0 Obsessions

It is late.  I'm trying to get him to sleep.  It is already an hour past his bedtime, yet he is wired.  I lay down beside him, and in my calmest voice, tell him to sleep, while I stroke his back.

He pops up, looks at me and says, "And tomorrow will be Monday.  We will have muffins for breakfast.  And on Tuesday, we will have blueberry bread for breakfast.  And on Wednesday, we will have french toast sticks for breakfast...."
He told me the entire breakfast menu for his school for the next upcoming two weeks.  Then the lunch menu and then the snack menu.

I thought, he couldn't know this.  I got up.  Went to take a look at the copy we have.  And sure enough, he was right.  He memorized the menu. He even was clear to say, "on Monday we will be closed for Memorial Day."  Yup.  It said exactly that on the menu.

See.  Totally something to get excited about.

He makes me laugh.  His obsessions are odd, random, and often hilarious.I've even called them quirky.
Here they are, in no particular order:

Blue Car
Lightpole (specifically the one across the street from his school)

hark!  i see lightpole!

Signs (aka, traffic signs at the busy intersection near our neighborhood)
The Calendar
Yellow Milk 
Trader Joe's Elevator.  Making sure we have a silver suitcase with us when we see elevator.

note the silver suitcase.  it comes with us every shipping trip.  we tell people there is a million dollars in there.

Carnival Rides

ironically, all these pictures were from this weekend alone!

His quirky, funny obsessions just make him who he is. 

Detail: Obsessions

0 Happy Birthday, Buddy!

My baby turned 5!  How did this happen so quickly? 5 years old!  I'm sad he is not a baby anymore and so proud at what a big boy he has become.

He has been excited about his birthday for a while now.  When we would go to Target, he would make a beeline for the cakes.  I would have to remind him when his birthday was and that is when we could have cake.  So every time, we would count down the months till his birthday.  When it turned August, he would say Happy Birthday to everything....Happy Birthday, Lightpole; Happy Birthday, Blue Car....you name it, it was their birthday.  And funny, they were all turning 5 years old when you asked him how old they were.  


We did not have a party for him this year.  As I explained last year, we thought a birthday party would be too much for him.  Too many expectations on him, and he would just not enjoy it. 

So this year, we did what he would like to do best.  RIDES!  And we had such a wonderful weekend together.

But first, CAKE!  His birthday fell on a Friday, and the school was having a family picnic to end the summer.  So I took the day off work, and brought him a cake to school.  Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and he was so happy.  We had Dora and Diego on the cake this year.  He kept saying, "Happy Birthday, Dora!"  He tried blowing out the candles and was fine with everyone singing to him.  And he looooves cake.

"Happy Birthday to you!"

The wait is over.  I get my cake!

Then we came home to give him his present.  This year was the first time EVER he requested something for a gift.  He asked for "Pop Goes the Wiggles" DVD.  So we got it for him!  Again, VERY happy!

Just what I wanted!

We later went to the zoo to enjoy a carousel ride, train ride, and running around on the playground.  We even stopped for ice cream!

On the zoo train

Ice-a!  Creamy! 

Later we went to the neighborhood park.  And then we went out to eat at our favorite diner, and a place Jonathan knows well.  He had the chicken tenders and a cookie.

On Saturday, we went to the kid's amusement park near Madison.  One thing is for sure....this boy loves the thrill rides!  We rode the roller coaster, multiple times, the train, the mini-boats and so much more.  It was such a fun day. 

In line for the roller coaster

Let's ride!

Sunday, we went to the toy store for more gifts...a big boy bike!

He really amazes me at what a big boy he is now.  This morning, he turned to me and said, "Do you love Mommy?  Mommy and Jonathan."  That was his special way of saying he loves me.


Happy Birthday, Buddy.  You make me smile with your humor, your curiosity, and you just being you.  

Detail: Happy Birthday, Buddy!

0 Ode to a Lightpole

Some may have heard me mention "Lightpole" before.
Lightpole is actually an electrical or utility pole that is at the entrance of our neighborhood, and right across from Jonathan's preschool.  It was one of the first things he would point out to us when he started talking last year, which was a pretty big step.

I recently mentioned in a status update the he discovered Google maps on the iPad.  And with that, he has been using the street view from our house to the school.  He's not really going to see the school.  He's going to see Lightpole.  And he will keep it on the screen for as long as possible.

Meet "Lightpole"

He has even branched out to "Signs."  I thought signs meant the street signs on the busier road near our neighborhood.  But thanks to google maps, Jonathan has showen me that "signs" to him are the series of utility poles down the busy street.

Sometimes the satellite goes out or something on google maps.  And Jonathan get SOOOO upset.  He wants to see Lightpole and Signs, dammit!  So, on this fine Sunday afternoon, I packed him up in the car for our own, in real time, street view.  He is doing in happy dance in the picture below.

Happy Dance at the Lightpole.  Does that make him a pole dancer?

Lightpole in it's full majesty.

 

 

 

 

So it made me think.  How many times do you drive by things, stores, signs, utility poles, etc and not think about it?  On your way to work or the store?  A million times!  And really, you have no idea what one little, meaningless thing to you could mean so much more to another.  Reminds you to stop and smell the roses...or in this case, stop and look at lightpoles.

I don't know what it means really.  I don't understand why the lightpole.  I don't have answers.  I just know that Lightpole, like blue car, like yellow milk, bring him comfort.  And that, I cannot question.

Oh, and too cute not to share...he took his Spaceship Clock to school with him last week.  Not plugged in or anything.  But he was so sweet holding his spaceship.  It was his lovey for the day.  Had to share the pic.

Kinda looks like Wall-E.  But it's not.

Detail: Ode to a Lightpole