video on YouTube and my little lovebug went totally NUTS headbanging and shouting those trademark lyrics, "WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU" and then looked at me in total bliss and shouted "I LOVE THAT SONG!" I'm dying in laughter!
November 21 at 9:19am
Beni just farted and blamed it on Batman... bwahahha. Definitely Angelo's boy. ♥
November 23 at 9:13am
Despite being sick, my little munchkin is just as charming as ever. I grabbed a chocolate wafer and tried to gobble it as quickly and inconspicuously as possible, alas I was caught by a pair of longing eyes... Beni asked, "May I have some, Mommy?" As I looked over at his plate, filled with strawberries, apples, and french toast, I knew he probably should steer clear of my dirty little morning chocolate cravings, so I asked him to eat his yummy breakfast instead...he added, "Please Mommy, a little bit, please?" Hahhah. My sweetheart. ♥
I'd also like to share some special moments of the last couple of months since my joy of a little boy turned two years old!
August 13 at 7:10pm
Our little eco-child just said, "YAY, RECYCLE!" Hahhha, starting him early! :)
August 15 at 9:37am
When Beni wants to play "chase" he says, "More gotchu?" ♥
August 19 at 8:48pm
I am now officially "Mommy," and no longer "Mama" according to Beni. His "baby-ish" words are few and far anymore... bittersweet, with a little more bitter than sweet, I think. He's growing up so much quicker than I could have ever imagined!
September 1 at 8:04pm
As I was boiling water, I walked away briefly to talk to Angelo... a minute passed and I said "Oh! I think my pot is boiling over!" to which Beni responds, "Bubbles! Hurray!" He's such a goofball and I love him so very much!
September 1 at 9:26pm
Angelo picked some mini pots and pans for Beni this afternoon, and just a moment ago Beni was intently stirring away, so I asked what he was preparing for us and he said, "I'm making food... pasta!" and grinned like a goon in delight. :)
September 2 at 8:58am
I wonder how I'm going to go about explaining to my little boy that he can't cook an egg all on his own just yet. He's been begging since he woke up, and at one point even dragged me to the fridge saying "Mommy, open door, PLEEEAAA...SSSEEE? I cook egg, PLEEEAAASSSEEE MOMMY?" I handed him cheese instead, and I'm pretty sure that he scoffed at me. Hahha!
9:00am
Okay... giving in... I'm weak, I admit it! Egg cooking lesson with my baby in T-Minus 2 seconds...
September 5 at 9:29pm
Dinner of the champions! Beni devoured MAMMOTH portions of cheese pasta, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, and carrots... as if that wasn't enough, he then managed to gobble down some apple cobbler bites for dessert! Where on earth does it all go?! :)
September 7 at 2:12pm
I am in constant awe of my little boy! A moment ago I asked if he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and he replied "No, THANK YOU!" (This is usually just a "nope", and we've never corrected him to say otherwise. So funny!) I love him so much! Now he is happily reciting the alphabet with Super Why... hahhah.
September 15 at 8:36pm
Who needs a doctor when you have a 2-year-old who makes house calls? Beni climbed into my lap and asked me to open my mouth, and after several seconds of an "examination," he announced confidently, "Yep, I SEE sick!" ♥!
September 21 at 2:07pm
This just in: Beni wants to be a "lawn mower" for Halloween. :)
September 23 at 3:59pm
I love my boys more than anything in this world. ♥
September 28 at 9:30pm
Funnies of the evening... Angelo brought home a "slimcado," which is, apparently, an avocado with "30% less fat." What?! Then, Beni ran off with the package of strawberries, only to be discovered in the trunk of his bike... silly boys.
September 30 at 10:17pm
More funnies tonight... Cookie was barking and Beni said, "Cookie, relax!" Hah! Earlier, I was showing him a video of an Elasmosaurus on youtube while he was holding his Elasmosaurus figurine, and when the clip ended he said, "Oh no! Where his friend go? Gone?! Oh no!" I am SO in love with this stage of language acquisition!
October 2 at 2:01pm
Beni wants to "drive car into bright sunlight," and here I'm left wondering where these funny little requests come from!
October 10 at 9:44am
So funny! Beni was sitting in the office on Angelo's computer and I asked him to come out and be social with us... he replied, "No Mommy, I'm working right now." Hahahahha! Okay, baby... you win this one. ♥
October 10 at 4:44pm
Beni has a mohawk!!!
October 14 at 4:33pm
Just measured Beni's height: 34" tall! That's well over half my height. My little boy is turning into a giant! Now if only I knew how much he weighed... hmm...
