Ryan and Debi & Toren

Author: rcragun

  • future interior decorator… for the Addams Family?

    Debi was reading Toren a story tonight about a boy who grows up and gets a house of his own, moving out of his parents’ house.  Debi mentioned to Toren that he would one day grow up and move out, getting a place of his own.  Toren looked at her and said, “Really?”  Debi nodded…

  • How to Potty Train Your Three-Year Old

    Step 1: Do nothing. Step 2: Every time he craps in his diaper say, “If you pooped in the toilet I wouldn’t have to smell this while I clean your butt.”  His response… a blank stare.   😐 Step 3: When your son says, “I want to wear underwear,” you agree to buy him underwear…

  • how a toddler sees the world

    We were watching the opening ceremony of the London Olympics with Toren and we got to the part with Rowan Atkinson (a.k.a. Mr. Bean).  There is a brief dream sequence where he imagines he is running with the other men in Chariots of Fire along the beach: As the camera pulled back to reveal a…

  • Toren math

    Toren was counting on his fingers the other night with Debi’s help.  He can get to five quite well as he has five fingers.  He counted all the fingers on his right hand, then all the fingers on his left hand, reaching five each time.  When he was done, Debi said, “And five plus five…

  • it’s somewhere

    Toren has recently started saying something that is both profound and funny.  When we’ll ask him where something is, like his shoes or a missing puzzle piece, his response is always, “It’s somewhere.”  He’s right, of course, but not helpful at all.

  • Take what off?

    Toren and Debi were laying on the couch together one evening when I overheard the following conversation: Toren, reaching his hand toward Debi: “Mom, take this off.” Debi: “Take what off?” Toren, wiggling his fingers: “My boogers.” Toren had, in fact, picked his nose and was asking Debi to get the boogers off his fingers.

  • Toren hitting baseballs

    Toren’s pretty athletic, probably more so than either of us.  I’m not claiming he’s destined to be a professional athlete, but some of what he does is impressive.  Here he is hitting a baseball – well, sometimes hitting a baseball:

  • Toren counting

    We play the “dark game” (that’s Toren’s name for it; it’s basically hide and seek with flashlights) regularly.  We make Toren count while one of us hides.  He used to have to count to 10, now we’re up to 20.  Here he is counting to 10 in the dark (not great video, but the audio…

  • dessert at TGI Friday

    Debi and Toren got a decadent dessert at TGI Friday on our way back from New Orleans.  Toren was in heave – cookies and ice cream!?!

  • Scotland Adventure – Day 6

    And that’s pretty much it. I slept in a bit this morning, finished packing everything up, and drove the van in to drop it off. Here’s a Google Map of my travels in Scotland (driving, not hiking). I covered a lot miles: View Larger Map After I dropped the van off, I was looking at…