two!

ok, i'll just get this out of the way right now and then i'll move on. i cannot believe that this little guy is two.

once i get over the mind boggling-ness of the fact that our child is two years old, i am so happy. he is so so much fun. i mean, sure he can be frustrating and stubborn, and you know two, but really. even at the end of a hard day, the things i look back on most while jared is giving him a bath and i am sitting in the kitchen not cleaning up after dinner are the funny things he said and did. all the hugs and kisses that he still gives me. the way he knows the name of almost every single character in one fish two fish red fish blue fish (aka: one two fish), and there are a lot! the way he knows the names of most of his books and has very strong opinions about which ones should be read and in which order. and also which ones should be read by him or mama or dada.

i remember how he lets himself out in the backyard and generally is pretty darn content to play out there "with freddie" for a little while, while i can finish making dinner or cleaning up the kitchen all the while checking up on him out the window. he loves to play with the water from his kiddie pool. filling up pitchers and "watering the garden" and maybe picking some unripe tomatoes.

he loves music and can sing a few songs. his current favorite is still "happy know it." he is still obsessed with "playing the banjo" (aka, anything that maybe sort of looks like a banjo or guitar) and dancing around. he also loves to make up songs and just say things in a sing-songy voice sometimes. i love those.

i remember how he constantly blows my mind with what he says. he is always thinking. in the middle of bedtime the other day, out of the blue, he said "dill goes in the pickles." you know, weren't we all thinking about what was happening with that large bunch of dill in the kitchen?

he is actually starting to help with some small tasks, which is really awesome and cute. he can pull his shorts off and put them in the laundry basket. he likes to help feed freddie. if he wants something from the other room, he will often just go get it himself (after an initial "mama go get it"). and he is getting pretty good at his please ("peeese") and thank you ("sank you"). i love the inflection of his little high pitched voice and try to record as much of it as possible so i will never forget what he sounded like now.

overall, two is pretty damn great so far. i just love who he is and who we get to watch him become.

we had a super fun and low-key party in our front yard last saturday with lots of friends and family. ethan was excited about his party and to "eat some food" (of which he did very little). since he appears to hate chocolate, but loves fruit, i made two peach blueberry pies, which were an absolute hit with the birthday boy and everyone else (recipe from voluptuous vegan). this little boy is so very loved by so many and this party was a wonderful celebration of his community.

we love you, ethan sidney. may the longtime sun shine upon you.

xoxo