October 27 at 7:50pm
I am so amazed at the conversations I have with my little boy. I can't get over how vocal he has become about... everything! I'm so VERY blessed. ♥
October 28 at 2:49pm
Beni's word of the day: "guys." "What are you doing, guys?" "I'm ready, guys!" "Let's go, guys!" Hahha!
October 30 at 9:03am
We're getting ready to go to a Halloween themed playdate for a few, then run some errands and hopefully pick up a pumpkin to carve at around noon-ish. So excited about Beni trick-or-treating with his friends tomorrow!
November 2 at 4:09pm
Beni's first imaginary friend... a friendly ghost. He has been having conversations with him/her on and off for the last few hours, "Hi, friendly ghost!" ... "How are you doing?" ... "Oh okay! I'm doing fine, thank you!" ... "Read me book friendly ghost, please?" He leaves just enough silence for a response, and then replies with his own. I asked if he would like for me to read him a book instead and he replied, "No, thank you! Friendly ghost reads me book." Hand in hand with the time of year, I suppose! I'm just thankful it is, in fact, a "friendly" ghost!
November 7 at 8:25am
Just as we finished dressing Beni (he picked out his own clothing this morning) he trotted out of the room saying, "I'm handsome now!" Hahha!
November 12 at 8:36am
I'm laughing at my Beni for the umpteenth time. I walked into his playroom to find him trying to lasso his rocking horse with my belt while saying,"I'm a cowboy! Where's my cowboy hat?" He's my little goonlove. ♥
November 16 at 10:44am
I am yet again laughing at my little nugget of a boy. ♥ We were drinking chocolate almond milk this morning, and his cup was near empty while mine was full to the brim... he looked into my cup and said that my chocolate milk was "SO big...... giant!" and looked into his and said "my milk is soooo little."
November 18 at 10:26am
Completely out of the blue while eating breakfast this morning, Beni started singing Queen's "We Will Rock You," so, in complete and utter support of his little outburst I played the music video on YouTube and my little lovebug went totally NUTS headbanging and shouting those trademark lyrics, "WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU" and then looked at me in total bliss and shouted "I LOVE THAT SONG!" I'm dying in laughter!
November 21 at 9:19am
Beni just farted and blamed it on Batman... bwahahha. Definitely Angelo's boy. ♥
November 23 at 9:13am
Despite being sick, my little munchkin is just as charming as ever. I grabbed a chocolate wafer and tried to gobble it as quickly and inconspicuously as possible, alas I was caught by a pair of longing eyes... Beni asked, "May I have some, Mommy?" As I looked over at his plate, filled with strawberries, apples, and french toast, I knew he probably should steer clear of my dirty little morning chocolate cravings, so I asked him to eat his yummy breakfast instead...he added, "Please Mommy, a little bit, please?" Hahhah. My sweetheart. ♥
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Letter to my two year old...
Happy 2nd Birthday, my beautiful little boy! I can't believe it has been exactly one year since my last letter to you. Honestly, it feels like it's only been a matter of months! Alas, here I am, once again, wishing you your second heartfelt and slightly bittersweet HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you realize how much joy you bring to our lives and how thankful we feel each and every day for being blessed with the wonderful gift of YOU. My wish for you, now and always, is that you have a long, safe, happy and healthy life... and my promise to you is that, against all odds, your Dad and I will do every-single-thing in our power to provide that for you!
Now, onto the life of you... at two years old, you are still a little co-sleeping junkie, so, every morning you wake with a sweet and very alert, "Good morning!," while pegging a few sloppy kisses on your unsuspecting, still sleeping Daddy and half-sleeping, grateful and giggling Mommy. Grateful for how sweet you are, and giggling because this is your morning routine to a "T" consistently and how I wouldn't trade a thing in this world for this time with you. We all manage to crawl out of bed sometime within the hour, usually pulled by tiny hands, into the living room where your day of full fledged toddlerdom begins! You play around on your own for the most part, seemingly creating your own imaginary worlds, talking, singing, dancing and undoubtedly thinking. You flit from room to room, toy to toy, task to task. Sometime around 1pm and 2pm, you have lunch, and you usually sleep for a couple hours soon after... although, this is not always the case; you've adapted a dirty habit of phasing out this very critical nap 4 days of the last 8 (coined "the nap strike"), which, needless to say, makes for an interesting day for us all! :)
I read recently that the term "toddler" is replaced by the word "pre-schooler" at the age of two. Personally, I think that's just silly. You are still very much our toddler, and coupled with that ranking comes all the bells and whistles, from round-the-clock energy and curiosity that knows no bounds, to your almost shockingly abundant vocabulary and communication skills! Your most common expressions include:
"What are you doing?"
