Eko Song Sampler

It's been almost two years since I've put together a monthly Eko Song video, but gearing up for a four year song I wanted to share this short sampler taken from two past videos ~ enjoy.



If you want to see more click below:

Older Song  (Three Year Song)

Two Year Song Extended

Return to Eko Song (One Year Song)

Belly Song

The Eko Song Playlist

Mutton & Mead - June 2015

2013, Drummer Baby

As many of our friends and family know, Jade and I like to make up our own family traditions. I think it's safe to say that going forward, each June will find us at the Mutton & Mead Medieval Fair. We first attended the fair in 2013 when Eko was one-and-three-quarters. We were so bewitched with the playful spirit that we returned the following year donning Jade's last-minute elven wear. For the past few months we've been looking forward to returning once again with our now-three-year old, and this time we really got into character.

2014, Axe-Wielding Elf Child

To get Eko excited, we told him that we'd be dressing up again for the fair. He wanted to dress up like Fireman Sam. Clearly we needed more knights and dragons in his bedtime books. We tried to explain to him that firefighters aren't really in keeping with the theme and told him that the fair centered around the tale of Robin Hood. We showed him the 70s Disney classic, one of our own childhood favorites. Oo-De-Lally! It was a hit! For the next two weeks we literally watched that movie every day and acted out scenes, Eko's favorite form of play. Picture this: Jade (the sheriff) harrumphs around and bullies me (a poor person) for  taxes. Eko (as Robin Hood) sneakily steals the coins from the sheriff and returns the coins to me. The game ends in an epic chase around and around the house as we wield wooden and invisible weapons. And then, start over! This was Eko's first taste of bad guys and social injustice, and Robin Hood really helped him process these big ideas. (Some days he'd just spread invisible oil on Prince John (me) that made PJ good, then lecture him about the error of his ways.) Eko learned all the words to Roger Miller's Oo-De-Lally and would walk around humming the prince's marching song. As you can see, he was well prepared to get into character and travel back in time to the fair.

2015, Robin and his Merry Men

Ed the Wizard

After ogling the blacksmith, archery and fencing areas, we got a great display of illusion magic from Ed the Wizard. As the first to arrive, Eko got a private performance: the wizard pulled a scarf out of his bag and asked Eko to name the color: red. Then Eko put the red scarf into the bag, but when he pulled it out again it was blue. Ed the Wizard replied, "but you told me it was red; are you sure you know your colors?" Another round and the blue scarf became red again, and finally it disappeared entirely. We were all completely baffled. It definitely set the tone for a wonderful day full of surprises.

 Next we watched a jousting tournament, where lances were shattered into splinters, hooves thundered, knights jeered at each other, and swords determined the ultimate winner. Then it was off to the Enchanted Forest Path, one of our favorite spots. The Forest is full of lovely installations and faerie folk. We tied bells to intricate webs, made a musical thunderstorm in the trees, and brought gems and pinecones to the faeries we spotted along the path. This year we made magic by blowing bubbles, tied a wish to the wishing tree, and walked in circles along a labyrinth. Faeries silently danced and swooned around their trees, gleefully accepted their tokens, and played piano with their feet. The silent Green Man was a little spooky at first, but with his Merry Mama's help, Eko gave him a pinecone and bowed.

On our way back to the blacksmith (Eko wanted to try out the hammers), we ran into Robin Hood and Little John standing near the joust pitch. Robin Hood recognized his younger doppelganger immediately and in the Olde Medeival Speake, officially invited Eko to join his band of merry men, "He has the uniform already." Eko was very excited to show him all of his homemade weaponry. After bidding each other farewell, we heard stories and songs from Maid Marion and all of the Merry Men, including a now-household favorite, the Keeper:

(Chorus:)

Jackie boy! (Master!) Sing ye well! (Very well!)

Hey down (Ho down) Derry derry down

Among the leaves so green, O

 

After weeks of acting out Robin Hood scenes, it's fun to share with Eko a community who enjoys role playing just as much as he does. Maybe someday he'll be in the cast...

We saw a hilarious acrobat/ acrorat performance, Cirque du Sewer.

