My Tree Frog: 2010

Firsts!

I am always amazed by how many "firsts" a child experiences and the wonder and awe on their face when it happens. Renn's 2010 firsts were:

1st trip to Disneyland

1st time spending the night with a friend when sissy was born.

1st sibiling

1st movie experience: Toy Story 3

1st ice cream cone

1st bath with a sibling

1st time going to a live show: Sesame Street Live

1st time playing with a caterpillar

1st time with headphones

1st time turning 2

1st time to the beach

1st time playing with trains

1st time in underwear

May life be filled with so many adventures that there continue to be many FIRSTS!

Sometime in the Spring I discovered the Anderson Crew blog. She is a photographer that hosts a weekly "linky" party called Embrace the Camera. You are encouraged to be in front of your camera WITH your kids so that they actually have pictures of themselves WITH you. The goal is for it to not be perfect pictures but simply pictures that capture life. It has been a fun weekly challenge. Here are a few of my favs from the year.

Conversations with Renn.

Most days I still find it odd that I can carry on a full fledge conversation with Renn. This helpless baby that just two years ago could only cry as a means of communicating now converses. I stand amazed. I wish I could just have a recorder on at all times to capture all his quirks. But, not possible. Instead a I recorded the things he said as a part of a 1/2 hour drive to the zoo.

I am starving!
There are LOTS of stores.
Stop
That's not good.
Ready?
What's daddy gonna pick?
Why?
What's that noise?
Where's daddy? I can't see him. He went in that door over there? That glass one? The glass one on that building? I am going to take my buckles off to go find daddy. There he is!
Thanks!
Now go!
I wanna go down. I really wanna go.
Hey look! Your football game.
I need a tissue mommy.
What do you have in your mouth daddy? Oh. Food? Oh food.
I wanna pick something out of my stocking.
Cars are under there. Cars are up there. Why?
Whoa. That's a huge tunnel.
What's up ahead?
Look daddy. Look up in the sky. There is a flying car in the air. Look up ahead there is a big tunnel. Look there are drums.
That is a really huge drum. Wow! Look at that? Oh. What's that?
Are we ready? Here we go. Whoa.
Sissy, what are you looking at? Sissy, what are you doing?
Look at those big tires, mommy.
Where is cita? I can't see her. Oh, there she is.
I wanna go to the zoo. Look a big building. Where's the zoo? Over there. Holy cow! Where are snakies?

Renn in December!

According to Facebook

Renn asked me if I was a princess this morning. What prompted said question? I am wearing a skirt. Rare. J December 23

My two year old has called me Babe three times today. How do I explain that his daddy can call me that but it's not on the list for him? December 20

Renn HAD ;) to throw a party for his friends tonight. Pizza and brownie bar. He is napping and I am licking the bowl of the brownie batter. SCORE! LOVE the "excuse" of kids. December 17

Renn just lifted up his shirt and said "mommy, I don't see Jesus in my heart?” December 4

Renn is is telling me he NEEDS to go to the zoo because he needs to get all the animals out of their cages. L J December 3

I believe we just found Renn's Christmas present as he is sobbing on the floor of Target over a car ramp thing. NEVER done that so I am having a hard time not laughing. November 27

Renn's First Performance

There are times that my heart aches that Renn is being taught by someone other than myself but most of the time I am very thankful for his preschool experience and the opportunities he has at his age. This year he got to perform in his first Christmas "show". It was a very exciting moment from a former stage girl turned mama. In my humble opinion there is a potential future for this man. But, what mama doesn't think that?

The year of the trains.

Over my maternity leave with Avery we discovered the train set at Barnes and Noble. The prefect free entertainment for my little man. It was then that the plotting and planning began to get Renn his own trains and train table for Christmas. My parents agreed to tackle the train and track angle and Eric and I would tackle the table. Boxes began arriving at our house that I had to hide and Eric assembled the train table on Christmas Eve all for the big WIN on Christmas Day!
This was the first year I felt like he got the excitement around presents. Despite being up late he was up early and ready to go. Wanting to know what was in all the packages below the tree that had excited him for a month. He loved every minute of it!

Bed Time

There has been a shift in Mr. Renn's bed time ritual. Before recently I would have defined it as easy. 7:30 p.m. would come and we would head to his bed, get in p.j.s, read a few books, tell a story, say our prayers, I would give him a kiss good night and he would head off to sleep. Easy!

Now around 7:30 p.m. we enter into negotiations. Renn usually wants to watch one more tv show, play trains just a little longer, needs something more to eat or simply decides to be defiant and pitch a mini fit. Since he seems to WANT to stay awake we have even gone so far as to let him stay up super, super, super late (on a non school night, of course) but he still doesn't want to head to bed. Wild!

Once we do make it into the bedroom he begins the haggling process for how many books are read. You feel guilty telling your kid that you will only read 3 books since we are now at an hour past bed time. Once the reading, story telling and prayers are complete Mr. Renn pours on the " I love you, Mommy!", "Don't leave me, Mommy!", "Let me give you kisses and hugs", "Stay with me, please". I am guilty of loving his sweet hugs and words of kindness that I stay. We fall asleep. I know it is a terrible, terrible habit but I also know I won't be able to have these moments for long. When he snuggles in and says "I love you!" I melt and all the antics he has pulled prior to bed are forgotten. Oh, bedtime!

Christmas Photo Shoot 2010

Ahhhhh it is time for the yearly Christmas photo shoot. Which ALWAYS involves something not going as I planned. Year 1: Renn needed a nap. Year 2: Renn was teething and had a runny, runny nose. The fact that this year's shoot was going to involve an additional child I threw up my hands and just knew there was no way to control all the elements. So I put my thinking cap on. When are both my kids having the most fun together? Got it!!! When we are playing on the bed or all climbing over the couch cushions. Insert mattress, pillows, green green grass, the fabulous Carrie Fay and we have a low stress photo shoot peeps.