Conversations With My Toddler

Last night we were headed out to meet my in-laws for dinner. Husband, trying to beat a line of cars, pulled away from a stop sign really fast and sped down the road. 

Grant's reaction to this was "Hey! If the police (po'weece) catches you...um...um...he pulls you over! And...and...buys you a ticket!" 

Husband explained what the police actually do - I was laughing - and then for the rest of the trip to the restaurant Grant talked about police and firemen (we actually saw firetrucks) and what they do. 

The mind of a 3 year old is a very fun place :)

Grandfather Mountain - 2013

In my last post about our mountain trip, I mentioned that we went to Grandfather Mountain. It was our first full day in the mountains and it was a Thursday so we assumed (correctly) that it wouldn't be that busy. But still, we asked Grant what he felt like doing that day. "Go see the bears!" So that was that.

At the entrance to Grandfather Mountain they give you a CD to listen to on your way up the mountain about landmarks and little stories and what-not. Grant was fascinated. I have no idea why but he loved listening to it. He even asked to listen to it on our ride home a few days later. Anyway, we listened to that throughout our day and learned some stuff in between our stops.

Our first stop was Sphinx & Split rock on the way up. We stopped there for pictures last year too, the views from Grandfather Mountain are amazing! 

Grant saw us taking pictures of the view and immediately asked for his camera. I'm glad I thought to bring it with us. Initially I didn't think he cared much for his little camera. I was wrong.

Tiny tourist.

And he obligingly posed for some pictures too :)

Holding up the rock "like the Hulk"

After that we headed to their museum and animal habitats (with Grant repeatedly asking when we'd see the bears). We had lunch there, too, on their deck so we could see all the birds.

Family picture before lunch :)

On to the animals!

I think the eagle might have been my favorite.

The bears were very active that day!

The otters...not so much.

The cougars weren't feeling friendly either.

Pretty views from the bear habitat.

Side story from seeing the bears: We got there just in time to see them doing an "enrichment activity" with them and there was an employee available to answer questions. Grant was absolutely enthralled by the bears and I was having fun watching him (sitting on husbands shoulders for the best view possible). I was half listening to the question and answers. Then was a lull in the questions and it got quiet. This was when one bear chose to take a very long pee and I knew where this was going. Grant says "Uh oh! Oh no! He peed! He peed on the floor! He made a mess!" Which was very amusing to those in attendance...then we made our exit.

Onward up the mountain! 

At the very top of Grandfather Mountain is the "mile high swinging bridge". It's one mile above sea level so not too imposing but if you're scared of heights I can see how it might be a little off-putting. Grant loves bridges but we weren't sure if he'd want to cross this one or not. 

So we get out of the car, point out the bridge to Grant who immediately exclaims "IT'S THE BRIDGE!!" I think Husband was hoping to stay behind with him...Husband not being a fan of heights or anything that swings when you walk on it. No such luck.

Grant couldn't wait to go across. He wasn't a daredevil about it or anything but he definitely wasn't scared either. We got to other side just in time for him to say "I gotta go pee...", we snapped one picture, then beat feet back down to their gift shop area (thankfully not far from the bridge) that had a bathroom.

It was such a fun day. Grant was so excited about everything he saw that day, it was great to watch. Maybe we'll go back next year too :)

P.S. Part of Forrest Gump was shot at Grandfather Mountain. I think it was a part when he was running across the country. Fun, huh?

Conversations With My Toddler

We had salad with our dinner a couple times last week and I finely shredded the carrots that I put in there (bad decision - that has nothing to do with this but they just weren't as good like that). So Grant says:

Grant: Are there carrots in here?
Me: Yes, little ones. I made them too small this time.
Grant: Big carrots are for bunnies. We feed them big carrots. (There is a bunny at his school)
*************************************
Grant likes to watch me cook (and he helps when he can). Saturday he was watching me cook breakfast.

Grant: Oh you have cheese! Can I have a piece of cheese?
Me: You're going to have cheese on your eggs.
Grant: Can I have a piece...not on my eggs?
*************************************
This summer when we went to NY to visit my family, my Aunt Bonnie gave Grant a fish stuffed animal. He's pretty strict about the animals he sleeps with but saw his fish the other night and wanted it.

