Cool Photos

TJ asked me to take photos of him while he was running around listening to music.  After downloading them all it looks like the is doing some cool alternative dancing!

Have a great day!

Happy 4th Birthday TJ

My wonderful boy TJ turned 4 years old yesterday.  I can not believe how fast time is going by, and I can not remember life without him.  I wanted to make this day so very special for him so here are some of the things we did to celebrate his birthday.

 The night before his birthday I brought out his baby scrapbook and another one I made while I was pregnant with him.  We looked at all the pictures, talked about how much he had grown and all the new things he learned to do this year.  We also discussed some plans for he next day. Finally before he went to sleep I read this wonderful poem that was passed on to me from a yahoo group.

"When I have said my evening prayer,

And my clothes are folded on the chair,

And mother switches off the light,

I will be ___ years old tonight.

But, from the very break of day,

Before the children rise and play,

Before the greenness turns to gold,

Tomorrow, I'll be ___ years old.

____ kisses when I wake.

____ candles on my cake."

 First I decorated the house while he was asleep.  This made for a very late night for me becuase he didn't fall asleep until after 10pm. I set the kitchen table with a fabric party hat and felt birthday cake I made for him. The fireplace has felt flowers, streamers and some flowers the boys made.  I also hung our fabric birthday banner (forgot to take a picture of that) and some balloons.  On a table I placed his photo albums, some pictures in frames and other baby items for him to look at.

 When TJ woke up he was a bit confused about this whole birthday thing.  He thought it was only the party that you get not a whole day for your birthday.  He loved all the decorations and helped me add a few more.  We made birthday cards (I had expected MJ to wake early and surprise TJ, but he slept later), watched the Signing Time birthday video, and played with balloons.  Next we decided what park TJ really wanted to go to.

 Nanny invited us to her house for lunch so we decided to go to a fun playbround near her house.  Cousins E and J joined us.  TJ wanted to dress like a super hero so he could rescue his cousins and MJ if they needed his help.  At the park TJ started to play with some other kids and had conversations with them (this is new for him).  He loved riding his bike there too.  Lunch was delicious and TJ was thrilled with the cake Nanny bought.  TJ has also taken a liking to baby J and loves to pet him.  He was very proud to be asked to hold him for a photo.

Ater lunch we went home.  I tried to put the boys down for a nap... I told TJ a birthday story I learned from several Waldorf groups, using the fairies we had made. He lay down for a few min and then came to me and said he couldn't sleep because he really wanted to play in the rain.  So out he went to use a paint roller on a stick in the puddles!  MJ of course couldn't sleep either although I tried much longer with him.  After some fun in the rain we came in for a special birthday circle time.  We sang some Signing Time birthday songs.  I had more planed but Daddy coming home was way more exciting.

For dinner TJ asked to go to Boston Pizza.  He wore his little party hat and was so excited.  The boys were too eager to get to the cupcakes we brought so they didn't eat much.  Dessert was a big hit and so was TJ's gift.  He had been asking for a basket to carry his stuffed friends on his bike.  You can't imagine how hard it is to find a non-girly pink basket!  I have never seen someone so excited over a flashlight and some bike accessories.

Of course TJ wanted the optional plastic flowers on his basket!

When we got home we decorated his bicycle and played outside for a while.  we proceeded with our usual bed routine just a little later than usual and everyone (including Daddy) went to be early.  I, on the other hand, stayed up to write to all of you!

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday traditions that were shared with me.  Many thanks also to everyone who passed on special birthday wishes to TJ, he was very happy to hear from each of you.

Christmas Sneak Peek - Gifts For the Boys part 1

Warning!  If you do not want to see what I am giving the boys for Christmas then read no further. 

Mom this is for you!!

For a long time now TJ has been using our fabric roads but gets frustrated because they wrinkle.  This year I made TJ a car mat!  I am so excited to give TJ this gift.  There are many different blogs who have inspired this idea and unfortunately I didn't write them all down.  I do encourage you to do a quick search for car mats to give you some ideas.  I have even found some cute ones for girls.

Rolls up for easy travel.

Pockets for "parking" cars

Farm, construction site, places that TJ loves to go

Down town

Love this idea from Soule Mama for gift bags.  I'd like to have ours all coordinated too so I'm waiting until after Christmas this year in hopes of a good sale.

