Friday Fun Flick: I like trains...and you! There's no doubt about it!

My husband and I "interviewed" my little boy this weekend.  It was very impromptu and started only because Little Lewie put on my husband's glasses.

"So what does it feel like to be a boy genius?" my husband asked.

Not knowing what a genius is, my son replied, "I'm not a genius; I'm Lewie."

After this first question, the filming started from there...

Friday Fun Flick: Say "Cheese"

Blogging and the camera have always gone hand in hand.  In fact, I think blogging has inspired me to bring the camera (and use it) at times when I normally wouldn't have considered it.  On any given day, Little Lewie is used to getting photographed, and thankfully, he doesn't seem to mind it.  In fact, right now he's at the age where he embraces it.

Well, this week we went on a play date where he had the chance to play with lots of cool toys that he's never seen before.  While he did show interest in a few of the toys, his favorite was a talking Elmo camera.  Right away he got "inspired" to take lots of pictures of Mommy and his friends; his enthusiasm for taking pictures was so relentless that my friend even told Lewie he could keep the camera.  (Yeah, I have super sweet friends like that.)

To say that Lewie LOVES this camera is an understatement.  Once we got home, he wouldn't put it down for a minute.  He ran around our house and took lots of pictures of the grass, the sky, the rocks, his swings, and even (much later) the moon.  I couldn't stop laughing because he would tell all these inanimate things to "Say Cheese!"   I was so entertained by his behavior, I almost forgot to use my own camera to record these memories.   Here's a quick video I was able to capture while he had a camera in one hand and I had a "real" camera in my hand:

Is Lewie's fascination with the camera a direct response to my own enjoyment of photographing him and things around me for my blog?  I'm sure.  Still, it's fun to dream that one of these days I'll have a mini photographer on my hands.  We'll see where all this enthusiasm takes us... For now, I'm glad I had a camera to capture the moment of him trying to "capture" the moment.

Happy weekend everyone!

Friday Fun Flick: Tapping in Mommy's Shoes

I'm not sure what inspired me to take my tap shoes out, but for some reason this week, I had the strange desire to see if I could remember any of my tap routines.  You see, I don't have many skills or talents.  I'm not athletic or artistic.  I'm not good at singing or playing a musical instrument.  I'm also not particularly flexible (alright so maybe that's just too much information). What I'm saying is that during my childhood, adolescence, and even adulthood, I tried a lot of different sports and hobbies, but the only one that I truly loved, and still love today, is tap dancing.  I started at age five, took lessons until I was sixteen, and then I went back to taking lessons in college until I was thirty.  Oh, I'm not a flashy dancer that can gracefully hop around clicking my heels, but I can do a mad shuffle hop step hop step.  (Drawbacks are my specialty.)

Well, to my surprise, I actually do remember several of my old routines from five years ago.  (My last dance recital was in 2006.)  From time to time, Little Lewie has seen me tap dance and liked it, but this time, he LOVED it.  He kept following me around the kitchen, stomping his feet again and again.  Finally, I suggested he try on Mommy's tap shoes.  Well, this just made his day.  Of course, I didn't capture him early on when he was full of energy, but I did manage to get this video clip before he decided to take my shoes off.  (I may just need to buy him his own tap shoes one of these days...)

Friday Fun Flick: Mr. Manners

My little boy may not always behave appropriately (i.e. terrible two tantrums or before nap meltdowns), but one thing you can't call him is rude.  My little boy is Mr. Polite.  In our household, we're always saying please and thank you.  In fact, if you never saw our messy house but only heard the words that came from inside, you could possible mistake my husband and I for Ward and June Cleaver.  (If you don't know who these TV characters are, then don't worry, it just means I'm an old fossil.)

I love the following video clip because it's just an example of his "peas and tanks" (translation--please and thanks.)  We had good friends of ours come over with their little boy who's about five months older than Lewie.  The two of them placed nicely together with our Fisher Price doorway and actually shared one of the plastic "letters" by handing it back and forth through the doorway.  Lewie's little friend would announce, "Special Delivery," and Lewie would respond, "Tanks."

