Indoctrination Complete

Cayden at breakfast this morning: "Mamma! That's the NPR song! NPR is good radio. I like to hear the words the boys and girls are saying on the radio."

965.7 miles to Mt. Katahdin

We had to take advantage of the copious snowfall of last week so we went out to the AT today to do some snowshoeing. On the way out Cayden established what would constitute an emergency so that we could go get water from the water tower. He likes water towers a lot.






Me: " If there were 4 squirrels would that be an emergency?"
C: " If there were 4 squirrels and the firetruck ran them over, then they would be squashed."
Me: " Would that be an emergency?"
C: "Yes."

Snowmageddon

I think the snow of the last 48 hours is the most snow I have ever seen fall at once. Not counting the blizzard of '76 for which I was two years old and stuck at my teacher's house.

CH2S (Thioformaldehyde)

Yesterday Cayden came running out of the back room with a shrink wrapped unopened video in his hand. He asked me to identify it for him but I had no idea where it came from. "Can you tell me what movie this is?" he repeatedly queried me. "Um, I've never seen that movie before in my life kiddo, sorry."

2 hours later while picking up in the spare room I found the scattered remains of wrapping paper all over the floor and the mystery became clear to me. I brought the paper into the kitchen and related the following conclusion to JD while Cayden listened on: "Hey Mommy, somebody found the present from Nana & Pop-Pop up on the table in the spare room so then somebody went and got their stool and then somebody decided that the present was for them so then somebody unwrapped the present."

With no guile whatsoever the kid immediately yelled "It was Cayden Hoyt Henry Sprayberry!"

Snow Woes

Waking up to 8" of fresh snow is very exciting for everybody. Until we actually get outside that is.

Serious Progress

Warning: this post is entirely about bodily functions that are not good dinner conversation. So, for months now when people ask me if Cayden is potty-trained, I look them in the eye and say, "He's not wearing diapers?". Which is a fancy way of saying no. He picked up peeing on the potty pretty readily, and honestly we probably transitioned him out of diapers a little too soon. But, if you cloth diaper there is not much difference between washing four pairs of pants a day and 8 diapers a day, and his teachers are on board with experiential learning. Cayden had a good learning curve because his teachers would have him change his own pants and underwear (to the best of his ability), and that started ti cut into his play time. He has been paying more and more attention to his body, and honestly only has an accident once or twice a week at school now (more on the weekends because we sometimes forget to remind him to go). Pooping on the potty has been a little bit of a different story. It is really hard for him because there is such random reward. Your average 2 year old will always have at least a little pee to put in the potty, but you can't really summon a poop on command. So, we kind of backed off that front because he was getting really frustrated. We settled for having him tell us when he had a poop accident, and told him that acknowledging a poop as soon as it started would help him learn when it was going to happen. And it looks like this may *gasp* have actually worked. For two poops in a row, Cayden has announced that he is going to poop on the potty, gone to his potty, and done the deed! Granted he has made the announcement about 10 times, and only two resulted in a poop, but he is consistently trying instead of getting sad and frustrated when "it won't come out!". It is a little weird to be proud of him for this, but learning this skill has required Cayden to work on some emotional maturity and patience that he just didn't have 4 months ago. I think that we may actually be able to retire the diaper laundry bin by this summer, an event that will be accompanied by an entire bottle of champagne on my part.

Had it coming...

C: runs into kitchen crying
J: What's wrong Cayden?
C: Toku hit me!
J: Were you poking Toku?
C: NO!
T: What were you doing when Toku kit you?
C: I was tickling him. Just a little bit. I am going to go tell Toku no hitting.
C: runs into living room Toku! No hitting! ROAR!!!

Tyson Likes his Christmas Present

Of course, I didn't get a picture of his previous round. His grouping was a *little* less spectacular.

Wait For It...

That's right! It's a disposable recycling bin!

Son of a Knitter

"That's a Y Mommy. Y is for Yarn."

Eating My Hat

I discovered a great game this summer with my Dad. You pick up a Williams & Sonoma catalogue and commence mocking the absurdly specific and expensive tools they have. Take Exhibit A : really? A 100$ hot chocolate maker? Have you people never heard of a microwave? Or a cooktop? However, much to my chagrin, I have found a thoroughly superfluous 'cook's tool' that I want: the potato glove. I know, I know. I am not normal.

Hawks attack Cows....who knew?

To go along with his deep and abiding interest in communication is Cayden's new obsession with telling stories. Whenever JD or I are telling a story to each other in his presence he asks what we're talking about and listens carefully to our explanation. So obviously this has led to him telling us his stories.

Another First

Saturday, 5 December 2009.

The Emergence of Testosterone

This week has seen a significant shift in the imaginative play in our household. For many weeks, we have been little kitty and mommy kitty. We talk in high voices and giggle and are very cute. Now we are seeing increasing occurrences of dinosaurs. Little dinosaurs roar and yell and stomp. They do not giggle, they spit. Happily, they still like to snuggle with mommy dinosaurs ("snuggle" = a little dinosoar crawling sweetly into my lap, then sudden flailing and roaring while the mommy dinosaur rapidly ejects the baby dinosaur in a futile attempt to avoid injury).

You have to draw a line somewhere

C: (snatches at my nose) I got your nose!
J:  (continuing game) I got your ear!
C: I got your nose!
J: I got your other ear!
C: I got your nose!
J: (snatches at the top of Cayden's head) I got your free will!
C: No, Mommy. Don't take my free will. Put my free will back!

Tiny Post

Not an extensive holiday photo post, I know.

A very difficult puzzle. Although it doesn't look it.

Waiting for the Orange Line.

Priorities

"Mommy, we love ourselves. We love each other. And that's our coffee."

Fashion Cayden Strikes Again

"Mommy, I want those pants. The camo pants. (picks desert-camoflogue pants up out of laundry). But I don't see the camels though. Mommy do you see the camels?"

Sprayberries and Swine Flu

Cayden came down with a nasty fever 102/ 103F on Friday, and pretty much didn't leave our side for 14 hours. The next morning we settled him onto the couch with some Thomas movies and he stayed there, dozing in and out of consciousness for the whole day on Saturday. We managed to keep him hydrated and by Sunday morning his fever broke. I don't think it was actually swine flu, because that seems to be much more virulent, but Ty and I were worried enough about it on Friday night to bring him into our bed and exile ourselves to a fitful night. Sounds like a stressful weekend, but it turns out that when our whiney two year old is in a fever delirium, he becomes a delightful, charming, and snuggly little boy. Happily/ sadly he is back to whining and crying for such dire offenses as offering to make him breakfast, so I think the flu-danger has passed.

Hi Res Berry

It seems that in every photo I have of my kid lately he's wearing his Lightning McQueen jacket. Grandpa Spray and Grandma Ellen have a knack for clothing that he loves to death.