"Oh no! (said event...)" ("Oh, no! Cup fell down!" or "Oh no, pasta all gone?"),
"Oh no! What are we gonna' do?!" (MY FAVORITE!! You are such a funny little character!)
"(Object/place/thing) fun" ("Beach fun!", "Birthday cake fun!", "Friends fun!")
"Thank you much!" (Occasionally "Thank you very much!")
"I sorry 'bout that."
"I okay!" (Thanks to us continually asking, "Are you okay?!" for life's little stumbles and falls.)
As I'm typing this, I'm realizing just how much you actually say that I can't come close to accounting for here... within the last few months, you've also become incredibly descriptive, using words like "big," "tall," "small," "fast," "slow," "high," "low," "happy," "sad," "awesome," "fun," and "very," etc... this list could go on ad nauseam, really. I've mentioned in many of my past journal entries, you've mastered virtually all one-and-two-syllable words, and have since moved on to the big threes, including... "ambulance," "octopus," "al-gator," "dinosaur," "firetruck," "Angelo!!!" (To name a few.) The last one, yes indeedy, is Daddy's name, and the way this came about is actually quite funny. When showering, I tend to almost always forget to grab a towel (terrible, I know), and at the end of the shower I call for your Dad, "Angelo, could you please get me a towel?" So... expectantly, now when I turn off the water, you announce, rather loudly at that, "ANGELOOO!! DAAADAAA!! Towel, please?!" This is incredibly hilarious to both your Daddy and I. We've come to learn you are quite the little comedian and relish in the light of any attention... a trait that very obviously comes from your Daddy! :)
How else could I describe your personality at this moment in your life? Well... you're incredibly affectionate, that almost goes without saying... never short of hugs and kisses to anyone willing to receive them. You ADORE babies, ridiculously so! So much that when you met Chrissy and Andy's new little boy, Avery, you spoke about him for nearly a week following, constantly saying "Baby fun!" and asking "Where baby?" You've already planted a few kisses on two of the three new babies in the playgroup we're apart of. I catch myself wondering how you came to be so remarkably warmhearted at such a young age, but I am FAR from complaining. ♥
Here are just a few snip-its I've written about you recently that I would like to include... I feel they are good mini-captures of your truly unique personality. :)
August 7 at 10:10pm
All day we've been telling Beni, "Tomorrow is the BIG day! Your birthday! You'll be two years old!" So, tonight, he lays down and "pretend" sleeps for about two minutes, peaking a few times while giggling, calms for about 20 seconds, then throws off the blanket and says, "Good morning! NEW DAY!!!", then jumps out of bed and parades around the house screaming "BIRTHDAY CAKE! BIRTHDAY CAKE!" How slick is our little love-bug?
August 7 at 12:24pm
As we were walking out of the house, Beni said, "I love you, Cookie." (Cookie is our Chihuahua.) Sweet angel boy he is.
August 6 at 9:24pm
I am literally laughing my butt off beyond my means of explaining. Beni said, "I have to fart!" which in itself shocked me, but then he actually, ahem, "let one out" and I nearly fell to the floor with laughter. This kid is too much. :) What a boy!
August 6 at 8:37am
Have I mentioned lately how much I adore drive-by morning smooches from a certain 34" gremlin running around these parts? Well, I do!
August 4 at 8:50am
I am so in love with our little boy. I had paper scattered out beside me as I was posting sales online and he came up to my side and pointed to the "jumble" of paperwork and said, "Mess! Mama, messy!" and then proceeded to straighten them up for me, and then thanked ME for letting him! Goofy boy!
See? You are quite the character, my dearest one!
What a year we've had since my last letter to you... in the last few months alone, you've learned all the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent, you've learned to count to ten, your vocabulary has grown to several hundred words (go, Beni!!), you recognize basic shapes (star, circle, square, heart) and colors (red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple). You've learned to build towers and castles, imaginative play, organization, sharing... you've even learned to jump with both feet off the ground! Amazingly, you've also learned compassion, sympathy, and appreciation (I can't can't tell you how many times in a day we hear, "Thank you much!" with a grin to end a ten-year war). You've learned a world of wonderful things in just two years, and I think you are absolutely amazing! My baby boy... :)
Your memory astonishes us at times, or maybe we are still used to thinking of you as the little baby boy we brought home from the hospital 24 months ago. Just tonight, your Dad carried you into the kitchen while dinner was cooking (you were in there for no longer than 5 seconds). Minutes later, you were in the dining room, and Daddy was explaining that you were having "pasta and cheese" for dinner, and you were very quick to add, "and corn, YUM! Mmmm!" There was never any mention of corn, BUT, there was, in fact, a can of corn on the counter when you were in the kitchen earlier. Maybe it sounds silly, but we find these things truly remarkable. It's amazing to me how many little details you take notice to... sometimes you even have me doing double takes just to see what I've missed that you find so fascinating!
