One of Monkey’s favourite things at the moment is playing hide and seek. He wants to do it all the time, every day, multiple times! there have been times I thought he was saying “Hi Mummy” but what he was actually doing was instructing me to “Hi” (hide) lol. If I tell him I am leaving the room for a minute I usually hear “hi” on my way out and see him scamper off somewhere to hide. Then when I come back in a little head pops up and shouts boo!
fun
Daddy’s Birthday
It was Daddy’s birthday on Wednesday and it also marked our first outing as a family of 4! I was feeling like a bit of a rubbish wife in the run up to Hub’s birthday. With Little Miss arriving a week ahead of schedule all my plans basically went out of the window. One of his presents ordered early hadn’t arrived (we knew it was a long lead time so wasn’t a huge shock) and when I eventually got round to ordering the trousers he wanted, they didn’t have his size in stock online :(. I had planned on baking cakes and doing all sorts but none of which happened!
Sing, Monkey, Sing! 28 months
Monkey, like most little ones, has always loved music. A while ago I wrote a post about how he used to sing songs in his head, before he could actually sing the words, it was so cute!
Since his speech development has come on so rapidly lately, we have been waiting to see when this would lead to singing, and he has not disappointed.
Before he could speak, Wind the Bobbin was one of his favourite songs to dance along with, so it came as no surprise when he started singing it, after a fashion. This short video was taken at his Uncle Simon’s house, months ago actually, I just never got round to posting it!
A but rudimentary but very much wind, wind, pull, pull, clap clap clap. He did eventually sing he rest of the song too, but it has to be said, this is no longer a favourite of his to sing!
He loves a microphone toy now and was playing with one in the back of the car a few weeks ago when suddenly hubs and I heard him crooning away into it. Up until now he has just spoken into it, and not used actual words either, mainly a ga ga, which was was his favourite pre-words phrase. I missed the best bit of his singing (you never have a camera on them all the time) but this was still cute.
I think he was singing something about going to the seaside? Bless him hehe.
Just a cute little step to record for posterity 🙂
Evening fun with daddy
The days are getting shorter and the evenings are drawing in, but for the moment it is still quite warm at least. When Daddy comes home just after 6 in the evening it is family dinner time, but after dinner is very much Monkey and Daddy time. Monkey loves the time he gets to spend with his Daddy and lately they have been very much making the most of the warm evenings and having a lot fun in the garden between dinner and bathtime. Monkey always has loads of energy at this time of day so I guess that’s why it is called the witching hour!
Most of the time I leave them to it but a couple of times lately I have poked my head out to watch the giggles.
Sometimes they do a bit of gardening, and Monkey loves running under the stream of water from the hose if Daddy is watering the plants.
Sometimes they just run around like a pair of loonies, or play in the sand pit, or on his climbing frame.
Whatever they do though they have a lot of fun together and the fun continues into bathtime. There was so much giggling at bathtime the other day that I poked my head in… to be told “bye mummy, close the door” by Monkey. Charming eh? I know when I am not wanted! 😉 Made me chuckle and made me very happy to know he was just having fun with his Daddy 🙂
Evenings at the beach
We had a lovely little holiday at Overstrand, just south of Cromer on the Norfolk Coast at the weekend and we really had such a lovely time. There was a lovely beach at the village itself, walking distance from the cottage we were staying at. It is very much a tidal beach and unfortunately this last weekend there were high tides in the morning and low tides later in the day. With Monkey still very much napping most afternoons we weren’t sure how much time we would get to spend at the beach.
Thankfully with it being so close though we managed to pop down every afternoon/evening for a play in the sand, and had a lovely time. Of course being September it wasn’t the warmest time of day to be on the beach but that didn;t stop us having a lovely time, and making the most of the last of the suns rays!
Monkey loves playing in the sand, doing lots of digging and helping daddy make castles… then promptly knocking them over again! Daddy was aso having lots of fun digging and creating moats, because of the tides he didn’t have to dig the sand too far before it started filling with water. Perfect to make a moated castle 🙂
He also just loves running around barefoot on the sand, and I have to admit I love to see it. There’s just something about running on the compacted sand that means he can be entirely free. No shoes, no stumbling over, just running carefree. I just love to see it. Maybe it’s because I know that if he falls he will have a pretty soft landing. Yes he may get covered in sand but much better than falling over on tarmac!
I love this little video of Monkey running around on the beach. Note I am perched at the back of the beach as we forgot a chair (d’oh!), I managed the walks but couldn’t stand too long and would have got a soggy bottom if I sat on the sand! ANyway we just love this video of Monkey enjoying the beach so much 🙂
We had a bit of an achievement on the beach too on one of the days. On our holiday in June we couldn’t get Monkey to enjoy paddling and this weekend looked set to be the same as he didn’t want to go anywhere near the sea. Then Daddy had a good idea of drawing numbers in the sand. I have mentioned Monkey’s love of numbers before and believe me it has not dimmed, if anything he loves them even more!
Anyway, by drawing numbers in the sand he slowly and gradually coaxed Monkey closer to the waters edge. We wouldn’t force him if he really didn’t want to do it but with lots of positivity and encouragement he gradually got closer and closer to the waves.The sea was quite gentle on that particular day, and ater running bare foot on the wet sand for a while the water felt quite warm.
It took a little while but once he was in he was in, and actually got quite brave and went pretty deep (for him)!
The sun was starting to go down behind the cliffs so it was time to head back to the cottage, we were very glad we got to make th most of being at the seaside though with lots of beach play!
Linking up with Mini Creations for the joint Monkey-Daddy effort on the moated castle, Small Steps Amazing Achievements and Loud n Proud for Monkey’s paddling bravery, and Savouring the Season for making the most of the last bit of warmth on the beach :).
Also linking with
Aeroplanes!!!
I love it when traditions get carried down through families, when we do something with Monkey that we remember loving as kids. I love it even more with grandparents carrying things down things that they loved doing as kids. My Mum and Step-dad (Aka Nanny & Pops) were round on Monday after Rhyme Time and we were all playing in the garden (well, I was sat watching mainly).
Pops said he wanted to do aeroplanes with Monkey, and I wasn’t sure what he meant to start with, but it turned out they had done it before on their day out with Monkey. It is something Pops remembers his Granddad doing with him as a child, and how much he loved it, and he wanted to carry it down and do it with Monkey. Which is just lovely!
Monkey took a tiny bit of encouragement to start with (he is a 2 year old after all, and takes a bit of encouragement with most things at the moment!) but then he absolutely loved it.
It was hilarious, and a tiny bit hair raising to watch, but seeing the glee on Monkey’s face was priceless.
And of course hearing the “Aaaa-gain” repeated over and over afterwards until Pops gave him another whirl..
The angle of this is weird and I know it looks like Monkey’s leg is at an odd angle but I promise it’s not!
and another…
Nanny & Pops then tried to get him to do wheelbarrows, and I have to admit we have tried to show Monkey this before and we failed… and unfortunately they failed too, though he did enjoy it I am pretty sure he didn’t have a clue what was going on!
Just a lovely bit of fun in the garden 🙂
I walk the line..
Monkey is growing up so much at the moment and really acting more like a little boy than a toddler. He is just playing a lot more, and in so many ways, doing things I remember doing as a child. He has quite a neat and tidy streak and likes things to line up in a row and be neat, and also he does something which I remember doing a lot of as a kid – walking the line.
Be it on the edge of a curb, on a wall, on a line on the pavement, Monkey loves walking on the line and staying on the line. There is a little local shopping centre we go to where this is the most evident. Its quite a run down little centre, there is Wilkos and a QD, and it also happens to be home to the local library where Monkey goes every Monday for rhyme time with Nanny & Pops. They often have a wander round the shops while they are there too and it is quite nearby so a handy place to pop to, so we go wuite a bit.
In the middle of the open sort of courtyard area there is I guess a drain, but it is a thin silver line which Monkey loves to walk along. He has been doing it for ages, and I am not really sure when it started or who he started doing it with but now if we go there he has to walk the line.
He is so cute and gets massively excited, running off shouting “Walk the Line” which sounds more like ” Walk a Yine, Walk Yine!” He has to go all the way to the end too.
We popped there in the week and I fianlly managed to (remember to) catch it on camera!
I just love that he gets so much pleasure out of something so simple! He does it all the time when we are out on walks, if there is a line to be walked on, he will find it and walk on it!
Do your kids do that?
Family Fun at the Burghley Film Festival 2014
Not too far away from us is the very grand Burghley House, a beautiful Elizabethan house in amazing grounds. Every year they hold an outdoor film festival and last year we went for the first time. During the day they show family films and then have an evening session with more adult films. After loving it last year we decided well in advance that we wanted to go again this year, and invited some of our family to come along too!
This year we went to see ‘Epic’ which is a film I hadn’t seen before, but in all honesty, with a toddler and other kiddies in the family we only really get to see snippets of the film, as the day is more about running around and having fun!
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Cardboard Tunnel Fun
Last weekend, we did something very grown up. We *gasp* bought some garden furniture! The set we had previously hubby had inherited from a friend and it was very weather beaten and wobbly. It didn’t really match our lovely new garden. We have had in mind we wanted some for a while but they have all been so expensive. On a trip to our local garden centre however we found a lovely set, heavily reduced in the sale and, well, we snapped it up!
It took a couple of trips to get it home in the car, and hubby had to tie the table in on the last leg as it didn’t quite fit, but we managed and it is now set up and looking lovely in the back garden. I’m not sure why, I mean we have a house, a toddler and a baby on the way, but for some weird reason, buying garden furniture feels like a very grown up thing to do. And I really don’t feel like a grown up!
Anyway, immaturity was soon restored!
Random Playtime – 24 mths old
Our little Monkey is growing up and now has a lot more imaginative play, and a lot more independant play. This leads to him having a lot fun with mummy largely acting as a bystander.
Some of the things he chooses to play with are particularly amusing. I’ve blogged before about how random household objects can be fascinating for babies/toddlers but I am going to show you two recent play times which demonstrate this perfectly!
Gym Ball
Because of my SPD we have my gym ball down in the lounge a lot of the time at the moment, because it is good to sit on and do pelvic tilts etc. It is also a LOT of fun for Monkey to play on, and hilarious for me to watch.
He can’t get on it himself but he loves carrying it around the room (though it is about as big as he is)..
And then launching himself onto the ball
and laughing his head off when he then flies off it again!
Very funny afternoon spent watching that!
Playing with my scarf
I got a lovely new scarf for my birthday and I had been a naughty mummy and left it in the lounge after I had taken it off. Therefore it was obviously fair game at play time. Monkey loves playing with blankets and hiding under them so it wasn’t a huge surprise when he decided to have a play with the scarf, but it was pretty funny!
He very much enjoyed hiding underneath it..
And then there was lots of giggles looking at himself in my phone while he wrapped it around his head.
He did look very pretty in it bless him!
You’ve gotta love the random things that amuse toddlers and the simple fun they can have with very little in the way of toys or parental involvement!
Do your kids ever turn random objects into fun playthings?