"Mommy, I'm getting on the tram, give me my ticket please."

After yesterday, I am positive our kid is growing up. We went to gorgeous (but hot!) Sabino Canyon today and rode the tram to the top. I had explained to Hayden on the way that a tram is like a cross between a trolley and a train and that we would get tickets and wait for the tram to come. When we got there, Hayden was on a mission. He marched straight to the ticket booth and told the forrest service officer what a tram is and asked if he could get on. It was hilarious because he could have cared less if we were right behind him. He was completely confident that he knew where he was going and what needed to be done to ride that tram. Once we got on, he immediately started looking for Mountain Lions and kept putting his hand up to his ear and saying "I hear something! It's a mountain lion!" The ride up was beautiful and with a breeze, it only felt about 90 degrees out there. After the ride, we walked around for as long as we could tolerate the sun, and called it a day after that. Next, we went to Ride Now and picked up some yellow bike racing gloves that Mee-Maw had ordered for Hayden. They are going to be perfect with his Valentino Rossi suit for Halloween. For a last stop we went and picked up a pair of scissors for Hayden to use when we do arts and crafts projects. When we got home, he practiced cutting the paper and he has great dexterity. He only required help for a minute or so, and then went cutting away...he's also extremely careful, so I am grateful for that. We don't need any home hair cuts, that's for sure!

Today, we played with the best water toy I have ever seen for a small child. Mee-Maw's friend at work bought it for Hayden and it shoots water out all of the sides, has a huge top fountain and a place to send balls down a chute to be spit out by the water. We all had a blast running in the water and Hayden kept saying, "It's like the water park!" I was skeptical that it would work at first, but it amazed me. We also painted some wood picture frames and stuck on jewels and flowers and they turned out really nice. Going to stay in the rest of the day and play some games and do some more art projects! Have a wonderful week and here are all of the pictures from the weekend!

Busy bees

We have had a whirlwind first two weeks of me being back at work! I feel like I can't catch up with ANYTHING! I have been working all day, picking Hayden up, picking Matt up, then babysitting 2-3 nights a week to earn some extra money. I will have to cut out the babysitting after a few more weeks because I think I am going to be exhausted...if it's possible to be more exhausted than I am now. To top it off, Hayden has had a slightly rough start adjusting to the home day care he is at. The lady who cares for him, Carol is absolutely fantastic and is doing everything she can to make him comfortable. He just doesn't like to be away from me, and there's nothing wrong with that, but he will just have to get used to it. He was crying on and off, but has mostly stopped that now. The new battle is getting him to eat for her. It may be a baby hunger strike of some sort because he just sits there and looks at his food, eats 2 bites and he's done. I'm sure if I give him a few more weeks he will be just fine. He always comes home saying he likes Carol and they played a lot and he likes the other kids there, so I am hoping for a quick adjustment.

The other news is, we have decided to cut out TV completely with Hayden. I have been reading a lot about the negative effects TV can have on toddlers, so we decided to try it. Today is the 3rd day and he doesn't even notice anymore. He just really doesn't need to watch it. It's not like he was watching more than maybe 45 minutes a day, but that's time that he now has to play and be creative, plus it's extra time with Matt and me and that's more fun anyways. I guess that's all there is to report...hoping to get to Sabino Canyon on Saturday and have a tram ride and picnic, I'll post some pics if we do that!

And by the way, Thanks so much to Sid and Di...You guys are an absolute blessing and I love you very much!

Fishing!

Deciding where to throw his rocks

"I am making sand music"

He was so excited about these sticks

Checking out his gear

He reminds me of an old man hanging out trying to catch a fish!

Casting pro!

So Cute!

Beautiful shot of the lake when it started raining

Walking with Hayley in the rain- He kept sticking his tongue out

Hayley, Hayden, James and Carter the dog- Hayden was laughing at the rain hitting his neck

On the way out

Soaking wet in the car! At least we both had undershirts...but they were wet also!

Thankfully I had dry clothes for Hayden

We had an absolutely wonderful time today on Mt. Lemmon. First, we got Hayden's hair cut this morning and he told the stylist "I am going to look handsome and then I will catch a shark but let it go. And it will not bite me!" We took Hayden's Spiderman fishing pole and met his godparents, Hayley and James for a morning of fun. We went to Le Buzz first and picked up some pastries and an awesome thing they have called the "Mt. Lemmon Special". You get 2 sandwiches, 2 chips, 2 cookies and 2 drinks for $20. It comes in a little box to carry it in. We took our picnic lunch up to Rose Canyon Lake and ate by the water. At first, you can smell the fishy smell from the trout-stocked lake and I thought it would be hard to enjoy lunch there, but we quickly got accustomed and chose a spot. As we were eating, a duck came out of the lake and Hayden had a blast feeding it his pirate's booty (little puffed rice snack things). He fed the duck for at least 20 minutes and it wasn't the slightest bit worried about a loud toddler sitting right next to it. We also had some adorable little chipmunks come to us and carry off bits of bread and pirate's booty. I'm pretty sure feeding the animals is a no-no in the Forrest, but oh well, they were too cute. After we ate, Matt and James helped Hayden cast out his fishing pole. We weren't using a real hook of course, so they tied some rocks and branches to it and it was perfect. Hayden fished for a long time, while still taking breaks to give his duck friend a snack every now and then. After fishing, we took a walk on the trail around the lake. We found a big rock to sit on and let Hayden be a typical boy and slide around in the mud. After about 15 minutes, we felt a few sprinkles and decided to walk the 1/2 mile back to the car. We got about 30 seconds in to walking and it started pouring. I don't mean a light mountain rain, I am talking full on monsoon! We had the time of our lives walking back to the car soaking wet, splashing in puddles, slipping all over the place. I felt like I was Hayden's age and we were 2 toddlers experiencing playing in the rain for the first time. I guess it's been too long since I have just said, "forget the fact that we are muddy and we can clean the car seats another day". It was the best feeling seeing our little boy sticking his tongue out and saying, "I am eating the rain!" I hope we have many more of these days soon and it is just a reminder that as Hayden gets older, we can do complicated activities such as fishing and just have a good time. I think a couple of adult-sized fishing poles are in our future! Above were the pictures from today...I apologize for them being so grainy...I didn't realize our lens was filthy until a few minutes ago!

Our first days!

I don't have all that much to report, but Hayden and I both had good days today. Hayden will be going to a home daycare until he turns 3 in January. He went today and he had a pretty good time. He cried on and off but still managed to get lots of playing in and seems to really love his caregiver, Carol. He will get used to being away from Mommy soon, he just needs some time! I had a great day as well. I love my classroom and it is amazingly different than my old job. The director of the preschool trusts her employees and allows us to do what we want with the children. We also get to take the children to the cafeteria for lunch and we get to play on the big playground and use the library. I absolutely love it, just after the first day! Hope everyone is well!

Wanting to be like Daddy

As much as Hayden is a Mommy's boy and wants my constant attention and comfort if something is upsetting him, he definitely wants to be like his daddy. He always wants he help Matt fix the car, clean the garage, install things, etc. It must be something that is wired into boys...they just love to do what Daddy is doing. I love watching him run to get his tools as soon as Matt says he is going to fix or install something. Matt is so good at including Hayden and making sure he always gets to help (or at least think he's helping!) This weekend we mostly just hung out, but we did do a couple of important things around the house. Matt let Hayden help him wash the car and he also let Hayden help him install blinds in the living room. They had a lot of fun and Hayden was very proud of the fun things they did together! Above are some pics!

Night at the Outdoor Movies!

We had a wonderful time last night at La Encantada. We ate dinner on the patio at AJ's and then grabbed desserts to go and took them to the courtyard to watch Finding Nemo. Hayden's friend M and his parents met us there and we ran into another friend, E, who ended up hanging out with us too. The kids had a blast and the weather wasn't too hot. Here's some pics of the fun!

Random Rant...things I have noticed...

I understand you decided to have a large gaggle of children. Your body, your choice, but that doesn't mean you don't have to watch them. You don't deserve any slack if your much older child knocks my small child over seventeen times. Watch your kids...it's not that hard!

