I am in love with the two and a half year old stage! Nathan is so incredibly funny, smart, inquisitive and stubborn these days! He is talking up a storm, and has really gotten into developing his conversational skills--every day at dinner he asks both Todd and I (while resting his chin on his hand) "Watcha fixin' on today?" He is endlessly fascinated with what cars Todd is working on at the moment, and Todd will often take pictures of his works in progress. N does humor me by listening to my stories about the students I interview, but will often lose interest when he asks me what kind of car the student drives and I'm unable to tell him (perhaps I'll have to add that question to my interview list!).
He's quite the safety officer while riding in the car, telling me when to stop b/c the light is red or to go when it's green. The other day we were stopped at a red light and I took a moment to readjust my ponytail, and was quickly admonished, "Mama, you got put your hands on the steering wheel!"
Continuing his obsession with all things automotive, Nathan can identify the make and often the model of just about every vehicle on the road, usually by looking at the badge on the front or back, but often with just a glimpse. His favorite vehicle remains the Dodge Ram, with the Jeep Wrangler/CJ coming in a close second.
Imaginative play is starting to be the name of the game with Nathan, and I absolutely love hearing the conversations that he has with Lambykins or his cars while he's playing. It's so cute! Often he will expand on/combine themes from the events of his day, sing songs, or talk about who is driving what car.
The big boy bed is going really well--I can't believe how smooth the transition was, and how much he's embraced the change. However, he still has absolutely no interest in potty training. One step at a time!
Nathan likes to surround himself with toys when he plays--his creativity cannot be contained! :)
Our local fire department has a fundraiser/neighborhood ice cream social every year. They go door-to-door selling tickets, and Nathan was completely thrilled that Fireman Tom let him climb into the fire engine!! Look at that grin! (And check out the monster truck temporary tattoo on his arm--that was a huge hit as well.)
Todd can get Nathan belly laughing like nobody else. He and Daddy have really been bonding a lot this summer. It's so cool to see! Here's a short video from bathtime last week. Todd was dumping water and making Nathan's car fall into the tub--he thought that was hilarious!
When we were up in Northport for the 4th of July, once we turned off the main road to the small one that leads to the cottage, Todd rewarded Nathan for his patience on the long drive by letting him sit on his lap and "drive" to the cottage. N was SO thrilled and overwhelmed. The video is a pretty good example of why two year olds do not qualify for a drivers license, but is also pretty funny as it looks like N is actually doing the driving!
