Young Love

Translation:

Happy Birthday Rubie

Love you Rubie

//muscle flexing

Is that cool Rubie?

Bye Rubie

**Blueberries & Stars**

I especially love this because it doesn't look like he likes them at all but he keeps eating and saying they are nummy!

It takes him about 30 seconds to get going from the beginning again...My favorite part is "like a diamond in the sky". Sometimes he substitutes diamond (a shape to him, not a gem) with circle, rectangle, etc. It was great to see him first have this thought - "why is a star like a diamond? they are different shapes!". I had never even considered this seeming contradiction before!

Clever Monkey

I don't know how this boy gets more clever each day but he does!

His latest occupations...

.: home building :.

Out of anything! This day it was books. He was so committed that he fell asleep with a roof on his head. Of course we took it off while he was sleeping not at all expecting him to wake up asking "where the roof go?". I refrained from telling him it was on fire (you're singing it now too aren't you?).

.: robot repair :.
He finds a screwdriver (real or toy) to repair all the robots in the house which include Mama Robot, Daddy Robot, Dylan Robot, Capri Robot and a variety of inanimate robots. He takes this job very seriously and if he needs help he will find another tool for others to participate. He is picking up on the "bleep blop blorp" language very well and I am confident his skills will be critical to our inevitable droid dependent future.

.: general silliness :.

In the soccer ball bin at Ikea.

.: car creations :.

He is all about riding in luxury and comfort.

.: train tracks :.

He used to make trains out of EVERYTHING but now it's the tracks. He lines up pillows, studiously gathering them from all over the house to create a track. Straws, blocks and snacks are among his other favorite resources.

.: blocks :.

First thing each day all of the blocks get dumped out, then we build. He has very specific requests but fortunately that is coupled with an even better imagination. My ability to build a house, airplane, doggie or car out of mega blocks is nothing to brag about but that's one of the greatest things about being mom - he thinks they are "wow cool"!

.: art :.

He is finally getting into drawing, cutting, coloring and painting. I have been looking forward to this his entire 29 month life! Now we get out the crayons, colored pencils, paint and/or play dough almost every day and he makes works of art.

Dylan had his first swim lessons today!

We go to the pool a few times a week so he's pretty comfortable in the water, unfortunately because we do go here so often he wanted to do what we always do PLAY! The class was actually exhausting for me (it's a mom & tot class) because he was fighting me on everything. He is great at kicking and moving his arms on his tummy but try to lay him on his back and it's like I am torturing him, it's the end of the world for this kid! So after the constant struggle for 45 minutes I was relieved when class was over and he could just play.

Hopefully next week it goes a bit better!

Trees, Rinks, Dickens & Gingerbread

We went to the Festival of Trees with my mom and sister a few weeks ago. Dylan wanted to play with all the trees that had toys! He also loved watching the hip-hop dancers, he was totally rockin' with them. I'm telling you he can't sit still when there is a beat! He also ate SIX of these gingerbread men along with Hershey kisses, he's been on a sugar high most of this month. He had fun painting a gingerbread man and making a stained glass ornament too.


The Dickens Festival was fun too! Dylan fell asleep in the car and actually made it through transition to the stroller so he slept for the first hour, it was fantastic! Once he woke up he was on the go. Grandpa was looking at this amazing "playhouse" that Dylan of course fell in love with, well to be honest we all did! We also played in this synthetic snow stuff, it was really weird.

My mom gave us this rink that we had given her 14 years ago and Dylan absolutely loves it! Anna was about his age when we got it and I remember her nicely sitting and watching the pretty ice skaters and listening to the carols. Dylan sees this as an entirely different game and he is not content with simply observing. He loves to take it apart put everything back together, knock down all the skaters in one fell swoop often using the Christmas tree, put his cars on the ice, run over the skaters - basically there is the grand addition of crashing and exploding sounds to this once serene piece. Boys are so awesome!

