I learned it from YOU, dad!

There are some things you just know you'll use to torture your children when they are older.  Thankfully, when I was a kid if I tore up a picture, it was gone forever...unless my folks wanted to go through hundreds of unsorted negatives.

They never did.

Now, I think I would like to see some of those old pictures, perhaps my embarrassment will have turned to "awwww."

Alas, I will never know.

And now, I present for your viewing pleasure, a picture to end all pictures.

An image to top all images.

A picture that my son will hate me for, for at least a month...

...maybe more.

Aptly titled:

I learned it From Watching YOU, DAD!

Isn't potty training the best thing ever?

Glow Sticks!

Amelia's godmother has just finished law school and is currently studying for the Great Bar Exam of 2012 - we rarely see her.  But when we do...

Things get WILD AND CRAZY COOL.

Now who isn't addicted to Pinterest... I am.  She is, too.  I know this, because she found this amazing thing to do with the kids in the tub.  She splurged at the dollar store ( she has the best dollar store I've ever been to.) and brought hand fulls of glow sticks.  Though it took a while for the two of us to crack them all and do the shake-a-shake-a-shake-a thing to them until they flowed and glowed.

It was worth it.

The kids loved it and didn't want to get out.

They twirled them,and spun them, and waved them, and tried to eat them, and, of course hit each other (accidentally, but that doesn't make it any less painful)

The bathroom lights were out, and the only lights were the glow sticks themselves - that should help explain the photos.

Then, after they were pried from the tub...

...Amelia fell asleep with some, still clinging to them as she slept.

Also, we can't be happier for our AJ, she was offered the position of her dreams...  Congratulations!!!

...and thanks for the amazing good times.

2Y28D: Activity Swap

It's not going to get any warmer outside for a few months.

As it gets colder, the odds of me taking the kids outside get slimmer and slimmer.

Sadly.

So, I have decided to start a toddler activity swap. Mainly here in CT, but we can do it at a distance if everyone involved is willing to shoulder shipping costs.

Depending on how many families are involved will depend on how many groups of 10 we'll have.

Below is the letter I send out to families:


Dearest Moms, Dads, and caregivers of young ones,

I have an idea that you might be interested in. Now this might be over the top and kind of farfetched, but it just might work if we give it enough time.

As the winter approaches, there will be fewer and fewer chances to take the kids outside. We'll need activities to do at home...lots of them.

Here's where my idea comes into play. If we can get a bunch of interested parties each to make a self contained, age appropriate activity (say 18mo - 3yrs ) +/- that fits in a gallon zip-lock bag, then trade bags of activities with all parties. We'll each walk away a box of new activities!!

For instance, if 10 families participate, each family makes 10 copies of a fully contained low-cost activity and brings/mails them to our to per-determined place. We exchange activities. Then, when we leave, we will each have 10 ready-to-go activities!

Local families can meet here in New Haven, but out of town-ers can mail your activities to me and we can figure out how best to get the new sets back to you.

Sound good??

I'd love some feedback.

Feel free to forward this to any families you know. I'd like to set a get together date for this sometime in Mid-January.

Please email me: Rachel.rg.gordon@gmail.com or reply to this thread. If you do not want to receive emails about this please message me and I'll do my best to get your address off the thread.