First Football Game

Connor has been begging to go to a football game, so we took him to his first game at his future high school.  Go Bison! 


We all actually had a really great time since it was really my first game too!

Connor loved watching the cheerleaders and the marching band!

But his favorite was the popcorn!

Sibling love! I think both of them being overly tired made them extra affectionate :)

Puzzle Genius

We kept hearing from his teachers at daycare about how he LOVES doing puzzles and their amazed at how quickly he can do them.  They've been bringing some of the older preschool puzzles into their classroom just for him and then all the kids cheer when he finished a new one.  We really wanted to witness this, so I ordered a couple 48 piece puzzles on Amazon.  They arrived on Saturday so we watched him in action.

It was absolutely amazing to watch!  He didn't have a picture of the finished image (I did Google it for my own reference) and he used the colors and shapes to put it together.  I was so baffled watching him do this and seeing how his little brain works. 

He had so much concentration and patience with the puzzle which is so unlike anything else that he does.

We watched in amazement as he put the whole 48 piece puzzle together.

He was so proud when he finished it!

On his first try, he did almost the whole thing himself with just a few hints from us.  Since then, he's probably done the same puzzle 6 more times and he does it all himself pretty quickly.  It's just such an interesting thing to watch and he's so quick at it.  I don't know what this means for his future career, but we could see engineer or architect with these skills!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I can't help but wonder what Connor will be when he grows up.  I like to think about what he enjoys now and then brainstorm what he might want to be.  Most people do change their minds a bunch of times as they grow up, but I am happy to say that I've always said I wanted to be an artist and I guess I am today.  Obviously, the whole starving artist thing is not even an option, nor would I want to be one, but I think being a graphic designer qualifies.

So in honor of Connor's interests at the age of 15 months, here are my ideas of what he might want to be...

1. Veterinarian
Our weekly trips to Petsmart are like heaven for him.  He squeals with delight and runs down the aisles after the kitties and big kitties (doggies).  He follows our own kitty around like it's his job and is so interested in what he's doing at all times.

2. Engineer
I've never seen him concentrate on anything as much as his stacking cups.  He gets this intense look on his face and his mouth opens into a little O as he decided what to stack where and how to make it stay standing up.  It's the cutest thing!

3. Shoe salesman or designer
My child is a shoe whore.  Really.  He won't listen when we ask him to come change his diaper or stop pulling Kitty's tail, but he will light up if we say it's time for shoes.  He hurries over to the little drawer where we keep his shoes and points at it until we pull out a pair.  Then he sits down right on the floor and lifts one foot in preparation.  He usually tries to leave after he has one shoe on, but that's the patience of a 15 month old boy.  Also, his morning routine while we get dressed is to go in the closet, take out random pairs of my shoes, and carry them around the room.  He loves to just wander around with shoes in his hands so I've been trying to show him what matches my outfit each day.  I'm still looking for a missing black sandal that he stole a few weeks ago.

So we'll see how my predictions evolve as he grows up...

Best Things About Having a Toddler

Now that I officially have a toddler, I need to accept it ::tear:: and get excited for what's to come!

1. Language.It’s incredible how fast some kids can grasp their native language — in cute little chipmunk voices and sweet speech impediments, nonetheless. And the stuff they’ll come out with! Cooing, babbling, and sign language might be sweet, but just wait until your toddler starts talking in sentences. And the first time you hear “I love you” might be one the best moments of your life.
Connor started saying "bye-bye" and I can't wait for the next word!

2. Laughing.Toddlers can have a sense of humor, man. You might think that you’ll miss your wobbly baby, but just wait and see — toddlers are good company. I swear I’ll get premature wrinkles from all the giggling and goofy grins across my face, and it will be worth every crease.
One of Connor's best traits! He smiles and laughs at everything!

3. Fun activities.Crafts, painting, kiddie rides, movies, throwing balls, catching fireflies — having a toddler is a chance to relive all of those long-forgotten childhood memories. And it’s somehow even better seeing them through your child’s eyes.
Hello, artsy mommy! Can't wait for this!

4. Potty training.The single best milestone yet.
Still have awhile for this and I don't hate the diapers yet...


From Disney Baby

Happy 40th Birthday, Riley School!

It's very special to me that we live in the same neighborhood I grew up in and Connor will get to go to the same schools I did. Last week, my elementary school had a 40th birthday party for all the current students, alumnus and teachers. I haven't been in the school for many years, so Connor, my mom and I walked over there to check it out. I was so excited to see that the wall mosaic in the lobby was still there! A lot of my old teachers were chatting in the lobby so we spent some time catching up with them and introducing Connor to his future school.
During the 25th birthday of the school, they invited all the alums to come back and put their handprints on the wall of the gym and new cafeteria. Since it's been 15 years (oh my gosh...has it really?), I wanted to go see it. I always walk by and try to look in the window to spot it, but it's too far away!

We took a walk around the school and peeked into some of the classrooms. It was fun to see the few teachers I had that were still there and see what's changed since I left in 1994. We ran into Connor's future kindergarten teacher (who was actually an old neighbor and I used to babysit for her kids). All the little desks and chairs looked so tiny so I put Connor on one for a photo.

We stopped off in the cafeteria for a cupcake and some chatting. Connor kept busy with his frog and people-watching.

The slideshow and presentations started at 7:00, so we wandered into the gym. It looked so much smaller than I remembered it, but a lot of it was still exactly the same. We sat right behind a bunch of my old teachers and watched the slideshow. We had to leave early to get the little student to bed, but I enjoyed the night a lot. It was so much fun to take him there and catch up with some of my old teachers!