I was totally a slacker with the Christmas decor this year, it didn't get up until last week. But totally worth the wait. Dylan loves his own little tree and for a few days wanted to hang anything on it that had a string, for example his boots. So funny! I can't tell you how many times I heard "hang on dare?".


I ventured into uncharted territory this year by making homemade gingerbread and it was not a simple task, especially with the "help" of a two year old! But it turned out to be a lot of fun, Dylan loved decorating the house, tree and cookies and it was actually quite tasty. However next year Ryan will not be in charge of buying the candy decor, M&M's and Mike & Ikes - that's it! What? No gumdrops, licorice ropes, red hots, mints, etc. etc....But the end result is still pretty impressive.
Such a good helper!

Flour on the face, floor, you name it!

Our supplies...

Cutting the cookies & snitching the candy. I love the "who me?" face.

When Dylan broke this one he said "sorry gingerbread man leg".

Yeah ~ Our masterpiece is complete!!

Oh and a funny story that I don't want to forget...Dylan was at my moms house a couple of weeks ago and she had her tree with wrapped presents under it (she is very on top of things for Christmas!) and he took one over to her and said "open book?" - and it really was a book for him! Clever kiddo :D

Dylan's December Doings

This kid is hilarious - I am not exaggerating even a little bit!

The many faces in these pics don't even begin to portray his personality!

It's amazing to me how seemingly overnight he has started speaking in full sentences, and not just repeating what we say (although he does a lot of that too!) but actually taking what we say and forming his own sentence. Some of my favorite things are "hinga" (finger), "put on dere" (put it on there), "I dun lika" (I don't like it), "heno"(hello, he answers the phone heno mama), "kissmas" (Christmas), "hlease" (please), he says all of his shapes, numbers and colors so cute, "watch a show", "sicka" (sticker), "my turn" or "din turn" (Dylan's turn), "goo clues" (Blues Clues), "fassa" (faster), "bizzy" (Dizzy, he is always bizzy when he dances), "koo koo hlock" (Cuckoo clock, in reference to any clock), grunting when he flexes his muscles, "gabba gabba" (Yo Gabba Gabba, loves that show), "watch me", "kayzee" (crazy, he loves us to drive crazy), "reay set go" (when he wants you to go do something for him), "ball ceral" (kix), "apple ceral" (apple jacks), "canna" (camera), "sawich" (sandwich), "pack pack" (backpack), "ouside" (outside), "what doing?" (what are you doing), "i luh you" (I love you) "gimmie dat" (give me that), "I wanna" (I want it), "fwing" (swing) "Din" (Dylan, he references himself in the third person).

I dun lika is one of my favorites and most often heard, for example when I am trying to find out what he wants to eat it goes like this...
Me: Dylan do you want chicken for lunch?
Dylan: No mama, I dun lika chicken
Me: Ok do you want a sandwich?
Dylan: No, I dun lika sawich.
Me: What about a quesadilla?
Dylan: No, I dun lika quasadilla.
Me: Do you want cheese?
Dylan: No mama, I dun lika cheese.

I make him chicken.

My other favorite is "what doing?"
Dylan: What doing mama?
Me: Working on my computer, what are you doing?
Dylan: Din working fire truck.

He is not playing, he is working too!

*********

On the look-out

In "Dylan's House" and swinging


Lots and lots of swinging!

He spends so much time in this pot! His latest game is to start the singing Christmas toys we have (a penguin and Pooh Bear) run to the pot, climb in and to sit in the pot to watch them, then he does it all over again!


And in this basket. He loves to put the lid on and hide from us.

Or just chill and watch a show.


Thank you for making every day more exciting, unpredictable and fun little Dilly!

Dylan vs Megamind

And Megamind lost...we only lasted about 45 minutes but in that time Dylan LOVED his popcorn, candy and sody pop! He also kept going down the row to sit about 4 seats away, is he already embarrassed to be seen with us??

Ok maybe we are just a titch embarrassing...

Or maybe he's just really, really cool!?!