Easter - Round 1

Every holiday tends to come in three different 'Rounds' in our house. Round 1 is usually Pa and Grams (Kirk and Patty), Round 2 is Mom and Dad (Mike and I), and Round 3 typically arrives a little later (Kent and Karen). Dylan's Easter festivities began last week when he got a package in the mail from Pa and Grams. He had a great time discovering what was in the wrapping paper. I think he is finally understanding that presents are not just about the unwrapping part. He now knows that the best part is what is under all the paper.

Okay Mom...let's get this party started!

I've never seen a child unwrap a gift so quickly.

Oooooo, Cool Mom! (Seriously, that's what he said to me)

Grams and Pa know just how to make a kid happy. Dylan's favorite candy is M&M's and he absolutely loves stickers. Combine the two and you have a great gift! He also received some additions to his Thomas the Train collection (also started by Grams); more track pieces and 'Billy' (or as Dylan calls him 'Orange Billy Train').

Easter Round 1 = Happy Dylan.

Lil Artist

I really don't consider myself to have any artistic ability whatsoever. Anything I create that can be considered art is usually a replica of someone else's work. There does, however, seem to be an artist gene on my side of the family. My sister was pretty good in art and I have a cousin who is incredibly talented. Dylan has never really expressed much interest in doing 'craft' projects, but the other day I decided to finally open his set of paints he received as a Birthday gift. The kid was hooked! Every day since then he has begged me to let him paint. It's a mess to clean up, but I love watching him take pride in his masterpiece.

We all know a kid can't keep the mess strictly on paper. By the time he was finished, Dylan had paint on every available surface. That includes every bare body part.

Inspiration

I was reading through a photography lesson last night and the teacher talked about finding your inspiration. It was all about deciding how you want to tell a story and then finding things that will inspire you and help you to tell that story through pictures.

The lesson left me trying to answer the question 'What inspires me?' It seems that I do not spend much time these days really pondering what makes my life enjoyable. I know that I have enjoyable moments every single day. But, I also have some very blah moments every day. I am now thinking that if I could learn how to consciously think about the things that inspire and motivate me, I could probably have more of those enjoyable moments and less of the blah moments.

So, to start, here is what inspires me (well, this is the short list I have been able to come up with since last night):

Dylan's big, inquisitive eyes
Flowers blooming in Spring
Uplifting song lyrics
A friend who knows how to make me look at things from a different perspective
Playing the Piano
Planet Earth (the show on Discovery Channel)
Pilates (I love how it encourages me to learn different ways to use my body)
Good books

This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. It's made me realize that I need to spend more time thinking about the things that enrich my life and encourage me to strive to be better.

Quirky Child

I know that every child has their little quirky things they enjoy doing. Dylan's new fascination just happens to involve crayons. The child will sit for an hour and rip the paper off of them. I have been vaccuuming my carpets at least once a day to clean up all the little Crayola shreds.

Why this is so enjoyable to him is beyond me. But, I am greatful that he has found an activity to occupy him when I just don't feel like it!

Playdate, Parks and Picnics

Oh how we love Spring time around here. It gives the boys an opportunity to do what boys do best...run, jump, climb, eat and get dirty!

Full of Small Surprises

Continuing on with the Daddy/Son bonding theme of last week...Mike must be trying to win some points...with me & with Dylan.

I was grabbing a peaceful few moments to shower today. As I was standing at the sink brushing my teeth, I hear Dylan and Mike shouting 'Mom...Byyyeee!' Naturally, I open the door to make sure I heard them correctly and see what they were doing. Sure enough, they were getting ready to go somewhere. Dylan (who had been in his pj's when I entered the bathroom) was now fully dressed and had his jacket on. Mike was collecting keys, wallet and such. I asked where they were going and Mike said 'to the mall.' First of all, I have to laugh because I swear my husband is the only one who actually sets off to go the mall on his own. Second, this little thrill at the thought of a couple 'alone' hours entered my head. Mike proceeded to tell me he needed to return some pants and look for some jeans for work. 'Plus,' he added, 'you look like you could use a break.' REALLY?!

So, here I sit enjoying my peace and quiet. I think I'll continue with my new obsession with 'LOST'. Hope everyone else is having as fabulous a weekend as I am.

Taking Note

I am realizing more and more that I complain about things way too much. Especially when it comes to Dylan. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with him each and every day. Some days I feel like I am at my wits end and others I feel like we've had the perfect day. Every time we go to a playdate, I am reminded that I actually have a very well behaved toddler. Lucky me.

This very sweet little boy has me in tears tonight. Not bad tears, tears of pure love and happiness. Dylan has never really been a song and dance kid. He actually gets mad and screams 'NO' if I try to dance around with him. He has never even attempted to sing a song and most of the time does not like it if I sing to him - except when he's going to bed at night. Each night when he hops in bed, I sing 'You Are My Sunshine'. I sing others, but they vary from night to night. I sing this particular song every single night because I feel like it helps him know just how much I love him. As soon as we finished reading stories this evening, Dylan told me 'songs Mom.' He immediately started singing 'You Are My Sunshine' to me! Words cannot express first, the shock and second, the overwhelming feeling of pride and love that I had for my child at that moment.

Dylan, you truly are my sunshine.