Edward Three and Free

Oh, Edward.  How do I even count the ways in which I love you? 

You are the most sturdy, precious, tough, sensitive, entertaining, maddening, wonderful three year old boy. 

 

Sometimes I just throw up my hands wondering what in the world to do with you, with your flaky and forgetful behavior (I just told you three seconds ago, put the toy in the box!  Don't walk off to the kitchen with it, just put it in the box please!  No, don't put it on the floor, put it in the box!!  This box, Mommy?  Yes!!! That box, right there in front of your hand!) and the next your throw your arms around my neck and hold on and hug me for as long as I want and two minutes more. 

You are a terrific little brother to Davy, going along with his games and being ever so agreeable.  But you have your own ideas about what should happen, too, and you have an independent streak that prevents anyone--even Davy, whom you adore--from walking over you.  You are a great big brother to Eliza, helping her be happy and not minding when she is crying or needing some extra attention.

Your smile melts any place in my heart that might be the slightest bit hard and weary. 

I absolutely treasure the special time with just you that we sometimes get (Eliza tags along, too, but she lets us talk and hold hands so it still feels special with just you).  You almost gave up play group last week because you wanted to go to the grocery store and thrift store with me, but I convinced you that you really did want to play with your friends and you could come with me another day.  I felt very flattered.

I look forward to story time, when you cuddle your heavy warm body right up next to mine and drink in the story along with me. 

I love when you laugh out loud at funny things--your laugh is so infectious and free.

The people walking by were concerned for you, seeing you jump sideways off the wall.  I think they thought I wasn't watching you, because I was too busy saying, "do that again, I didn't quite get it!" from behind the lens of a camera.  I never did get a good shot of you in the air, but I love this shot of you about to take off.  That expression on your face is just pure happy.

We had twenty minutes in between music class and picking Davy up, so we dashed over to this abandoned train track and and the quickest little photo-shoot.  You were a good sport, though you did not love the outfit I wanted you to wear.  I bribed with smarties to get what I got, and I'm happy with the results.  You are a pretty adorable model, Eddy.

This is quite self-indulgent to post all four of these pictures when the pose is exactly the same.  But each expression is slightly different and so Eddy that I couldn't resist.  That tummy poking out and the vague gaze off into the distance is so quintessentially Edward.  And the smile in response to me trying to get your attention, but the gaze still unfocused--oh, that's so you!  Then you'll suddenly snap into it and say, "Mommy!" in the most irresistible way.  I just love it (when it isn't driving me crazy, trying to get your attention in the first place).

You are so good at matching.  My favorite is when you help set the table and get matching everything from the kids' IKEA dish cupboard.  You always get me pink, because that is "a girl color" and I am a girl. 

Your favorite color is green.  Then orange.  Then blue.  Dark blue, but not turquoise, because that is Davy's favorite color and that makes it off limits to you.  You respect your brother's preferences.  You have it all figured out, as far as colors go.

Two with you was fun.  Three with you is going to be even funner.  (Or more fun, or whatever.) 

Eddy-bear, you are a joy and a delight.  We love you to the moon and beyond and back again.

'Liza Bee Outside (three months)

Eliza is three months old and is breaking out of her little newborn shell.  I think the major change happened while we were still in California.  I almost feel like I missed the transition because we were so busy and on-the-move, and people were clamoring to hold her so I mostly just saw her when nursing! 

Suddenly she is this awake baby with an engaging smile and chuckle and talking

she is blowing bubbles and raspberries with great proficiency

she is getting lovely little rolls of chub on her thighs and arms (her cheeks didn't need much filling out . . .)

she has discovered her fingers and toes as the perfect playthings they are

she is holding her head up so well and prefers to be sitting up in our laps rather than lying down

she enjoys manipulating toys and is beginning to reach for things on purpose

she is even thinking about rolling onto her side (though hopefully all the way over is a while away). 

Watch out world, baby Liza is entering in full and fantastic force! 

California 2013, part four: Orange Balloon and Beach

One of the things on my California bucket list--near the top ever since I learned about it a couple years ago--has been the orange balloon in Irvine. There is a park that is under development and will someday be truly something.  It's built on an old military airfield and one of my favorite reuses was a ginormous orange painted historical timeline stretching the length of a run-way.  Right now the park is on its way, but still fairly low-key, with a fabulous balloon ride, a charming carousel, and a little green park and sprinkler play area.  We sampled all of these delights!

