New Activities!

I have been working on some new things for Gavin and I to do together when the weather doesn't allow us to be outside. We tried coloring in January and although he seemed to enjoy it a little (and asked for it several times after that), he was mostly just interested in eating and throwing the crayons still.

So, we will be trying to again sometime, but he clearly isn't quite ready for that yet. Since then, I have been collecting things that will be fun to play in the dirt with (as the weather continues to improve), but also that we can play with in containers of sand, rice, beans, etc.

We haven't tried a lot yet because we have been busy with other things (and Gavin has had a touch of a cold again and we are still waiting for his molars to come in so he can return to his less cranky and better sleeping self). Since we were stuck inside for the first time all week (due to rain) we used the play dough I had made earlier in the week. I decided not to start with something we would need to buy because I figured he would try to eat it and I would rather know exactly what he is eating and it is such cheap to make and convenient because we always have the ingredients on hand.

So, evidence of our first play dough experience...

Not a bad reaction at all. A few funny faces (what in the world is that and what do you expect me to do with it) but other than a few licks there was no eating of the play dough and he started to have a bit of fun squishing it. Hopefully next time he will enjoy it more and try to use some "tools" to poke it as well.

Scott thought it was silly to make it since Play Doh is non toxic but it is so easy and then I know exactly what is in it so I still feel better about Gavin attempting to eat it. I consider play dough a bigger success than coloring but that may just be because it was easier clean up and much less eating involved. Gavin enjoyed both in his own way and so that really makes it all okay in the end. We will keep trying and hopefully he will really start to "get it" and enjoy both as we do them more and more!

Birthday Weekend!!

Happy Birthday to me! I had a wonderful weekend with our family! It started off Friday night with dinner with my parents. My mom made Chicken Enchiladas and a really yummy Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing. For dessert we had Boston Cream Pie and ice cream (Samoa and Drumstick). It was all so delicious and so much better than anything I can make! We had a lot of fun visiting. Gavin loves going over there, so he was enjoying every second of exploring and the attention from Grandma and Grandpa!

Saturday was a nice and quiet birthday. Gavin woke up nice and early (nice kid, right) which resulted in an early nap. I took that time as an opportunity to relax a bit instead of picking things up or showering (rare but I enjoy just snuggling with Gavin once in a while). After Gavin's nap, Scott gave me a present. A new awesome lens for the camera! Yay! I am looking forward to getting some awesome shots with it! After we were all showered and fed, we got ready to run to EMS and pick out a backpack carrier for Gavin to ride in. We had talked about it for a little while and now that the weather is seemingly in Spring mode, it was time to actually make the purchase. It is really nice and Gavin seems to really enjoy riding on our backs in it. When we got home, Scott decided to take Gavin for a walk over to Valkill so I could have a little quiet time to myself. Gavin didn't protest at all and even smiled about being strapped in and up on Scott's back.

I fully enjoyed my quiet time by picking up a little around the house and then vegged out a little watching some Hulu. After they got back, I had to decide what to do for dinner. We didn't really want to go anywhere, so Scott was going to pick up whatever I wanted. We settled on Chinese since that is something we almost never order and I really enjoy. It was so good! It has been so long since I have ordered Chinese that it probably tasted even better. We didn't order a lot and we only got pints of each item (wonton soup, sweet and sour chicken, chicken lo mein, beef with broccoli, and egg rolls) but there was more than enough for the two of us (Gavin wasn't interested and so I heated up some ziti for him to eat for dinner) and there was plenty left over for several lunches for me (YAY)!

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. After Gavin was asleep, I got ready for bed and was in bed not long after because I was exhausted. Getting up so early that morning was painful and I needed to make up some of that sleep, especially since I would be losing an hour to daylight savings time that night.

Sunday was awesome because Gavin slept in a little (by his standards, not ours) and the weather was going to be even nicer so we were going to go for a nice hike over in Valkill. After Gavin's nap and lunch, we packed up water, a few snacks, the camera and ourselves and walked over to the trail. It is 4 miles round trip. It isn't a hard walk but I am glad Gavin was on Scott's back and not mine! It was absolutely beautiful out. Gavin loved it. We stopped to take a quick break for water and a snack before we climbed the last incline to the top and Gavin loved exploring.

