Lessons From A 2 Year Old

Every once in awhile I get really introspective when I sit and watch Dayton and Saige play. Little kids are so pure of heart and really see life from such an innocent perspective. I love capturing pictures of Dayton enjoying nature and it often reminds me that although life can be hectic and stressful; it is important to take time to appreciate the little things around us. There is something to be said for taking the time to stop and "smell" the flowers or run barefoot in the grass.

An Emerging Artist?

We all know that Dayton has always had an interest in music and a passion for dancing (you should see his new hip hop moves) but in the past month or so he has surprised me with a talent for drawing people and most recently; cars. I'm no art therapist but isn't this pretty advanced for a 2.5 year old? If you ask him to point out the body parts he does and if you ask him to point to one that is missing he says "oh" and then adds it to the picture. He told me that this picture was daddy. Personally, I like the short stick legs and one piece of hair! After he drew the picture I asked him to draw Saige and he drew an exact replica of daddy only he picked purple and the image was much smaller. So neat that he understood that Saige is "smaller" than Daddy. What's crazy is that I have never "taught" him to draw stick figures. Anyhow, I'm so amazed by this I thought I would share....you can click on the picture to see it larger and take a closer look at the details!

Mommy's Little Helper

As a mom I've discovered that boys like to "do" and always need to be busy, so as often as possible I keep Dayton busy "helping" me out. Now I put quotations around helping because more often than not, he is creating more work for me to do but he takes great pride in doing things himself and just loves to help with grown up things. He is always saying "ny do it", "nee do it", "Dee help"...so he helps with laundry and actually knows how to sort lights/darks AND use the proper settings on the washing machine...he loves to make his own meals and can pretty much make mac'n'cheese all by himself with a little help measuring the water...recently he's been helping me make baby food and popsicles...and yes, that is a picture of him doing the dishes. He also helps daddy wash the cars...well, mostly he just plays in the water and causes daddy to say "no" a lot. Now I know, he won't always be this helpful but I am hoping that he learns independence early and will one day thank me for it (or maybe his wife will thank me for it).

A Growing Girl - Snipets From Saige's 9th Month

Saige's 9th month came and went so fast...she's really turning into a ham and loves any attention you have to give her. She is starting to understand language and if you ask her to, she'll clap, wave bye-bye and dance. She is also starting to imitate sounds and I am hearing the beginnings of "uh-oh", "bye-bye", "shh", "doggie" and of course mama & dada. She has a total of 5 teeth now and does not like to get them brushed! Lately she is into pointing and pulling hair - oh and when she is sleepy she likes play with her eyelashes. She is always standing now and attempting to go down the stairs (though usually she somersaults down 2 stairs) and is trying to climb some things. She frequently lets go of things and stands there by herself and then realizes she's doing it and looks freaked out. While she still isn't ready to walk alone, she will walk endlessly if you hold her hands or give her something to push. She's mastered the pincer grasp and is constantly picking up dead bugs to examine. Things she currently loves include: her brother, attention, rice puffs, swimming, bath time with her brother, carrying things in her mouth & being free to roam. Things she hates include: being in the pack & play, her jumperoo or car seat, still most fruits, sitting on grass (you'll see from the picture below that she tries to walk on all fours to avoid the grass), wearing anything that makes crawling difficult (dresses) and the mama being out of view...oh and let's not forget sleeping (she hates to sleep). While that can be more than a little exhausting and aggravating for me, I can't complain too much because no matter how many naps she misses or how much sleep she loses at night, she's still just as happy as can be. We still love her so we're thinking we'll keep her a little longer.

What More Could A Mother Want?

We had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. As you can see, we went and spent part of the morning walking and playing on the beach. It was a beautiful day (as always) and Dayton had a blast playing in the surf. He has finally overcome his fear of the waves and loves the water splashing around him. You really have to hold his hand tight though because the big surf easily knocks him off his feet. Saige enjoyed her view and quickly fell asleep for it all. So much for a picture with both of the kids! Maybe next year. The rest of the day was pretty quiet and relaxing. Daddy was on diaper, dinner and dish duty. Saige actually let me get a little bit of sleep Saturday night. Many hugs and kisses to my wonderful, loving husband and kids...