The best part, I think, is listening to us parents in the background.  Our entire conversation is centered around our little guys, and we keep coaching our kids to be "polite."  At the end, you can hear my husband say repeatedly, "Good job buddy," in praise of the fact that Little Lewie is sharing his toys.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  To close, I've decided to share a song that was taught to us during our library reading hour.  It's sung to the melody of Frere Jacques or  Are you Sleeping?

                             "Please and thank you, Please and thank you
                              Sound so nice, sound so nice.
                              Manners are important, manners are important.
                              Be polite.  Be polite."

Yes, sometimes I have to sing this song in my head when I'm not getting along with a coworker.  It's interesting how these early lessons we learn at say, age two, need to be reminders when we get older...

Friday Fun Flick: Shoveling Is HARD Work!

We started out the week feeling sick, and we're ending the week feeling just as exhausted and miserable.  For some reason, we can't seem to kick this nasty flu/virus that's going around.  (Although we do appreciate your virtual hugs and chicken soup that is being sent our way!)

This week, when we could, Little Lewie and I would go outside for some fresh air (even if it were for 15 or 20 minutes).  We didn't get more snow, thankfully, but Little Lewie grabbed his shovel anyways.  Usually when Daddy and I are shoveling, Little Lewie is sitting cozy inside the house, but I guess he's watched us through the windows on more than one occasion.  Without even prompting him, I was surprised when he grabbed his "gardening" shovel out from the garage and decided to use it to shovel the walkways.  (It's amazing what our little ones pick up on when no one is watching.) 

Here, in this video, Little Lewie is (less than enthusiastically) helping Mommy and Daddy shovel the walkways.  As you can see from the couple of times he takes breaks to the ending where he just throws down his shovel, shoveling snow is HARD work, even for toddlers with light, plastic green shovels.

Happy Weekend Everyone!  Stay Warm!

Friday Fun Flick: Winter Mowing?

Snow, snow, and more snow.  That's what it's been like in these parts; although, this week we did have a little reprieve.  We have to get creative when it comes to our outside play, especially since my little guy doesn't like to wear gloves, mittens, or hats.  Ugh!

Here's some fun video clips of my little boy "mowing" the sidewalks...  He found his lawn mower in the garage and insisted on playing with it.  I guess he's kinda ready for the Spring like the rest of us!

As you can see, I recorded this before his nap time, so he kept on getting cranky with me.  I couldn't help but laugh!

Do you have any creative ideas for outside play (especially in this weather)? 

Friday Fun Flick: An Unexpected Winter Adventure

Yesterday I had the grand idea of taking Little Lewie to our park to play in the snow.  I had daydreams of us romping in the snow, throwing snowballs, making snow angels, and then playing in the parking lot with little Lewie's new toy--his one mile per hour ATV. 

The excursion sounded innocent enough, but it actually turned out nothing like expected.  First, Little Lewie outright refused to put on gloves or mittens.  Without his cooperation, I knew our frolicking in the snow would be limited...even more, I knew our outside time would be limited, too.

First we attempted to ride his ATV around the parking lot...

However, since the parking lot was not cleared well, his little vehicle kept getting stuck in the snow, and then of course, without gloves, Little Lewie's hands were too cold...

Then we attempted to romp in the snow...To my disappointment, none of our snow anywhere is light and fluffy.  Instead, it's coated with a hard, outer shell of ice.  Even at 40 lbs., Little Lewie's weight could not help him break through this shell.  I couldn't believe it!  My little guy was walking completely on the top surface of about 18 inches of snow.  Just when I pulled out my camera to record the event, Little Lewie slipped on the snow/ice, which made me realize that yes, even trying to walk in the snow (or on the snow) was not a good idea.

So are there any good parts of this adventure, you might ask?  The best part, unexpected to me, was the end... We needed to warm his poor little hands and nose up, so I had him climb in the front car seat with me so we could both warm up with the heat on us full blast.  He took the opportunity to sneak his little behind in the driver's seat so he could play with my lights, windshield wipers, horn, and most exciting of all, radio.  Yes, he didn't have fun outside, but he sure enjoyed warming up in the car...I suppose it doesn't matter where the fun comes from just as long as we're having fun...

