Night Night Trucks

Some children pretend play with dolls, others use stuffed animals, etc. Our child chooses to use TRUCKS. These trucks can be quite animated: they talk to each other, laugh, etc. When Connor wants to move them (all) to another room, he'll say, "Come on guys!" They are basically his little friends. They even each have their own name & Connor does NOT get them confused. If you call them by the wrong name, he will correct you. We rarely go anywhere without some (or all) of them. They have their own bag. Recently, Connor started putting them to sleep before it was his bedtime...they like to sleep on their sides or backs, obviously. Sometimes they get their own blanket. This is starting to make the bedtime routine longer...and longer...

Cunningham Christmas #1

This year we will be celebrating Christmas multiple times...with multiple different family members. Our first day of Christmas was last night with Connor's Uncle Troy & Aunt Erica. I'm pretty sure that Connor is loving the many days of presents...er Christmas already. Aunt Erica homemade Connor this cool "road" blanket complete with a few "garages" to park his cars and trucks. Connor LOVES this blanket. In fact he loves it so much he has decided it will sleep with him. This is no problem, of course. Well, except for the fact that Connor already has 3 monsters, and 4 specific blankets that MUST. SLEEP. WITH. HIM. All these sleeping accessories makes traveling a bit cumbersome.
Connor was also a fan of his Dad's new headlamp. That will NOT be sleeping with Connor.

Christmas Tree Hunting

Here are the hunters looking for the perfect tree...

Connor loved to help decorate this year!

You may not be able to see it in the picture, but our tree suspiciously has an abundance of ornaments between 2.5 and 3 feet high RIGHT. IN. THE. MIDDLE.

I casually mentioned this to our decorator, and he said,

"I like it THERE!" Ummm...well okay then.

It apparently looks quite nice if you have the right viewpoint.

Daycare

This is cousin Scottie's version of daycare... Surprisingly, the children loved it & didn't want to get out.

In fact they were more than happy to pretend to be

monkeys, bears, and lions while in the cage.

Maybe I should get one for my house?

Nobody Likes Me...

Everybody hates me.

I guess I'll go eat worms.

Long skinny slimy ones,

Short fat juicy ones.

Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy, worms!

Dear Santa

I asked Connor what he thought Santa might bring him, and apparently he has some specific ideas for Santa in regards to the whole family...

Me: What do you think Santa will bring you this year, Connor?
C: Toys and Puzzles
Me: Do you think Santa will bring anything for Daisy?
C: Yes, Pajamas! Daisy, do you want Santa to bring you pajamas? Uh Oh, she said "NO!"
Me: Maybe that's because Daisy doesn't wear clothes...?
C: No, she said yes. SHE SAID YES!
Me: Umm okay. What should Santa bring Daddy?
C: Puzzles. TWO puzzles.
Me: Do you think Daddy likes to do puzzles?
C: Yes!
Me: What should Santa bring me this year?
C: Legos!
Me: Hum, that sounds fun.
C: And you can share with ME!
(Is is just me or do all these gifts all sound suspiciously perfect for a certain 2.5 year old that I know??)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Scott & Janeen were brave enough to host almost 20 people at their house this year for our big family Thanksgiving...and even arranged 1 table for us all:

 Connor had a fab time as usual. His favorite activities: doing Scott & Janeen's alphabet puzzle, feeding the dogs their dinner one kibble at a time (sorry dogs!), and getting buried in couch pillows.

In Connor's usual form he ate mostly pie for dinner, with a side of a roll or two. Good thing Thanksgiving only comes once a year. Sheesh!

Connor's newest phrase...

..."Not right now. I'm BUSY!" He has quite a few very important tasks to do each day, which obviously require complete concentration and no interruptions, such as stacking legos, zooming cars, completing puzzles, reading books, bugging Daisy...the list could go on and on. He especially likes to use this new phrase when he is asked to do something completely B.O.R.I.N.G. like get a diaper change, put on shoes to head to the car, and go to his room to take a nap. Here Connor is super busy multi-tasking (reading AND watching TV):

Connor's New BFF

We took Connor to his first OSU Football game last weekend.

It rained, but we still survived (barely).

 

Doing some pregame cheering/singing for the fans...Ohhhhh...Esssss...Uuuuuu!

Once we got to the stadium, Connor was obsessed with Benny Beaver. In fact, we had to keep constant tabs on Benny at ALL. TIMES. If a second went by and Connor could not see Benny, he would ask, "Where Benny go?" We tried to get him interested in watching the ACTUAL game, or even the marching band, but no luck. In fact he was even unwilling to pose for most pictures and take his eyes off of his new BFF.

