300 Posts! (scroll down for all the news) And so, A Contest and A Prize!

This blog has officially hit 300 posts! To celebrate, Gus is offering a contest with a prize. All you need to do is leave a comment on any of the posts dated July 9th 2009, and you will be auto-matic-ally entered to win either a bag or throw pillow (your choice) made from fabric Gus dyed himself from this post. Woot!

Frisbee Golf

Gus and his dad play A LOT of Disc Golf. Nearly everyday, regardless of the weather, they are tromping around the woodsy course trying to throw under par. I ended up *needing* to make Gus his own golf bag with tiny bean bag replicas of Dad's discs (a Cheetah, a StingRay, an Eagle, and a Magnet putter, in case you're wondering). Dad appreciates that Gus is becoming quite the domino (even with the big regulation discs) and is also small enough to be great at retrieving discs from awkward places when Dad throws into the rough.

Deli

Our neighborhood has a traditional deli--which is Gus' favorite place to eat. He is quickly becoming the owner's favorite customer, as Gus will fearlessly and enthusiastically eat anything--sour dills, smoked fish, stinky cheeses, complex salads, whole tomatoes, sliced onions, garlic on and in anything. I think his favorite part, though, is the sights and smells and all the interesting people that pass this this urban intersection.

The Fourth!

The fourth was celebrated this year with Gus' good friend Oliana (and her mama, Eliza), a picnic in the park, lots of playing, and fireworks. Gus adores Oliana, and there was also lots of handholding, chasing, and hugging. They even wore matching Converse (though notice Gus' ginormous feet! Two-years-old and a size 9! Obviously, he's tall, but it's his feet that astound me).

Stuff

Gus has a train/activity table for making complicated train track cities, creating elaborate animal habitats, doing big art projects, and building stuff (see below). I wouldn't have though I would recommend a big, awkward, adult-shin-height piece of furniture, but I have to say, it's been totally, incredibly, useful (they are always on craigslist for a song, that's where we scored his). However, one of his most absorbing things to do is to pile up the table with random "stuff" climb up on it, and inspect everything, move it around his body in different configurations, and tell stories and sing songs and "play pretend" to himself about what he's playing with. The world of make-believe has taken him on its trolly lately, with monsters, creatures, elaborate games, and not one but TWO imaginary friends, and I think this is how he works it all out.

Building Stuff and then the Trouble of Feeding It

Gus spends a lot of time building and making things. Very spatially aware, with a big imagination, he sees things in other things--how the windows on a building make a face, how a pile of construction rubbles looks like a giant rabbit--and he builds things that he sees with blocks, other toys, rocks, and sticks. His Allen and Jenny brought him a beginner's construction kit with parts and nuts/bolts (and all the skills he's gained from this mean he can also take apart just about anything in the house, but that's another story), and he spends hours building and rebuilding with this. Recently, he made this robot, who has become quite the buddy. Unfortunately, this robot only eats "olive soup," so Gus is always having to whip some up for him and his friend.

Doodah Parade

On the 4th, Gus went to the Doodah Parade along with his buddy Rachel (a colleague of Dada's). The parade is a crazy parade meant to make fun of parades and had crazy floats (like the People For The Ethical Treatment of Flies), people wearing nutty costumes (like instead of superhero stuff, there was a whole troop of Fidel Castros doing a coordinated dance routine), and improbable vehicles (like the hula hoop machine driven by Uncle Sam--Gus loved this one). Also, Rachel's neighbor has a trampoline which, according to Gus is "good for doing yoga on."