Madagascar!

Reid enjoyed his very first play recently - Madagascar at Orlando Repertory Theater - with Ellison, Dylan, Olivia, Charlie, Aunt Jenn, Aunt Kim, Andy, and me. He was fascinated by the whole thing and sat on my lap or in his own seat for the entire play. I think there will be many more plays in our future!

Feeling poetic...

IF…..by Rudyard Kipling 

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Hold Reid! Hold Reid!

As I type this, it is 1:40 p.m. on a Thursday, and I am sitting at our dining room table while Reid naps in the other room. Being home from work on a work day is, presumably, a luxury. In my case, however, this is day #2 of staying home from work with a sick Reid, back pain, a giant pregnant belly, and a very long to do list. Not the ideal combination. However, I am so grateful to have time with Reid- any and all time. He says and does things on a daily basis that make me laugh, smile, and promise myself that I WILL remember to memorialize how cute he is through this blog or otherwise. I am not the best at actually following through with the memorialization part, but I am trying. Anyway, here are some cute things he has been saying and doing recently:

- When Reid wants or needs something, he will often express himself with a tremendous sense of urgency. For example, if he wants to be held, especially if he hears an unfamiliar or loud noise, he will urgently demand Mommy or Daddy to "Hold Reid! Hold Reid!"

- He asks to go on his "scootie" on at least a daily basis. He insists on wearing his helmet, and he is able to scoot all around the neighborhood. Thank goodness he knows how to brake, although he doesn't always listen to my requests for him to stop or slow down. He is very insistent about staying on the sidewalks and will often refuse to take his scooter down a road that does not offer sidewalks. He also loves scooting over to Dylan and Ellison's house to see if they want to join him. Oh, and trying out new tricks on his "scootie." Occassionally, he will get tired and ask to ride on his Daddy's shoulders for a while, but he amazes me with his speed and endurance. 

- He loves to color and draw, especially when he can scribble with a pen. He will proudly show off his artwork ("Look Reid's artwork"), and he is an aggressive and enthusiastic color-er. 

- He loves to play music, especially his guitar, and he loves listening to and singing his favorite songs on repeat (Moana- We Know the Way, Winnie the Pooh theme song, Jesus Loves Me, etc.). Sometimes, he will let Mommy and Daddy sing along, but he is also known to insist that we stop singing so he can hear his own, uninterrupted voice. 

- He has started taking showers, with parental inclusion of course. He loves to take a paintbrush in the shower and "paint" the shower walls. Listening to Moana music while showering is a bonus.

- He loves his turtle night light and talking about the moon and stars. He still uses his owl nightlight, too, and he enjoys pointing out the different moons and stars. We phased out his sound machine, and he has adjusted remarkably well to this "choo choo bed."

- He was gifted a stuffed hedgehog for Valentine's Day (Thanks, Rios family!), and he has been calling it his baby and rocking it like a baby, unprompted. Can't wait to see him rock and love on his baby sister!

- If you ask him how his day at school was, he will tell you he played with Jack and Julesie, his two besties at the moment. Sometimes, he will also tell you he went on the playground ("payground").

- He loves to play make-believe using his kitchen gear. He will make pizza, cookies, and coffee upon request. We recently bought him some fruit that he can cut himself, and he has enjoyed making plates of fruit for mommy and daddy. He is careful to divide the fruit on separate plates and is very resistant to help with cutting ("Me do it" or "Reid do it").

- He has a love/hate relationship with Finn. He will give Finn hugs and play with him, but he will also scream at Finn to go away if Finn is in his personal space, especially when Reid is eating. Reid has a very real, and somewhat justified, fear of Finn eating his food. I get it.

- He recently learned how to pedal his bike. I believe this is a skill they have been working on at school, and we have also been practicing at home by the pool. He is very proud of himself!

- Today, he saw me lounging on the bean bag in the playroom, and he sat next to me on the other bean bag and randomly asked me, "How are you doing?" I said I was good and asked him how he was doing. "I good," he replied.

