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Today's Post is Brought to You By...the Number FIVE!

Lately Connor has been all about numbers and letters.  He can name most of the letters of the alphabet by sight, which is fairly new for him.  He gets very excited about A and O, especially.  He's recently learned to say "W", which sounds more like "ouble-doo", but he's getting there.  He has an alphabet train that he uses to practice his letters.  He will hand me a letter, have me show it to him, just so he can say the letter.  I can really tell how proud he is of himself everytime he gets one correct. 

Even though he's been saying his numbers for quite a while now, he's saying them more clearly lately.  He is especially excited about the numbers 3 and 5 and will yell them out for all to hear.  We've had this 'Numbers Nursery' DVD he used to watch all the time, but has been replaced by Thomas the past couple months.  He's recently been watching it again, and has figured out that his 'Numbers' book goes along with the DVD.  He'll read the book and watch the show at the same time, turning the page as they DVD moves to the next number.  I have to say, I was pretty impressed he made the connection.  That's my boy!

Parks and Recreation

Since it's been ungodly cold out lately, playtime outside has been very restricted.  Thankfully, Connor has some friends who suggested we go to an indoor playground in Lowell.  So up to Lowell we went to meet Mairead, Meg, and Dave for a playdate.  We went to Perpetual Motion, which from the outside looks like a spot where one could get mugged, but inside it's a very large space with swings, slides, trains, and anything a toddler could want in the dead of winter.  Connor, of course, went straight to the swings.  He would have stayed there all day if we didn't make him move to different activities.  He did love the slide and REALLY loved the ball pit where he could jump into gently back into the balls.  This was one of Connor's favorite parts of the day.  He was in that pit for quite a while.  I'm sure it was clear of any germs, too.  Not too surprising, Connor and Mairead didn't spend much quality time together.  They tend to go their separate ways when playing in a large place like this.  Mairead periodically checked in with us, which was nice.  She seemed to have quite the time in the sandbox.  Connor didn't love it so much - you know how he doesn't like things on his hands!  After we were done playing, the kids were shipped off to the grandparents house while Mom, Dad, Dave and Meg got to go out to lunch.  It was nice to have some grown up time for a little while.  Connor had a grand ol' time hanging with Mimi and Papa and cousin Paige.  Paige had created a GIANT cardboard box that she turned into a "condo" complete with a skylight and doors with handles.  Connor LOVED it.  I have a feeling we may see a giant box at our doorstep in the near future!

Hide n' Seek

Connor has discovered that he can hide behind the curtains in the living room.  He had a fun little game of hide n' seek over the weekend.  Check it out:

No More Mullet

This past weekend, Connor was surrounded by family.  His Grammy, Great Aunt Colleen and "Aunt" Becky came down to see Wicked with Mom.  Connor was able to spend Saturday night with his Daddy, when Mimi and Papa came down to see him, too!  Mimi was very helpful in giving Connor a badly needed haircut.  He was starting to sport a mullet (business in front, party in the back!).  We tried to give him a haircut around Christmas, but he wasn't too pleased to see a pair of scissors near his head, so it didn't work out.  Mimi was smart, though, and let him play with one of her brushes while she cut his hair.  Great thinking!  Here are a few shots of his new do!

 

New Year's & Thomas

The Estee's had a very low key New Year's celebration this year. No parties, no going out with friends - just staying home, watching movies, and eating yummy food. Connor got to try his very first TV dinner. He ate a few of the chicken nuggets and that was it. I can't say I'm disappointed - they're not good for him (but I was willing to budge on that as a special New Year's treat). Connor didn't even attempt to make it to midnight - he was in bed at his usual time so that Mommy and Daddy could have dinner and watch a movie.

 For New Year's Day, we decided to take Connor to Edaville.  We tried to go before the holidays, but it never happened.  Since Edaville closes it's gate for the season on January 3rd, it was our last chance to go see the Christmas lights and the trains. 

We got there and Mommy and Daddy were pretty impressed with all the Christmas lights.  Connor didn't quite know what was going on - he did like the little buildings that had the moving figurines - that captured his attention.  We tried to take him on the big train ride around the park, but he was cold and hungry and wanted nothing to do with it, so we got off the train before making a scene. 

We went on the merry-go-round with him, but he looked very sad the whole time.  We tried to get him to look at the big engines they have for kids to climb on, but he didn't understand it.  He DID like the little wooden train that you can climb in, and LOVED the train set that was set up indoors (it was a Thomas set - his new favorite).  Getting away from the train table, however, was going to be a battle since Connor had to leave the train there.  He was not happy by any means, so Mommy and Daddy caved and bought him his own Thomas the train on our way out of the park.  The pure joy on his face was worth the $12.99 price tag.  He has barely put it down since, and even sleeps with it on occassion.  This kid is all about Thomas lately - the trains, the bath toys, the DVD and the book we found in his collection (that we read 3-4 times a day).  It's fun to watch him get SO into something like this.  It's very cute.  He walks around the house saying "boo boo" (translation:  Choo Choo!).   He's quite the little train conductor!