Let it... snow?

Well we are out of school today (and tomorrow) and the search for David's first snow continues.  David was fascinated by the ice on the cars and had fun trying to figure out the ice on the driveway as I held onto his hands for support.  

When I went to get the mail David wanted to go along.  So, we bundled him up and started the long trek to the mailbox.  After he got over the cold, the only thing that bothered him was his shoes getting covered with snow.  David mainly just looked around at the new environment in amazement.  Hope everyone stays warm during these cold days.

Kyle

Dare day go?

David's English is improving each day. In fact, we were editing our Guatemala trip photos and video footage for the DVD Kyle's creating, and we're both amazed at how much lower his voice is now, how much he's grown, and how we've become official David translators. Here are just a few of the things David now says and does.

• "Doe-nuh" (donut)--Kyle & David enjoy "Man Time" every Saturday morning while eating donuts.  He has also uttered this from the back seat in the car when we drive by our local donut shop.
  
• "Wuk" (work)--Every weekday morning, David says, "Daddy wuk" & "carro" to describe how Daddy went to work in the car. David has started to play "Let's go to Wuk" when we get home. He hops on his tricycle, says, "Bye! Luz you! Wuk!" Then David says, "Bye," to all his favorite things in the house & gets kisses on his "cheeky" (cheek) from Mama & Daddy before he goes to "Wuk."
• "Hoe" (home)--Uttered when we arrive or are close to home; also used by David when he's returning from his pretend "Wuk"
• "Maw-Dee" (Mama & Daddy)--At times, David gets confused (or lazy?) regarding which word to use, especially when he gets excited. He'll sometimes call Kyle "Mama" or me "Daddy," but the other day, he was playing and wanted Kyle to watch him. He began with "Ma..." and changed to "dee" mid-word.
• "Dare day go?" (Where'd they go?)--This is his new favorite game of hiding things in front of us, then asking, "Dare day go?" Kyle and I look under pillows and random things, and David will say, "Noooo," then he'll pull the object out from its hiding place.
• "Dare way is" (There it is.)--used when he's found something he's been looking for
• "Nuh goddit" (I got it.)--David enjoys helping us with whatever task, but sometimes his help isn't exactly helpful, so Kyle and I say, "I got it," and then just have David observe. Apparently, we've said this a great deal, so our little parrot has started uttering this phrase when he wants to assert his independence and desire to help.
• Animal sounds--David officially knows the correct animal sounds for kitty cats, dogs, fish, horses & cows.

Emily

Daddy Daycare

Well... another busy week has passed. We enjoyed the reprieve from the cold weather and are definitely ready for spring to arrive. David's daycare had to close Wednesday so I stayed home with him for the day. We ran some errands in the morning and just generally hung out around the house.

We went to have the oil changed in my car, and David was excited to see Daddy's car up in the air. Next, we ran to the Free Zoo (aka: Petsmart) to get some dog food. David was not too impressed with the cats or the rodents, but he did enjoy the fish and the birds. Later that afternoon we further explored the joys of a blanket/chair tent. We created the tent earlier in the week and have spent our days trying to find new ways to use it. Overall, it was a great day, and I enjoyed being a stay-at-home dad.

The rest of the week went pretty uneventfully, the highlight being when David and I made some tortillas.  I have become pretty good at the flour tortillas, so I thought I would give the corn version a try.  David enjoyed the tortillas, but I think he just liked being able to help.  Being the helper is still one of his favorite activities!

I am hoping to finish up a Guatemala DVD soon.  This DVD will include some video and pictures from our trip to Guatemala.  Until next time!

Kyle

Copy-Cat

David has amused us many times this week with his copy-cat antics. For instance, one night we were watching T.V., and I paused the program (Hooray for DVR/TiVo) to mention something to Kyle. David began saying, "Mama, Mama," and when I looked, David's face mirrored the scrunched & distorted face he saw frozen on the TV!

Speaking of music, in Sunday School, David was introduced to "Jesus Loves Me,"  "The B-I-B-L-E," and "Deep and Wide." He loves to sing these songs; well, actually, Kyle and I sing them while he does the motions, points to himself on "me" lyrics, and yells, "Bye-buh" (Bible) as it occurs in the songs. Once the song is finished, he exclaims his new favorite phrase, "un mo-tie," (one more time) while holding up one finger.

My movie-buff family should be proud that every day on our way to his daycare at "Ca-fee's" (Cathy), we see two RV's parked in driveways. Kyle exclaims, "That there is an RV," and David echoes, "R-zee."  Overall, it has been a good week and David is excited about seeing Poppy and Granna this weekend.  (It is Gail's birthday.)

Talk to you later,

Em

Happy Dee-Dull-Dee

Our days since the last posting have been filled with routine, challenges, and always laughter. Kyle and I both started back to the grind and blessing of teaching, and David officially began daycare with his provider, Cathy. We introduced David to daycare the week before school started so he would be used to the kids, their routine, and Cathy. Like most other aspects of life with David, he didn't resist, cry, fight, or put up any kind of fuss but instead exclaimed, "Ruz you" (love you) or "bye!" He remained shyly observant but happy that first week, but once he warmed up to this new environment, it was all systems go. He loves to share stories about his playmates throughout the day, and when we list important people or things in his world, the daycare clan is now an essential element. One of the older boys at daycare told David about Power Rangers, so, of course, Daddy had to explain to David how Power Rangers were nothing compared to the power of the Jedi. To solidify this point, there was indeed a spirited battle of light sabers among D&D (Daddy & David).

David found the dogs' tennis balls this morning and started to throw them around the house. Kyle told David to stop. The next time we saw them, they were sitting on the "time out" stool at the end of the hallway. I guess David had placed them in "time out" because they were misbehaving and not listening to Daddy.

David's language skills are improving incredibly, and his vocabulary is expanding beyond belief. While he still has trouble with clarity and certain sounds (like "g"), he is talking without ceasing. We've been watching the Baby Einstein series, concentrating about a week on one video, and "around the house" terms (like "refrigerator," "living room," "mirror," etc) and shapes terms are used at every opportunity by David. It's very cute to hear him say, "Mama...um....meer (mirror)...um...table...um..." During his list mode, David begins with the prefix "um." In addition to Baby Einstein, daycare has added one of our "favorite" words, MINE!!! Oh, that dreaded word! Consequently, David is having to learn the word (and meaning) of SHARE!

David experienced his first playdate with Darby and Scout Killackey, the two beautiful children of my good college buddy, Elanna. Darby & David hit it off nicely, although we had to use that SHARE term frequently. David became a little stressed and obsessive when his favorite toys were being used by Darby, but by the end, we had all learned how to SHARE or calm down when we didn't want to. We just followed the simple rules of daycare: if I'm not touching it, it's not mine; if I put it down, it's not mine; and I can only play with one toy at a time. Worked like a charm!

Happy New Year (or as David says, "Happy Dee-Dull-Dee!!),

Emily