Anyway, my little boy... our love, our blessing, our joy... two years ago, I held you in my arms for the first time. Words could absolutely never come close to describing that moment. I can't even find words to express the amount of joy that you have brought to our lives in only two years. You are the rhyme and reason to our every day and we love you beyond what that rhyme or reason could ever convey. Thank you for being everything you are.
I stumbled upon this saying by Maureen Hawkins the other day, and felt it couldn't be more fitting. "Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here for an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of life." Or in our case, this is the miracle of you, Beni. I love you!
Love Always,
Mommy
Now, onto the life of you... at two years old, you are still a little co-sleeping junkie, so, every morning you wake with a sweet and very alert, "Good morning!," while pegging a few sloppy kisses on your unsuspecting, still sleeping Daddy and half-sleeping, grateful and giggling Mommy. Grateful for how sweet you are, and giggling because this is your morning routine to a "T" consistently and how I wouldn't trade a thing in this world for this time with you. We all manage to crawl out of bed sometime within the hour, usually pulled by tiny hands, into the living room where your day of full fledged toddlerdom begins! You play around on your own for the most part, seemingly creating your own imaginary worlds, talking, singing, dancing and undoubtedly thinking. You flit from room to room, toy to toy, task to task. Sometime around 1pm and 2pm, you have lunch, and you usually sleep for a couple hours soon after... although, this is not always the case; you've adapted a dirty habit of phasing out this very critical nap 4 days of the last 8 (coined "the nap strike"), which, needless to say, makes for an interesting day for us all! :)
I read recently that the term "toddler" is replaced by the word "pre-schooler" at the age of two. Personally, I think that's just silly. You are still very much our toddler, and coupled with that ranking comes all the bells and whistles, from round-the-clock energy and curiosity that knows no bounds, to your almost shockingly abundant vocabulary and communication skills! Your most common expressions include:
"What are you doing?"
"Oh no! (said event...)" ("Oh, no! Cup fell down!" or "Oh no, pasta all gone?"),
"Oh no! What are we gonna' do?!" (MY FAVORITE!! You are such a funny little character!)
"(Object/place/thing) fun" ("Beach fun!", "Birthday cake fun!", "Friends fun!")
"Thank you much!" (Occasionally "Thank you very much!")
"I sorry 'bout that."
"I okay!" (Thanks to us continually asking, "Are you okay?!" for life's little stumbles and falls.)
As I'm typing this, I'm realizing just how much you actually say that I can't come close to accounting for here... within the last few months, you've also become incredibly descriptive, using words like "big," "tall," "small," "fast," "slow," "high," "low," "happy," "sad," "awesome," "fun," and "very," etc... this list could go on ad nauseam, really. I've mentioned in many of my past journal entries, you've mastered virtually all one-and-two-syllable words, and have since moved on to the big threes, including... "ambulance," "octopus," "al-gator," "dinosaur," "firetruck," "Angelo!!!" (To name a few.) The last one, yes indeedy, is Daddy's name, and the way this came about is actually quite funny. When showering, I tend to almost always forget to grab a towel (terrible, I know), and at the end of the shower I call for your Dad, "Angelo, could you please get me a towel?" So... expectantly, now when I turn off the water, you announce, rather loudly at that, "ANGELOOO!! DAAADAAA!! Towel, please?!" This is incredibly hilarious to both your Daddy and I. We've come to learn you are quite the little comedian and relish in the light of any attention... a trait that very obviously comes from your Daddy! :)
How else could I describe your personality at this moment in your life? Well... you're incredibly affectionate, that almost goes without saying... never short of hugs and kisses to anyone willing to receive them. You ADORE babies, ridiculously so! So much that when you met Chrissy and Andy's new little boy, Avery, you spoke about him for nearly a week following, constantly saying "Baby fun!" and asking "Where baby?" You've already planted a few kisses on two of the three new babies in the playgroup we're apart of. I catch myself wondering how you came to be so remarkably warmhearted at such a young age, but I am FAR from complaining. ♥
Here are just a few snip-its I've written about you recently that I would like to include... I feel they are good mini-captures of your truly unique personality. :)
August 7 at 10:10pm
All day we've been telling Beni, "Tomorrow is the BIG day! Your birthday! You'll be two years old!" So, tonight, he lays down and "pretend" sleeps for about two minutes, peaking a few times while giggling, calms for about 20 seconds, then throws off the blanket and says, "Good morning! NEW DAY!!!", then jumps out of bed and parades around the house screaming "BIRTHDAY CAKE! BIRTHDAY CAKE!" How slick is our little love-bug?