Friday Fun Flick: Daddy's Size 14 Shoes Are Hard to Fill!

A few weeks ago, I showed footage of my little guy scuffing around in my heels.  It was hilarious to watch him and hear him clippity clapping all over the kitchen floor.  I was quite impressed.

My little guy, of course, also has a fascination with Daddy's shoes, that is...Daddy's very large size 14 shoes.  If some of you are unfamiliar with this size, let me give you a brief highlight.

• We usually have to go to special stores to buy his shoes. (Most large chains like JC Penney's and Sears do not carry his size).
• Just one shoe alone, feels like a 2 pound weight.  If it's a work boot, then it feels more like a five pound weight.
• Just one pair of shoes fills up an entire duffel bag.  Thus, I usually limit the number of shoes my husband is allowed to pack on a trip.
• His shoes make his suitcases very heavy--sometimes making us pay extra on a plane flight because his baggage exceeds the allowed weight limit. 

With that said, my little guy still insists on walking in his shoes, which means, in all honesty, he is one strong little boy!

Friday Fun Flick: Check Out My 'Crib'

Today I started reviewing some of the video footage we've taken of Lil' Lewie, and I came across this little gem...

I love this video of Daddy checking out Lil' Lewie's "crib".  Both of them have what I like to refer to as the "stand-up comedian" gene, and I think it's evident in this video.

Lil' Lewie inherited this house from his cousin Sarah and loves it!  When the weather was nicer, he'd spend most of his afternoons playing inside pretending to talk on the phone and wash dishes.  (Hmmmm, I wonder who he learned that from?)  Then, for a while, he wanted me to start serving his lunch in there.  He has a little seat, so he could comfortably sit and eat while peaking at me through his window.

Now that it's getting colder, his little house days are limited.  We may just have to look into central heating...

Friday Fun Flick: Stepping in Mommy's Shoes

Over the past few months, our little boy has been obsessed with wearing our shoes.  After work, I suppose we should be putting them in the closet where they belong, but since my husband and I are just too busy and too tired, we often take them off at the back door and leave them in the kitchen.  This is where my little boy's fun begins!

Practically every night, my little boy tries on one of our pairs of shoes--Daddy's sneakers, Mommy's sneakers, Daddy's slippers, and even Mommy's dress shoes.  Since we have so much video of my little boy doing this, I will have to revisit the topic with Daddy's shoes, but for now, here are two quick videos of my Lil' Lewie "clicking" around the house in my one inch heels. 

I'll have to admit that I was pretty impressed with his being able to wear these heels without falling.  Little did I know that my son could have dressed in drag this Halloween instead of the Nick Jr. costume I chose for him (hee, hee).

(P.S. Please excuse my house's appearance...Yes, I do have an Ideal Home where all clutter is in its proper place, but that home won't exist until we stop living in it.)

Friday Fun Flick: Falling into Leaves Just Isn't My Thing

Okay, it's offical.  Little Lewie doesn't like getting dirty.  He went through a brief stage of actually enjoying playing in the dirt and mud puddles, but that stage has left.  I first noticed that he wasn't so crazy about it after trying to get him to help me plant bulbs in our garden.  Now, I noticed it again as Daddy and I tossed him into a pile of leaves.

As far as I can remember (which was probably back to age five) I loved jumping in the leaves.  It was fun to hear them crinkle and even better to cover every inch of my body (except for my head).  Little Lewie's perspective on leaves is, well, a tad bit different...

After this short video, I managed to take a couple of other revealing shots...

"Mom, why did you put me here?"

"I don't think I like this.  Can you pick me up now?"

"Yuck, do I have a leaf on my jacket?"

"Unbelievable.  My jacket's all dirty now!"



So far my Little Lewie is not too crazy about pumpkins and not a big fan of leaves...I guess fall might not be the favorite season this year...

Have a great weekend everyone!



