Spencer finished his swim classes at the Longmont Rec Center today.  My husband and I have different styles of playing in the water with Spencer, and usually I take the classes with him, so I thought some daddy time would be nice.  We have taken swimming classes with Spence at the rec center since he was a small baby, and he loves the water.  He is completely fearless and very confident in his abilities.  I love seeing it.  I just learned to swim in the past few years, and I still lack confidence in the water.  I don't want that for him.

Spence is going through his "terrific two"s.  Sometimes he is completely adorable and sweet and darling, and sometimes he kicks the dog and pulls the cat's tail and screams at the top of his lungs, just for fun.  Not ideal, but I think it is normal.  He also says please and thank you and bless you and excuse me (and sorry, after kicking or hitting or otherwise misbehaving).

Today, I found out that a plant that I adore is actually a noxious, Class A weed that could send Spencer to the hospital if he touches it.  

We went to Willow Farm Park tonight.  I can't report on the full facilities, as Spencer mostly just wanted to dig in the sand.  I'll post pictures and more of a review later. 

Longmont Farmer's Market

I had my second garage sale ever this morning.  I joined in my neighbor's sale, and sold $5 worth of assorted books, toys and clothes.  My neighbor gave me some great stuff for Spencer, and I gave her a breadmaker.  Not a bad morning.

I also took Spencer with me to the Longmont Farmer's Market.  Spence loves going to the market.  There are interesting free samples at lots of the booths.  People often bring their dogs (even though there is a sign asking you not to do this).  There is a booth of musicians who will play requests (like "you are my sunshine"), and he enjoys dropping a tip into their guitar case.  Best of all is Gina Patterson of Face to Face Body and Face Painting, an amazing woman who can paint his face to look like any animal, and will make balloon animals to boot.  She operates on a donation policy - whatever you would like to put in her tip jar is ok.  Last time, Spencer was made into a little lion, and today, he was a puppy.  Really cute.   

I got to go to the grocery store without my son this afternoon, which was a treat for me.  After I got home, we all headed out to Five Guys for dinner.  I like Five Guys because the fries actually taste like potato, and the burgers seem very similar to the ones you might grill in the back yard.  They aren't grilled burgers, but they have the grocery store-style bun, the iceberg leaves (not shredded), tomato slices, pickle chips, etc. that you'd expect from a cookout.  That's a nice thing when you are too tired to grill at home.  They have free peanuts to shell and snack on while you wait for your food, and all the toppings are free - no extra charge for grilled mushrooms or extra tomatoes.  The regular-sized burger has two patties, so if you want a smaller option, get the little burger.  The only downside tonight was that the music was cranked so loud that I couldn't hear my husband or son talking at the table.  I asked someone to turn it down, and he shouted into the kitchen for someone to adjust the volume.  He seemed perfectly pleasant about it, but I think the guy in the back room actually turned it up instead of down.

Java Stop

We met a friend and her little girl at the Java Stop today.  The Java Stop is at 3rd and Main, with the entrance on 3rd Street.  I think there is a stroller-friendly entrance on Main - the one on 3rd has stairs, but not so many that it cannot be navigated with a stroller.  The owners are very nice and very child-friendly.  They have a cabinet in the back of the coffee shop (next to the bathroom) full of toys, which the children are free to play with while you sit on the couches and chat.  Be aware that they are cash-only - no credit cards.  If you forget, they keep a tab running behind the register.  The lattes are delicious.  I'd definitely recommend them.  Keep in mind that they are only open until early afternoon, so going here is a pre-naptime activity.  There is no changing table in the bathroom, and anyone using the bathroom has to walk through the play area, but those don't seem like significant drawbacks, considering how tolerant they are of small children.

Afterwards, we swung by Serendipity, which we have not tried before.  I immediately found the Fiestaware luncheon plates I've been looking for, in the color I prefer.  They negotiated on the prices, too.  I didn't get a screaming deal, but I got a decent price.  Unfortunately, Spencer was done being patient, and this is really not a baby-friendly environment, so we bought our plates and left before any damage could be done.  No surprise that an antique store is not ultra baby-friendly.  I would love to come back here without the little guy some time and really explore, though, as they seem to have some great options.

My husband gives Spencer his bath at night while I get his room ready for bedtime.  Tonight, he called me back into the bathroom to show me that Spencer knows his left from his right.

Longmont Rec Center

Spencer overslept this morning, so we didn't make it to the free Stroller Strides class.  Once we got ourselves together, we went to the Rec Center pool.  Spencer loves this place, and since it snowed last night and was cold and drizzly and unpleasant outside this morning, it was perfect for today.  If there are swim lessons happening, the water features are turned off, but there is still plenty to do.  Today, there were no swim lessons.  They have a toddler waterslide that is shaped like a tree trunk, a zero-depth entry, tons of fountains (both on the floor and coming from pipes up above), wheels to operate the fountains, fountains operated by pull-rope, a lazy river, and two adult-sized waterslides.  There are benches and deck chairs around the pool that you can put your stuff on.  Of course there is also the sauna, steam room, and hot tub, but unless I put Spencer in child care, I don't indulge in those.  (Childcare is only $2 an hour, and seems worth it to me.  They can get kind of crowded sometimes, and ALWAYS have cartoons on the tv, but it is cheap and I feel like they really are watching the kids well.)  They also allow you to have inflatables in the pool.  Today we brought the inflatable basketball hoop with a small beach ball, and a few other toys.  Spencer had a wonderful time.  He takes swim classes here, and has since he was tiny, so he has no fear with the water.  We practiced jumping in from the side of the pool, climbing out of the water by himself, floating on his back, kicking his feet, etc.  He's doing pretty well, I think, and seemed to have a lot of fun.

