An evening to remember...

Last night might just have very well been one of the best nights ever with Evan.  So many things went so well...these moments certainly don't happen often with a toddler!

To start, he ran over to me and hugged my leg hard when I got home (I sure love it when he is happy to see me!).  Then after I put my bags down, I picked him up and he hugged me with both arms tight around my arms.  Ahhh....bliss.

The plan for the evening was for John to grill pork chops for dinner, however we had run out of gas for our grill.  So pretty much as soon as I got home, he was out the door to run to the store to swap the gas tank.  Normally Evan throws quite the fit when Daddy leaves, but I carried him to the door and we waved as Daddy pulled out of the driveway.  He behaved great.

Then Evan and I had some fun time on the couch.  He sat on my lap for some horsey rides, and then he made a sound that to me resembled "Aussie".  This got me to thinking that while Daddy was out, we'd practice a good Aussie slogan...."Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi!"  I tried to get Evan to say the "oi oi oi" part, but he just laughed and thought that part was too funny.  However, he did pick up the "Aussie Aussie" part (note, he never did it three times though), and thus I told him he has to say that to Daddy when he gets home.  I figured for sure that I'd have to prompt him by whispering it in his ear, but sure enough, when Daddy came home I told Evan "What are you supposed to say to Daddy?" and he said "Aussie Aussie"!  While John didn't quite understand it, after I told him what he had said he correctly replied "oi oi oi"!  Haha...this age can be so much fun!

After John got back and got the grill going we all headed to the back deck to enjoy the nice spring-like evening while the pork chops cooked.  Evan *loves* going outside and so he was particularly ready to get his jacket on so he could go out.  He pushed the big shop broom around the deck (he loves to sweep...I can't wait to give him his Easter pressies this weekend, because we got him a kids-size broom, among a few other outdoorsy things...shhhh).  He also pushed our deck chairs around and practiced climbing up onto pretty much each one.  However, he also tried to test me by standing on the chair.  I told him no, and then he sat down, but then he tried again.  I threatened that if he stood up again we'd go back inside.  I asked him do you want to go back inside?  He said "no"....and amazingly didn't try testing me by standing on the chairs again the rest of the time we were outside! :)  [Breakthrough?  At least for the moment!]

I did worry that once it was time to go back inside he'd throw a royal fit, but he amazed me there too.  Sure, he whinced when I said okay it's time to go back inside Evan.  But soon thereafter he went and picked up the broom and tried to put it away (leaned it up against the house) and was ready to march back indoors on his own!  [Another breakthrough?...at least for the moment!]

Once inside, I got him into his high chair for dinner.  I was still cherishing the fact that he had behaved so well outside, and yet got even more surprises from him during dinner!  He ate some of his scalloped potatoes on his own, but once John let him try some pork chop he was hooked and wanted that.  [So, between liking this and the grilled lamb chops John made a few weeks ago, I guess our son isn't a vegetarian after all!]  Between John and I giving him pork chop bites, I bet he ate at least a quarter to a third of a pork chop himself!  And he still seemed hungry so I put some peas and corn on his tray to get some veggies in.  He wolfed them down and wanted more.  I gave him more, but soon was out of peas and corn in the veggie medley we had cooked (and so I wasn't sure if he'd ate any of the other veggies we had left).  Alas, I tried...first gave him so small broccoli bits...and he ate them!  Then some little cooked carrot bits....and he ate them!  Shoveled them right in, in fact!  And here is the grand finale...when all I had left was some green beans, I chopped them into smaller bits....and he ate them!  Well, not all of them.  I think he finally got a little burned out on his veggies at that point, but he ate most of them.  This was the first time I'd seen him eat broccoli AND green beans! [Yet another breakthrough?...at least for the moment!]

I was so proud of him eating such a good dinner, that I gave him an Oreo cookie for dessert.  You better believe he loved that...and what made me laugh was he even shoveled in a few of those last green bean bites left on his tray, while munching on his cookie!  LOL.  He must have been hungry!  I told him so many times how happy I was and proud of him I was.  I hope all that positive reinforcement helps keep dinners like this going!  [How very optimistic of me, I know!]

Because it took longer to get the dinner made, it was nearly his bedtime after we finished eating.  And you could tell he was tired.  Bedtime routines have been pretty easy with him for awhile now, so he of course continued his great behavior as we got him ready for bed, and then he was out like a light after we closed the door.

I know that these moments are probably hard to come by in the toddler years, so you better believe that I'm going to be cherishing that evening for awhile to come.  However, he could surprise me and continue this great behavior I suppose (and I wouldn't mind that at all)!  No matter what, though, it just reminded me how grown up he is becoming every day.  Time really is flying, but I couldn't be more happy with how I'm spending it!