Grant: What's his name?
Me: I don't know. I guess we haven't given him one yet.
Grant: You name him.
Me: Why don't you name him? He's your fish.
Grant: No...ok. His name is...it's...he's Driver Spice.
*pause for confused look on my face*
Me: Why...is his name Driver Spice?
Grant: Well, because...because...hm. It just is.
***************************************
This is less conversation, more just funny. We were playing soccer in the living room Sunday but before we could play, Grant had to line up his softballs, baseballs, and basketball...not sure why. Husband asked what he was doing (since we weren't using those).
Grant said: "These are my balls."
*pause for immature giggling*
So the soccer begins and a wonky kick from me messes up the line of balls.
Grant yells: "OH MY BALLS! I gotta put my balls together!"
*more giggling*
More soccer. Then the balls get messed up again.
Grant yells: "OH MY BALLS! They're hurt!"
At that point, I decided to put away everything but the soccer ball. Otherwise I might never have stopped laughing.

Conversations With My Toddler

The other night on our way to dinner we passed a construction site. Grant pointed out all the equipment and then says...

Grant: Daddy. Daddy. Bull dozers are not really big. Bull dozers are not really big like you.

Husband *whispering to me*: He thinks I'm bigger than a bull dozer.

Grant *still just talking away*: Bull dozers are not really big like you. But I am. I'm getting tall. Like you Daddy.

That might be one of the cutest things he's ever said. Ever. That and telling me I looked like a princess when I put on the dress I wore for my sister-in-law's wedding. Man I love this kid! :)

Three Years

Today Grant is 3! It's hard to believe he's only 3 because he seems so grown up at times. Other times, he totally seems 3. We're going to have a little celebration for him tonight after school. We still have his party decorations up and I'm making some of his favorite foods - hot dogs, mac & cheese, and corn on the cob. We're having Gramma & Grandpa over for dinner and then Grant will get to open his presents from us (since his party is never on his actual birthday, he always has to wait until his real birthday for our gifts).

So here's the little man at 3:

• Weight: 32 lbs (thanks to a recent sick visit to the doctor)
• Height: 38 3/4 " (my best attempt at measuring)
• Potty trained! He's been doing really well too. He can go all by himself - unless we're out at a restaurant or something or he does #2 - and he loves to tell you he'll do it by himself. We really don't even need a potty seat anymore. A while back we even decided to do regular undies (or "undiewears" as Grant calls them) at bedtime instead of pull ups and we've had almost no problems. Just a few accidents and that's all.
• Can be very picky about his clothes and sometimes tells me what he wants to wear before I can pick them out. He gets himself undressed and can dress himself but sometimes we still need to help him (especially if we're in a hurry).

• Loves to count things. He really likes his counting books and he'll often ask to count things he sees.
• Knows his colors. For some reason he wouldn't say red for while but we've been working on that and he'll point out all the colors now.
• Wearing 3T & 4T depending on where they're from. He's gotten so tall that some pants I bought in the early spring are now too short and all the shorts we bought for this summer are looking a little short too. We've always been able to use most of his shorts for two summers because he's always been so skinny but that will not be the case next summer. He's just gotten so tall!

• I know I say this every time but he's a big talker. But it's more grown up talking now. We have conversations. He tells us what went on at school. He tells us about his cars or talks to us about movies we've watched. He uses words like "actually" and continues his sentences with "but" and it cracks me up because I can tell he's talking like the people he hears around him. I love listening to him :)
• Sports lover! Hockey definitely and baseball. But some football too (especially now that he's got his cute little jersey and helmet from his birthday party). 

• He's not as into watching monster trucks as much, though he still plays with them. He loves Disney movies like Cars, Toy Story, A Bug's Life and a bunch Disney Jr shows. His favorite of those is Jake and the Neverland Pirates but he's also into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Octonauts, Sofia the First, and Doc McStuffins (those last two much to Husband's dismay but I think it's awesome).
• Always ready for a story! We have a bookcase in his room just loaded with books and he's always trying to work us for one more story at bedtime. He also likes to "read" them to me after I read to him. It's very cute and I love that he shows such an interest in books. I don't think there is anything better than some quiet time with book and I hope Grant grows up to appreciate that too.