When we got home, he ate his new favorite thing - buffalo meatloaf, leftover from last night.  He's not a picky eater, but it is still nice to see him dive in and really enjoy something.  At naptime, he climbed into bed without nursing, which makes me think we are starting the weaning process.  I feel sad about that and also a little relieved.  It's an odd combination of feelings.

I am reorganizing our bedroom, so we swung by Target for supplies after his nap, and when we got home, we played with his wooden beads.  When he got tired of stringing them, we started stacking them, and I found myself in awe of him once again.  He is my first, so I really don't know when kids things, but it seems like he has new accomplishments every day.  He's articulate and sweet-natured, and even though he is going through a willful (and frustrating) stage right now, he still says "yes please," "no thank you" and "bless you."  He can count to nineteen, more or less.  (One, two, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fiveteen, nineteen.)  He knows some of his colors (red, blue, green, orange, white, black, green) and some of his shapes (heart, star, diamond, triangle, arch, circle, square, and of course "stop sign").  He knows that red means stop and green means go.  He can recognize B and I by sight, and sings his alphabet all day from H-Z.  (I don't know why he doesn't like A-G yet, but he doesn't.)  He knows several songs, and loves singing them.  (The farmer in the dell, itsy bitsy spider, Old Macdonald, and twinkle twinkle little star.)  He can tell you about his day, with the events occurring in the correct order.  He is still cuddly and affectionate.  He can do the chunky-sized puzzles in any arrangement - even when the board is upside-down and all the pieces are presented to him upside-down and backwards and already out of the puzzle board.  He can string beads, knows his animals, and can make all the animal noises.  He can ride a balance bike, roller skate, hit a baseball, play catch, kick a soccer ball while standing on one leg, and jump with both feet in the air.  It is a miracle that kids learn all of this by the time they are two!  I know they all do it; there is nothing super-special about my kid versus anyone else's.  It's just such a pleasure to see him grow and develop.  I'm so glad that he's mine.

Tonight, he learned to use chopsticks at dinner, and used them to eat his broccoli.

Stroller Strides

This morning, Spencer and I made it to our first Stroller Strides session.  Elaine Waterman, who owns the Longmont franchise, is offering a great coupon for this week - all classes this week are free.  Can't beat that! 

We had a good time.  I didn't realize how out of shape I was, and that was a bit disheartening, but it was a very effective workout, and the cameraderie was nice.  A few things I learned today: definitely bring your water bottle.  Also bring snacks that your kids really like, preferably ones that take time to eat.  Consider bringing some easy small toys (without lots of small parts that can be thrown on the ground) to entertain your little one.  There is lots of interaction and songs, but there is also plenty of time watching Mommy do jumping jacks and lunges that can be boring.  And put your park toys (sand buckets, etc.) into the basket of your stroller before starting out, since we wind up at the play structure of the park before we get back to our cars.

It is a bit more workout than I am ready for right now, honestly, but hopefully soon it will be easier.  Like anything, you get what you put into it, and Elaine offers lots of options for various fitness levels.

We loved the Just Between Friends sale this past weekend - many, many thanks to Lainey and Jen for sharing their friends passes with me!  We bought a TON of stuff.  They're coming back in August, I think.  I love these sales so much.  I have learned a few things from past sales, and now I have a strategy when shopping.  First, teachers and first-time parents get all the benefits of consigning without having to consign.  Consigners and volunteers can shop the presale, and they can also take a buddy with them.  They can also shop the half-price sale the day before the general public, and can take a friend with them then, too.  I usually get everything my heart desires that is reasonably priced on the first day, at the presale.  I then go back to the half-price sale and buy for my son's next size.  (That is, right now he wears a 2T, so I am shopping for 3T.  It all gets washed and put into a labeled bag, and then when he outgrows something, it is easy to find, and when I need to get something, I don't have to pay full price for it.)  I'm very happy with it all.

We also saw Babies this past weekend.  We took Spencer with us, and it was not entirely successful.  He is just not quite ready for the movie theater yet, since he wants to tell me about what he is seeing on screen.  The movie was also not entirely appropriate for a young two-year-old.  The breasts didn't bother me - they are all in the context of nursing, and Spencer is completely familiar with that.  There is a little genital nudity, but it is also in a normal context - nude young baby discovers that he has interesting parts.  No big deal.  The slaughtered animals bothered me a little (as far as my son seeing them), but mostly, you just see a dead animal and can understand that it is being butchered.  I think it would be entirely appropriate for a 3 or four-year-old child; it is sweet and very entertaining.  But I wouldn't recommend it for an actual baby.

After the JBF sale, they gave out a flier detailing the free summer movies at the Longmont theater today.  Scroll down the page on the link for the Longmont location.  I think we'll try the Clifford movie for Spencer.