Columbus Day was a While Ago

Griff and I spent the day together and mostly swam. It was gorgeous weather and good Dad-Griff bonding time.

• Coffee run with Mom to Starbucks (we left her there for a few hours...)
• Gashouse beach to search for sea glass and periwinkles. There had been a flood a few days before, so the sand was all cut with funky ruts. We saw a few rowers land their shells after a trip from Gloucester. And Griff tripped while wading and fell bum-first into the cold water.
• Car wash! Drive through, followed by vacuuming and even floor-mat hose-off.
  
• Pick up Mom and then home for lunch and nap time.
• Swimming at the Y. Griff was way into going up and down the wade-in ramp on his belly, and was blowing lots of bubbles and confidently standing on my knees in the deeper water to stay up. The lifeguards said "Its so cool that you just let him do his own thing," and I agree. I think he's getting my love of water.

-Dad

A few pictures added by Mom... here is Dad and Griff around 3pm... Griff wore Dad out. :)

Mama Dada Mo-ter-shycle Awe-shum

Griffin said this to me on Sunday morning when we were heading down to the aquarium for a family fun morning. I couldn't be more proud to be a two-wheeling Dad.

Snow in October?!!

Griff woke up on 10/29/11 to a light coating of snow... 

13

Griffin can count to 13, well he doesn't really count actual objects.. but he can say the numbers in order from 1-13.. Here's what he says, "Oneb-two-free-fowar-nine-sick-seben-eight-nine-ten-eleben-twelve-sirteen..."

Also, he thinks that 3 is the new 2.. Anytime Griffin sees or is holding 2 of the same item, he exclaims, "three _____s!"  Three shoes, three balls, three strawberries..  oh dear.  sometimes I think he does it just to mess with me.

"Mar-ble-head"

Griffin and I were driving around town earlier this evening when I heard him from the backseat utter "Mar-ble-head" .  (I think he must have heard me tell Tom on the phone that we were driving around Marblehead, waiting to pick him up from work).  So I told Griffin that whenever I ask him, 'Where does Griffin live?", that he should say "Marblehead".. so we practiced that a few times: "Gri-shm Mar-ble-head... Mommy Mar-ble-head.. Daddy Mar-ble-head.. Bashy Mar-ble-head.." (Sebastian, his buddy from school, aka Bashy, actually lives in Salem..)  Then I asked him, "Where do Grandma and Grandpa live?", and he responded, " playground".. Apparently according to Griffin, Gma and Gpa live at the playground on the corner of West Shore and 114..Gerry Park, which is where we last hung out with them during their visit last weekend. :)



It's so funny what toddlers think/remember.

Haircut #3

Father-son haircuts.

Topsfield Fair

We finally made it to the Topsfield Fair this year... here are some pictures from our morning adventure:

"See Penguins and Sharks"

Griffin and I made it to the Aquarium yesterday for exactly an hour before Griff had a major meltdown over me not allowing him to dump a bucket of fish puzzle pieces (and not cleaning them up) in the kiddie play area as I already cleaned them up 3 times... He was literally on the floor screaming/crying/rolling around/making a scene.  I was about 10% embarassed and about 90% entertained by the situation. 

Up until the meltdown, we had a great time.  We saw sea lions, stingrays (i touched a stingray!), sharks, penguins, a goosefish, jelly fish, anemones, a huge lobster, starfish, and lots of fish. Adventures to places like the aquarium are becoming extremely fun, as Griff gets excited to walk around and explore, and he can talk about the animals he sees (he talked about the penguins and sharks all the way home).  That said, it's also becoming difficult to take him places, as Griffin wants so badly to be independent.  He refuses to hold my hand when we walk; he physically protests by becoming totally limp and sitting down wherever we are to avoid holding my hand... it's quite clever, actually.

Funny Boy

Griffin has Tom and I laughing a lot (and proud!) these days with all of the new things he says.  He can count perfectly to 3, and a few times we've heard him go from 5 to 9, or 1 to 4, or 7 to 11.. he's getting there!  He has been putting together phrases (this morning he said "nice song"), and he totally mimicks us like a lil' asian parrot.  Yesterday he said "ready, set, go" (we have no idea where he learned that), and he also said "up pie", instead of "up high". Griff also points to Dad's masterpiece (our new deck) and says "nice deck, Daddy".  Tom loves that. Griff has gotten to the point where we can pretty much teach him to say anything..."bulldozer, helicopter, tampon ("tam-pom"), penguin fall down, nice multi tool daddy, bless you, boobs, daddy farted, excuse me".  It's both hilarious and dangerous at the same time.  Also, Griff decided that he occasionally wants to be on a first name basis with his Daddy and I, as he has called us "Tom" and "Bicki"...

Chores

We make Griffin clean at least 30 minutes a day., you know, start 'em young on chores.. just kidding.. here he is being a silly "bucket head"!  I just love the last picture..

Goodbye Slide

Griffin now says goodbye to everything.. including inanimate objects.  "Goodbye outside, goodbye slide, goodbye socks, goodbye PJs..."

Touch A Truck, Marblehead