Our Little Dare Devil

Gym Time

As if our weekends were not jammed packed with events such as play dates, and birthday parties, Mummy and Daddy decided to enroll Erik into gymnastics as well! Yeah, we know, he's only TWO! We tried the gym out twice before deciding to enroll, actually. First was during Miss Karalyn's 2nd birthday party and Erik absolutely loved it! Second time, we went back for a freebie trial class and again, Erik enjoyed the class a lot. He loves the uneven bars because he can hang on them. He also loves doing the forward rolls on the soft wedges.



So for the past month or so, Mummy & Daddy were 'shopping' around on gym classes. We tried out a gym near our area and thought the class was way too structured for him. Erik loved exploring the other areas in the class when it wasn't his class turn yet. We also tried another class where our friends were sending their pre-schoolers (4 and 2) but it too was structured and with multiple classes going on, it was a little too distracting for Erik. After much contemplation, we decided to enroll Erik into the original gym class for the summer semester.



It fits in well with our Saturdays. We would get to go to the Library in the morning, pick our favorite books, read a few before heading over for some gym time right before lunch. It gives us family another activity to do together and bond. Plus, this gives Daddy a great opportunity to ...eh...work out with Erik together LOL! Daddy has to do some of the parenting moves too! So Cute!



Erik enjoyed his class a lot and it was great to see other Daddies participating with their child in the class too! Often these type of classes are usually "Mommy & Me" or the majority of the participants would be Mommies at least. However, it's a good change to see a few dads taking active interest in their son or daughter by participating in these classes too and having fun!! Plus Grandma Katy wasn't the only Grandma that came in to play either :o) hahaha! So now for the HOT HOT summer, we get to look forward to some indoor 'A/C' gym time on the weekends!

Poopie Talk

Erik is already 2+ months into being a two-year-old and many already knew from before that Erik had been getting potty trained ever since he was a wee little one. In his new class of "Jr. Pre-schoolers" now, the teachers are consistently doing "potty walks" and on-demand requests as well. Erik has been in there for about 2 months already with his new teachers.

We sometimes take it for granted that he's already more than 3/4 way into being fully potty trained. At home, Erik communicates to us pretty regularly when he needs to use the bathroom. When we're out and about, away from our home, Erik will also tell us his needs as well.

So when the teachers excitedly tells us recently that "Erik went on the potty today!" OR "Erik requested to go to the potty himself!" both Mummy & Daddy's reactions were like "Ok, nothing new here, he does that at home all the time." Of course, the teachers were a little "disappointed" at our reactions because they were just super happy and excited to see his achievement as well. Erik even gets a STICKER as reward for communicating so well :o)

However, after a bit of reflecting, Mummy realized that Erik hasn't been communicating to his teachers about his needs in the past. We weren't worried that he wasn't going to the bathroom at school since he does it regularly at home. So no real pressure from us but we had been gently reminding him every day during drop off to "use his words" when he needs to go and to tell his teachers.

So yes, it is an exciting event! It means that Erik is 1. being more assertive in his communications to his teachers, which is great, when the ratio is 1 teacher to 7 students. 2. more comfortable in asking his teachers for help/assistance. 3. recognizing his body's needs among toddler chaos and distractions!

So YEAH! Hooray! This is a great milestone for Erik!

Happy Father's Day!

Daddy, I Love You
Daddy, I love you
For all that you do.
I'll kiss you and hug you
'Cause you love me, too.

You feed me and need me
To teach you to play,
So smile 'cause I love you
On this Father's Day.
-Author Unknown

This is the 3rd Father's Day that Daddy has celebrated with Erik and it was just great and somewhat relaxing. Daddy likes to keep it simple yet he wants to feel special at the same time. So Daddy verbally communicated what he'd like on Father's Day.

Daddy would love to be greeted with an early morning cheerful "Happy Father's Day" warm wishes from Erik. So the night before as Erik went to bed, Daddy says "Can you say 'Happy Father's Day' to me tomorrow when you wake up?" ...Erik absolutely granted that wish! He crawled over to Daddy and shouted a big and loud "Happy Father's Day"...good gosh, we're sure the entire neighborhood heard that one! HAHAH!

Then it was 1:1 Father & Son time in the early morning. Daddy gave Erik the choice of visiting the park, the zoo, or pool. Our son, of course, chose the POOL! Erik and Daddy headed out for their swimming routine while Mummy and Grandma Katy headed out to the local home improvement store for a steam vacuum. Yeah, Mummy decided to do some chores for Father's Day. LOL!







We also went for some shopping at Daddy's request plus we treated Daddy for lunch. Plus nice little nap for Erik & Daddy. Mummy surprised Daddy with a little ice cream cake that said "#1 Dad" on it as well! HEE HEE! For the entire day, Daddy has also been craving for BBQ (guess this is the traditional food for the holiday?) so Grandma Katy surprised Daddy with a Sizzling Plate Platter. Very nice and relaxing!





