Mr. Independent

Rand's newest thing is "I can do it myself." He can...

- Put his own food into the microwave, turn it on, and take it out
- Climb in and out of his carseat by himself
- Climb in and out of the bathtub by himself
- Help make mommy's coffee and turn it on (turning a 30 second task into a 5 minute torture session for mom...)

Rand has also decided that he is too big for a booster seat at the table -- the fact that his chin is in his food doesn't make a bit of dfference!

I come across his little stepstool a dozen times a day in all kinds of different places (the kitchen, his closet, by the washing machine).

Splash pad!

All of the little splash pads at the local parks have been opening up one by one over the last couple of week. Rand still isn't keen on actually going into the water, but he does like looking at it and I figure that if we go there enough times, eventually he has to get wet!

Instead, he had a great time eating and eating and eating some more, looking at the ducks, and throwing rocks into the lake. Woohoo!

It's all about the blue.

Now that it's getting hot again, one of our favorite things to do is go over to the Westgate center by our house, where Rand can play in the water fountains and we can get Coldstone afterwards!

Last time we went for ice cream, Rand was having a hard time choosing what flavor he wanted. The nice employee behind the counter offered to give him some sample tastes, which we declined -- because really, it's not about the taste, it's the color that matters to Rand. Pink? Green? Yellow? So many choices, but eventually Blue Ice Cream (cotton candy flavor -- ewww) won out!

Huh.

It is absolutely amazing how many loads of laundry one two-year-old with the flu creates.

Guess what I did today?

Hopefully tonight will be less eventful than last night. Somehow waking up every two hours with a sick sick baby makes the next day kind of exhausting!

Cookie time!

Making chocolate chip cookies practically guarantees a good time.

Guess which ones Rand made?

Yummy!!

Happy Easter!

Just a few weeks late....

Dying eggs with Tia

Sticker time!

The finished product -- so cute!

Easter basket

M&Ms are a great way to start the day!

Craft time

We went to our local library's Toddler Time this week. The theme was "Cowboys." And nope, Rand's craft doesn't quite look like the model -- but he had a wonderful time with the glue sticks!

Dirty eyes

Last week Rand was sitting on my lap while we were talking with each other. He stopped talking, looked intently into my eyes for a few seconds, and said, "Mommy, your eyes are dirty."

No baby, that would be because Mommy has brown eyes.

Captain Destructo

That is Rand's new nickname. For the last couple of days I feel like I've been following him around and cleaning up his messes! This morning I sent him to go potty. I hear the toilet flush, then Rand comes running out of the bathroom: "MOOOOOOM! THE TOILET SPILLED!"

I go in to investigate -- and sure enough, there is a nice layer of water all over the floor, plus what looks to be a full roll of unfurlled toilet paper floating lazily in the toilet. Rand was fascinated by the whole process of bringing out the plunger and washing lots of towels.