Last night after dinner we went out on a search for a new park. We went to an elementary school on the west side of town with a map of the United States painted on the parking lot. We spent a while showing Henry all the places that his family and friends live. Then we headed around to the back of the school to the playground. It was quite a walk from the parking lot to the playground. I pointed the slides out to Henry. He said "That is far away. I can't go very fast I only have 2 foots not 4 foots."
When we headed back to the car we stopped again at the United States map and Henry proceeded to show us where he lives. Where Nana lives. Where Jason and Mandy live. Where Gramma Alee lives. Where Aunt Annie lives. And Florida.

We were looking over a few pictures of birthday cake possibilities for Henry this evening. He picked a train cake again, this time in the snow. I said "Okay Hanky, that is the one we'll have on your birthday." He said "But Mama when I eat too much of that cake I will get sick. And then I will be big and round like a ball."

Working...almost a little too well

We were just about to give up on Henry ever using the potty when my friend Elizabeth suggested that we try m&m's. It was the only bribe that worked for her when she was potty training her daughter. Generally I am not a fan of giving sugar to an already high energy little person, but we were desperate so we gave it a try and it worked immediately. He has been in his big boy underpants ever since. 1 m&m for a pee. 3 for a poop. Why this was not suggested in any of the 20 parenting books that I own is a mystery to me. Thank God for the advice of other Mom's. There is a problem though. Henry loves getting m&m's so much that he has been walking around with a glass of water since 8 am yesterday morning. He has two tiny sips, says "I think it's ready" and then runs to the bathroom. Even with the trips to the bathroom every 3 minutes we are all thrilled to see him use the potty. And it is fun to see him so proud of himself. Next stop....preschool!

Little Boy

We are fielding a lot of questions these days

Papa, do cats like cheese?

Mama, why is the moon out in the morning?

Papa, how do they get the raisin in the yogurt?

Riding the train

We took the advice of several friends and brought Henry to ride on the Midland Train this weekend. Before the train left the kids were given some time to explore. There was a red caboose, two passenger cars, an outdoor car with benches for passengers and a orange engine. The train was slow. We went about 11 miles one way and it took over a half hour. Our destination was Norwood, which it turns out, it just a small area of the woods that has been cleared out, mowed and given a name.

Henry was excited. He was focused and very concerned that we find a seat and sit down so that the train did not leave without us. He made a half-hearted attempt at exploring the caboose but his mind was preoccupied with finding our seats. In the green car. Once we got in our seats Henry sat very still and held on to his ticket to give to the conductor. Gigi and Grandpa came along and Henry was glued to Grandpa's side most of the way out. He got a little bit more adventurous on the way back and by the time we returned he was running up and down the train car, leaving my stomach in knots, but having a pretty good time.

Rapid Fire

That is how I would describe being Henry's parents. He moves so quickly from being funny to serious to surprising to naughty. Just when I think "oh I have to remember that for the blog" he does something else and I forget what it was I was supposed to remember. What I can tell you is that Henry's personality is really coming through and I think I can speak for everyone that is getting to know that it is a pretty special and fun experience. Overall he is proving himself to be a very empathetic little boy. He recognizes and understands emotion and has learned to comfort people. The other day Wade I and were having a conversation about our civic, which is breaking down, and I was feeling overwhelmed and Henry noticed and said "You sad Mama? Don't be sad. It will be okay Mama. Do not worry. Is the blue car broken? Just take it to Bob (our mechanic that apparently Henry knows about). He will fix it and you will feel better."

He does this sort of thing all the time and it is always so very surprising to me to see that in a 2 year old. (But then again I have no idea what other 2 year olds are doing.)