We even got to head out to the pool the SECOND time and the entire family go to swim. Erik showed Grandma Katy what he could do and was excited to see Mummy & Daddy swimming as well! All in all, a nice relaxing holiday!

Pool Party!

With the local weather reaching triple digits, we look for any excuse to go swimming! This past Friday, Erik's school, had its annual staff development day, so there was no school. Many parents took off the day and make it a 3-day weekend! However for Mummy & Daddy, no can do. So Erik got to stay home with Grandma Katy, YAY! An Extra day of bonding with a loving Grandma!

Then early evening, Daddy, Mummy, Grandma Katy, and Erik all headed over to Karalyn's informal Pool Party! WhooHoo! It was Erik's first time visiting Karalyn, one of his good buddies from school, so we prepared him 2-3 days in advance. Mummy told Erik that we get to go over to Karalyn's house and play and SWIM! Erik was so super excited! He kept asking about it each day LOL!

In fact, that morning, Erik woke up, went downstairs to our front door and says "Peek-A-Boo with Karalyn" and Erik proceeded to act out how he will jump out and say "SURPRISE!" to his buddy! So cute! With the pool party, Erik also got to play with Audrey, another of his buddy from school but she hasn't transitioned into the "Big Kids" classroom(s) yet. She will though soon enough!

It was supposed to be an informal play date but it was absolutely wonderful! Our hosts provided lots of healthy snacks (strawberries, pineapples, gold fish crackers, chex mix, and more) for the kids plus yummy drinks! Erik arrived and darted out to the patio for some swimming. He wasn't even shy one bit. Erik has seen Lynette, Karl (Karalyn's parents) and Kristy (Audrey's mom) many times at school so he was very comfortable with them. Daddy was also not shy, he dived right into the pool for a cool dip before Erik jumps in!





Our son showed off his "swim" skills a bit. He would jump right at the edge and then go underwater and swim a bit (~5-7 seconds) to Daddy. It was great! This totally encouraged Audrey into being a daredevil and started her own jumping adventures. She would jump from the pool step and into the water with lots of laughs and giggles. Then Audrey would try to stand on the edge of the pool like Erik and then jump into Kristy's arms. She really liked it too!





Karalyn was a bit hesitant at first so she observed a bit and guarded the kiddie snack but she soon braved the water and got into the "mini pool" aka spa with Karl. We are all super happy that Karalyn got in then it was all 3 kiddies in the spa plus 3 moms! We all had to do a whirlpool of walking round and around as the kids wanted to follow or chase each other! HAHA! Tight Quarters it was!



Then Karalyn's Dad all of a sudden became "Lizard Man" by hopping on one of the big floaties that was a lizard and he'd swim towards the kiddies from the big pool It was great because the kiddies LOVED IT...and LOVED the fact that they got to splash at him. Erik was a little scared, Mummy thinks at least, he moved towards the back but was still very interested at "Lizard Man" and the splashing fun. He observed a little bit ...and then got back into the action.



In the end, an late-afternoon play date lasted a solid 3 hours! Good Gosh! Where did the time go?! But Erik definitely enjoyed the pool party play date. He kept asking "Where did Lizard Man Go?" Uncle Karl had to explain to Erik that "next time when you go come over, I'm sure Lizard Man will be here too!" HAHAH! Too Funny!

Favorite Past Time

Erik's latest past time is picnic. He loves to pretend he's on a picnic whenever we play with pretend food. He'll also pretend to have a picnic with his Legos. Erik will conjure up the latest recipes.

Example Of The Day:
6:15am
Erik cheerily says "Mummy come this way. Sit Down!" and leads Mummy into his playroom/bedroom and plops down on the carpet floor. Erik grabs the tub of Lego's. He started to make animals but then all of a sudden, Erik made a tree! Then it was off to an "Orange Tree" with Lego. Plus a "Cherry Tree" with Lego.

"Mummy pick Cherry". Mummy obliges and picks off a square red block and pretends to gobble it up. "Mmm! Mmm! Yummy Cherries!". Erik will go on forever when he's in his pretend world of picnic. To him, picnic is the BEST activity ever!

Erik also made an "ice cream" that looked like a tree because it was green on top and brown on the bottom with blocks. Thus he coined it "Ice Cream Tree!" "Mmmm Delicious!"

Sundays Are For Cherry Picking
So Mummy & Daddy have indulged Erik on his latest love of picnics. We've been up to the U-Pick Cherry / Berry Orchards 2 Sundays in the last 3 weeks (Thanks Jing & Lin for the great recommendation)! First time around, it was on Memorial Day Sunday, it was only Daddy, Mummy, Grandma Katy, and Erik.



Erik loved the fact that he can pick a bright red raspberry and then have Mummy wash it right there...and PLOP! into his mouth it goes. So he'll go from bush to bush picking these little raspberries! Plus he also loved running around the huge 15+ acre orchard picking Bing cherries with Daddy! Grandma Katy was no where to be found, she was lost in her world of cherry picking as well!