I'm very pleased at how this turned out.  I got the green material from Value Village as an old blanket that I cut in two pieces.  The rest was made of felt and material from my stash.  I'm a little annoyed that the velcro ribbon is not centred at all.  I'm tempted to move it, but I know TJ won't mind.

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks coming soon.

A Happy Ending

Today ended so wonderfully that I just had to write about it.  My boys played mostly by themselves today, nicely, without needing me too much, for over half an hour!!!!!!! I still can't believe it happened.

It all started this morning...

TJ and his incredible memory remembered a toy that he wanted to use.  He tried to describe it to us but both mommy and daddy were thinking of something else and mistakenly told TJ that we no longer had it.  So after a melt down and slightly stressful pancake breakfast, TJ tried again to describe what he wanted.  Once we clued in it began an early morning hunt all over the house for a Playmobile tractor.

As soon as MJ saw the tractor, he wanted it too so they started to fight.  I had a revelation and remembered that we had a tone of Playmobile in storage, so Jon dug out the ladder and went looking.  We found another large tractor and a helicopter.

It was like Christmas came early for those two.  All day they played with these toys without stopping.  MJ would twirl around in circles to make the helicopter fly.  TJ loaded the tractors with millions of different loads. One load included my Blackberry which ended up outside in a compartment of the Skidoo (thanks Jon for finding that one!)

TJ pulling a toy pot full of random things

MJ driving a tractor on the couch

In the evening they chose to play with these toys instead of our sensory bins!  MJ is learning to play and copy how TJ drives the tractor around to pick up loads.  He tried many times throughout the day to join in our imaginative play.  TJ attached the helicopter to many different containers and made deliveries.  He even helped MJ fix his tractor when the trailer came off.

TJ with the helicopter pulling a flatbed truck

MJ and the tractor with his Taggie blanket

On a side note it was also a very productive day.  I got more leaves cleared, finished TJ's christmas present (will post on that soon), did some house work and Jon and I put some company labels on his truck! Oh and MJ has been trying to sing to me.  He is copying a song from Baby Signing Time called sunny day.  It comes out more like "sun sun sun a guy", he is trying to say "sun sun sun in the sky".

Sharing

The other day a very good friend of mine gave our boys a special Halloween treat.  We were all given a chocolate pumpkin sucker and TJ also got a gummy candy skewer.  Oh TJ couldn't wait to eat his treats but it was late at night so we had to wait.

Thank you Nanny for TJ's Lightning McQueen Costume.
TJ hasn't taken it off for a few days except to sleep and reminds us often that he is a car.

The next day at snack time I let him eat half of the chocolate and a few gummies.  I figured that was enough for one day.  MJ got to eat 2 small pumpkin candies.

Later in the afternoon I asked him to choose one or the other.  After munching on his chocolate for a bit he looked over and realized MJ had a whole sucker that he wasn't really eating.  Of course MJ had just woken up and was rather grumpy at the time.  

MJ in his new Tigger costume along with his cousin as a fairy.
Thanks again to Nanny for so much fun!

I noticed that TJ laid his sucker near MJ in the table.  I thanked TJ for trying to help cheer up MJ and gave it back to him.  I thought nothing of it.  After snack time TJ wanted to talk to me about MJ's chocolate.  He insisted that MJ needed to share his sucker.  I passed it off and we went out to play.  At bed time TJ brought it up again.  I tried to explain that it was MJ's sucker and he had eaten his own.  TJ didn't like that and insisted that MJ had to share.  

"But you didn't share your candy," I said.  

"Yes I did", says TJ, "I put my chocolate near MJ but he didn't want it!" (this in a frustrated voice)
How could I respond?  I could only laugh and hug my TJ!

He had offered a half eaten sucker to a crying baby and expected to get his share in return.
I will still have to deal with the issue tomorrow, but for now I am thankful I got to see a glimpse into how TJ's mind works.

Dinner for our forrest friends

I was looking through my posts and realized I had forgotten to post this.

A few weeks ago we were playing with the play food inside.  I had brought everything out so that MJ could play while I made dinner.  TJ was rather disappointed that he couldn't really make dinner with me in the play pots.  I suggested that he could go outside and make the squirrels some dinner. 

TJ's stew for the forrest friends

TJ had a wonderful time gathering all sorts of nuts, berries, moss, sticks... anything he thought animals might enjoy.  We set his buffet up on a tree stump and went into dinner.  After a few days we did notice that most of the food was gone.