• Loves his outside play time! We haven't done as much of it this summer as I'd like because it's sooo hot (we do play inside). But with cooler weather on the horizon we'll be getting out more. Grant loves to play tee-ball and ride his trike like a crazy man all over the neighborhood. But he's getting so tall for his trike that I'm thinking Santa might be bringing him a real bike this year!
• Seems to enjoy our night time routine. He typically has a bath every night but occasionally we skip a night and he'll ask "I'm not gonna have a bath tonight?" Still isn't wild about washing his hair but the rest of bath time is fun. He loves to wash himself and he loves to try to brush his teeth. We're working on brushing and spitting but it's not catching. We still use toothpaste he can swallow...but eventually he's got to learn to spit!

• SUPERHEROS! At any given moment Grant is Iron man, Batman, Spiderman, Superman, The Hulk, Captain America, or Buzz Lightyear (yeah, I know...Buzz...not such a superhero). We have no idea where this came from except perhaps his friends at school but he loves them and is over the moon anytime he sees one of them or gets to wear a shirt with one of them on it (he even has a gigantic spiderman shirt that is probably his favorite thing to sleep in).
• RACE CARS too! Race cars on TV, of course (and lets not forget Lightning McQueen!). But he also loves muscle cars and can correctly point out muscle cars - especially, for some reason, Mustangs.

That's my three year old! I know he's still a toddler, but he's just not really. He's a little boy. A little person with a huge personality who's figuring out who he is and always wants to learn. He amazes and entertains me every day and makes my life so full of happy. Happy birthday to the most incredible little boy ever!

Father's Day 2013

I debated skipping a Father's Day post because I didn't take any pictures that day. But I decided I'd do one because as part of Husband's gift, I did a Daddy questionnaire and I thought some of Grant's answers were so cute and funny. I figured I'd share.

I made it extra big so you could read it.

Some of the questions I had to help him with. Like explaining what a "job" is. He really thought about the answers he gave me and it was so fun to do. I love how the mind of a child works.

On Thursday before Father's Day we had a 2 minute storm that knocked our power out for close to 24 hours. They weren't promising power for Friday even either, so we made reservations to spend the night in Wilmington, NC (so we could spend Saturday at the beach). Our power came back on but we went anyway and had a great time. Post coming soon! We got home Saturday evening and then spent Father's Day hanging around the house until a cookout with my Father-in-Law and his wife over at their place.

An exhausted Husband and a very excited Grant
at the hotel on Friday.

I hope all the Daddy's out there had a great day!

Conversations With My Toddler: Dinner Time

Dinner time at our house is usually one of two things: frustrating or enjoyable. Sometimes it's nice and we all eat and talk and listen to Grant tell us what he did at school that. Sometimes, its less than nice because Grant eats at the table with us now (instead of a high chair) and is learning to eat without a bib. He gets distracted and food ends up anywhere except where it should be. It's not always funny.

Last night was funny. I made BLT's and some potatoes. Grant isn't a big sandwich fan in the traditional sense. He likes to pull them apart and eat them little by little. We always try to tell him "eat it like a sandwich" but he rarely does. Grant's was done first to cool down enough so he was already stationed at the table chowing down when Husband sat down.

Grant *to Husband*: "You need to let it cool down. It's too hot. Let it cool down."

Husband *waiting patiently for 30 seconds*: "Now?"

Grant: "No."

So Husband waits another minute or so and then picks up his BLT.

Grant *picking apart his BLT and then points at Husband*: "Hey. Hey. Eat it like a sammich."

This kid cracks me up!

Potty Training

This is not, by any means, going to be a how-to post on potty training. No ma'am. Or sir. This is merely a Mama's rambling about our potty training experience. 

We decided around Christmas/first of the year to really give potty training a go. We'd been toying with it for months. We both knew from signs that Grant was ready...but Grant didn't know he was ready. And as our pediatrician said, when it comes to potty training...he was in charge. But he was pretty ready.

Potty training is maybe the most frustrating thing we've done to date. At least in my opinion. And this coming from a woman who hated breastfeeding with every fiber of my being. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I stay away from parenting books, magazine, articles, etc. It's not that I'm above them, it's that I think they're boring and opinionated and I want to be my own kind of parent and not one that a book tells me to be. But I read about potty training and you know what I learned? No one has any idea what they're doing but everyone has an opinion.

Noisy training pottys are distracting; regular training pottys aren't enticing enough; do a potty training "boot camp" weekend; don't put pressure on them; use the regular toilet from the start; the regular toilet is too intimidating; don't use pull-ups they're just a diaper; use normal undies and just let them pee all over

We heard it all. Some stuff was helpful. One thing I read that I paid attention to said that if you're frustrated - or your child is frustrated - just back off. Throw a diaper back on or a pull-up. Give it a day or two and take a break. We had to do that once because I was frustrated beyond frustrated. I was ready to just buy depends and let him go in his pants for the rest of his life. 

