Stay sharp!

We recently went to the Mariners-Yankees game for Safeco Employee Night. Max made it through about 3 innings before he'd had enough; baseball is kind of slow for lots of people, especially 2 year olds. But he liked looking at the flashing scoreboard, clapping/cheering when everyone else did and some ballpark popcorn. Plus he got to ride bus and he got a free cap! A fun night all around.

Max doesn't miss an opportunity to correct Mom or Dad. Last night, Joi went to a class, which she told Max before she left. About an hour later, as he was helping me make dinner, he asked me "Where's Mommy?" I said, "She's at a meeting." Without missing a beat, he says, "Actually, Daddy, she's at a class." It's as if he knows the answer and is just testing you to see what you'll say.

You gotta be on your toes around Max. He's ready to pounce!

A seat by the man in the water

Last Saturday, while mommy was working, Max and I went on a little bus ride down to the U-District to get a yummy sub at Which Wich, and then to Cowen Park to ride the zip line and run around. Max loves to ride the bus, but its been 5-6 months since he's had a chance, the last time Paw-Paw and GJ were here. As Max and I were hoofing it up the hill to the bus stop, he said to me, "We need to get a seat by the man in the water." I was confused what he meant, but said "OK, that sounds good." When we got up to the bus stop, he exclaimed "There he is!" and I realized what he meant: There's a mural painted on the inside of the bus shelter, behind the bench, of a waterfall and a man sitting in a tube in the lake. Max remembered sitting on the bench, waiting for the bus, "by the man in the water."

It's just amazing to see what imprints on his big two-year-old brain. He vividly remembers an image from 6 months before, yet I go to that bus stop everyday and was still confused by what he meant. It's a not-so-subtle reminder that he hears and sees everything you do and say around him.

Max has such a colorful imagination. With his new favorite toy - Mr. Potato Head - he's been doing little impromptu puppet shows for us behind the big chair in the living room, complete with "Once upon a time ..." and "The end". He often picks up a handful of rocks or wood chips and offers them to us as "chocolate" or "hotdogs" or some other food (always on his mind.) Yesterday, we were at Dahl Playfield and they have a little playhouse for toddlers; he went in and poked his head out the window and hollered: "Dinner's ready! Who wants hamburgers?"