May: Basketball Hoop

Blaise got a surprise gift in May: his own (legit) Little Tikes Basketball Hoop. After months of using a hamper for a hoop, Aaron decided it was time for an upgrade. Aaron and I were giddy waiting for him to open it! That's one of the coolest feelings as a parent, knowing that your kid is going to FLIP when he sees what's behind that paper.

And flip he did. Not really at first, but once Aaron got the hoop assembled, Blaise couldn't get enough of it. He and Aaron played so much that evening that he was sweating by the end:

My favorite part was his sound effects. He'd shout, "Awwww!" after EVERY basket, whether he made it or not.

We moved the hoop into the empty dining room - the perfect basketball court!

Since then, basketball has become HUGE in our house. The NBA finals were the greatest thing in the world to Blaise. We don't have ABC, so we didn't get to watch any of the games with him, but when he saw the recaps on the news, he'd practically pee his pants with excitement. He'd clap at the made baskets and "awwww!" at the missed ones. I love how giddy he gets that I've started playing youtube videos of basketball games just to see him get excited....and to make cooking dinner a LOT easier. :)