He is very particular about how things are done and who does them. Mama sings song at night night. Papa does the "Get the silly's out" dance. The glass of water goes here when we eat our dinner and after his bath we have to look for and talk about all his pruny parts before we can dry off and run out of the room for his "after bath crazies". As I understand it this desire for routine and consistency is very common in 2 year olds but it is amazing to watch him in action. His memory is very good, especially when you compare it to the memory of his old and tired parents :)

Henry also makes jokes. He calls them baby jokes. He will laugh and say "Just a little baby joke there." He tells stories, usually about choo-choo trains and flying. He dances and says "Hey Mama, check out my new move." He thinks every kind of ouchy should be covered in a band-aid, even the not-bleeding kind. He rarely sits still for more than a few minutes. He believes that his new running shoes make him run faster. He is learning how to play with kids his own age and is very happy just being bossed around by the neighbor girl. He is very sound and smell sensitive and will tell you right away if you are "too smelly". He is quick to remind people that he loves them and that they are his friend (best friend is usually saved for Grandpa or Papa). He thinks that there are 4 places that people go when they travel-the beach, Topeka, the North Pole and Africa. He will get naughty if he is tired or had too much sugar. He loves reading books, Jonny Cash and Bob Marley, his Geo Tracks train set, building machines, yogurt covered raisins and says nearly every day "Mama, today is a wonderful day." And I have to say that with Henry around, it always is. :)

A work in progress

Someone's Birthday Wish

“I WISH FOR A RIDE IN A CHOO-CHOO TRAIN!”
-Henry, 8/6/08, right before we blew out the candles on my birthday cake.

Wet chalk

I made this in April and forgot to post it.

Henry's favorite lunch

Beanadilla's and PBSB towers

Oh and more with the puppets. They came with us to the grocery store this morning.

Puppets

Henry and I made puppets on Saturday.

We played so much that by nap time everyone was exhausted. The bear suggested that we build a cave to sleep in and then it was time for a couple of hours of hibernation.

Wrestling

Wrestling may not be just a "boy thing" but I can tell you that growing up in house with 4 girls there was not a whole lot of it going on. The same can not be said of the house that I live in now. Wade and Henry wrestle so often that we have to put down a mattress on the floor to prevent any major ouchies. And it works out quite nicely because at the end of a major wrestling session there is nothing better than a nap.

Riding in the car with Henry

Being strapped into a seat with no option to run, jump, kick or dance, has created the opportunity for us to have a wonderful glance into Henry’s blossoming imagination.

This morning-
H-Yook Mama. I caught a butterfly.
M-Wow Henry. What color is it?
H-It’s Yellow and Huge.
M-I see it.
H-It is wiggling and tickling my hand now.
M-How does it feel?
H-Silly
M-What will do it with it next?
H-I will hold it and keep it because it is my beautiful friend.
M-Okay
H-Yook Mama. Ders one right next to you head.
M-I caught it!
H-What color is it Mama?
M-It’s pink and very tiny.
H-Does it tickle you hand?
M-A little bit but not as much as your yellow one because it is so small.
H-Be very gentle Mama.
M-I will Henry.

Music

It seems almost cruel to post this video without any sound but I love the first 15 seconds so much that I just can't resist. Sorry it is dark and blurry. I think you'll get the idea. The song was called Cheese. As in "Cheese" for the camera. It was pretty much just "cheese, cheese, cheese.." over and over again. A Henry original.

Big Boy Underpants (We'll try anything to get this kid on the potty)

Oops

Wade got pulled over on Sunday. When he called to tell me about it Henry was playing with blocks in the other room. Evidently I must have called the officer a jerk because this morning Henry called both his Aunt Susie and Grandpa a jerk. When asked what a jerk is he told them “A cop that pulls you over because of your expired tags.”

Henry wisdom

It's a beautiful day to wake up Papa.
Ders the sun and the clouds and the birds singing and the blue skies and the ground and Kaiser (our cat) and the cars.

Room

It has been almost a year since we started working on Henry's room. It's amazing how difficult it is to finish a project with a 2 year old, especially when it is his room that is the project. It was cool and rainy this morning so we decided to work on Henry's room. We have been waiting for a cool morning so that we could open the windows to lessen the paint fumes. We got all of the painting done this morning and put on the moldings and even had time to put a little art on the walls. Tomorrow we are going to go look for a new bedroom door and closet doors and then once we get that up Wade is going to start building shelves and a window seat on the north wall. Hopefully we will have that finished by Henry's 3rd birthday :)
This picture is super boring but I just wanted to show you the color of his room and the new carpet and moldings. I'll try to take more pictures soon.