All by myself

He's two and frequently reminds us so.

Lately Caed has taken to telling me he wants to do it "all by myself". Today it cracked me up when I told him to get his sandals for a walk and he told me "mom, I'll do it all by myself and you can help me". Doesn't that scream two year old? He wants to do it himself but he knows that he needs my help, but doesn't quite want it. He'll quite frequently ask for help with something and when I arrive over to help him he tells (read: yells) that he can do it all by himself.

Tonight he was starting to walk up the stairs and in an effort to help the process I started to take his hand and he yelled that he wanted to do it "all by myself". So I gave in to walk up slowly. On our way up he stopped with the fire truck he was holding and I tried to get him going, but he informed me the fire truck was "getting gas". I tried to hurry him up anyway, and he kept insisting that the truck get gas. So it was a very slow walk up the stairs, and I let it be...not a usual occurence for me..

At a nap time visit to the potty, Jon left him on the potty to get something, returned and Caed had so nicely unraveled the entire roll of toilet paper in a nice heap on the floor. It is still sitting in a heap on the floor. Jon said he had to resist a smile when he saw it. What do you do with unused tp that's off the roll? Just toss it all?

Scary

Lately Caed has been learning what being scared is. I noticed it first on the movie Cars when a big tractor comes roaring out in the dark with his headlights on....he started running away before the tractor came, so I would skip it, and then he would get mad at me. I watched him one time and he left right before the action but then wanted to return just after it had started- like the scariness was reduced by missing that initial look at the tractor.

Then the past two days when I've opened the door after he's awakened from his nap he's said "you scared me" (somehow my loud walking up the creaky stairs and hallway were not heard) followed by a big smile and a chuckle.

Today he wanted to play with a jack in the box that we normally don't play with and I warned him that it might scare him to begin with- so he ran away. I popped it up as normally as possible so he could see what was in it, and then encouraged him to do it. He very slowly was turning the knob- and then he put it on my desk and ducked down while trying to turn the knob.

I don't know if I am making a more scared child or helping him face "scary" things, but for now he seems to think it's funny and I can't help thinking it's really cute when I walk in and he tells me I scared him- with a big grin. It's fun to watch him learn this emotion (at this point).

Gwen lover

Our boy just loves music. His name couldn't match him more perfectly at this point. Today I tried out an online radio that my sister recommended- pandora.com. You plug in a single artist and it comes up with music of that type, but varied artists. It's a lot of fun. I was in the basement with Caed and decided to plug in Gwen Stefani and see if he would dance. He was just dancing and dancing...the video is a little long, I just couldn't cut it short.

We do need some help with his style. I'm worried now because if you don't know Jon or I, he's got no hope of having real rhythm. Loving this stage in so many ways!

Grandma Mary's memorial service

We travelled down to Myrtle Beach on a Friday. Saturday morning we got back into the car and headed for another 4+ hour trip to my Aunt and Uncle's house in North Augusta, SC. They had a memorial service for my dad's mother who died before Christmas. Honestly, I was a little frustrated to be driving like we were after a big trip the day before. But it was a great trip and it was so nice to meet and see again my dad's side of the family. We didn't spend much time with them growing up, but they love and cared for us like we'd known each other forever. We just had a family time talking about our memories of my grandmother, and it was fun to hear other people's stories and to hear some of the kids words too. True joy. Caed loved the horses and the open space of the property. He loved the big kids and all the attention.

I feel so blessed that these pictures are all of my family! (besides Caed has my maiden name as his middle name, so it's nice to have him with that side of the family)









They buried her under a new Rose of Sharon Bush. She had asked to be buried there.

All of us Adare's! This picture seems crazy to me that we were able to take one with so many family members present. I've never been part of the family like this:

My Aunt Margaret's family:

Myrtle Beach 2

I didn't end up taking many pictures while in Myrtle Beach, but the day we left, I quickly tried to snap some shots. I didn't even take any on the beach, so we had to go down there to take some pictures before we left so we had some memories. We had a great time while we were down there- stayed at my sister kik's house (caed stayed relatively clean while there, although it was probably more sand then they've ever had in the house) and visited the beach almost everyday. We'd go down in the morning and then around nap time bring him up to my nana's house and he'd nap while we went back to the beach by ourselves. (they live 2 blocks away) Nana was a great babysitter.



The day of the water park we brought Caed to her house, and planned to go back to the park- only he didn't fall asleep as quickly as I thought, and finally I went in to check on him, and he'd managed to reach my grandmother's jewelry and had on her necklaces, and various other pieces were scattered in the pack and play. It was quite humorous. I didn't take a picture, but it would have been a good one. Luckily he didn't ruin any of it- it was her good jewelry too!