I honestly can't tell you how we got from that point to where we are today. Where we are today is basically potty trained with peeing and even the pooping is getting better (see THIS post about the poo problems). Grant goes pee when he as to, usually announcing it to us if we're at home but tells us he doesn't want help. We know he's done because he waddles all over the house with his undies around his ankles yelling "I pee! I pee!" He goes in the potty when we're out somewhere, even if he's wearing pull-ups and not undies. Pooping is still an issue but after some success in that department in the last week, I think he's slowly realizing it's not so bad.

What I have learned through this process:

• Grant really was in charge. Nothing was going to happen in that potty until he wanted it to. 
• Pull-ups are just glorified diapers...but they were a necessary item.
• One tip we were given was to reward Grant with an M&M for going in the potty. At first, I despised the idea of rewarding with food and I judged myself for doing it. But I have since found out that a lot of people have done it, it worked for us and now Grant doesn't always need one after he goes. So I'm hoping it'll be an easy habit to break *fingers crossed*.
• Not everyone wants to talk to you like they're the superior parent. Some people do want to give you helpful advice.
• After reading that noisy pottys seem more like a toy and are distracting, we bought a "regular" training potty (this one). But, for Grant anyway, I'm not sure the type of potty we got really made a difference. I don't know that one with music and lights would have made a difference. I am, however, glad that we decided on a potty that doesn't require us to change batteries.
• Playing up the "big boy" aspect of going in the potty was key for us. Grant can be very independent and loves to feel like a big guy. So telling him he was such a big boy or telling him that big boys wear real underwear I think motivated him.
• DAYCARE. Bless them. They were ready when we jumped on the potty training band wagon and super helpful. At a certain point they told us to bring underwear and multiple changes of clothes. That way Grant would be wearing underwear, pee on himself, and realize that he had to go potty and how yucky it feels to wear pee soaked clothes. It involved a lot of patience from them and a lot of laundry at our house, but it really helped.
• We had to let go of the "It's ok buddy, accidents happen". If it was truly an accident, it was ok. But if he peed all over and then said "I need to change" without remorse, we punished him (like the time he peed in his car seat after I asked him 100 times to go before we left daycare). Through this whole process we've always been ready to rush to the potty when needed, so sometimes it was just laziness.
• This takes time. I was always under them impression that potty training happened quickly. And I'm sure for some it does. But this for us has been quite a process.
• My least favorite thing learned: someone out there will have done this better than you, had a better idea or system, their kid did it sooner than yours, or they did it in a matter of days or WHATEVER. You have to let it go. POTTY TRAINING is hard enough! Raising a child is hard enough with the pressure you put on yourself. Who cares who did it first?

So there we are. Another milestone...my little guy growing up. I'm so proud of him :) There is talk at school of Grant moving up to the three-year-old's room. That news threw me a little. He's just getting so big.

Conversations With My Toddler: Husband Edition

I overheard this conversation between Grant and Husband last night while Grant was getting cleaned up...and Husband was cleaning out Grant's "undiewear". 

Grant: I have to have a bath tonight?

Husband: Yes. Because you pooped on yourself. You pooped in your pants.

Grant: I poop in my pants? (Like he was not aware this happened less than 5 minutes ago)

Husband: Yes. 

Grant: That's disgusting.

Admittedly, it took me a while to compose myself. I found Grant's end of that conversation absolutely hysterical. Husband, being the one to clean out the poopy underpants, did not seem quite as amused as I was.

Side note: Grant is basically potty trained as far as peeing goes. He even goes in the potty when we're out and about. Accidents are few and far between. We've even made some improvements in the "#2" department and are not quite so frustrated with it - despite this post :)

Conversations With My Toddler

Over the weekend on the way to our shopping excursion, I was exiting the interstate and I accidentally ran over the rumble strips for a minute. I looked behind me at Grant really quick with a dramatically shocked looked on my face thinking he'd be smiling.

Grant, clearly surprised: What was that?

Me: Was that funny?

Grant: No.

Me: I'm sorry.

Grant: Don't do it again.

Me: Did it scare you?