The balloon takes you 400 feet in the air, tethered to the ground by a thick metal cable.  The platform acts as an incredible viewing area (like Y mountain in Utah Valley, sans the sweaty hike) and allows one to feel the sensation of floating and hear the silence of the skies.  The only sound is the whoosh of steamy air into the balloon.  (Collin found this a little eerie, but I have a little love affair with hot air balloons, can you tell?)

One of the days we made our way down to Newport Beach and enjoyed a late afternoon in the sand and surf.  The waves are so different than our New England waves!  It took a little getting used again to as Collin and I made our way to the breaking point and beyond.   Eddy was braver than ever this trip in the water--earlier in the summer he refused to even touch the water.  There were tons of teensy sand crabs every where that the boys loved and creeped me out.  The sand was great, especially with cousin Evan's awesome sand toys!

Disneyland (California 2013, part three)

I have two more posts I'm planning on--this one with some moments at Disneyland and one combining two of our other favorite activities.

It's been almost a month now, since our official summer trip has been over, but I'm not quite ready to let it go, apparently.  It's taken a long time to work through the gazillion pictures to find my favorites and edit them--taken a long time because I just don't want to let that time be documented and put away quite yet!  I have loved lingering over all these golden moments with our family and those incredible, funny, generous, wonderful people who make up the Lambourne clan.  I know that a crowded and expensive theme park on a hot hot day do not constitute many peoples' idea of a happy time, so I am especially grateful that sacrifices were made for us all to be together.  Corny as it may sound, there were some truly magical moments amid the logistical and practical and grumpy.

One of the best times of the three (!) days we spent in the parks was a dinner hour we all spent hanging out at the same place, just talking and dancing and jumping and laughing.

Strangers kept thinking Eliza was a boy because of the green onesie.  But I was like, who would put their son in a Bambi onesie?  (Even if he did grow up to be a stag with big antlers.)

The boys each got to choose one toy treat and  one food treat for the trip (not each day).  This expectation talked about at the very beginning cut down tremendously on the I want I want.  (Plus Grandma and aunt Erica got them presents, nevermind the treat of being at Disneyland in the first place!)  Davy chose Legos for his toy treat.  While not technically in Disneyland proper, the Lego store in Downtown Disney is huge and has cool Disney-themed Lego creations all over.  Davy went straight for the Spiderman set and never looked back (despite some biased nudging from Mom).  He was--and continues to be--very pleased with his choice.

One of the best parts about being with family is all the attention the kids get from so many people who love them.  I love this sequence of a ride on Grandpa's shoulders.  We wore that poor Edward out.  He slept through the line to the Ferris wheel, the whole ride, a stroller ride to the (loud) World of Color show, the stroller ride to the car, the transfer into the car, the transfer out of the car and into his bed.  That's a record, even for this determined sleeper.

 

Another shiny moment from my memory of the day with the whole family was the moment when the grown ups went on the big roller coaster and the kids were left in the hands on the grandparents.  I was nursing Eliza on a bench with one eye on the grandsons.  There was a slight pause in the smoothness of the transition, but then, without missing hardly a step, grandma and grandpa corralled those crazy boys and rode the carousel together.  I saw smiles all around as the boys excitedly chose their creatures and witnessed how extra-carefully the grandparents tightened the safety belts and stood near.  The foundation of those precious relationships--that's the magic that lasts.

The food treat was Mickey ice cream Popsicles.  Messy and cold and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

Cleaning up after the ice cream in the drinking fountain provided much amusement.

 

 

I love the wonder in this boy's face.

 

Davy was most content with the rides in Fantasyland and any rides he could see the beginning and process and end.  And he loved flying.  He would have gone on the rockets ten times in a row if possible.

Eddy loved being in control of any rides he could.  He was pretty brave and pretty stoic about all the rides he went on.  We let him go on (with cheater-stuffed shoes and his hair brushing the top of the measuring stick) the rides for 40 inches and up.  This included the Carsland ride, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain.  Though when asked if he liked Space Mountain he said "yes, when asked if he wanted to go on Space Mountain again he gave an immediate "no."

This was an image we saw frequently:  Davy with fingers in his mouth self soothing and holding brother's or cousin's or some one's hand while asking "is it fast?  Is it loud?"

The Mickey Ferris wheel was the last ride of the trip and it was a very nice way to end the day and trip, actually.  Calm and serene, all of us able to talk and see together.