Kyle has become so damn awesome to hang out with. I know this feels like one more annoying endorsement for age two, but it's just that all these possibilities have opened up for us as he gets older. We can now take him places we used to pass on because of his then-age or (non-existant) attention span. I shudder thinking about dining out with him just a year ago. Oh, how times have changed.
Also, the weather is beginning to cool off, which means we can plan activities outside again. Do you know how much more fantastic life with a kid can be when you can actually leave the house? For extended periods of time!
(Lots more.)
A few weekends ago, we took him to a small local butterfly festival, put on by an organization some parents at his school are part of. I thought he'd freak out by all those flapping wings, but he loved every second of it, and he also let someone encourage a butterfly onto his nose.
This past weekend we took him to get burgers and had such a lovely little lunch, the three of us. Then we took him to see The Lion King: 3D, his first in-theater movie, and it was entirely enjoyable, which stunned me. We asked him toward the end if he wanted to leave -- he was getting a little restless -- and he said, "No, we leave when it over." He also kept exclaiming, "Wow, what a big TV!" (We'll need to work on his whispering for the next movie outing.)
I know it seems so obvious to any parents who've been doing this for years and years but when your kid becomes less a screaming baby and more a fun little person, parenthood just indescribably changes and expands. It's still work, don't get me wrong for one second, but it's such different work and the rewards are a million-fold.
So, to inspire me off our couch this pretty fall, what are your favorite fall activities with your kids? I want to fill this fall with an insane amount of fun. Although, come on, it's us we're speaking of. Insane is part of the game.