A Few of Ez's Favorite Things

We didn't have much planned for Saturday, other than Ez's usual morning soccer practice, so we decided to stop by a small local airport so Ez could watch the planes take off and land. Unlike the aviation museum, where we had to pay for a prime airport viewing spot, this airport was very inviting to little aviation lovers and completely free. They have a grassy area with benches facing the runway, perfect for little kids that don't necessarily want to learn all about aviation history but just want to see the planes in action. Ez was in heaven. Literally every single day since we went to the aviation museum he has asked to go see planes. I tried taking him one other time, but there weren't many planes taking off, either because it was a weekday or because it was a little windy. Since our weekends have been pretty busy recently I've been scrambling to make up excuses about why the planes aren't flying each day. Either they're hungry and they need to eat or they're napping or they don't like flying when it's too hot/cold/cloudy/<fill in the blank>. Poor little Ez was getting used to my excuses and I think all his requests were becoming halfhearted, since he probably thought planes never fly, except for that one magical day we happened to be lucky enough to catch them in action, so when we got to the airport and there were all kinds of planes taking off and landing he was beside himself with excitement. Once two planes took off at almost the same time and he started jumping in circles, pointing and counting them: "One, two planes! Two planes! I see two planes!!" AND, as if things could get any better, a motorcycle drove past us on the runway and waved at Ez. I'm pretty sure that guy was living Ez's dream life, riding a motorcycle at the airport with planes taking off in the background. We definitely got our money's worth with that trip ;)

Later that afternoon we gave Ez his choice between playing at the park or going to see motorcycles. He chose motorcycles, of course, so we walked to a nearby dealership and let him walk around pointing out which motorcycles he liked best. We walked the whole lot twice and we even saw a few people test driving motorcycles. So, for the grand total of $0 I'm pretty sure Ez had his most favorite day of the year. The little things really are the best things. After all of that we hit up a few of mommy and daddy's favorite spots: Starbucks and Trader Joe's, followed by an Uno marathon. Declan was just content to be out and about, so it was a good day for everyone.

The Little Things

In my latest Toddlerville post I mentioned a few of the more trying aspects of living with a two and a half year old, but Ez and Declan both teach me so much about getting joy from the little things in life. I love watching them play and explore and seeing their little faces light up when they discover a new skill. Here are a few of the things that may seem like no big deal but bring a smile to their faces, and therefore mine too:

• Finger nails scratched down the side of the couch. Apparently Declan is part cat.
• Finding the perfect wooden surface to chew on. He's part woodchuck too.
• Climbing up every single slide at the playground.
• Making a soccer goal. Still a cause for celebration even when there's technically no goalie.
• Finding at least a dozen ladybugs. And a few hummingbirds too, for good measure.
• Riding the rocking horse at the park completely unassisted.
• Kit kats.
• Dance break! (Octonauts style)
• Spotting motorcycles. Or fire trucks. Or buses. Notice a theme here?
• Raspberries and tickle fights.
• Stealing one of brother's toys. (This is a two way street.)
• Matching pjs. Ok, this one's just for me.
• Swing sets and sunny days.
• Midweek lunches with auntie.

Happy Friday!

Giant Bubbles!

I really, really love our town. It's got such an old, small-town feel. Everything is centrally located on Main Street, there's a Friday night farmers market, everyone comes out for fireworks on the 4th, and apparently there's a family that likes to hang out in front of the library making giant bubbles. Joe and Ez had seen them before, but this past weekend was my first time. They use these homemade bubble wands that are basically two sticks with string looped between them, which they dip in a bucket of bubbles and then let the breeze take over. Every now and then a giant tunnel bubble will form, like the one above.

The crowd that forms around them is pretty crazy. There's nothing like giant bubbles to entertain everyone between the ages of 2 to 80. Kids were running around popping the bubbles, adults were running around photographing their kids popping the bubbles (that would be me), and you could even blow on the bubbles to make a smaller bubble inside, which was really cool. Bubbles are such a simple thing, but it would have been hours of entertainment if the sun wasn't setting and the temps dropping by the time we got there. 

Ez absolutely loved it. Some of the action shots below crack me up, because you can see him tensing up and screaming as the bubbles come closer, and then giggling as they splash all over him. 

It's funny how that wasn't even planned, but it definitely wound up being a highlight of the weekend. 

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It's the Little Things: Daddy at Gymboree

Yesterday about halfway through Gymboree Ez and I got a pleasant surprise when Joe showed up. He was on his way to work when he got a call that they were working from home instead, and since he's never been to a Gymboree class before he decided to stop by. Ez and I hadn't been to class in two weeks because of my infamous cough, so Ez was already pretty wired to be there. But then he saw his Daddy and he started running around like a little Tazmanian Devil, climbing over everything, crawling through the tunnels, and literally just running in circles. He was pretty excited to show off his Gymboree skills ;)

Bonus that Joe was there for all the little parent/child dances we do at the end of class. My back doesn't agree with all the lifts and exertion that the dances require, so I've been half-assing it for awhile. With Joe there Ez finally got the full effect and he was loving every minute of it. 

It's the Little Things: Ez Discovers His Love of the Ocean

My least favorite part of the beach is definitely sand getting EVERYWHERE. Ez's diaper afterward was unreal!

This past Sunday was slightly overcast, and 70 degrees - aka the perfect beach day! Actually, we probably did things backward, and should've gone to the beach last weekend when it was 90, and saved our hike for this past weekend, but I like cloudy beach days. There were no crowds and the sand wasn't burning hot. 

Every time we've taken Ez to the beach, he's taken one look at the ocean and started crying in fear. He loves digging in the sand, kicking his ball around, and collecting rocks and seashells, but the water has always been off limits. This time was no different. We tried to dip his toes in the water and he was having none of it, crying and running back to the shore. So we held him for awhile, Joe splashed in the water with Ez in his arms, and then we tried again, and something clicked for Ez. Suddenly he remembered that he loves splashing in puddles, and the ocean is like one giant puddle. After that we could not drag him away from the water. He was fearless. Even when a big wave came crashing toward him he just held his ground. His teeth were chattering, and Joe would try to bring him back to the towels to dry off and warm up and he'd just turn right around, point at the ocean saying "wawa" and take off for the waves.

Not only was Ez fearless, but he was tireless. Joe and I were both worn out before Ez was. We had to drag him away so we could go get lunch, and he managed to not only stay awake the whole time, but he even walked a ton so we could get gelato after. That boy is a trooper. Of course he fell asleep as soon as the car started moving, but that was one well-earned nap, if I do say so myself. We all capped off the evening lounging around, with Ez taking over the armchair like a big boy.

Here's a little video of Ez's first time actually enjoying the ocean:

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It's the Little Things: 1st Hike of the Year

We've been wanting to do a hike for awhile now, and this past Sunday we finally made it happen. Ez rode most of the way in Joe's backpack, and he seemed content to just wave his stick around Joe's face while humming his own made up tune. 

This is his patented "you're crazy, fool!" look

These two crack me (and each other) up!

I'm trying to snuggle him, and he's just eyeing that Larabar.

He wanted to put his feet in the water...

...then he decided it was way too cold!

Joe said ducking under this tree was the hardest part of the hike...

...but Ez thought it was hilarious.

Can we pause for a moment and talk about what a boy Ez is?

He's either climbing on stuff...

Or collecting sticks. 

The bigger, the better!

What were your favorite little moments from the week? Linking up with Jess for: