Hunting Eggs

We experienced our first Easter egg hunt last Saturday at the zoo. And what a zoo it was! Lots of kids, lots of bright plastic eggs, lots of fun! Thanks Caleb and Irene for inviting us to come with you, Audrey and Tyler!

Daniel and Audrey, obviously on the edge of their seats with anticipation...

And he's off!

Examining an egg...

Maybe more exciting than finding eggs, was finding other things...sticks, a camera on the ground, a man's cane....

Taking a break to kiss a ladybug.

Daniel wanted to take the ladybug home with him. We had to pry it out of his fingers and stake it back into the ground.

After egg-hunting, we got to see the sloth-bear eat the goodies in his Easter basket.

Daniel had so much fun with the Easter eggs at the zoo, that Mommy and Daddy hid eggs around the house for him to find the next morning. Here are all the halved eggs (Daniel can't bear to keep them whole--who know's what might be inside?), and Daniel holding his favorite Easter present--a toy Blackberry that looks remarkably like the real thing. Thanks, Easter Bunny! Mommy especially loves it...and the beeping sounds it makes.

Self authorization

I witnessed something interesting the other day.

Daniel understands for the most part (thankfully) that he CANNOT climb on tables, chairs, benches, bookshelves, or other objects from which he can cause serious damage to himself, the house, or Mom and Dad's sanity.

He also understands that there are certain things he CAN do if he asks nicely. For example, he may have Mom and Dad read him a book, or open something for him, or help him to operate one of his toys. If this is the case, he usually says "Mama, umph pleesh?!" This loosely translates into "Mother, would you be so kind as to open this box of toys for me? I appear to be having trouble operating the zipper. Also, Dad is cool." or more simply put "Help me, please."

Daniel has also been a very good little boy and knows usually to say "Please" and "Thank you" after he makes one of these requests.

Daniel had an epiphany the other day and realized these realities of his little world can be combined for a very desirable effect: self authorization.

This is what I literally watched unfold before my eyes.

Daniel approached the kitchen table - one of the items in the house he loves to climb on but gets in BIG trouble for doing so. Climbing on the table is what finally started timeouts.

As he stopped at one of the chairs the following occured: (Keep in mind, no one is around him and he sees no one nearby.) The following is a conversation he had with himself represented by Daniel #1 and Daniel #2.

Daniel #1: "Up, pleesh. Up, pleesh."

(Pause - stares at chair)

Daniel #1: "Up pleesh......."

(This is the exact moment the synapses in his brain fired and he had the epiphany)

Daniel #1 to Daniel #2: "Pleesh"

Daniel #2 to Daniel #1: "Yesh, OK, Yesh."

Daniel #1 to Daniel #2: "Tank ooo" (Thank you)

Daniel #2 to Daniel #1: "OK"

Having given himself permission, he began to climb up onto the table. Dad then stepped in, biting his tongue to keep from laughing.

Tough-guy attitude, Softie on the inside

Daniel's attitude has been....uh...."maturing" lately. Let's just say 'time out' is now a common word around the house. During this maturation process, some of Daniel's more aggressive tendencies have come out.

Here he is sporting the REI backpacl while giving us his "tough-guy" mountain climber look.

And Daniel's softer side: nothing like a manly bubble bath after a long day on the mountain...:)

Busy Day

Daniel had a busy day helping Mommy yesterday...

Vacuuming like a big boy!

"Don't worry, Mommy, I'll get that dustbunny!"

Now that the work is done, let's dance! (or spin)

Every good day ends in reading a book while flying Elmo's plane.

Playing with Matteo

We took advantage of a beautiful sunny day last week to head down to the park at Greenlake with Julie and Matteo. Here are a couple of cute pictures.

Learning how to use the digger.

Going down the slide!

The Idea of a Dog

Recently, Daniel has been infatuated with the idea of a dog out the window. He can hear our neighbors' dogs from his bedroom and is positive now that if he looks out any window he will see a dog. We spend quite a bit of time on the couch looking out the front window, or in his room looking out his window (same view, though...) hoping to catch a glimpse of a dog. After doing this for quite some time, we started taking our daily walks down to the lake where lots of dog owners go for walks. Daniel will get all excited when he hears that we're going outside ( "doggie? doggie?"). However, once we're down at the lake and see all the dogs, there is no reaction. No pointing, no "doggie!", just a blank stare. I guess it's just one of those "thrill of the chase" situations....

East of the Mountains

A few weekends ago we visited our friends the Stamschrors in Eastern Washington. Here are a few pictures...

Daniel learns how to operate his first piece of heavy construction equipment. Thanks, Noah for letting Daniel play with your toys!

Daniel gives Noah a kiss.


A special treat...playing with the Sevigny kids. Daniel really enjoys his sword.

Learning to play the piano, rifle in hand.


We've never seen this side of Daniel before...scary.

Conversations with Daniel

Daniel and I had a couple of cute conversations this morning...

Daniel: Dad-dy? Dad-dy? Dad-dy?

Mommy: No, Daddy's not here right now, he had to go to work.

Daniel: Oh, No!

Mommy: Okay, let's get your socks on now

Daniel, waving to his toes: Bye-bye!

Daniel's first meeting with Ellie

Daniel was finally able to meet Elizabeth Eusterman right before Christmas! We were very lucky to spend some good quality time with Matt and Katie, who we've really missed since they moved to Omaha. Daniel got along pretty well with Ellie...maybe a little too well....

Christmas Highlights

Here are some more pictures from our Christmas adventures.

Thanks, Bea and Bruce for the tiny snowman kit!

Helping Grandpa and Grandma look at their present.

A stuffed kitty from Mommy and Daddy...

...which promptly gets put where all treasures go: the Christmas tree.

Mega lego building blocks from Great-Grandpa Milt and Great-Grandma Mabel!

Another Great-Grandparent gift: Elmo's airplane!

Packing the plane, getting ready to go. Is that the kitty packed in there?

Auntie Gioia helps Daniel eat his Christmas ravioli.

Daniel bribes Jasmine with the possum. He'd do anything for her if she'd just play with him!

Giving some cousinly love to baby Grady. We miss you, Grady!