- He loves helping mommy cook in the kitchen. Recently, he made his first batch of chocolate chip cookies. He also loves spinning salad and stirring pretty much anything.

- He can tell you what kind of animals live in a lake - "alligator, snakes, fish, turtles" - and that "sharkies" live in the ocean. He loves going to the Science Center to see the lake animals.

- He saw his first movie with the Clarks - Paddington Bear II about a month ago. To this day, he tells me that he went to the movies with Aunt Jenn and Ellison and Dylan whenever we see a picture of Paddington Bear II. Although he didn't last the entire movie, he apparently did pretty well. I'm waiting for a G movie to come out so we can take him to movie #2. He seemed to have enjoyed his first experience, though!

Oh, how I love my sweet boy!

Animal Kingdom!

Andy, Reid, and I enjoyed our second trip to Animal Kingdom as a family this past weekend. We went when Reid was younger, but it was nice to see how much more he was able to interact with us and with the world around him on this trip. We watched the Nemo show and the Lion King show, ate at Restaurantosaurus, visited Donald Duck, waved to Goofy and Pluto, etc. Reid and Andy rode the twirling triceratops ride, and Reid dug in the sand pit and rode down the slide at Dino Land. We also walked through a jungle trek in Africa, and Reid loved seeing the gorillas, monkeys, and fish most of all. He was particularly drawn to the gorillas and told us immediately upon seeing one that "Gorilla sad." Soon afterwards, he told us the gorillas were happy and that they like to eat grass, but his initial comment was heartbreaking and warming at the same time. We told him that gorillas eat "bamboo, leaves, and fruit" (thanks, google), and he was very excited to learn that gorillas like fruit just like him! Another thing that excited him during our trip- his new bubble wand. It plays Little Mermaid music and spits out an obnoxious amount of bubbles at the same time. Sensory overload if you ask me, but Reid can't get enough. Speaking of sensory overload, it was a beautiful day and Animal Kingdom was pretty crowded, so Andy and I really enjoyed our serene walk through Asia's jungle trek during Reid's nap time. It was a peaceful respite in the middle of some true Disney chaos. The chaos had its own charm, though - anything for our boy!

Reid cheesin' on the train on our way to the park

Although we didn't make it to Rainforest Cafe this time, Reid was happy to pose for a picture in front of the animal sign.

Hugs for Donald Duck!

Watching the gorillas- safe in daddy's arms...

More gorillas- Reid really loved watching them.

The bubble wand- it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Reid was totally captivated during the entire Lion King show.

Things to Remember

I get so caught up in my daily routine that I often forget to write down the funny things Reid does and the ways he has grown. Andy and I talk about new things Reid does and how cute and smart he is on a daily basis. However, taking the time and effort to write them down is a different story. Yes, I have baby books. Yes, I have this blog. And yes, I have numerous other ways of tracking Reid's developmental victories. BUT, life is very, very busy. And Andy and I are often very tired and preoccupied with enjoying Reid in real life, rather than worrying about stopping in the middle of playtime to document the life we have been enjoying and trying to soak in (in between toddler temper tantrums, frazzled evenings, and never ending to-do lists). Here are some things Reid has been loving lately.

MUSIC. Reid has a love of all things musical. His Honeybells teachers tell us that he is always front and center during music class, and he loves singing along to every word. He emulates this at home by asking to play his "'tar" (guitar) throughout the day, as well as breaking out his "'monica" and singing himself to sleep at night. Often, he asks for his "'tar" first thing in the morning and on the way home from school in the evenings. He likes when Andy or I (or anyone, probably) plays guitar with him. He also loves listening to Winnie-the-Pooh, Moana, and Frozen songs on repeat. Recently, he has shown an interest in Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." Although he still loves books, he also started asking Andy and me to sing him songs at bedtime. Some favorites are "Jesus Loves Me" and "Twinkle Twinkle," in addition to the ever present "Winnie-the-Pooh."  When we sing "Twinkle Twinkle," he turns on his moon and stars nightlight (if it wasn't already on) and points up at the stars. When we sing "Jesus Loves Me," he sings along merrily, and even changes his voice to deep husky tone when singing "He is stroooong."  Christmas tunes like "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" are still going strong, as well as "Happy Birthday" (almost always to "Gandma"- Grandma). Such a funny little dude.