We baked Blueberry muffins the Saturday evening prior with Erik. We made it with the IKEA cookbook but Mummy substituted with some wheat flour instead of regular flour. Erik really enjoyed that one. He saw the cakes baking and then we enjoyed them on our orchard picnic. Plus he got to feed the Koi fishes in the pond while eating delicious homemade food!

This recent Sunday, we decided to share the "picnic" spot with our friends, Kelly & Family plus Gabriel & Family. Erik was absolutely loving every minute of it! A picnic with family is wonderful and lovely. A picnic with friends was absolutely fantastic and full of laughter & giggles.





Erik showed Kelly & Gabriel where the bushes were. He held Kelly's hand as they walk up the grassy slope. Such a little gentleman, HAHA! Erik shared raspberries with Kelly as well. Of course, he also shared berries & cherries with Gabriel too. In fact, all 3 toddlers did absolutely wonderful in sharing and communicating (of course, there were times parent guidance was needed to find the "right words").





Erik also loved sharing his new "favorite" spot by the Koi Pond with his buddies. They all loved throwing fish food to feed the hungry fishes. If the toddlers have it their way, they would be on that orchard forever!! It's their little summer adventure! They even gave themselves little nicknames as "Little Einsteins" characters because the 3 of them love the show so much. Gabriel is Quincy who loves to play instruments. Annie is Kelly who loves to sing. Erik is Leo who loves to fly the rocket!

Sleeping Through The Night

Erik has experienced his first, "sleeping through the night" last night!! For the past two+ years, Erik had been waking up in the middle of the night at exactly the following intervals (11pm, 1am, 3am, 4am, 5am, 7am), give or take one interval, if lucky.

For those who are counting, yes, Erik wakes up 6 times in one night. Prior, he would always get nursed back to bed. However, since Daddy and Mummy (plus Grandma Katy) have braved the new frontier of "weaning" in hopes of discouraging Erik from waking up and accepting others as comfort besides Mummy's boobs.

So last night was an anomaly! Erik slept from 10:45pm to about 6:00am. He stirred but was quickly patted down back to sleep within meer minutes and didn't wake up until 7:30am! That was absolutely different than previously. Erik didn't even ask to nurse like the past few nights. So that in itself is a milestone for Erik! YAY!

Daddy thinks its because Erik went to sleep LATE, thus was just purely exhausted. Mummy hopes that it will be the start of a trend that will last! Keep your fingers crossed!

Toddler Crush

Does our little Erik have a "not-so-secret" crush?

This past Sunday, Erik had a lot of energy with only 45 minute of nap. So Mummy decided to ask Erik who would he like to play with in the afternoon. "KELLY!" was the name that was blurted out and thus the phone call started for a spontaneous Sunday Playdate Picnic.

The Story
Erik & Kelly goes to the same school/day care. We are also in a big playgroup together. So those two kids get interactions on a regular basis! Kelly has always been the "mommy" in the classroom, taking care of the other kids' needs. For example, when Erik has a hard time in the morning, Kelly would come and give Erik a big hug and then help him play with toys. She's only 2 months older than Erik!

So when Mummy picks Erik up from school and has a snack for him, he always asks Kelly to "sit down" with him for a picnic and Erik would eagerly share his morsels with Miss Kelly. It's just really cute! One time Erik even asked Kelly to "sit on Mummy's lap" as he sat on the other lap so they can have a late-afternoon picnic.

The Plan
Mummy's plan, despite the wisewords from Daddy, to meet at the very cool water-featured park and have a picnic. We were to have Turkey Burgers, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Potatoes, and cool watermelon slices! However, the park was crowded and the water feature was "broken", at least the timer was. Boooo! That stunk! Plus the weather was a bit hot and we were worried about Kelly's little sister, Khloe, who's only 5 months old. Even though there was 'shade', the weather was still too warm for comfort, especially for a little baby. So Daddy did Plan B to move the "picnic" back to our messy house. No big deal. The kids can play indoors.

The Moment
While Kelly & Erik were playing on the train table, after dinner. Erik moved in a little closer next to Kelly on his right side. Then he reached around with his arms and hugged Kelly's waist. Erik then leaned his head on Kelly's shoulders. At this age, Mummy doesn't really think there's such thing as "crushes" and Erik was just showing affection to one of his friends that he's obviously very fond of. It was such a CUTE moment!

Of course, Mummy had to ruin it by saying audibly a big "Awwwww!" where Kelly's parents turned around and Chris, Kelly's Daddy, started jokingly inquire "Hmmm? where does Erik learn this stuff? hmmm? Hmmm?" Then Erik immediately let go and sat down on the floor near the sofa as if he was hiding from embarrassment. Eek! We just ruined it. SIGH! Lesson learned...Next time...camera will be ready to take a pic! LOL!