Line Up Game

Dear Dee Dee,

One of your new games is called LINE UP!  Usually you just line up all the vehicles, but sometimes you line up blocks. too.  Lining up can mean they are neatly parked next to each other or that they are lined front to front or that they are side by side.

I unintentionally taught you this when I was trying to count how many cars you had.  You noticed me sorting them from the jumble into an orderly row and you thought it was the coolest thing ever.  So sweet to see you pick up a game from me!  Usually your Dad is more fun, Daniel.

You play LINE UP!! several times per day, and often ask your parents to participate in it. You really prefer to line up on the car rug, but other places will do, too.

I'm planning to put more educational value on this game by having you line up according to size, color, type, etc.  Watch our, little pre-pre-school brain! You are about to grow again!


Love you and like (not love, that's a stretch) playing this game with you!
Your Mama Bethany

DDD August 31

He calls the trike his popscicle! He rides it every day. Today he
actually washed it while his dad washed our Jeep! And it was even his
idea!

DDD for August 30

Hello from Daniel! He has some blue paint on his face from the bird
house we've been painting for days, and then he thought it would be
funny to "eat da paper rag".

DDD and EE for August 29

Bonk.

DDD August 28

Daniel went to the tractor store with his dad. He kept talking about
hydraulics on the tractors! I think he's listening and learning from
the books we read him!

A New Food!

I'm concerned about Daniel's intake of vegetables, so when I had the idea to make sweet potato pancakes for him, I thought I was pretty brilliant.

He loves pancakes.

He also loves to help cook.

I let him mash the sweet potatoes with a masher (he usually uses this masher for playdough, so he knew how to do it.)

He ate these pancakes right now, asking for more "seat po-ate-o-can-cake" every day we ate them.  

Success!!

Picnic at Park on August 16, 2011

These photos are from the Tuesday Daniel and I spent with Elsa, Nanny, Poppy, and Aunt Jessie at the St. James Park.  We brought a Panera picnic (he had half a smoothie and a piece of bread for lunch) and then played.

It was such a great afternoon because everyone was happy.  It did rain a bit, but not too much.

Daniel's grandparents really played WITH him too, which is great.

Daniel said, "At the park! At the park!" a lot.  He also told us he wanted to go down to the pond (lake) and that he wanted his Poppy to do the swings.

Here are most of the photos from that day.

Though he looks happy, he didn't actually like these.  I think the bouncing was too much for him.  So instead, he enjoyed pushing them down and watching them rebound back up.

He liked watching his grandparents on the teeter totters, but I think I liked it way, way more!

(This might be my favorite non-baby photo I've taken all summer!  My parents could use it for a Christmas card photo, right?)

The playing didn't stop there.
My dad went down the slide first to entice DHH to play, because he was feeling cautious.
Sure enough, it worked!

 What a happy ride on the slide!

The whole time he was at my parent's, he insisted he wear his green fwog doots.
I had better get another pair in a size larger before they get discontinued at Target!
I personally dislike the boots because they are so goofy and the emphasize foot odor he naturally has, but I do like that he's learned to put them on by himself (and feels proud of this task!) and that he is excited about matching his father and grandfather, who also have doots.

 He had to wipe the slide because it was wet from the sprinkles of rain that began to fall.

Look at the flock of geese pecking in the field nearby!

And while everyone else played, Aunt Jessie spent some time cuddling her niece and kept her dry and happy  in the picnic pavilion.

I wish my son could have the memories from today stored in his little brain, but I know they don't save until after age three or so.

Hopefully though the impression of HAPPY and FAMILY and PLAY and SAFE and LOVE stick in his little brain and shape the way he sees the world.

I don't think I had a similar day of play with my grandparents because of their age.  I know several of my friends live far from their families, so I know DHH and EK are so lucky to have one of these days.

I am glad I took the photos as proof for them that they were so loved back in August of 2011 and that we had fun together as a family.

5x7 Folded Card

Sweetheart Delight 5x7 folded card

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Daily Dose of Daniel August 27

When the tongue comes out, you know is he busy at work. Today's work:
scooping pinto beans (gravel) into a cart (car).

Daily Dose of Daniel for August 26

He likes cars and trucks.
(What a understatement!)

Big Brother Chooses Clothes for Little Sister.

What's a photo of your sister doing on this blog??

You chose her outfit, that's why!  The bow (like Minnie! you said), the green outfit, the shoes, and the binky to match.  Its odd because you really never choose your own outfits and only care about which shoes you are wearing (doots or newblueshoes).

I wanted to include the photo on your blog, Daniel, because its a neat relationship you have with your sister. You are very caring about her, and you also like to play a part in her care each day.