"Squirt Me With the Hose"

After Arcangelo's party, his big sister, Jalysa, and her friends decided to cool off by squirting each other with the hose. Mikie, ever the lover of water, begged Mike and I to squirt him with the hose too. Since we had a spare change of clothes, we took off his shoes and turned him loose.

Within minutes, he was running through the front yard, squealing with delight, soaked from head to toe. The most amusing part was that he thought he was as cool as his cousin Jalysa. Between screams (from both him and the three girls), you could hear him yelling "Come on, guys" and "Squirt me, Di Di".

Eventually, we needed to take off his shorts because every time he ran, they fell off his behind.
Nice butt!

Unfortunately, when I picked him up from daycare on Tuesday, I realized that we taught Mikie a bad habit. His sneakers and clothes were saturated with water. When I asked the teacher what happened, she told me that she started filling the wading pool for water play, but Mikie kept running in front of the hose yelling "Squirt Me With the Hose!"

His sneakers dried out two days later, but the lights in the one shoe are now permanently lit.

Love,
The Trahans

Happy Birthday, Arcangelo!

So, this weekend, Arcangelo turned one year old. We went down to Providence for the party. Here are some of the pictures:

Mikie and Arcangelo go for a ride in the wagon.

"Cake, cake, cake. . . " Aunt Arlene made two delicious cakes shaped like our favorite fuzzy monster, Elmo.

Arcangelo didn't care for cake; but, ever the gracious host, he sat contentedly watching the rest of us enjoy it. In contrast, Mikie bypassed lunch and ran around so that he had room for a bigger piece of cake.

Arcangelo enjoyed opening his presents. . .

and especially enjoyed reading his cards. I wish some of his manners rubbed of on his older cousin.

Tired from the excitement of turning a year, he kicked back to snuggle with Uncle Mike.

Happy Birthday, Arcangelo!

Love, The Trahans

Bathroom Humor

Somehow, my most amusing Mikie anecdotes seem to center around our attempts to use the potty.

For example, there was our trip to Olive Garden for dinner where I took Mikie to use the restroom. Only when I passed the row of urinals on the way to the stall did I realize I walked right into the men's room (the male voices didn't tip me off). After making our escape to the women's room, I fell on the floor of the stall laughing. Mikie didn't quite understand what was so funny.

Recently, we have started rewarding Mikie for using the potty by giving him baseball or hockey cards. Being two, he thinks this is really cool. . . like having a real baseball or hockey player. And, it is much cheaper than buying him ice cream or a toy. We were out one day looking at new cars. While Mike was off trying to convince one sales guy that we really were just looking and had no intention of buying a car, Mikie decided he needed to use the bathroom. Without warning, I saw him stop, and then noticed a tiny trickle dripping down his leg. I quickly ran him to the bathroom, before he could leave a puddle. When I was done changing him, I told him to wait so I could use the potty. While he stood there, we had the following conversation:

Mikie: "Did you use the potty, Mom?"

Lauren: "Yes."

Mikie: "Yeah, Mommy. You go pee-pee in the potty."

Mikie: (a few minutes later while I am washing my hands) "You need a hockey player, Mom."

Combined with the serious look on his face, this was one of the funniest things he could have said to me. I could picture myself on a game show. . . Bob Barker saying "Lauren Trahan, you used the potty. Tell her what she's one, Johnny." And the announcer voice saying "Well, Bob, it's a new hockey player!"

Biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing, I thanked him and ushered him out of the bathroom.

One day, when he is in his twenties (and hopefully, potty trained), I will print these posts for him to laugh at.

Incidentally, he never did give me a card.

Love,
The Trahans

Mini Goofballs

In our effort to keep Mikie entertained (and burn off extra energy before bedtime), we recently took Mikie to the miniature golf course near our house. It has a farm and ice-cream stand and 18-hold mini-golf course, so there is plenty to do.

Mike and I thought we were going to play mini-golf, but Mikie taught us a new sport --- "Mini Goofballs". It is played on a mini-golf course, but is faster paced, like hockey. You hit the ball towards the hole, and run after it, hitting it again while it is still moving. Unlike hockey, there is no goalie, and obviously, no ice. You also don't observe traditional golf etiquette of taking turns; Mikie's turn was whenever he wanted to play. And, repeating a hole is allowed if the other players are taking too long.

As you can see from the pictures, Mikie is a natural. Mike and I never quite mastered it, following the more traditional mini-golf game play. But, we had a great time. And, ever the ham, Mikie amused onlookers with his speed and enthusiasm. I guess watching a two year old run after a golf ball yelling "LET'S PLAY MINI-GOOFBALLS!" is rather entertaining.

And, logically, what do you do after tiring out a toddler with 18-holes of Mini-Goofballs? Feed him ice cream, of course! Amazingly, he still went to bed and slept soundly (God was smiling on us that night!)

Love,

The Trahans