Friday Fun Flick: My Little Musclehead

In May, I purchased a series of Pilates DVDs, so I could do my own exercise routine at home.  I'm happy with the results, but I never knew my Pilates equipment would be such a huge hit with my little boy.  As a result, I have to do my exercises in the morning when he's still asleep.  Otherwise, he takes over and doens't want to share.

Here's a quick video of my little boy lifting my Pilates bar.  Of course, I made sure to remove the weights on the ends before he started pumping "iron."  I suppose one day, he may become my own little (or maybe not so little) "gym rat." 



Friday Fun Flick-Babbling after Breakfast

Last week, after Little Lewie decided he was going to "wear" most of his breakfast rather than eat it, I decided to film him.  Here's a typical day of him talking away in his highchair after he just ate.  He still talks in his typical baby language--his favorite words being "hi" and "go".   All the other words come from his unique, elaborate vocabulary, which I am still trying to translate.   You'll notice the video clip is rather short--that's because he succeeded in touching the lens and getting a fingerprint on it at the end.

The second video, if I still have your interest, is a continuation of Little Lewie babbling away and entertaining (after I wipe the smudge off the lens).  Here he poses for the camera and tires himself out at the end...

I think his baby translation says something like, "Have a nice weekend everyone."  (It's just a guess!)

Friday Fun Flick-Dare to Dance and Be Silly

My little boy loves to dance. (I've written about this before.) However, it's now been my mission to capture this on video. I thought this would be easy, but the minute Lil' Lew discovers I'm recording him, he decides to entertain me in other ways. Perhaps, he thinks that dancing is too boring, and he needs to "up" his game, or perhaps, he's an "in the closet dancer"--too afraid to show off his skills to me and the camera.

Well, a few days ago I was able to capture a few of his dance moves while he wasn't looking. (You'll notice that he was concentrating on the music so much that he had his eyes closed.) Once he opens his eyes and sees the camera, the dancing turns to running around in circles to just plain acting silly.

While I'm still trying to capture the "Ultimate Dance Video," I couldn't resist posting this one as it is so representative of my mornings and afternoons with my little boy. His crazy antics are a constant source of entertainment.

Friday Fun Flick-The Tale of the Spinning Lawn Ornament

Several weeks ago, I posted a Friday Fun Flick on “Fans are Spooky.” My little boy, at first, was terrified by Grandma's little, oscillating, bedroom fan. It didn’t make sense to him why the fan would move back and forth on its own. Even now, he’s no longer terrified, but I can still tell that he thinks it’s creepy.

Well, the thought of the fan has long been gone until this week when Lewie showed an interest in our sunflower wind spinner that we’ve been storing in the garage. Many times when he’s brought it over to me before, my normal response has been “Oh, Lil’ Lewie, Mommy will put it up some day. Not now, okay?”

Well, a persistent Lil’ Lewie finally encouraged me to stake the spinner lawn ornament by our porch this week. He was thrilled as he kept using his little hand to make it spin. I then left him outside alone with it while I went to wash the dishes (I can see him from my kitchen window) when all of a sudden, I hear Lewie break out into complete sobbing hysterics. What on earth! How could he possibly have hurt himself?
I ran outside to survey the situation. Okay, where’s the boo boo, I thought, as I picked up Lil’ Lewie and tried drying his tears. For some reason, my nurturing wasn’t consoling him. “Why are you so upset, Lil’ Lew?”

It took a few minutes, but I finally figured out the source of his anguish. The wind had picked up, and the spinner lawn ornament was moving by itself. Good grief! As I carried Lil’ Lewie closer to the lawn ornament to show him that it wasn’t scary, he had an all-out meltdown.

In the past few days, I’ve done everything in my power to extinguish this fear. I’ve even been searching for a pinwheel, so I can demonstrate the laws of wind. For the most part, he feels a little more comfortable around it, but this clip still shows his remaining distrust. Unfortunately, the spinning sunflower doesn’t have the same allure as it did sitting still in the garage. Like the oscillating fan, spinner lawn ornaments are “spooky” too.