Grant: Don't do it again, Mama. You scared my butt! Don't scare my butt again!

Conversations With My Toddler

One morning while getting a very pissy Grant ready for school, he mumbled something I couldn't understand. I figured he was just mad about having his hair brushed...or because he was awake. But he mumbled it again.

"What did you say? I can't understand you." I said.

In the whiniest voice I've ever heard, Grant said "I like to move it move it."

I laughed hysterically. It totally made my morning. Husband heard and tried to say it like its supposed to sound but Grant wasn't having it.

He looked at his Daddy and said "Hey! That's MY favorite song!"

The above video from the movie Madagascar is where this new obsession came from. Grant actually calls the movie "Move It Move It".

2 1/2 Years Old

• Height: 36 3/4" (he's grown 2 inches since his 2 year check up)
• Weight: 29.5 lbs (gained 4 pounds since his 2 year check up)
• Wearing: 2T & 3T. Almost all his 2T pants are too short. It seems like he's really shot up since his two year check-up but all 3T pants have to be adjustable because he's still a string bean! Most of his 2T shirts still fit but we're buying 3T in any new stuff.
• Grant's got a favorite movie now! It's been weeks since we've watched Monster Jam because Grant can't get enough of the Cars movies. He's always telling us "I need to watch Cars" or "I need to see Mater on the TV". 
• Potty training...is actually going pretty well at home. We're still not pushing it too awfully hard (not like potty training boot camp or anything) but he is wearing pull-ups instead of diapers and he's getting much better at telling us when he's got to go. He's not good at telling the day care teachers and he doesn't want to go yet when we're out and about...but I know we'll get there. I'm really happy with how it's going. It's certainly not easy but its getting better. As soon as we have time, we're going to take a weekend and do the "no pants weekend" and I'm thinking that should help things.

• Still doing well in the big boy bed! He has his nights where he doesn't want to lay down but so far *knock on wood* he stays put even when he doesn't go right to sleep.
• Grant loves to sing the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Also loves to hear all the jingles my mom used to sing but that's a post for another day.
• Doing really well with colors. The only two he won't really name are black and red.
• Also doing really well with counting. A few months ago he would just yell out numbers - sometimes in order, sometimes not. But now he's slowing down and actually pointing and counting things out and he can tell you "how many" when you ask as long as it's small numbers. I think the Poke-A-Dot book we got him for Easter last year helps.

 

• LOVES hockey! When we took Grant to his first (and only) game, Husband bought him a little hockey stick & puck set and he can't stop playing with it. Phrases that Grant has been known to yell while playing hockey: "I'm a hockey man!", "Lets go Hurricanes!", "I'm Jordan Staal! You not Jordan Staal! I'm Jordan Staal!", "I'm Cam Ward! You not Cam Ward! I"m Cam Ward!", "Put the puck in the net...I scored! YAAAAA!"
• Working on learning to spell his name. He'll tell you his name is Grant but if you ask him to spell it he's a little shy about it. And he usually misses the N. He'll tell you it's G-R-A-T but if we slow him down and say it with him he knows where the N goes.
• Energy to spare! Sometimes after dinner when we're in the living room he'll just look at me, say "I gonna run, ok?" and then take off through the house.
• Talking, talking, talking...all the time! He seems to be saying more every day. Bigger words and bigger sentences...it's crazy. He's not just repeating anymore, he's saying all the stuff that pops into his little head and we're having actual conversations. It's so fun! (And funny!)

I told him to pose. He did what you see 
above and yelled "Muscles!"

"I see you!"

The Little Birdie's Visit

Two weekends ago while I was sitting at my kitchen table working (not on anything fun, actually working) I noticed a gorgeous red bird - assuming it was a cardinal, not sure what their winter habits are - in a tree behind our house. By the time I grabbed my camera, snapped on my zoomier lens, and made my way outside it was of course gone. But there were other birds out there so I ventured out in my yard.

All the other little birds pretty much blended in with the trees and I didn't get any good pictures of them, so I headed back to the house. When I got up on the deck I saw a little birdie sitting on our doormat that couldn't possibly have been there when I walked outside because I'm sure I would have stepped on it. Our guess is that it had a head-on collision with our door and was composing his/her little self before flying off to join it's friends. It let me get really close so I knew it wasn't right.