Boys & Men

We've been on the hunt for a trike that would fit Dayton (his feet never seem to reach the pedals)and Scott found one that he (meaning Scott) fell in love with and thought for sure it would fit him. Well, I must admit it is a pretty fancy trike (they even make a matching pink one for girls) and Dayton was soooo excited when he saw it, but his feet don't quite reach. That was probably a blessing in disguise at the time because Daddy came home without a helmet. Dayton likes to take his Diego bike (he can't reach those pedals either) to the end of the sloped driveway and pick up his feet and zoom back towards the house. It totally freaks me out and frankly just looks like an accident waiting to happen, but he's actually quite good at it. However, when the new trike came home he wanted to do the same thing....and that REALLY scares me because you actually have to steer the thing. We eventually did find a helmet but I still won't let him do his stunts.

OMG (Oh My God)!!!

Breaking news in the Szczekocki family: Dayton finally used the potty last night before bath. It took 10 minutes of me playing a game with him and reminding frequently to "try and potty" as well as peeling Saige off of the toilet bowl several times to give him some space to do his business. Finally, he turned himself sideways on the seat and had a small pee (and I mean small)! He was so proud of himself...of course I made a huge deal out of it and so did daddy. Got my fingers crossed that he'll do it again tonight.

A Rare Family Photo...Well Kind Of

First off, it is so difficult to get both kids to sit still long enough to focus the camera nevermind sit together! Secondly, since I don't have a tri-pod yet, I can never get myself into the picture. One of these days I'll get it figured out.

Siblings Caught In The Act

...caught in the act of actually playing together! While having two children can at times be challenging, I'm finding now more than ever, that it is so rewarding. Dayton and Saige have really started to bond and play together. It is so sweet and funny to see them interact. Saige definitely looks up to her brother and is picking up new things from him so quickly (of course this could be a bad thing). She likes to mimic his noises and copy things he does (like dance). Dayton also likes to copy his sister (and this IS a bad thing) and I haven't quite figured out how to tell him that it's not okay for him to do certain things when it is okay for Saige to do them. For instance, Saige likes to blow raspberries when she's eating....not so cool when Dayton does it. Or, Saige likes to grab at faces (nose, eyes, hair, ears)...again, not so cool when Dayton pokes your eye out and then laughs.

Some Animals I've Met Along The Way

I've been meaning to post pictures of all of the different "wildlife" I've come across when I've been out on little adventures. Some have been unexpected to say the least...one doesn't really expect to see chickens and roosters living on the beach for instance...even less expected is to see one lay an egg (thank you to Sandy & Brandon for capturing the egg-laying).

Some Cute Expressions

Lately I've been capturing a ton of cute expressions on Saige's face. Just in the past couple of weeks her personality has really blossomed. She definitely knows what she does and doesn't want and/or like...oh and she lets everyone know it! She isn't so interested in her toys lately. She much prefers the nasty dog toys or whatever Dayton happens to be playing with...or the phones..remotes...utensils....pantry items etc. She has developed a liking for crank window knobs and poking her chubby fingers up her nose. She has a total of 4 teeth now. She crawls away really fast if she knows you are coming to take something away from her or take her away from something and will even look back at you to see how close you are. She hates getting her face/hands wiped and will shiver as though I just fed her something bad. She likes to cry to get her way and is happiest when she is with Dayton or can see Mama.

Similar or Different?

So I thought it might be kind of neat to post a picture of each of the kids at the same age. I often see similarities in their faces, but usually when they are sleeping. Maybe I should hunt for some sleeping pictures. In this picture Dayton is wearing 6-12 month clothing and actually just grew out of it in the past 6 months! Saige is wearing a 12 month outfit. Her arms are the size of Dayton's legs! He was content to sit on the beach blanket and play with toys. He was afraid of the ocean waves and screamed if you got too close with him. Saige couldn't care less about beach blankets and likes to dig in the sand, gum the rocks and crawl in the water. It is amazing how different they are when you do an age comparison...

I Learn Something New Every Single Day

Sometimes I learn a new word, or some random fact, or some time saving short cut to motherhood (like bathing both children at the same time), or something of that nature. The most recent thing I learned is that my husband has this rare talent he's been hiding from me all these years...I'm not even sure what you call it, but I'm quite sure he could be featured on Leno or perhaps win some talent contest. I guess the best way to describe it is broom balancing??? See for yourself....(sorry Scott, I couldn't resist....)

Why I Love My Son

There are no words...only pictures....

A Jam Packed 8th Month

Saige is now nine months old (I can hardly believe it). Her 8th month was much like the 7th...she accomplished a lot and does it all at a faster speed now. She confidently pulls up on any surface, climbs up the stairs (2 steps) easily, learned how to drink from the sippy cup (she's quite aggressive about it), is wearing her first pair of shoes (to protect her raw toes from so much crawling), sprouted two teeth, has learned to clap her hands and wave bye-bye and continues to try new foods. We've discovered that she pretty much hates all fruits and likes all veggies.