Friday Fun Flick-Bubbles in a Bathtub

In a perfect world, I would have started blogging as soon as my little guy was born--that way I would have been able to capture all of his special moments right from the very beginning. (He's 23 months old right now.) However, since I was sleep deprived and didn't know anything about blogging when he was born, I guess I just have to play a little catch-up.

Tonight, I started looking at some of the videos we took of Lil' Lewie as a baby. I was amazed to see the change, and I have to admit that I did get a little emotional. My baby is now a toddler! A lot of my videos have my annoying voice in the background singing and cheering. (Ugh!) Since I want to spare everyone the pain of listening to me say, "Who's my little Lewie?" over and over again, I was quite selective in my "Blast from the Past" video this week.

Today's Friday Fun Flick is of my little one chasing bubbles in the bathtub when he was just 12 months old. Since bubbles were new to him at this point, he was quite fascinated by them. I chose this clip because it captures his sheer curiosity and excitement. (I also chose it because it was taken by my husband, which means my shrill Mickey Mouse voice isn't echoing in the background.)

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Friday Fun Flick-Around and Around We Go

This month was my little boy’s first experience on a carnival ride. I wanted to try him on the little cars, but the carnival we chose didn’t have them. After some deliberation, my husband and I finally decided to try the Merry-Go-Round. After all, what kid doesn’t like a horse? Well, evidently our Lil’ Lewie, that’s who.

The first clip, which I think is pretty funny, shows my little boy going around three times on his horse. Every time he passes by me, you can hear my high-pitched voice go an octave higher as I start yelling, "Hi Lewie! Hi Lewie!" Then, there's silence until he passes by again (sound familiar?) The only one who’s excited is my husband who is waving to me like it’s his first ride. Lil’ Lewie, on the other hand, is staring blankly in front of him, expressionless.

In the second clip, after one more time of going around, my little boy decides he doesn’t want to be on the horse anymore. So, for the rest of the ride, my husband is holding a less than thrilled kid. So much for getting this exciting moment on film. I mean, we did, but it didn’t exactly turn out the way we expected. I wish they had those darn little cars… Oh well, there's always a next time.

Friday Fun Flick: Happily Clean!

My little boy loves life. Virtually everyday, he wakes up chattering a mile a minute with a huge grin on his face. At twenty-three months, my little boy still prefers his own language to ours. Every now and then, he will appease us by trying to mimic one of our words, but at the moment, he's perfectly content speaking his own gibberish. He also enjoys experimenting with his voice by making high pitched squeals. Everyone tells me that these days won't last long, so like always, I decided to capture the moment.

Below is some rare footage (not really) of my little boy squealing away after taking a bath. To him, every event is a cause for celebration, and so here, he's celebrating his clean little tush.

Friday Fun Flick: Fans are Spooky

This week, I decided to capture my little boy's fan obsession. Right now, New England is in the midst of a heat wave where the temperatures have easily climbed to 90 and 100 degrees everyday. Fortunately, we do have air-conditioning, but sometmes a fan helps too!

My poor Lil' Lewie has never seen a fan before, and it's become his fascination for the week. It started out where he would only look at it from a distance, but then, as his confidence grew, he started pressing the buttons. He enjoyed pressing the buttons until he learned that the fan oscillates back and forth. When it first started moving from side to side, my poor little boy freaked out! Even now, a couple of days later, he still thinks it's spooky. In this clip, I couldn't catch his outright fear, but you can certainly see his interest and a little apprehension at the same time.

Friday Fun Flick: Let's Celebrate National Ice Cream Month

In observance of National Ice Cream Month, today’s Friday Fun Flick is a video of my little guy eating his very first ice cream cone. (He was able to enjoy this special treat just about a month ago while we vacationed in the Bahamas.)



My son has a milk allergy, so this treat is rare, but he does eat frozen yogurt from time to time, which doesn’t seem to bother him. If anyone’s wondering, YES there is a National Ice Cream Day too, which this year lands on July 18th. Please visit my blog again on this day as we’ll have a special tribute to this very important dessert!