After another joust, and some jousting of our own with wooden swords (my knuckle still hurts), we concluded our day with a happy, costumed crowd limbo-ing with Little John's staff to Cu Dubh's thunderous bagpipe band at the gate. We returned to our present time on a golf cart ride back to our car.

It was amazing to see how much attention we received for Jade's awesome outfits. We didn't notice anyone particularly dressed as Robin Hood or his merry men and not many families were dressed as similarly as we were. People went out of their way to compliment us and Eko was always instantly recognized as the outlaw of Sherwood Forest. What a great day all around.

Huzzah!

Robin Hood mightily enjoys his mutton

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2015

Click the links below to view previous year's St Patrick's Day photo collages.

2014

2013

2012

Older Song for Eko's 3rd Birthday

Three years unfolding before your eyes in 2 minutes. Watch Eko grow from a chubby little newborn to a daredevil toddler to the song Older by They Might Be Giants.


Making these milestone videos has been so much fun for Eko's daddy. If you enjoyed this one, check out the other bonus videos from our Eko Song collection:

Two Year Song

Return to Eko Song (One Year Song)

Belly Song

The Eko Song Playlist

The Roller Coaster Kid

Ever since watching an episode of Reading Rainbow where Lavar Burton rides the Great American Scream Machine, Eko has been fascinated by roller coasters. For weeks afterward, when he fought against us putting him into the carseat, all we'd have to say is, "but Eko, this is your roller coaster seat," and he'd get into position and reply, "I on a roller coaster. I need seat belt. Eko be safe." So, though the age of two might seem a little early to introduce him to the insanity that is Six Flags, we decided to buy ourselves some season passes for multiple visits this summer.

Right away, we visited Great Adventure in New Jersey with Auntie Maureen and the twins, Nicolas and Gabrial. We especially wanted to take him on the Off-Road Safari, a safari bus ride. Half-way through, we stopped at Camp Aventura, where we watched lion cubs run around and fed a giraffe some ice cream cones. Eko was already so tired, he fell asleep on the ride back and managed to stay asleep through the music blaring from game booths and people screaming as they splashed by us on the Log Flume.

 

At 38 inches tall, Eko was just barely tall enough to go one many of the children's rides without us and it was nice of the twins to keep him company (though, we know they secretly wanted the excuse to act little again. In fact, we couldn't keep them out of Eko's stroller.) Eko was open to every ride. He enjoyed going fast on the Road Runner Railway, spinning on the teacups (much more than his dizzified mommy), and being lifted high into the air on the Big Wheel ferris wheel. He especially enjoyed the airplane rides with levers that control how high or low your plane is flying and didn't want to get off. At one point, he had to return to his plane to retrieve his imaginary toolbox.

Eko had a blast and it was great having auntie and the twins there for his first roller coaster experience.

A few weeks later, Eko told us that he wanted to go back to Six Flags, so we played it up saying, "we can only go if you fall asleep fast and wake up early," and sure enough he did. When he awoke he told mommy that he was ready for his adventure.

At first Eko was a little upset that we weren't visiting the same park, but that changed once we got there. After a failed attempt on the carousel (what's with the horses that don't move?!), he got to ride in some more planes and helicopters. This time around, he was very interested in the costumed Looney Tunes characters, even though he's never seen the cartoons before. He really liked how soft they were.















 

Being July, the water park was now open, so we spent a lot of time on this hot day in the wave pool and kiddie water slides.

During Eko's nap, mommy and daddy got to go on two rides themselves, Bizaro and the Mind Eraser; one would watch Eko while the other zoomed overhear at 77 miles an hour.

We finally found a roller coaster for him after his nap. He loved it so much, he rode it three times and called it "my best," meaning his favorite. Without the twins there to keep him company, Eko got to go on a child-sized version of a free fall ride, the motorized swings, and a fast car ride on a circular track all by himself, which was a little mind-blowing for us parents.
















We ended the day with greasy food and a firework show.

It's so much fun raising a roller coaster kid and we look forward to visiting the parks a few more times before the season is over.  Watch our Eko Coaster video set to Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round.

Two Year Song Reprise

Eko is going to be three in two weeks and it'll be some time before I put together his three year review. Until then, I've improved our Two Year Song video by adding a new ending.