Goodnight Froggy Mommy

September 28, 2016

Goodnight Froggy Mommy

I don't have a clear memory of the moment that I realized that Griffin had developed a sense of humor. But I do remember he was around 18 months and I remember thinking, "that was really funny-and he did it on purpose". It was kind of a revelation that my kid had developed the idea that he could be funny by saying or doing something. Well, here we are again. Graham has always been a happy, silly kid that loves to laugh. Usually its because Griffin is chasing him around the house, or they are pretending to be kitty cats or because he wants to be tickled. Its been a laugh in reaction to something that he sees or does, until now. The other night I was closing the door to his room after putting him to bed and I said "Good night Grahamy- I love you!" and he replied, "Good night Froggy Mommy!" and then busted out laughing so hard. I started to laugh too and said goodnight to my Froggy Grahamy and we just went back and forth laughing and giggling. So it begins, now he knows he can be funny he has expanded his repertoire. He says "No" when he means "yes" and "up" when he means "down" all only to giggle uncontrollably when I realize that he is just teasing me. Little stinker!

He's also putting his sentences together and we are really able to communicate. He will say things like "I no like this food" or "Put Elmo on the table", or "take off my helmet", or "I want to see Emily" (his teacher). Similar to Griffin's "I Be Back" phrase he used to say at this age, Graham puts his pointer finger up to his mouth to display the importance of what he wants ,especially when he says to me "I'll be right back". I love this age, its so fun to see him really work hard to put his words together and also see the look of accomplishment when he realizes that I know exactly what he wants or says. Also, side note, Graham has been really interested in the potty lately. The last couple weekends we have given him some diaper free time and he has both pooped and peed in his little potty. Pretty neat. I think sometime after his 2nd birthday I might see if he is truly ready to potty train. Griffin was the same way and didn't actually potty train until after his 3rd birthday so I'm not getting too excited :)!

I think I say to Sean everyday how amazed I am with our biggest kiddo. Griffin is literally the kindest big brother in the whole world. Don't get me wrong- the boys have their fair share of conflict, but Griffin truly loves Graham. I am constantly amazed with Griffin's patience with his little brother, its inspiring. He has embraced the role of big brother in a way that seems very grown up. He knows when to tell me he needs space from Graham, when he doesn't mind if Graham destroys his Lego creation and also how to navigate struggles about toys. If Graham has something he wants, Griffin will usually find a toy to trade him with or to ask Graham if he can play with his toy. More often then not, Graham will give Griffin his toy with a big smile. Sharing because you actually want to share is pretty gratifying. Sometimes they don't want to stop playing with their toy and say no and usually the other one is pretty accepting of that and we move on without a fight. Griffin is always the first to rush over to his brother if he's hurt or the first to tell the other kiddos at school that Graham might want space and not to hug him so hard. Last weekend Griffin wanted to buy a toy with his piggy bank money at Target. So we went to Target and picked out a toy with his money, and then he pulled out a couple dollars that he had saved for Graham. He wanted to share his money with his brother so he could get a toy too. Graham picked out a little Elmo that has not left his side since we brought it home from the store. All on his own, he had the idea to share with Graham so he could enjoy his trip to Target too. He's protective, loving, kind and generous. We are so freaking proud of him I can't even put it into words. He's setting an awesome example for his little brother and because of that Graham is basically in constant awe of Griffin. Watching his emotional development progress is just as fun as watching his physical development progress. Want to be happy? Just watch Griffin ride his bike, it gives you ALL the good feels.

We have been riding pretty consistently with the boys to school and to the UofA on the weekends. We rode from our house all the way to Himmel Park last weekend! Its all uphill, Griff totally rocked it. Graham loves the bike trailer and usually sings the whole bike ride, its so fun. Its also pretty fun to watch the reaction that Griffin gets when people see him ride his bike. Its all smiles and "check that kid out!". He looks so tiny on his bike, he's basically like 90% helmet. Its nice to spread the joy around! Sean has been riding his bike in to work most of the week too, its nice to see him back on his bike. He also fixed up his commuter bike and converted it to a single speed. He calls it his "fun bike"! I have been hitting the gym for the past couple months, its been so nice to work on getting back in shape. I cancelled my YMCA membership and instead joined the U of A Rec Center as an alumni. Its such a nice gym and I really enjoy going, sweating and getting stronger.

We also are currently working on planting some trees in the backyard. Myron came in August and helped us removed a bunch of rock and concrete from our backyard, so we are almost starting with a clean slate. Sean dug the irrigation ditches last weekend and we are hoping to assemble our tubing this weekend and then plant sometime in the coming weeks. We wanted to get our trees growing this Fall and hopefully give us some more privacy in our backyard. The funny thing is that once your do irrigation everything else follows pretty quickly so we might have our backyard done sooner then later. We'll see!

In the meantime, we are enjoying the cooler weather, I have our front yard decked out in Mums and fall decor. I'm on batch number three of homemade applesauce and we are looking forward to the pumpkin patch, October dinner and Halloween. This time of year I always wish I was up in Washington, watching the leaves change, drinking apple cider and hiking the Sandy River Delta with the pups. I always miss the Pacific NW in fall because its the real reason I developed such a love for this wonderful season.

Maybe we can make a trip up there with the boys,you know, in a couple years :)