"The Great Outdoors"

Don't let the title of this post deceive you; we have not been camping or on an intense hike or anything recently ;P But I did get asked by more than 1 person this week about how I keep my sanity. Aside from waking up early to have some quiet time on my own with God and continuing my daily running (more like jogging), our outdoor time (by "our" I mean me and Aindréas, and my husband as well in the times when he is able to join us on weekends or weeknights) has been absolutely essential. I don't know what it is, but whenever we are outside, the sunshine or the vitamin D or just being out with nature dispels all the tantrums, all frustrations, all the craziness... it's good for the soul!

The outdoors are great; being outside is great! We've been visiting local parks at off-peak hours (though I do recognize that not  all readers may feel comfortable in terms of risk level with going to playgrounds). One day we were driving in a nearby town and saw this park that looked really fun, so naturally we had to stop and check it out!

Of course since there the letter board, Silly Bean was enthralled 😁 He practiced climbing as well and sliding down the slide "all by my own." We had so much fun, of course we had to go back again!

(had to visit the letter board again of course!)

We've been "getting our exercise" every day--taking walks outside, practicing the balance bike, blowing bubbles or drawing with chalk in front of our house, playing in the kiddie pool, going to gardens or taking nature walks/mini-hikes. Also, sometimes I'll just bring random things to our back deck just so we can be outside playing them. Silly Bean was really into popping this bubble wrap the other day so I just put it over the fence, and Silly Bean had a great time popping bubbles after we ate dinner outside.

I think bringing things outside to play is a great way to enjoy the nice weather before the weather gets colder and the days get shorter!

Then last night we ran out during a storm and got to see a rainbow in the sky--Silly Bean's first rainbow, apparently! It was a sweet moment together as a family and just reminded me to delight in the simple things!

What outdoor activities have you been enjoying with your kid(s) lately? Feel free to comment and share!

A new hashtag! #thisis3!

This week, Silly Bean celebrated his 3rd birthday! I can hardly believe that it's been 3 years since we brought him back from the hospital. They say that the most development and growth happens in the 1st 3 years of life, and I sure agree. He was so little in his crib (now toddler bed), and now we're having full conversations in full sentences. He used to just lay on his back, but now he runs, jumps, climbs, balances, and is learning to ride a (balance) bike! 

For his birthday, our friends thought it would be fun to put their gift for Silly Bean by a tree and have him discover it (though, his little friend kept giving away the surprise! Oh well, Silly Bean wasn't listening anyway and was still surprised haha). Silly Bean was so happy to see a little red balance bike just for him! For months prior, he had been talking about how when he turns 3 he will learn to ride a red bike, so this was just perfect. 

slowly getting acquainted to the balance bike for the first time!

Hope he'll continue to persevere in mastering it!

Among other things for his birthday, Silly Bean got to see his family and friends, get a swimming lesson from Mama, have the foods he requested (Japanese chicken curry, roasted asparagus, Chinese-style garlic pasta noodles, roasted broccoli, zucchini cake and lemon cake), open so many presents (yes, I put some away so there are always new things to play throughout the year), and play with his new geography puzzle (we got a few of various continents and the one he picked to play with for now was Africa). It was a little sad because of social distancing so we didn't get to have a party with all his little friends, but I think Silly Bean was still pretty happy about the day(s) and about turning 3!

The last days of #thisis2

Happy August, Silly Bean blog readers! It's been a while since the last post and that's because we moved at the end of July! We are now homeowners of a 2-story townhouse in the same town as our previous condo, but we have a lot more space, and--most importantly according to Silly Bean--we have new carpet and we have stairs inside ;D It's been a crazy few weeks moving with a toddler that there hasn't been a chance to sit down and make a post (ie. every time I packed a box,  Silly Bean was enraptured by the things in the box and everything ended up becoming unpacked and extremely interesting, and my husband spent a lot of time fixing up the new place/cleaning the old place)!

What else has been new in our days?

We went blackberry picking at a local farm, which Silly Bean loved last year (well, we had guests over last year who went blackberry picking and he ate most of their blackberries ;P) so we went again this year. It's never pleasant with the August heat and the mosquitos (we were only there for 20 minutes tops, and I got at least 10 mosquito bites) but the fruits and the enjoyment that came with eating them for snacks for the whole week were well worth it!

More immediately in our neighborhood, we've been collecting leaves and making leaf prints and collages. We were inspired by an activity in a Curious George book we recently read about making a leaf journal.

And a more exciting thing that's probably the most recent--we finally took the railing off Silly Bean's crib and converted it into his toddler bed a few days ago. Silly Bean loves his "new" bed! He is growing up so quickly, which is bittersweet! T_T

This is the last days of #thisis2, as Silly Bean is turning 3 next week! 2 has been so great, even in the midst of the pandemic, of so many learning moments, funny moments, sweet moments, crazy moments--the journey has been so wonderful so far. Not sure what having Silly Bean as a "threenager" will be like... parents of 3s, former and present, share your insights and wisdom!