He didn't even protest getting back in and heading to the top! He had a blast exploring the grounds around the cottage at the top.

He only protested for a second before he got back in the carrier for the walk home but he was very happy during out walk home. After we got home, Scott and Gavin spent some more time outside while I got dinner ready. Unfortunately, Gavin always thinks it is the end of the world when it is time to come inside (even if it is only for a minute to get something). We have had a quiet rest of the night since both Scott and I were tired from the hike (Gavin has endless energy no matter what though). Thankfully, Gavin is now in bed and I am heading that direction soon since it is getting late and I'm tired! It is totally worth it since it is from an awesome weekend with my family!

Trouble...

Gavin is certainly a master when it comes to finding trouble. It must be an instinct to know exactly what things and places are off limits without having even been told before. He obviously quickly learns what is "not a toy" or "not a play area" and that then becomes the most desirable thing or place. No surprise there. We give him a lot of freedom though. There are plenty of things that are not actually toys that he is allowed to pull out and play with but lately he has really been pushing those limits. He has been "banned" from certain activities because he has decided to ignore the "rules". Again, pretty typical toddler stuff, not fun to enforce (constantly) but part of the territory.

Gavin claimed a bunch of Christmas wrapping paper a few weeks ago. He decided it would be fun to open the container, that I hadn't gotten around to taking back up to the attic yet, pull out rolls of wrapping paper and throw himself a party! Well, I let him have the roll and he had a ball. So, one roll of wrapping paper, no big deal. He loves it and it is cheap, cool. Yeah, too bad he decided to them claim several other rolls. I had to wrestle some away from him to salvage a few of the "old" rolls to pack away with the new ones we picked up this year. So, a few rolls of wrapping paper were sacrificed. It has provided hours of entertainment for Gavin, whatever.

Gavin has been banned (unless he is grabbing his cup of milk or water) from the refrigerator. He used to be allowed to "explore" but that then turned into dropping glass bottles (awesome) and dumping Parmesan cheese all over himself and the floor (double awesome).

Gavin has taken to throwing things over/through the gate to try to get us to "pick up" the item. Really, it is just a ploy to get us to open the gate so he can get down the stairs to play. He has also taken to shoving toys (mostly cars) under doors to try to get us to open the door. Mostly this just happens in the morning when Scott is still sleeping and the door is closed to keep Gavin from barging in and jumping on him. Clever little monkey... caught in the act...

He also loves to smoosh his face against the glass when Scott is hiding out in his radio room to check his e-mail, do some radio stuff or in the case of this day, work from home because his truck was in being inspected. Gavin was pulling out all the stops to try to be let in to "play". Yeah, he pretty much isn't allowed in there anymore either because his playing it usually way too rough and results in a stressed Scott because he doesn't want his equipment broken and a tantrum from Gavin when he is escorted out. So, his faces, while very cute, will get him nowhere.

Thankfully, the weather is starting to warm up, so it is much easier to spend most of our day outside when we are home. We did go outside a lot when it was colder, but after 45-60 minutes at a time it was too cold and time to go inside. Of course, Gavin does find "trouble" outside, but it isn't so bad. I would rather he want to spend his time outside than be stuck inside all the time so I can deal with the throwing, eating, and wearing of dirt and mulch. The insistence of carrying around pine cones, exploring the yard (and our neighbors yards - good thing we have nice neighbors!) and whatever else he manages to find.

Mmmm.... Fresh Fruit Smoothies!

I love smoothies! I love making them at home because they are so easy and you can make whatever combinations you want. The possibilities are endless and awesome! Gavin seems to share this love. Although that is probably for different reasons. He definitely enjoys drinking them (in fact we often make two because he will usually drink a whole glass himself) but I think he enjoying putting them together and pressing the button on the blender more than anything else. So on a pretty regular basis (like most days) we make smoothies!

I love having a little helper in the kitchen!