Buddy's Favorite Books

I got the idea to list/review our favorite books from a new blog I follow.  This week I will showcase Buddy's favorite books and next week I will highlight Punky's favorite books.  I might even write a post with my favorite children's books.  I think this is a fun idea because (a) I love books (b) our kids love books and (c) it'll be fun to look back and remember the books the kids liked at this age.

Little Blue Truck-  This is a cute story with a nice rhythm.  I love the story's message about helping each other.  Who knows if Buddy understands, but he really likes pointing out the farm animals and repeating the words "Beep Beep Beep."  

On Noah's Ark-  Buddy found this book at the library.  We renewed it two times, returned it and the next time we were at the library, he found it (on his own!) again.  This one will need to go on his Christmas list.  This book is light on the text, which is good because Buddy is so busy pointing out all the animals on each page.  Sometimes we don't even read the story, we just point at the animals.  The illustrations are realistic and well done.

Are You My Mother-  There aren't too many words on each page, but there are a lot of pages.  We've hidden this book a few times because it just gets old reading the same long book day after day.  Every time we bring it out of hiding, Buddy insist on reading it every night for the next few days.

First 100 Animals-  We bought this book for Buddy last Christmas when his obsession love for animals began.  Mid-January the spine cracked.  This book has seen better days, but it is still holding up and we look at it nearly every day.  I'd say Buddy knows 90 of the 100 animals.  He's not too interested in the bug page, but he knows some weird ones like swan, raccoon, porcupine, vulture, and meerkat. 

Dear Zoo-  I learned about this book during baby storytime at the library and knew Buddy would love it.  It is a lift-the-flap board book, but it is a fun easy read... with animals. 

A Sleep Story-  This was my book when I was a little girl.  There is a note from my Grandma and Grandpa in the front cover dated "Easter 1983".  I remember when I was a little girl, my mom and dad switched the words around so the little girl covered herself up with her "duck blankie".  We switch the words for Buddy and Punky to match their names for their blankets ("dee dee" and "nigh-nigh blankie").  This book also has animals in it.  My favorite page to read is the little pony with the thick black mane.  Buddy gets so angry if you say pony, he shouts "No, it a HORSEY".

"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"- This was Derek's book when he was a little boy.  Our copy is black and white but I see Amazon has a color copy (Wow, is Derek old!)  The pages are falling out and the binding is cracked, but Buddy loves this story.  It is SO LONG.  Like it takes 10 minutes to read with Derek talkingasfastashecan.  I read the first phrase from each page and skip the rest (you can still understand the story).  This book gets hidden a lot too because it is too long for a 2 year old.  But there is an elephant, giraffe, crocodile and zebra in the book, so it doesn't get much better in Buddy's opinion.   

No Cows!

Fall is without a doubt my favorite time of the year.  I love the crisp weather, the clothes (boots, jeans, sweaters) and the fall traditions.  One of our must-do activities each year is visiting the apple orchard.  It was a little cool and I am so glad we grabbed hats for the kids on our way out the door!

Punky is saying "cheese".  We need to work on her smile!

The kids love the orchard because there are a lot of fun things to do there!  They have a play area with hay bales and slides, lots of things to climb on and a few animals to feed.  This year there were goats, turkeys and hens with baby chicks.  Buddy enjoyed seeing the animals but expect to see more, I think.  He kept asking for cows... 

There are also a lot of activities at the orchard that you need to pay extra for.  I guess we are cheap, but we skipped most of those activities.  Punky really wanted to jump on the giant bounce pillow, but we were able to distract her from that.  We probably won't be able to do that for much longer.  We had thought about letting the kids go on a pony ride, but at $4 each, it seemed like a lot of money.  Buddy was happy petting the "horsey".  We did buy two tickets for the cow train.  Punky was excited, but Buddy was not having it!  We finally put it together that he wanted a real cow and was not going to accept anything else!  We got our ticket back from the driver and Buddy watched Punky go around the field.

This is as far as Buddy got.  He would not sit down.

  
I really like this orchard because there are lots of areas set up for cute photos!  I had fun practicing with my camera and trying to get some cute shots of my kids.  I got a mix of good ones and bad ones.  At this point, my photography skills include a lot of luck!

Cute, except for the runny nose

Gymnastics

Punky had her first gymnastics class tonight!  We've both been looking forward to this for weeks.  I wanted to enroll Punky in some sort of dance or gymnastics class in order to improve her coordination.  Some of those classes are so expensive and require a big time commitment.  I was so happy to find our community center offered a gymnastics class once a week for not too much money.

They started the class by stretching.

This is Punky trying her "gymnastics posture".

Bear Walk

They completed an obstacle course next.  Punky was the very last kid to take a turn.  She did so well and waited so patiently!

 

At this point, Buddy was getting a little antsy.  It was so hard for him to see the other kids having fun.  He wanted to join them too!  We brought books to read but also took turns walking the halls, drinking from the water fountain and wrestling poor Buddy so he didn't run to the mats!

