Rediscovery

This fall has been really nice so far.  I've had a lighter work schedule, which has given me oodles of time with my guys.  I always love fall with Dean. Fall was the first season we all shared in our current home, so it always reminds me of his tiny 8 month old self, which, besides four years old, was my all-time favorite Dean age.  It's fun to remember him as a little chubby baby sitting in leaves or exploring the pumpkin patch.  He's to the point now where he likes to look at pictures of himself as a baby and ask what we were doing.  I made a Facebook album of all his pumpkin patch pictures throughout the years, this being his fifth Halloween. 

One of the best things about being a parent is the rediscovery of childhood fun.  The other night, we checked out the Disney version of "The Headless Horseman" from the libray and the opening strains of the Ichabod Crane song took me back to my own childhood.  A few of my favorite rediscoveries include:

Reading aloud.  More specifically, listening as someone else reads aloud.  Marcus is the preferred bedtime reader in our house and I love being able to just sit back and enjoy the stories with Dean.  I also like going to library storytime.

Kid foods.  Y'all.  I had forgotten how delicious gummy fruit snacks were.  Dean has recently developed a taste for tilapia, so we buy frozen tilapia fillets, which look like big fish sticks.  They are tasty.  Dean doesn't like things like spaghetti O's, which is weird, but Marcus does.  Also? Juice boxes are the bomb.

Getting dirty and making messes.  It's such fun to let your popsicle drip all over yourself, assuming you can rinse it off in a timely fashion. (Because OMG STICKY YUCK!) It's also great fun to make a huge mess with play-doh, cookie dough, cake batter, etc.  Dean likes covering himself with bubbles when taking a bath. Sure it takes an extra rinse or two, but it gives us a lot of smiles.

Going to bed early.  There are days when I'm down for the count by 8:30. This is a good thing when your small person wakes you at 6.

Magic.  It's everywhere--we just have to remember to look. Kids have an easier time finding it.