Sing!

Singing over breakfast.  Consider this a placeholder for the Block Island Fourth-of-July vacation pictures, while I charge up the camera and get the pictures sorted.



He got a little distracted by green peppers, and I don't think M. realized I was taking video (on my phone!), so it's just what it is.  'Cause really, Asa singing... that's just adorable.

Tandem stroller

A wonderful friend passed along the 2-seat stroller that her kids nearly never used.  Asa was so very excited that the next day, when we suggested a zoo outing, he wanted to take his new stroller, and sit in the jump seat in the back.  In the front?  His Bébé.

It earned us a few funny looks, especially when Asa decided to run on ahead of us:

Interestingly, he was headed for the splashpad at the zoo - a place he has only once ventured, since he was almost immediately nailed by a water-spraying bumblebee, wielded by an older boy.

Looks so innocent, doesn't it?  But even holding Mommy's hand, this was as close as he would get:

The zoo trip was also remarkable for the snakes, about which Asa was not at all shy.  This is a rainbow boa:

And this is Athena the python, which Asa didn't want to share with the other kids.  M., by the way, is not forcing him to touch the snakes, but keeping him from grabbing and snuggling them like he does the cats.

At some point, Asa decided it was more fun to stand on the backplate of the stroller, allowing him to hop on and off without dealing with buckles.

Until, that is, we were on our way home, hot and tired.  He made it home before he fell asleep, but only just.

Oops!

It seems I posted the wrong video, several posts back.  Given that we were actually on vacation (pix to come), I didn't notice until now.

But here it is: dueling poppers.

Discovery Museum

It's a bit of a hike to get to, but the Discovery Museum is so perfect for a child Asa's age that we had to make a day trip.

And the first room was all trains.  It was definitely going to be a good day.

The big train cab looked a lot like Thomas the Tank Engine, which just added to the experience.

From there we moved into the ball-maze room, which was, if anything, even better than the trains.

This was just one of the little ones - the big ones went all around the room, and rang bells and knocked over dominoes.  Asa was enthralled.

There was also water:

and bubbles (sorry it's sideways):


and boats (in various locations):

and huge, cool instruments:

and... wait, Mummy, is that a Dinosaur?

Yes, honey.  Her name is Bessie.

But no, you can't climb her.

To cap it all, on the way home we stopped at a railroad crossing for a local commuter train.  The perfect end to a wonderful day.

Nuggles

We say snuggles, he says nuggles... as tempting as it is to launch into Fred Astaire, I'm having too much fun with my boy.

Babies!

In Asa's view, possibly the most memorable part of our recent family get-together: not being the youngest!

Mommy and Mummy both enjoyed holding Cousin Drew (aged 5 months)...

Who could resist this cuteness, after all?

This was a moment that had us breathing easier about Asa's impending big-brother-hood:


Asa's second cousin, Sofia, was also a good playmate.  He's still talking about "Fia" with a huge grin on his face.  I'm sorry I get a picture of Asa's adoration of Sofia's big sister, Aria.

I daresay, however, that Mommy and Mummy will have other memories of the weekend, only some of which we managed to photograph.  I missed, for instance, Asa's delight in Poppy's dental office, at "spitting" in the sink (leaning over it and saying "Pah!") and at the cup of mouthwash by the sink, which he insisted delightedly was "Coffee!"

There was also Asa's decision that it was time to go play outside - right about when the rain began.  What's a little rain, to a toddler?

Can you see how wet his hair is?

There was Asa learning to say "Shish Kebab" - Cousin Eva got it, but Asa grinned hugely and said "Shi-bob!"  and then gobbled more.  He also learned about spinach jajuk - with yogurt and garlic and mint - and happily requested "mo gayik!" - "more garlic".

Asa also loved his Aunt and Uncle's huge black lab.

It took most of the weekend to calm down the difficulty that both Asa and Eva could have about sharing toys - normal for any almost-two and three-year-old - and allow them to sit quietly and do a puzzle together.  We adults sat back and just enjoyed the developing relationship between these two cousins.

One of the best times that weekend?  Watching Mommy and Asa chase each other around the house.  Dueling poppers.   Fabulous.

Bubbles

Mommy got a recipe for amazing, huge bubbles - and tremendous fun was had by all!