Mom cooked.

Annie approved.

Unfiltered

The joy and curse of toddlerhood?

They are just so PRESENT.  So unfiltered.

I commented to a friend the other day that everyone should spend a day living with the eyes and mind of a two year old.

We could learn so much.

Save so much time.

Have you ever seen anything so unbelievably MINDBLOWINGLY AMAZING as not only a BUS... but a RED BUS.  Right there!  OMG!  A RED BUS!  And "An-uder red bus!"

"One, two, THREE BUSES!  THREE RED BUSES!"

You are present .  Unfiltered.

And here I am.  Sorting through in my head if my dream was a dream or did that conversation really happen.  I think I want to make enchilada casserole for dinner, but I don't know if I have an onion.  I wonder if the Walgreens carries onions.  What else can I make that doesn't need onions. 

And that 2pm meeting?  Did I send the agenda?  Did I forget?

Does it matter?

If you live unfiltered, you can push that chicken away, and say "an-uder banana!" 

Mom says chicken, you say "NO NO NO NO NO!  BANANA!"

You are kicking the ball, and he says "MINE!" 

Any time Annie has a toy he wants, that's when it is time to "SHARE!!!!"

And you are PISSED OFF.  Why doesn't anyone let you do what you want, how you want, when you want?  You REALLY give it to them.  The "I have no bones" throw yourself on the floor is a popular technique.

You can chime in whenever you want on a song.  Just sing the "round and round" and "all through the town". 

Someone else will fill in the other words when you live life unfiltered.

You will melt their hearts when that sweet baby voice sings "in my mind" at the right times of the James Taylor classic that has calmed him since birth.

Because you are two.

You are present .  Unfiltered.

You live for this.  Very.  Moment.

You are two.

You have learned how to hit when frustrated. 

You are pissed off when we make what you perceive to be the wrong turn on the way to school or church or La Loma and say "NO!  DAT WAY!"

You know when people are sad, and yell "APPY!" until they smile.

You cross your hands before dinner and remind us to pray.  You don't just say, you yell "MayMen!"

You are present .  Unfiltered.

That shirt?  It's the wrong one?  You see?  I thought I wanted to wear the shirt with the tiger on it, but I really wanted to wear the shirt with the dinosaur on it, and when I said yes, I meant no, and why don't you understand my NEEDS??

You run with the wind in your hair at every chance. 

Except for when you stop, reach for our hands and say "Partners?"

You count steps.  You count sweet and low packets.  You count cranes and birds and buses and clouds.

What would it be like if tomorrow, we all lived Present.  Unfiltered.

We said, "I don't want to listen to that radio station" on the drive in.

You eat an egg and cheese for breakfast.  Don't forget the bacon!

You tell your boss what you are thinking.

You call a friend and say you need some help.

You eat goldfish for lunch, because frankly, they are delicious.

You sit on the steps of a church at lunchtime, because it is just so beautiful outside. 

You watch the people.

You see the colors.  The stories.  The sounds that make up this city.

You see the faces.

You see the sad. 

You yell APPY!

You thank those who make your life easier.  Not just with a nod, but with words, and a hug and real gratitude.

You tell those you are frustrated with how and why they let you down.

You run with the wind in your hair. 

You hug a near stranger.

You dance, because you just like the song.  And you get others to dance with you

You are present .  Unfiltered.

I can't guarantee I will be.  But it would be nice to try.

If you lived life unfiltered, what would you say?  What would you do?

Look for the Helpers

Robster is doing a great job as a big brother.

He favorite ways to help are:

1) Making Annie laugh and teaching her to dance and clap
2) Loading and unloading laundry; and
3) Bathtime

Thanks for being such a great helper, buddy

Ch-Ch-Changes

After dabbling in "big boy bed" on vacation, we finally took the two Ikea runs necessary to make it a reality.

(Do others really convert their convertible cribs?  Ours looks like a family of beavers took to it.  YAY TEETHING!)

Headboard still pending, but he jumped in without hesitation.  To keep him in? 

We'll see.

But we are an hour in, and here's the progression from the before to the now.

Next big-boy activity? 

Dropping the pacifier.

Road Trip!

At about 930 on Labor Day morning, we decided we needed an activity and headed to Baltimore for the day. 

What could have been a disasterous packed day at Port Discovery turned out to be the COMPLETE opposite.  They are usually closed on Mondays, so no one knew they were open.

It was literally the BEST children's museum we have ever seen... and we've seen quite a few.  We didn't even get to half the exhibits, and still played soccer, played in the sand, cooked in a diner, climbed on a three-story structure, "rode" a train, solved some mysteries and AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS the huge water play room. 

And Aunt Emilie?  They have a traveling Wizard of Oz exhibit!

Annie even showed off her climbing skills.

Wanna go with this fall?  We're in.

We finished up with a late lunch in Little Italy, where Robbie single-handedly polished off a plate of calamari.  He likes the ones with the legs best.

We now have a default restaurant order that is way more entertaining and delicious to parents than a grilled cheese.