Parents are only allowed to view the first and the last gymnastics class.  It might be good for Buddy to stay home while Punky goes to class.  Less temptation that way!

They ended the class by playing with a parachute.  Buddy even got to participate!

I had to pull him out from under the parachute. 

I think Punky is going to have a lot of fun!  It will be exciting to see how much she has improved at the end of the 9 week course!

First Day of Preschool

Today was Punky's first day of preschool.  Since she went to preschool this spring, it really didn't seem like a big deal at all.  She was very excited and ready to go!  Some of her friends from last year have moved on to kindergarten, so she's been asking where they are.  There are a few new teachers this year as well.  She had a really great experience last year, so I am sure she will make new friends in no time.  We are looking forward to another fun year!

I wish I could report that there were no tears today...  Poor little Buddy was convinced that he too would be going to preschool.  He was ready to "play animals" like he did during the open house last week.  He was very upset when when we said goodbye to Punky and walked out of the classroom.  I told him that we would go to the pet store and the library and he perked up... a little.

Big Trucks

This morning Punky and Buddy visited a construction site and got the chance to ride a bulldozer, dump truck and excavator.   One of the contractors that Daddy works for had a family open house.  They gave the adults orange safety vests and the kids orange hats to wear.  There was a bounce house, a sand pile to play in, and a picnic lunch.  It was a perfect morning and such a fun experience for the kids.  Buddy was excited to see the "big trucks".  It'll be fun to see if he becomes more interested in playing with construction trucks now that he has rode in them! 

We had to take a tractor hay ride from the offices to the construction site.  Our first stop was the dump truck.  Punky even got to steer!  Some of the other kids did some off-roading, but Punky kept their ride pretty tame. 

Next we took a ride on the bulldozer.  The cab was too small, so Punky and Buddy had to take turns.  Punky went alone, and I thought Buddy might be scared to be alone so I squeezed in with him.  He had such a big smile on his face; he would've been just fine riding by himself.  They both enjoyed honking the horn! 

The excavator was the next stop.  This time we let Buddy go by himself.  The kids got to move the levers and scoop up two big loads of dirt.  It looked like fun!

While we were waiting in line, Buddy started digging in the dirt.  Good thing there was a sand pit for the kids to play in!

Our final "ride" was on the front loader where they got to move a pile of dirt.  It was already close to nap time, so we quick toured the fire truck and grabbed a yummy lunch!  It was a really fun day!

I'm Big

We've been trying to teach Buddy to say "I'm Two" for the past few days.  Here are some of the responses we get:
-I'm three.
-I'm four.
-I'm big!
-I'm a DINOSAUR!

What can I say about my two year old boy?  It feels like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant (what were we thinking?).  I can remember so clearly the minute you were born (Daddy exclaimed, "It's a COLIN!")  It feels like you just joined our family and yet it is hard to remember what life was like without you. 

You are a happy little boy.  You are silly and enthusiastic.

You love animals, animals and more animals.  Right now your favorites are zebras, giraffes, horses, and crocodiles.  And of course, dinosaurs. 

You love pasta and rice and aren't really a fan of "meats". 

You are talking up a storm.  Your vocabulary has grown so much in the past few weeks.  You can speak in three and four word sentences. 

You are very active.  You are always on-the-go.  You can jump higher than your sister.  One of your favorite games is to "hop like a bunny" down.the.stairs! 

You are starting to throw a few tantrums, especially if we take away a toy, animal or train.  You typically want to bring something to bed (or in the car, outside, etc.) like zebra or Thomas with you  but it creates such a hassle we don't usually let you.  You are not happy with that!       

You are a smart little guy.  You know almost all of the animals in your 100 animals book.  You pick up on songs and other things Punky teaches you so quickly. 

You are such a blessing in our lives.  We love you, little Buddy!

Choo Choo Party

On Saturday, we hosted a small party for family and a few friends (Buddy's godparents and Punky's godparents) for Buddy's 2nd birthday.  I debated for weeks over the theme of his birthday.  I finally decided on a Thomas and Friends theme.  (There will be plenty more birthdays for a Dinosaur or Animal themed party, I think.)  Buddy was very excited about his Choo-Choo Party, although I am not sure he really knew what it meant.

The cake was good, but he was more interested in the lollipop!

Of course, Punky had to "help" open the presents. 

It wasn't too long until Buddy figured out how to open them by himself.

We had brats, hot dogs, salads, watermelon and chips for lunch.  The weather was nice and the kids were able to play outside. 

 

Buddy got a lot of great presents.  Most everything was animal, dinosaur, or train related.  Perfect for Buddy!

Tonight, we talked about what where we should go to eat on Buddy's actual birthday.  Pizza?  Pasta?  Those are typically Buddy's favorite meals.  Tonight he said, "No, Rice and Beans."  That's my boy!