Busy busy times! We’ve had a visit from Grandma Sherry and Aunt Amanda, our old friend Shelli, climbed a “mountain” on Thanksgiving with “Aunt” Aud and her clan Oakley, Canyon and Kelvin, and chopped down a tree in a “forest”…
Category: Uncategorized (Page 25 of 40)
Whenever Jeff goes to Costco by himself he comes home with all kinds of things we “needed” (!). One such essential was a 3 pack of headlamps. In the wake of the Sandy disaster, I guess he has a point. In the meantime, they sure provide for some good entertainment…this is a riff on an old game, which involves running away (to hide) then coming back to deliver a kiss or a tickle.
Other games D loves to play are “go away and find me”–where D hides in his “hidey-hole” and we pretend we can’t find him. When we finally find him he is often “not ready” to emerge, so we do it all again. Now he likes to bring the headlamp with him (“flashlight”). Since we have 3 (ahem), I have one dedicated to the wardrobe, where D often likes to go and read books (he’s gotten into nesting in small places, which he sometimes refers to as “cozy” or “my hollow tree,” taking some language from I Am a Bunny). Another favorite is sending cars and trains under the guest room bed for the other person to retrieve then send back. He will often ask if you are “ready?” and then when he sends the car on a good angle, he’ll say “good one, Dashiell!” or if I did a good job, “good one, Mommy!”
The words are just flowing out of him and it’s hard to remember a time when he couldn’t express himself with words. Today, while watching a Thomas video at breakfast, he said “Oh my, what happen now?!”
We have been reading the book, I Am a Bunny, which explains the different seasons, paying special attention to Fall. We’ve been studying the leaves (“slippery!”), rain clouds, and wet things (“our car all wet, mama”).
In school they are also celebrating Fall, but I was still surprised to hear D remark that it was “Fall time now.”
Here’s a gallery of moments from this past week’s Fall adventures: a trip to a family pumpkin farm, eating crepes at the pumpkin farm (first time D’s had whipped cream!), a tractor-pulled hay ride, helping mom with the finishing touches on an apple pie (apples from the farm), and of course carving pumpkins. D was not interested in wearing his costume this year (black kitty cat). It’s put away for next year…
Dashiell has mastered enough words to have a bit of a conversation. Sometimes he even comes out with 5, 6, 7 and 8 word sentences that amaze. The most remarkable part of having these conversations is not that he can say the words, but what he remembers and can discuss.
At bedtime, when I put him in his crib, I usually say something like “you’re a good boy” or “I’m proud of you,” and it’s become part of our routine for him to then recount something he did that day (often characterized by him as “yesterday”) that was worthy of Mom’s pride: “Me pooped on potty yesterday” or “me ride new bike.”
Last night it was “Me brave” (for riding his bike past the house with the barking dog outside–his idea! “me try??” Yes, try!).
Part of this bedtime banter is simply a delaying tactic. On the other hand, he does like to wind down by going over what happened that day, and I find, just like in everything else we do, giving him some transition time is really useful for him.
The inverse is true at the beginning of the day, when we usually review the plan of the day at breakfast (and then re-iterate the plan during lunch–after lunch, we’re going to go upstairs, get changed, and take a nap.).
These days I really have to work to get him out the door to school in a reasonable time frame (the process can take up to 20 minutes). He loves school but would rather hang out and have a more leisurely morning, instead of rushing off with all the other people jostling to work and school. Well who wouldn’t, especially on a gray drizzly morning? “No school?!” is something he asks me a lot. I always tell him what the day name is and if that means we have school or not.
Here is a video, in 2 parts, of one such morning.
Every day (and sometimes, several times a day), we play “Crossing Gate,” a game in which D moves his trains around on their tracks, then makes them wait while the cars (“lined up!”) cross safely at the crossing gate. Often the cars get shepherded into their “sheds”-either underneath the couch (“bed”) or under a bookshelf. If they had the misfortune of wandering (or being shoved) under the couch, we often have to fetch D’s child-sized broom (“boom”) to fish them out.
What fun we have!
Here is a sample of our game, in two parts.
Here is a cute snippet of D being polite to his Thomas and Friends train car friends.
Translated transcript: “Sorry James, sorry James’ coal [car], sorry Gordon.”
We were so pleased to have Dad come to town last week to celebrate his 70th birthday.
Thanks for coming all this way, Dad!
Caroline and her daughter Lucye came to town all the way from North Carolina to party with us. Lucye (3) and Dashiell were so funny together. By the end of the weekend, D was starting to get a bit jealous (working on that) but he was mostly a gracious host, sharing his toys and jabbering on with her (his speech has recently rocketed ahead). Lucye was also a trooper adjusting to the new time zone and all the activities like a champ.
On Dad’s special day we went to Salty’s for a seafood brunch. We got a sunny day and a table with a great view. Then at home we had birthday cake and presents (and presents for the little ones, too).
Dad brought D some new Thomas trains (James and a talking Percy) so he was in heaven. Amanda, thanks for all the books and videos!
“Grandpa Ed” also got a special gift from Lucye, who picked a flower on a walk, then wrapped it in her blankie, and presented it to him.
One day at the grocery store, Dad bought a pumpkin, and when we got home, he drew a face on it with a sharpie. When Dashiell saw it he said: “Ohhh! Pumpkin!” It was so cute. He wanted to eat with the pumpkin and have it next to him for the next couple of days. He must have learned the word “pumpkin” at school, since I don’t think we’ve used that word since last year!
Here are the highlights from our time together; thanks for everything, Dad!
I can’t resist posting some snaps from our burst of summer just 10 days ago.
Only for the truly Dash-addicted:
Check out these three little turkeys enjoying one of Canyon’s 5th birthday gifts….thanks for the nice morning, Aud!