I am not going to reorganize the photos.



Nana (mormor; great grandmother in Swedish) and Caed



4 Generations

Watching one of the many planes that carry advertising banners

Fixing lunch before we left mom, co and jon

He got to sit on Uncle Ken's ATV. Was scared to sit on it with kik, but loved it when ken offered.

Watching morning cartoons

Saying goodbye at The Sun News, my mom and sister get confused as twins...although I think they look absolutely different!

Myrtle Beach Water Park

When we were in Myrtle Beach we had the opportunity to go to the water park (nice perk when your cousins husband is the manager!). It was a nice change from the beach- and Caed went down his first water slides! I was unexpectedly a little nervous about some of the slides, so Jon did a couple on his own. The picture below, that slide the the background I would not do (major wedgie slide!) but I did see a two and three year old come down- and enjoy it! I didn't send Caed down, we'll stick to the kiddie slides for now, uncovered. We went with my cousin, her two kids and a couple of their friends- and my mom who took the day off. It was a great day too.

mom on the rapid racing river thing. It's sort of like a lazy river, but forced water pushing you extremely fast (not so lazy).

Cousins in the water- Caed in the life preserver- although we found he did better without it.

Dad and Caed

Down the slide!! (it's incredibly easy for the youngsters, so if you debate it, you should really let them try, I was surprised..)

The fun little kids area

Down another slide!

His Whole Life

Last week I was outside the building museum on a grassy area and I asked Caed who was trailing off the area to come back closer to me. He replied very sternly to me:

"Mom, I am dreaming about my whole life!!"

he didn't want to come over, and surprised by the answer, I told him to come over to me again and with his finger pointing out and everything he repeated:

"I am dreaming about my whole life!!"

How does a 2 year old dream about their whole life?

They take it from a line in a movie that his mommy let him watch. Disney's Cars is the movie of choice (watched on our portable DVD player on our multiple travels this summer) and today I heard the line after Caed chuckled when the character said it, and then he repeated it. It's a barely noticeable line, but he thinks it's particularly funny, but serious as evidenced it how he used it to respond to me last week.

Too much.

Another funny Caed thing is that he's been asking pretty regularly to go to my nana's house (his mormor) to play with her trucks. She has at least a dozen Hess toy trucks that she brings out when the kids at at her house- but she's a good 7 hour drive, so stopping by isn't possible. Today after his nap he asked to put on his shoes, and so we put them on, and then he said "okay, let's go to mormor's house now." It breaks my heart because I would love to take him to see her (trucks) right then and there! I let him talk to her yesterday on the phone and it only made him more upset that he could hear her but he couldn't go there!

My Garden

This year I moved my vegetable garden to my front yard. We have a very nice yard considering we are in dc and don't own a 1/2 million dollar home. I tried for two years to grow a vegetable garden in my backyard in the shade of our willow tree. I tried my hardest to keep the tree trimmed, and keep the garden healthy but it just didn't work. I got one tomato off of a plant and some lettuce! So this year in the spring I took out some hedges that i hated and moved the garden to the front yard (off to the side, not in the center) and I have had so much already!! I planted tomatoes (3 kinds) Japanese eggplant, banana peppers, green peppers, yellow squash, and cucumbers. I didn't plan well, but I wasn't sure how it was going to go- so I have a squash overcrowding issue, but otherwise all my plants are producing so much!! I'll be doing a little reworking of my back garden (to shade enjoying plants) and take all the hard work out of vegetable gardening in the future (as long as we live there!). Here is a picture I took of last weeks crop. A lot of the success is also due to a neighbor who has graciously been watering our plants while we've been travelling so much.



I also planted zinnias from seed, and I planted Gerber Daisy's which keep producing as well, and here's my little bouquet that I clipped from my shadier back yard...

Cutest Ever

So here's one picture of Caed at Uncle Andrew & Auntie Sally's wedding. I didn't take a single photo from the day. I can't believe it. But here's the well-behaved-but-can't- make-a-forced-smile-yet photo. Much to my family's chagrin he was adorable and extremely well behaved.
(thank you grandpa for passing along the photo!)

On the Road Again?

We're off again on a last minute trip to Jon's parents on the beach on Long Island. We'll get some boat time, and time to see Becky & Jason and new baby Eliana. I promise as soon as we're home for more then a few days I do have some fun pictures. We'll be back.