two and a half

This son of ours turned two and a half right before we left for Yellowstone. We totally missed it as it was the day Guthrie had to go to Urgent Care for her first of several urine tests. But then I feel like we made up for it because a few days later there were bison at eye level outside his window. There's a difference though between two and two and a half. A fairly significant one I'd say. A lot more talking, a lot more frustration, a lot more joy. A lot more knock knock jokes and cracking yourself up. A lot more secret jokes between you and your sister - and a lot less following her around I've noticed.

There 5 kids between the ages of 1 and 9 that live right in a row on our street- our house is in the middle. We were all out the other night, I was talking to the one year old's parents and it was pretty dark - because it was all of 7:00. I'm not entirely ready for this darkness just yet! Anyways, all of the kids were playing monster. There was supposedly a monster loose in our yard and they all gathered on our steps to shriek and hide. Except Laithe. Who pushed his way to the front and brandished his imaginary sword and, I believe, slayed the monster. He was very pleased with himself.

The year of two is certainly not the easiest. It's an all or nothing that reminds me of the newborn days. Is it just my kids or does the even keelness really not start until your past 5?

The same mom next door and I were musing about how neither of us were prepared for the sheer physicalness of boys. Everything is done at a run, loudly, with a joie de vivre or, you know, not. Everything must be climbed and explored and conquered; dragons slain.

He is a brave little monkey. Assuring us "Own Self! And I love to be able to say yes to him- because he hears his name called with a warning behind it altogether too much. That will pass.
Probably.

There are a few videos we'd like to get of him, but more and more he has the beginnings of self-consciousness. Last week he was breaking it down to a commercial during the football game and when he realized we were all paying attention to him he screamed out "No watch me!" and then when we all looked appropriately busy he recommenced with dancing that causes me to worry for him when he is tall and 14. And in public.

But for now, he loves to sing for almost anyone in his great big voice. So here you go:





And yes, he is playing with my sewing pins, lining them up in the table crevice. Got tired of saying, 'no, pins are dangerous' because really, they're not so much. i mean he did stab himself in the neck, but in the next breath said, 'yes, sharp' and totally crack up laughing. So, we're good to go I think. And he's singing a combo of "Sleep Eye" a Woody Guthrie song redone by Elizabeth Mitchell- awesome album - and the Witch Doctor song - you know, walla walla bing bang, with some extra humor thrown in because he's two and he's funny. Enjoy!