It didn't seem alarmed by me. I guess maybe it knew I wasn't going to hurt it, who knows. I didn't touch it...because there isn't enough soap and sanitizer in my house to make me think I wasn't going to get sick from it. But I did take pictures.

Then I propped open the door so Grant could see it. Again, no touching. I don't even let him touch petting zoo animals. But I thought he'd like to see the bird.

Grant said "Ooooh a birdie!" in this cute high pitched voice he's been using lately when he talks about baby animals. And he was really good about not trying to touch the bird when I'd told him not to. (And the bird didn't try to come in the house when the door was wide open even though Husband was super concerned that it would.)

After that I shut the doors and let him be. I checked back a little while later and he had made his - presumably safe - departure.

Conversations With My Toddler

For Christmas, my friend Elizabeth got me this great book called "My Quotable Kid". It like a journal where I can write down all the crazy stuff Grant says. I absolutely LOVE the book and it's perfect because Grant keeps us in stitches with all the silliness that has been coming out of his mouth lately. A few of my favorite recent entries:

Last weekend Grant and I were going to run out to go shoe shopping because he needed some new sneakers. He was grabbing every toy in sight asking if he could bring it with us. I kept having to tell him no. Finally we managed to get out the door.
Grant: "We can't bring Daddy?"
Me: "No sweetie, Daddy is going to stay home and take a shower."
Grant: "He need take a shower?"
Me: "Yes, so he's going to stay home."
Grant: "And poop?"
______________________________________________

This one happened in the living room this past week while Nate and Grant were playing hockey together. Husband was sniffling.
Grant (to Nate): "You have booger nose?"
Nate: "Yup. I have boogers in my nose."
Grant (sticking his finger out): "Let me pick it."
Husband tells him no which of course just makes Grant resort to cramming his finger into his own nose. 
Grant (triumphantly pulling his finger out of his nose): "Ah! I DID IT!"

_______________________________________________

Grant's First Hockey Game!

 On Christmas morning there was a surprising box under the tree. It was to me and Grant from Husband. He's never gotten us a joint gift before so it really got my curiosity up. It was kind of big but light so I had no idea. When we opened it, I saw it was something from Ticketmaster (Grant's attention immediately went back to toys). First thought was that it was Monster Jam tickets, it's coming back to Raleigh in March. BUT IT WAS HOCKEY TICKETS! If you're a hockey fan (or maybe even if you're not), you know there's been a lock out. But the Hurricanes minor league team, the Charlotte Checkers, were coming to Raleigh for one game. On a Sunday at 1:30...perfect for a toddler's first game.

All week we'd been talking it up. Then we'd ask Grant what we were doing that weekend and he'd say "Uuummm...hockey man game!" He was very excited. Fast forward to the day of. Husband and Grant got up before me and I was barely functional enough to make coffee when Husband said "Look at the news". And there it was - lock out over! Hockey is coming back! Yippee!

Not having had a nap all day, Grant passed out in the car on the way to PNC Arena. When we got him out of the car he wasn't awake enough to be excited, so Husband carried him.

Mini Caniac dressed for his first game :)

Clapping with the crowd as the Checkers take the ice.

We had great seats! 

Grant & Daddy (Grant's wearing earmuffs to
 dull the sound - hockey fans can get loud!)

Curious guy checking things out.

It's never complete without a fight.

 Grant was scared at first. It was loud and kinda crazy. But he got comfortable and even started bopping to the music they played. During the first intermission we grabbed a late lunch. Grant must have started to get hot because after he ate he wanted his jacket and hat off. With the hat, the earmuffs came off as well. That's when the Checkers scored and the place went nuts. Grant looked at Husband and told him "I need go outside". He was scared, poor guy. Husband took him out and I stayed behind to gather our stuff. Nate said that the whole way up the steps Grant was yelling "I be right back Mama! I coming back!"

We never went back in. We kept asking but he kept saying "No, it's loud and scary". So instead, we walked around and Grant talked Husband into every souvenir his little heart desired.

Grant & Daddy checking out a John Deere tractor...in their matching gear :)

So we only made it half way through, but it was fun all the same. We had to start somewhere, right? And maybe with the season starting back up we can give it another try soon. Even if we'd only stayed 20 minutes...it was nice to see hockey again :)

P.S. After we got home and Grant was playing with the hockey set that he so easily talked his Daddy into, he kept calling himself "Hockey man!" And consistently yelled "Go Checkers!" until he went to bed.