August 7 at 12:24pm
As we were walking out of the house, Beni said, "I love you, Cookie." (Cookie is our Chihuahua.) Sweet angel boy he is.
August 6 at 9:24pm
I am literally laughing my butt off beyond my means of explaining. Beni said, "I have to fart!" which in itself shocked me, but then he actually, ahem, "let one out" and I nearly fell to the floor with laughter. This kid is too much. :) What a boy!
August 6 at 8:37am
Have I mentioned lately how much I adore drive-by morning smooches from a certain 34" gremlin running around these parts? Well, I do!
August 4 at 8:50am
I am so in love with our little boy. I had paper scattered out beside me as I was posting sales online and he came up to my side and pointed to the "jumble" of paperwork and said, "Mess! Mama, messy!" and then proceeded to straighten them up for me, and then thanked ME for letting him! Goofy boy!
See? You are quite the character, my dearest one!
What a year we've had since my last letter to you... in the last few months alone, you've learned all the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent, you've learned to count to ten, your vocabulary has grown to several hundred words (go, Beni!!), you recognize basic shapes (star, circle, square, heart) and colors (red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple). You've learned to build towers and castles, imaginative play, organization, sharing... you've even learned to jump with both feet off the ground! Amazingly, you've also learned compassion, sympathy, and appreciation (I can't can't tell you how many times in a day we hear, "Thank you much!" with a grin to end a ten-year war). You've learned a world of wonderful things in just two years, and I think you are absolutely amazing! My baby boy... :)
Your memory astonishes us at times, or maybe we are still used to thinking of you as the little baby boy we brought home from the hospital 24 months ago. Just tonight, your Dad carried you into the kitchen while dinner was cooking (you were in there for no longer than 5 seconds). Minutes later, you were in the dining room, and Daddy was explaining that you were having "pasta and cheese" for dinner, and you were very quick to add, "and corn, YUM! Mmmm!" There was never any mention of corn, BUT, there was, in fact, a can of corn on the counter when you were in the kitchen earlier. Maybe it sounds silly, but we find these things truly remarkable. It's amazing to me how many little details you take notice to... sometimes you even have me doing double takes just to see what I've missed that you find so fascinating!
Anyway, my little boy... our love, our blessing, our joy... two years ago, I held you in my arms for the first time. Words could absolutely never come close to describing that moment. I can't even find words to express the amount of joy that you have brought to our lives in only two years. You are the rhyme and reason to our every day and we love you beyond what that rhyme or reason could ever convey. Thank you for being everything you are.
I stumbled upon this saying by Maureen Hawkins the other day, and felt it couldn't be more fitting. "Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here for an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of life." Or in our case, this is the miracle of you, Beni. I love you!
Love Always,
Mommy
Monday, July 6, 2009
Couple quick updates
We have quite a busy week ahead of us, and boy does it feel good! I love keeping busy in the Summer, particularly when the "busy" includes Beni having fun, burning energy, and WATER in this stifling Florida heat. His swimming lessons start tomorrow (on Mondays and Wednesdays), Beleza's 1st Birthday party is on Tuesday, there's a playdate at Julie's (after swimming lessons) on Wednesday, Heather's on Thursday, and I'm doing a photoshoot on Friday with a very sweet and adorable little girl, Anna. :) This is going to be great for the both of us, I believe. Good riddance, rain induced cabin fever! And with hope, goodbye rain!
We've also had sudden signing explosion come to light today with our little one. New signs include: happy, train, football, caterpillar, colors, orange, how, and "how are you." Within the last week: cook, shirt, and pants. God, I love seeing him blossom like this.
We've also had sudden signing explosion come to light today with our little one. New signs include: happy, train, football, caterpillar, colors, orange, how, and "how are you." Within the last week: cook, shirt, and pants. God, I love seeing him blossom like this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