Tasty dessert of berries TJ collected

How do you transition to meals or what do your kids do while you make dinner??

Exploding Lizard

This story is so cute even though it was a tragic end for our lizard sprinkler.

We were given a blow up lizard sprinkler for TJ's first birthday.  Each summer it comes out and were have a great time.  This summer TJ has been enjoying playing with the hose a lot so the lizard sat blown up in the back yard.  The other day it was really hot so I got out all our water toys and we went to hook up the lizard.  I blew it back up and attached the hose but the water was only coming out of a few holes.  TJ began to get upset so I did some investigating and poking around.  I believe that the lizard must have had a hole on the inside because it was filling with water instead of air.

I explained to TJ that his lizard was broken and he got a bit upset.  He wanted to hug the lizard.  Imagine the little guy trying to hug  blowup lizard filled with water (it was rather heavy).  We tried to relieve the pressure and get some water out.  I figured that it was hopeless and explained to TJ that the lizard was broke and we had two choices.  We could throw it out or play with it broken.

"Mommy Lizzy is big.  It is too big for the garbage."

So we turned on the hose again. and the Lizard filled with water.  After a few minutes the side split and the lizard exploded.  TJ was confused and upset that the water wasn't coming out.  I showed him the hole and explained that we needed to say goodbye to the lizard and toss it out.

"I can see that you are upset about your lizard.  Did you want to give it a hug?"

Imagine a little boys in his swim suit holding a limp lizard with a huge hole in it.  Quivery lip and all...
"I can't give it a hug like that."

Oh I couldn't help but laugh a little and hug him.  We decided to get a new lizard next year.

Nature Treasure Hunt

I saw this idea on I am Momma Hear Me Roar  a while back.  TJ and I have been enjoying playing outside more often so I thought it would be fun to try out our own nature treasure hunt together.  He got all dressed up and brought a friend with him.  I loved to watch how excited TJ got when we found something on the list.  Afterwards he reviewed what we had found for several days and talked about the pictures on the box. We'll have to do this again maybe with different items.

The blank spot on our container was for TJ to choose his own treasure.  He picked some flowers to add to our collection.

Puppet Power!!

Oh wow I forgot how awesome puppets are.  When TJ was young he loved puppets.  We played with them all the time, but after a while they just got set aside.  After MJ was born they came out again but not as often.  The other day we discovered that puppets can be so very helpful and fun too.

Puppets can do house work

In the past week our puppets have been very busy helping TJ with his emotions and communication.  He feels more comfortable talking to the puppet rather than a person.  I don' t know why but  get more from him if he talks to the hand.   TJ will come to me with some puppets and ask if we can play wooden blocks. My puppet doesn't always want to share to TJ explains why we have to (oh sneaky mommy).  If TJ is upset my puppet loves to hug him.  TJ is very polite and caring towards out puppet friends and in turn is nicer to MJ while we are all playing.

At a friend's house we made a sock puppet together.  TJ wouldn't take it off for several days.  He took it shopping and more.  He also now takes his puppets out if he is feeling nervous about new situations.

Of course orange is TJ favourite colour so we even gave his puppet an orange tie!

What puppet fun have you had?

Happy Birthday TJ

My post is a day late.  My big boy TJ turned 3 yesterday.  I can't believe how fast time flies.  He is growing up to be such a wonderful boy!

In the morning we talked about birthdays and watched Signing Time Happy Birthday to You.  TJ was all excited and wanted to make a party hat for himself.  All day he couldn't wait for cakes and parties and such.  We ended up having a quiet day at home.  At snack time TJ got a cupcake with a candle then his present from us.  This awesome Kijiji find is so perfect!!! Yes he has a motorized tractor with a trailer.

TJ rode around all day collecting sticks and giving MJ a ride.  Later I made cupcakes for TJ to decorate.  We went to Boston Pizza for dinner.  Nanna and Aunt Brooke came to join us.  There TJ got a wonderful gift from Nanny and Grampy.  He played with his new bulldozer well into the evening.  He shared his backhoe loader with MJ.  TJ wanted o sleep with his new ruck but we decided it was too big for the bed.  So he woke up early today and is playing as I type.

What a great day.  TJ and MJ are having a joint party in June so I'll post more on that later.