I may look young, but if I hear one more time in a grocery store or Target, "Babies having babies", the old lady who says it is going down. I take care of my kid just as well, if not better than a lot of people who are in their 30s and beyond. Talk to my kid before you judge me...he is extremely intelligent and is very lucky to have young parents.

Women really think their husbands are useless. I feel like I am the only person who appreciates my husband. Yes, they don't always do things perfectly the way you want them, but would you rather them not do it at all? Then you would complain more...Just let him allow your kid to have a popsicle for dinner...The kid is still alive right?

Speaking of alive...and back to watching your children...There have been 6 toddler drownings and 15 near drownings in Pima County so far this summer...I understand that accidents happen, but some of those people should be prosecuted. If you think it's ok to allow a 3 year-old to play outside next to an unlocked pool, it's just unacceptable...that child deserved more out of life...

End of rant! Going to watch Finding Nemo outdoors tonight...I'll post pics tomorrow!

We love Pump It Up

One of our favorite activities for getting out 2 year old energy this summer has been Pump It Up. There are obstacle courses, jumping castles, slides and a basketball arena. All of it is inflatable and VERY safe. We have been going at least once a week since it is one of the only air-conditioned activities in town that Hayden has interest in. Here's some photos from yesterday. And also one of Hayden with a fireman hat and mommy's sunglasses. He said, "Mommy, do you have a fire to put out? I can put it out because I have sunglasses on!" He's just so cute...

Our last week of freedom!

Hayden and I have exactly one week until we go back to the reality of Mommy going to work and Hayden getting left with a caregiver. It really is sort of bittersweet at this point. I want (and need) to feel like I am contributing to the household, but it's going to be hard not to wake up every morning and say, "What would you like to do today, Hayden?" It's been a wonderful two months of lazy days, swimming, adventures around Tucson and most of all, unlimited cuddle time. I do want Hayden to become more independent and not need Mommy as much, so in a couple years when he goes to kindergarten, it's not a total shock. I think he will have fun playing with the other two little girls at the home daycare he's going to. Plus, we will sort of be in a temporary state until January, when he will go to school with me full time and be in my class. Sorry for the rambling, just had some dental work done and this is what's coming out of my brain!

Funny Hayden Quotes

Our little man is getting to be quite the talker and he has been coming out with some really funny things lately. When he talks to people at playdates or in the grocery store, people can't believe how much he talks for his age and I can't either. I think he must have just gotten used to speaking up in our house where no one shuts up! Here are a few things he has said the past few weeks that really made us laugh...

"Mommy, you are in my way. You need to move yourself."

"I need to go pee. Pull over right now and get me out of my seat."

"Mommy cannot play cars with me. I will play with daddy and you do the laundry!"

"That fireman does not have his fire truck in the grocery store. He will get a time out."

"That boy pushed me and he is not nice. Mommy needs to push him."

"No thank you, I don't need to take a nap. I am a big boy like Daddy so I am staying up!"

Movin' and shakin'

These are photos from Saturday's Movers and Shakers class. Hayden has an absolute blast doing this class, as you can see. They work on all sorts of motor development and also incorporate songs and free play. He also has two very good friends in the class, so it is lots of fun for him. This Saturday I played soccer with him during the free play time and he can run and dribble the soccer ball with his feet while keeing it under control. We definitely will be doing soccer in the Spring!

Also, Hayden has been off dairy completely for 2 days now and he is doing wonderful! He has slept better, eaten twice as much and has been in a great mood! He is drinking WAY less soymilk than before (probably because he can eat now without being in pain) and he is also staying almost totally dry OVERNIGHT! I am absolutely amazed at how something so simple as a diet change can really change a child's life. We have to wait for his Pediatrician to come back from her 20th (maybe not 20th, but she is always gone) vacation so far this year to get him allergy tested. She should be back on the 13th and refer him to an allergist then. We know the diet change is obviously working, but I want to make sure exactly what we are dealing with and be totally sure he doesn't have any underlying allergies that we aren't noticing. We are definitely NOT doing the skin allergy test, we will just take him to get one vile of blood drawn and they can test for lots of allergens that way. He is too young for me to subject him to the skin testing. They say there is a pain free way to do it now, but it takes a VERY long time. Wish us luck, hopefully we will continue to have success with this!