Still watching Benny. Later that night as I was singing Connor to sleep he insisted I sing a song about Benny.  The next day, I heard him ask his Uncle Will, "Did you see Benny Beaver too?"
Apparently Benny trumps football.

Trick-or-Treating

We decided that Connor would be a "Monster Max Truck Driver" this year since he's obsessed and all. However, he got a bit confused. He started telling people he was going to be a Dump Truck Driver. And well...that costume is different entirely. One thing that he did not get confused was how to get some candy. Loud and clear at each house we went to Connor said "Trick or Treat!" Here's the gang getting some loot. Cat in the Hat was a great attention getter, which rivaled the cute small people in costumes:)

Apparently Cousin Lauren is already into her candy at the moment...

The Pumpkin Reveal

Pumpkin carving is obviously a team sport. Here is the Growing Up Cunningham Team: CRC Sr. & CRC Jr. Both excited and rearing to go... Ah ha! The guts are revealed. CRC jr. was a little hesitant at first saying, "Gross!" but eventually grabbed his tools (plastic shovel) and started digging for seeds.

We purposely put the little CRC in some "old" clothes for this event...notice the superb belly coverage. Connor was a little distracted here singing, "La, la, la, la..."

And now for the actually carving. A group effort. Obviously. This took no less than 60 full minutes due to the exactness needed for such an important task.

La, la, la, la. La, la, la, la...Elmo's World. Elmo loves his pumpkin, his crayons too.

And that's Elmo's World, Folks!

Pumpkins and Too Many People

We hit the good 'ole pumpkin patch last weekend, just like everyone else in the metro area. In fact there were so many pumpkin seekers, we decided to just snag some donuts & apple cider and hit the road pumpkin-less before things got too out of hand. However we did snap some quick pics for the blog readers of this beautiful October day:

My beaver believers in their black and orange (even on the farm):

Stay tuned for Connor's real pumpkin. I heard a rumor that his dad has some fancy carving scheme up his sleeve...

Connor's Predictions

As we were on our way to our friends Michelle & Bryan's for Thanksgiving dinner in October (an awesome new tradition!) Connor predicts the following:

Connor: Daddy will talk to Bayan (Bryan), Mama will talk to Shell (Michelle), and Daisy & Abby (the dogs) will go WHOO! WHOO! WHOO! (said while running around screaming at the top of his lungs and waving his arms around).

Me: Yep, sounds about right. Connor, what will you be doing?

Connor: Connor will say, "Daisy, no, no, no!"

And....that's our little astute rule-enforcer, folks.

Dinner was super yummy & all of Connor's predictions came true.

Cheers!

"Helping" Break In the New Toys

Recently we have been attending many 2-year old birthday parties. Connor is mostly well behaved (although he does get pretty excited for the cake part). However, recently at his cousin Lauren's party, Connor apparently felt right at home. In fact he tried to help Lauren open her presents and was excellent at helping her "break-in" the new goods. In fact, I think some of the toys Connor actually got his hands on first. Sorry L!

Happy Belated to the Birthday Girl!

The Things That 2-Year Olds Get A Kick Out Of...

Connor is the VERY proud owner of a Band-Aid today (no worries Safety Police and Grandparents...it was used for a small-ish injury that didn't even make him cry). In fact when I got home from work, his first words were, "Mama. MAMA! Connor got Band-Aid!!" As you might guess, this is his first encounter with a Band-Aid. Apparently it ranks up there with real stickers and Monster Max sightings. I wish I had a video of this, but the Band-Aid placed on his knee impaired his ability to bend it... even WHILE WALKING. No Big Deal.

Conversations During Rush Hour

The other day I had an early appointment and found myself in morning rush hour traffic, a quite unusual occurrence (as I am definitely NOT a morning person). Connor on the other hand, apparently is. He was THRILLED to be in rush hour. Seriously. It seems there is no greater place to be when you are a two year old boy with a strong liking for large trucks, cranes, & diggers. Ever since Connor got a Trucktown book, he's been slightly obsessed. So we had a twenty minute conversation that basically went like this:



C: "Look Mama! Its Big Rig Mo!"
Me: "Yep, I see him."
C: "Where Mo going?"
Me: "I don't know. Where do you think he's going?"
C: "Hum...hum...Daddy's work!"



C: "Look Mama! Dumper Dan!"
Me: "Yes, there is Dumper Dan."
C: "Where he going?"
Me:"I don't know. Where do you think he's going?"
C:"Umm, to play!"

Etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera. All in all we saw 8 Big Rig Mos, 3 Dumper Dans (one which was pulling a tractor...very, very exciting!), 2 other tractors, 1 crane truck (aka "Rosie"), 1 Jack the Tow Truck, and 1 Gabby the Garbage Truck. The only disappointment was that no brave soul was driving a Monster Max (Connor's absolute fav) through big city rush hour.

Maybe we should make rush hour traffic a regular outing? I think I will need more coffee...

Bed Head

Connor seems to be a Mini-Casey in almost every way. However, there is one thing that he surely inherited from his Mama... A bad case of the Bed Heads. This is the most concerning type of bed head, where even water does not tame the haphazard waves into place. It can be a bit scary for all involved, even Connor himself.

Desperate Measures

Lately Connor has been Mr. Independent as only a typical 2 year old can be. One of his daily independence strikes is to only sit down to eat when he is good and ready. This is usually NOT when we are eating, NOT when there are any fun toys in sight, and definitely NOT when we have to hurry to be somewhere. So, occasionally I have to pull a trick out of my bag. Today after trying to coax him into eating lunch (after skipping breakfast to play in lego land, a.k.a. our living room) for TWENTY minutes. It was time for a trick, and a really good one. Now, some might view this trick to be a tad mean, but desperate times call for desperate measures. (And please let me assure you that Connor skipping two meals in a row was heading down the road to a very grumpy and desperate afternoon!) There is only one thing that disturbs Connor more than being told when to eat...and that is when Daisy eats his food. This is not usually allowed in our house, but occasionally happens by accident. For example, when Connor leaves his plate on his low table unfinished, Daisy has a tendency to jump up there and start scarfing down the remains. (Even when he is totally done, this bothers Connor to the extreme. So much so, that he started clearing is own plate without being taught/asked to do so.) Here is Connor defending his plate with an angry, "No Daisy!" So, it was time to bring out the big guns, "Connor, should I let Daisy eat your lunch today?" I have never seen a 2-year old drop everything and run so fast in his entire life.

The Couch Fort

On a recent visit to Aunt Erica's & Uncle Troy's Connor learned the fine art of couch fort building. The beauty of this activity, is that it provides endless hours of entertainment with material that most people already own. The downside, of course, is that you must thoroughly clean under your couch cushions unless you want months of lint, dog hair, cereal, spare change, and what-nots to go flying all over your carpet. (Side note: If you happen to find something that looks edible such as a peanut, do not, I repeat DO NOT eat it. It won't turn out well. Just ask Connor's adult cousin Scottie.)

This is no ordinary fort, according to Connor. It is "A Tunnel!!" said with great glee. As the gate keeper of the tunnel, I am usually in charge of putting the door back on each and every time Connor plows through. What can I say? It's a very important job, obviously.

Lego Maniac(s)

Have I mentioned that Connor seriously, irrevocably loves him some legos??

First, we have his self-named "house." Apparently Connor, Mama & Daddy live in this split-level house with a cow, horse, and one cat. Hum... interesting. Then there is what I will call color coded NYC. (Although it was Connor's original idea to stack by colors, his Dad was so excited by this neat organization scheme that he basically took over. Have I mentioned that I live with, not one, but TWO lego maniacs?)







In this last pic, please note the extreme concentration exhibited by the three-foot tall builder. Apparently it takes three hands and one tongue to build a tower that high.

A Tradition

Summer is just not complete without a picnic at the local neighborhood park. Now, we have been to many a parks this summer. Its just that this is the first time we loaded up all our food, beverages, plates, etc and actually ATE at the park. We brought our fav summertime food...BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. In fact we like this dish so much it is actually our favorite autumn, winter, and spring food too. Although our friends might call it an obsession, we prefer to refer to the Cunningham pulled pork as a "tradition" instead (thank you very much). Cheers to good friends, good food, and a healthy dose of sunshine!!!

Connor of course enjoyed himself, because he got to do two of his favorite activities...

playing football with the big kids and...

..."walking" the dog.

Abby Dog,

Bless your sweet little heart

for letting Connor drag you all around the lawn:)

Conversations with a Two Year Old

Don't kids just say some of the darnest things? Here's some of my recent favs:

Connor: "Mama, Connor go outside!"
Me: "Oh, would you like to go play outside?"
Connor: "Okay!" (As if it was my idea)


Me, getting Connor up from a nap: "Did I hear my little Monkey wake-up?
Connor: "No Monkey."
Me: "Oh, are you my little bear?"
Connor: "No Bear."
Me: "Well, what are you then?
Connor: "Connor Ray!" (Duh. My mistake.)

After we drive by a countryside full of cows, Connor says, "Mama, more animals! More! More!" (as if I can just snap my fingers...)