Day 144 (5/24/11) - To Pee, Or Not to Pee

Since Ryan goes to the bathroom every night before his bath, Gavin insists on doing the same.  I'm not sure that anything actually comes out, but he refuses to climb into the tub without sitting on the Elmo potty first.  While on one hand I will be glad to finally "dump the diapers," I don't know that I'm really ready for my baby to be potty trained since that's a sure sign he's growing up!

Day 177 (6/26/11) - Diving Board Daredevil

Last summer we spent most of our time in the baby pool.  This summer, it appears we're going to spend it in the deep end of the big pool!  Today - which was only our second time at the pool this season - Ryan mustered up the courage to go off the diving board!

We met his friends Kamdyn and Braxtyn there and they had just learned how to do it a couple of days earlier.  Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Ryan decided he was going to give it a try.  For his first jump he wasn't ready to have his head go underwater.  So, I treaded water under the diving board and he reached down to hold my hands as he jumped in.  For his second jump, I treaded water again, but a little further away and he jumped into my outstretched arms, this time allowing his head to go under.  The third time, I was in the pool ready to help if needed, but let him do it by himself.  From that jump on, he was fine.  He spent the next 2 hours jumping off the diving board!  With some encouragement from the Koch boys, he even tried a few tricks, such as a "twist jump" and "split jump."  He'll be diving and doing flips in no time!  I was so proud of how brave he was!  While I'm pleased that he's becoming more comfortable in the water and a more confident and competent swimmer, it also makes me realize how quickly he's growing up.  My little boy is turning 5 soon and is jumping off the diving board into 10 feet of water!

Gavin, who must have wanted to share some of the spotlight with Ryan,decided to grab the aluminum can hanging under the grill to catch grease drippings.  This time he sliced the index finger on his right hand.  An Elmo band aid, the boo-boo bunny and some kisses from Mommy and Ryan made it feel better for a little while, but it was still sore when he went to bed.  Mike will check it when he gets home tonight to make sure he doesn't need stitches, but we're hopeful that it's just a nasty cut that will heal on its own.  Anybody want to make bets on when he breaks his first bone?!     

Day 169 (6/18/2011) - Final Tee-Ball Game

Today was also Ryan's final tee-ball game of the season.  He truly enjoyed his first tee-ball experience and is looking forward to playing again next Spring.

Each player is rotated through the various field positions throughout the season.  Ryan patiently waited for his turn to play pitcher, the most sought after spot.  Finally, in the last game, Ryan was assigned to the position.  He even made a play, throwing the runner out at first base (although in this league there are no outs).

The coach selected Ryan to be the final batter in the final inning of his final game.  With a player on each base (the rules in this league are one base per hit), the final batter gets to hit a grand slam, rounding all the bases until he scores the final run.  I didn't expect to become emotional, but I teared up watching my little boy take his role so seriously and then try to hide a proud grin as he crossed home plate.

After the game the coach handed out trophies and the team posed for a group picture.

Day 169 (6/18/2011) - Gavin's 2nd Birthday Party

We hosted a Sesame Street-themed party to celebrate Gavin's 2nd birthday.  Given his fondness for Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird, in particular, I got decorations and made cupcakes featuring his favorite characters.  Before opening presents and having cake, we had a good old fashioned cookout complete with potato chips, coleslaw, potato salad, and hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.  We figured we'd offer food that the boys would actually eat and a BBQ seemed more appropriate than chicken nuggets and goldfish!

Here's the birthday boy!  A year has passed, how time has flown; we can't believe how much Gavin has grown!

Present time!  Both boys are spoiled by their overly generous grandparents and aunts and uncles!  There were so many gifts for Gavin to open, and, much to Ryan's dismay, Gavin was old enough to do most of the unwrapping himself!

Although Gavin isn't old enough to appreciate them yet, I sure am grateful for all the cute clothes he received! 

In keeping with the theme of the party, many of Gavin's gifts were Elmo related (Elmo Play Doh, doctor kit, Lego kits, books, clothes). 

A milestone moment:  Gavin receives his first pair of Adidas Sambas from Mom Mom.

Gavin asks Granny to read him his birthday card.  Both boys are incredibly fortunate to have two great-grandmothers still living! 

While he may be another year older, he's no less messy when eating cake!  Since he was wearing white (which is a pretty brave (or unwise) color choice for a rambunctious two-year old!) we removed his shirt for cake time.  Although his face and hands were covered with icing and cupcake crumbs, at least he did not require a bath this year!

"Here, there and everywhere,
Up and down and all around.
So hard to contain that boy these days!
And he'll soon start that Terrible Two phase.
Here comes Trouble, on the run,
from morning until day is done.
Yet, cute as a bug and so loveable too,
We're grateful to share his birthday with all of YOU!"

Day 143 (5/23/11) - Un-Birthday Celebration

Since Ryan has a summer birthday, his teachers arbitrarily picked today to celebrate his un-birthday at school.  I made a pizza cookie for his birthday snack at school.  The dough is made from sugar cookies, the pizza sauce is red icing, the cheese is grated white chocolate, the green peppers and pepperoni are cut out from fruit roll-ups, and the black olives are decorator's gel.

I was the parent helper in class and Mike and Gavin joined us for the final half-hour to celebrate Ryan's un-birthday.  During circle time, Ryan got to share his pages in the birthday book with his classmates.  He was so excited that none of them were able to guess what he wanted to be when he grows up.  Many assumed he wanted to be a policeman like his Daddy; others guessed he wanted to be a race car driver or builder. 

Day 142 (5/22/11) - Mulch Slide

After days of looking at the giant mulch pile in our driveway, and longing to play on it, the boys finally couldn't resist climbing to the top and pretending it was a super slide.  Their giggles as the raced to the top and slid down and their filthy smiling faces and twinkling eyes made all the clean up worth it!

Day 141 (5/21/11) - Air Show

Trooper 2 hosted a family day today in conjunction with the air show that was being held at Andrews Air Force Base.  It was nice to finally meet all the pilots and medics and their families.  Most of them have children around the same ages as Ryan and Gavin.  The kids had a great time watching the air show performances, climbing on the State Police helicopter, and exploring the hangar.

Gavin was thrilled to see so many planes.  He attracted a lot of attention by how animated he got whenever one flew overhead and how he'd excitedly point to the sky and yell, "air go!"  Ryan was equally as excited, but complained that the loud rumble of the jet engines hurt his ears.  So, he wore Daddy's ear plugs the entire afternoon. 

Trooper 2 was dispatched on a medevac while we were there.  Thankfully, Daddy wasn't on duty since he was the party organizer and primary grill master.  But, it was amazing to watch the State Police helicopter take off directly across from the hangar for Air Force One and to see the planes that were performing in the air show divert their path to allow Trooper 2 to safely launch and head toward its destination.   

The boys decided to take a brief break from the helicopter to check out the tug (a.k.a. John Deere tractor).  The tug is what maneuvers the helicopter in and out of the hanger. 

We took a bucket of sidewalk chalk so that the kids could decorate the concrete pad in front of the hangar.  I'm not sure who suggested they do body outlines, but even the Director of Flight Operations had to lay down so the kids could trace him!  Gavin sees Daddy lying down and assumes it's time for a barnacle hug and kisses!

After nearly 5 hours of waiting, it was almost time for the feature presentation - the Thunderbirds!  Although Gavin protested, we insisted he wear ear protection.  Ryan had been wearing his since 10 a.m.!  The Thunderbirds took off from the runway right in front of Trooper 2.  So, we were able to see all the preparations, including the final inspection from the crew chief for each plane.  It was an inspiring performance - a great end to a great day!