Max and Mama Beene: You say potato ...

Daddy here ... thought I'd check in with a few thoughts on the little man. Here at 2.5 years (and 38 pounds!), Max is showing such cleverness and astute understanding of the world around him, that it simply amazes us everyday. He must have 20 songs that he can, at a moment's notice, bust out and sing the entire thing, often after not singing it for weeks. He remembers everything; we'll drive by somewhere we haven't been in 6 months and he'll say "We went there and got pizza!" It can be very difficult for mama and me, because Max demands constant stimulation, and is in perpetual motion. When I see other kids sitting still and quietly looking at their surroundings for 5 minutes or being generally entertained by something for 10 minutes, I can't help but be a little bit envious. Max is a whirlwind of tangents, vivid imagination and tactile discovery and he always wants to be in the middle of what you're doing. He basically can make coffee (espresso shots, mind you) for me because he's always wanted to "help" and by now pretty much knows how to do it (with a big mess, of course.) If it has primary colors (i.e. a typical toy), Max is likely uninterested but if it looks like an adult implement, he's gotta have it. He's been that way since birth. It's a blessing having such an engaged child, but it's very demanding, physically and mentally. But the pleasure of seeing your progeny developing into a sharp, precocious little man far outweighs the stress.

Some funny and clever things Max has said recently:

Joi gave him a sandwich the other day, and he said, "mmm, peanut butter" ... she said "no, almond butter" .... he replied "peanut butter" ... she said "almond butter" ... he finally replied "well, you say it's almond butter, i say it's peanut butter!"
When it starts getting dark, Max often says "Mr. Moon is the sky, so now I can have my honey water!" (part of his bedtime routine)
He calls the Space Needle the "space needle rocket ship" ... we were driving toward downtown and he noticed the radio towers nearby on top of Queen Anne hill and he said "Look, there's two more rocket ships!"
I was watching a basketball game the other day and Max asked "Are you watching your game, dada?" I said "Yep" and he replied "Basketball's not my game, Sesame Street's my game."
Max loves riding the bus, and he and I went for a ride the other day. We got on and I slid my bus pass through the card reader. We sat down and Max said "I can pay next time, dada."
I was laying on the bed, talking to Joi one recent morning. I heard Max turn on the water in the bathroom, but thought nothing of it; he often goes to the potty and washes his hands by himself. The next thing I know, Max crawls up behind me on the bed and sticks a wet rag in my face. I said, "What are you doing, Max?" He said, "Washing your face, dada!"

And finally, here's some pix that have been on my phone for awhile, finally downloaded them: