A Wonderful Afternoon

(Is it weird to just post like I've been here the whole time? I have a lull in work, and a night with my little boy that I don't want to forget. So here it is.)

It wasn't wonderful before I got home. I am in the middle of a huge visit at work (two years in the making - although lots of downtime and waiting) and then I got caught in a freak hail storm while walking to my car. (In Southern California mind you.)

When I got home, Dylan announces that he and Grandma are making me dinner. He's thrilled about this! He didn't eat the dinner my mom had already prepared for him, but he ate what I was eating instead.

He wanted to make pillow tunnels on the couch, so we did.

He wanted to show me the stick shaped like a Y that he found on a walk, so he did.

He was so 100% happy that I asked my mom if he'd been like that all afternoon. He had.

The most fun part of the night was putting out fires. Dylan was using a stack of batteries as his fire hose. He'd say "Is there another emergency?" And then I'd freak out. "Oh no! My toes are on fire!" He'd put them out and then we'd pretend the next one. He saved our lives many times last night! Pretend play can be so much fun.

When his nanny came today, she said the same thing. He was in such a good mood. They danced for 10 minutes together before school yesterday.

At bedtime, he didn't fight me. He thought it would be funny to hide behind the big chair and so I let him. Then to lure him out I pretended I couldn't find him saying "I hope Dylan doesn't get me!" Guess what. He got me! Three times! And then I successfully got his PJs on.

He chose three simple Leslie Patricelli books to read: Fa la la, Baby Happy Baby Sad, and Huggy Kissy. Ones we've been reading for two years. So he pretty much read them to me. He even sang the Fa la la off key.

Before stories he wanted to give me some pretend soup. So then he decided he want some "sick" stories. Sick Dylan, sick Mommy and Daddy, sick Stella (our dog). For each story, we made soup. We put in all the ingredient, stirred it up, waited for it to bubble, put it in a bowl, then ate it up. And guess what. The sick person then felt all better! For Stella I asked what she'd want in her soup and he added grapes, watermelon and a bone. I asked if she wanted a tennis ball too and he said "No! Balls are for playing! Silly mommy." (Silly mommy is another one of his favorite story genres.)

We switched to a big boy bed a little over a week ago, so now he wants me to cuddle with him, except not lay on any of his blankets. Which is impossible. So then he kicks me out saying I'm too big and I sing one last story next to his bed.

I love this little kid so much.