Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Kaden 2.5

At two-and-a-half, Kaden is always on the move.  He's growing like a weed, too - standing about 38 inches tall and weighing in around 35 pounds.  It seems that, overnight, he grew out of all of his clothes; just in time for Spring, I guess.


Kaden is still taking swimming classes and he's doing great - he "dives" into the the pool (which looks more like a belly-flop, yet doesn't appear to hurt) and "swims" the width of the pool all by himself. If his teacher, Erin, doesn't hold on to his legs, his little tush wiggles back and forth - he thinks it makes him go faster, and it's the cutest thing ever...just not very productive. His favorite part of swim is the race at the end. While he is nowhere close to winning, he finishes with a proud smile and gives himself a round of applause.


When Daddy has alone time with Kaden, they usually end up "playing golf" at the local golf store.  He's not really into balls, but loves golf clubs and tennis rackets.  As a protective mama, I like the idea of his involvement in non-contact/non-violent sports!


While he loves being on the go, he relishes the opportunity to stay at home and play with his toys. He's found all of the spots in the house that need "fixing," is obsessed with his trucks, and has started to enjoy building with Leggos.


Poor guy has had a couple of viruses this winter. When he's not feeling well, we do lots of snuggling, watch entirely too many Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes, and read and re-read his favorite books (I Love you Stinky Face, Chief Rhino to the Rescue, Green Eggs and Ham, Leonardo the Terrible Monster, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, and any of the Curious George books).


He's still mischievous and into everything. On this day, it was my lipstick.



The artist is Kaden has taken bloom.  Playdough is his favorite medium, but he loves painting at art class too.


Kaden got a scooter for Valentine's Day from Gammi and Pop. He took to it right away, but still has a difficult time steering. His favorite place to ride is on the basketball court at the playground...or down the hall in the house. When we made the mistake of brining it inside, he rode around all evening, running into walls and repeating, "I ride my scooter all day, all night."  Sure enough, bed time wasn't so easy that night.


We seldom have rainy days here in San Diego, but when we do Tow 'Mater comes out to play.


He is sillier than ever and cracks us up at least a thousand times a day.



The silliness is most prevalent when his comedic partner, Daddy, is around.




Electronics have become a bit of an issue.  Kaden loves the television, iPad, and iPhone and knows how to find his favorite programs on all of them.  We've strictly limited his "screen time," causing him to hide under the table with the phone (see middle photo) when he becomes desperate.  We argued that the doctor said that it wasn't good for little boys to play with electronics, and he bought it.  I'm not sure what we'll do when this logic stops working.


Kaden's favorite weekend activity is having breakfast at Harry's with his Dad.  Scones are his favorite "special treat."


We continue to take advantage of the great San Diego weather.  Kaden loves going to the Zoo, the Birch Aquarium, and Sea World.


He also loves going to the beach.



Kaden has gotten to the age where he and his friends play together rather than simply alongside one another.  There is nothing cuter than listening to them discuss what they want to do and then narrate each step of their play.  


Photos of friends watching the sun set over the beach on Super Bowl Sunday and wearing animal masks at music class.


Kaden and his best buddy, Brooke, at the Zoo and at the Aquarium.

Kaden and friends exploring a fire engine.


This sweet little smile brightens every minute of my day.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

How Sweet It Is

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!




...too bad this little guy was too sick to celebrate properly. Instead of parties and treats, we snuggled on the couch with movies and tea.