SCOOTER. Reid still loves his scooter, and he even knows how to "scooty" with both feet on the scooter. He especially loves when his cousins come along for the ride and will often "scooty" over to the Clarks' house to see if Dylan or Ellison are home to go with him. Twice, he took his scooter to Dommerich's playground with Dylan, and I am still fielding random requests to go "on scooty to paygound with Dylan" (intentional mis-spelling). He is also pretty good at stopping and waiting for cars and letting us know if "car coming." If any other cousins want to come over and go "scooty" with Reid- please do!

WINNIE THE POOH. Reid's love for Winnie-the-Pooh has barely fizzled, if at all. He loves Pooh Bear and Tigger the best, although he will sing about any and all of the characters. He has toy figurines and will take them in to the shower or bath to clean them at night, he sleeps with a stuffed Pooh and/or Tigger, and he listens to the soundtrack on repeat. We recently watched our first Doc McStuffins episode and it was about saving and fixing a "fy-ing Pooh Bear" a.k.a. Pooh Bear after a bunch of balloons whisked him away. Now, Reid has watched the "fy-ing Pooh Bear" at least 3 times. Reid also loves honey and will remind us that Pooh Bear eats honey whenever he has an opportunity. He also tells us that he "yikes" (likes) honey like Pooh Bear.

FRUIT. Reid pretty much starts and ends his day with fruit, every.single.day. Strawberries are the current favorite, although the offer of any fruit will get him smiling. He is even back to eating bananas, which he stopped eating for a while. "Mingos" (mangos) are another favorite, especially when frozen. And, of course, "boo-berries" (blueberries) remain a must-have.

Beaman Christmas 2017

           Beaman Christmas 2017 began with a delicious Christmas Eve dinner at Palmer with our traditional crew (Laura, Brett, Aunt Joann + the regulars) and wrapped up with a waffle breakfast at Choctaw's inaugural Christmas day brunch. For the past 33 years, my parents have hosted both Christmas Eve and Christmas Breakfast at their home. While wonderful, I felt like it was time to pass the torch. I'm not quite ready to host Christmas Eve, but we have gladly assumed Christmas Day duty. Of course, having my sisters bring egg casserole and my mom bring some items (cranberry muffins!) helped ease the hosting duties. Also, Andy and I invested in a waffle maker, so a large portion of the food consisted of make-your-own waffles. Kids were hyper, parents were tired, and everybody was happy and full (I hope)! Cheers!

Reid basking in the glory of a Palmer Christmas Eve!

Fast asleep and waiting on Santa (complete with new Christmas pajamas and Olaf)

   

Layden Family Christmas 2017

Reid and I had a great time celebrating Christmas (on the 23rd) in Sun City Center. Unfortunately, Andy spent his day on the couch fighting a fever, but we were able to facetime with him throughout the day. Next year, he is not allowed to get sick over the holidays!

We started off our road trip with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Dom, which made the drive to Sun City Center much more enjoyable. Plus, we stopped at Starbucks on the way, and Reid was able to enjoy some bagel poppers while hanging in the backseat with mom (me). Don't mess with Reid's bagel poppers!

We arrived at Sun City Center right around Reid's naptime, and he took a quick snooze in the driveway before joining the party. With the exception of another afternoon nap later in the day, Reid's day was filled with fun. In addition to spending time with cousin Gage and running around the golf course with Uncle Aaron, Reid was able to spend time on Apa's shoulders, enjoy Nee Nee's delicious food, and open lots and lots of presents. He especially loved the legos he received from Uncle Scotty/Gage and the guitar he received from Uncle Aaron and Aunt Dom. I'm sure he will get a lot of use out of the obstacle course he received from Apa and Nee Nee, too! Oh, and I think his favorite food this year was the cranberry relish. Lucky little boy!