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Today we went to Mission North park with the Moms group that I belong to.  And it was a beautiful sunny day – we even took our jackets off!

I love Mission North park.  It’s on the corner of Mission and North (hence the name).  I like it because it has two playgrounds, one for preschoolers and one for older kids.  And they are far enough apart that the bigger kids don’t steamroll the little ones.

Still, Patrick’s first and favorite thing at the park is the swing.  We start every park trip with the swing.  Our newest swing activity is for me to face him and lift him high up into the air as far as my arms can reach.  Then, I lower him toward me and then basically bench press him- “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine….ten!”  He giggles hysterically- fun for him and exercise for me!

Today, he rediscovered the sand pit.  He’s played in the sand before, but this time he was truly experiencing it.  At one point, he was lying on his belly digging with a stick.  And then he kept scooping the sand in his little hands, then letting it fall to the ground – on his feet, his legs, his belly.  It was like he was taking a bath in sand!

Super fun!

We have been invaded by ants.  And, as you know, there are never “just a few” ants.  There are trillions! This happens every year, but this year it has been ridiculously annoying.

Over the past few months, we have been bombarded from every direction.  And just when we think we have won the war, they regroup and plan a different course of action.  Kitchen, bathroom, Patrick’s room, our room, you name it, they’ve been there.

We’ve got several modes of defense in our arsenal, but now that we have a little guy, we’re less likely to spray toxic fumes in our house to fend off little bugs.  Our two main methods are “Terro!” – the sweet, sticky goo that you leave out and the ants swarm over it, supposedly take it back to their nest where they die and kill all of their friends.  Then there is the “Bug Stop” non-aerosol spray that you spray directly on the critters.

Terro, while pretty effective, is disgusting.  In order to rid yourself of the nasty pests, you have to basically give them an open invitation.  They swarm by the thousands – a nasty sight to see.  But usually, when the bait is all gone, they disappear.  This, however, could take a few days.  Yuck, yuck, and yuck.

The Bug Stop is more directive.  You spray, they die.  Right there.  In the very spot you sprayed.  So then, you have dead ant bodies to clean up.  Yuck, yuck, and triple yuck.  And then…as new ants walk over the previously sprayed areas, they too, eventually die. So there are even MORE dead bodies to clean up.

We have been at this for months. Baiting, spraying, vacuuming up, wiping up, even smooshing them with our bare fingers!  It is so, so gross!

Patrick has even added, “Ent!” to his small, yet ever-growing vocabulary.   And now, after months of listening to his mom’s frustrated cries, he says, “Ent!  Errrrr!”

I am really ready for Spring, when the ants stay outside!

In preparation of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, Patrick has learned all about kissing.  He receives hundreds, maybe thousands of kisses daily, but he has just recently begun to give unsolicited kisses.

The morning’s routine now consists of a plea for “Milk!” followed by kisses.

Picture this if you will.  A very alert, very awake brown eyed boy with messed up hair leans over, squeezes his little lips together and plants one right on your lips with a resounding, “mmmmmmwhaaa!”  Then, more often than not, he licks his lips and then continues this adorable display of affection again and again.  Sloppy, saliva coated kisses at 7:00 in the morning.  And I love every one of them.

The evolution of kisses

First, he would suck on my face – gross, but hilarious

Then, he would give wet, slobbery kisses (sometimes, if asked)

“Nosy kisses” were next.  We rub noses.  Both of us giggle.

Over the past few months, he has taken to pressing his cheek to MY lips, getting his own kiss.  This action is usually repeated six or seven times.

And now, he gives kisses that come directly from his little heart, unrequested, and eagerly accepted by one of his favorite fans – Mom.

So, Patrick has decided that he really likes his helmet.

His dad bought the helmet several months ago, in preparation for the awe inspiring, mind boggling extreme sports our son would participate in at the ripe old age of two.  (And basically, to get him used to wearing one so there would be less arguments later on…Go Dad!)  And he HATED it.  Like pulled on it, cried, swung his body around to get it off, cried some more, jumped around, you name it.  It was as if it was on fire and quickly incinerating the hairs on his head.

Help! My head is melting!

Went to Lisa Phenix music class today.  It was great!  Aside from the fact that the little guy was a bit overwhelmed and didn’t want to fully participate.  Seriously, he buried his head in my lap at times!  And he loves music!!!  I guess it was the new environment.  He has this new thing that he does when he doesn’t like something.  He points away from the object or person.  So…in music class he got that frowny face and pointed at the door with an enthusiastic, “Noooooooooo”  Gotta love two year olds!

What I loved about the class – Lisa Phenix teaches MUSIC.  It’s not just, “Let’s sing and shake some instruments around.”  She talked to the kids about rhythm, beats, their voices.  She had them play and then put them aside or put them away.  There was movement to get their muscles warmed up, academic language  to help kids make connections in their world, patience and a warm, fuzzy feeling.

I’m switching Patrick’s gymnastic day tomorrow to Tuesdays so I can take him to music class on Wednesdays.  AG (husband and father) is going to take over gymnastics duty.  So, tomorrow will be my last gymnastics day for awhile.  But….music class, here we come!

www.lisaphenix.com/

We all love cookies around here. Some of us more than others.

Today was a beautiful sunny day – I sent Patrick and his father out for a walk while I stayed back to bake cookies. I just received my new favorite cookbook Mom’s Big Book of Cookies from my neice for Christmas. It has 200 different recipes for cookies!!! Yum! However, I was quite unprepared for my cookie baking undertaking today. In browsing through the recipes, I realized that I only had the ingredients for the tried and true- chocolate chip, oatmeal and peanut butter.

Oh well. Cookies are cookies right? So I made chocolate chip. They were good. Not as good as the Neste Tollhouse recipe, but still good. So I made two dozen, froze the rest of the dough (after eating a couple of cookies worth of dough first) and had freshly baked cookies ready for my husband and son after their walk. And I ruled! Patrick came in the door saying and signing, “Cookie, please….cookie, please…” His father followed shortly after. Patrick ate three. Dad ate who knows how many. At last count, there were only six left…yes, I did contribute to their slow extinction. Though we suffered from the tumultuous rise and fall of the sugar high in a two year old, it was well worth it. The memory of my “cookie, please” son with chocolate smeared across his face is priceless.

Next, I’ll make Sour Cream Chocolate Mint Chip….Mmmmmmmm…..

So here I am. Joining the world of “bloggers”. A few short years ago, I didn’t even know what a “blog” was!!! I still really don’t know what I am doing, but as always (with marriage, motherhood and beyond) I am always up for new challenges. So as I muddle through the waves of cyberspace, please join me on my journey.

My hope is that I will be able to share some of the fun, fun activities that I do with my son Patrick on a regular basis. We are always into something! However, I can’t promise that I won’t include the random acts of cuteness or the not-so-random frustrations. Motherhood is a wild ride – full of ups, downs, loop-de-loops, and gigantic drops. But most importantly, it is filled with love, laughter and fun.

So, happy reading….and let the fun begin!!!