Two

Ethan turned two this week. Hard to believe, since in some ways it feels like he was just born. But in other ways—in entirely good ways—it also feels like he’s been with us forever. Since his birthday fell on a Thursday this year, and since Thursdays are my day at home with him, I planned a special father-son day to celebrate.

First we went to the bank—you have to understand this is one of his favorite activities because it involves getting a lollipop from the teller—and then it was off to iParty to pick up a coveted “Monkey Balloon,” a.k.a. the Curious George balloon he’s wanted for some time now. Balloons are Ethan’s second favorite thing at the moment, behind only Curious George himself, so combining those two items equals one happy toddler.

Speaking of monkeys, we spent the bulk of the day at Monkey Joe’s, a sort of indoor playground comprised largely of inflatable bouncy things. Ethan had a blast sliding and jumping and bouncing and just playing with other kids.

After a few hours at Monkey Joe’s we moved on to Ben & Jerry’s in Salem, where I ordered his ice cream cake for tomorrow’s family party. We had hot dogs for lunch at the Boston Hot Dog Company right next door to the Ben & Jerry’s, and then headed home for nap time. (We both needed it, but only he really got one.)

All in all, a great day with a great kid. I’m a lucky dad.