Picnic

Daniel's really getting into pretend play, and his favorite thing to pretend (since our trip to Austin) is to have a picnic. We have a picnic almost everyday! It usually involves getting out a blanket, laying it on the carpet, and smoothing it out so that it's "really nice." Then he has to invite Bear, the two Spicy's (his dogs), the occasional penguin or giraffe, and, of course, Mommy or Daddy. We all sit around, and Daniel makes us something to eat. He's pretty good about changing up the menu. We've had pasta, tacos, pancakes, etc.

The other day I walked in our room to find David and Daniel under a tent made from blankets, pillows, string, and clothespins. The two Spicy's, Bear, David, and Daniel were all enjoying a picnic in the tent, complete with background music. Daniel was busy making pizza with broccoli and zucchini on top and would serve everyone with a spatula he'd managed to sneak from the dishwasher. Luckily they let me join the picnic (even serving me some pizza), and I could have stayed there all day.

A Glimpse of Life with 2

Riley is one of Daniel's few friends, and they spend quite a bit of time together. Her mom and I enjoy getting out of the house together and have been trying to plan play dates every few weeks. David and I were lucky enough to babysit her the other night for a few hours, and it was so much fun! It gave us a glimpse - albeit a small glimpse - into the world of 2 kids. It would, obviously, be much easier to adopt Riley (who knows how to walk and eat and play already) than to have a newborn enter the scene, but still.....

I only ran into a couple bumps. First, how do you carry Riley and a carseat and make sure Daniel doesn't run into the parking lot as you walk to the car? Stroke of brilliance - have Daniel "help" carry the carseat so he has to hold on to us. No problem! Second, how do you open the oven with two little ones running around? Daniel has a special spot he stands on when I open the oven, and he does't dare move from it, but Riley, of course, didn't know that rule yet! It took me awhile to get dinner in the oven. I had a couple attempts that were foiled as she came running toward me, and I finally ended up quickly throwing it in as her back was turned.

Overall the night was fun. The best part was watching them enjoy dinner and bath together. They giggled and laughed all through dinner as David helped with the entertainment. At bathtime Daniel wasn't too keen on all of Riley's splashing, but she had a blast!

Thank you, God

We've been encouraging Daniel to help us in our prayer before meals. We typically say the standard Catholic prayer before meals and then add a few other "thanksgivings." Daniel's getting the hang of it, and tonight his prayer sounded something like this:

"Thank you for Mommy and Daddy.
Thank you for Daniel.
Thank you for the food.
Thank you for the milk.
Thank you for the spoon.
Thank you for the cup.
Thank you for the corn.
Thank you for the peas.
Thank you for the green beans.
Thank you for the carrots.
Thank you for the lima beans.
Thank you for the flowers.
Thank you for the butterflies.
Thank you for the candle.
Thank you for the water.
Thank you for the lemons.
Thank you for the house."

At this point, David cut in and said, "Remember, Daniel - when you're done, say 'amen.'"

To which Daniel continued:

"Thank you for the grass.
Thank you for the lawn.
Thank you for the windows.
Thank you for the doors.
Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Daniel.
Amen."

San Antonio & Austin

Last weekend we took a trip to San Antonio and Austin to see family and friends. We enjoyed staying at David's aunt and cousins' house on Friday night. Pita, Elsa, and Sara were so sweet to Daniel and fed us like royalty. Pita even gave up her master suite for us - too nice! Daniel enjoyed learning how to hit a golf club, watching Elsa play the guitar, watering the plants, and feeding the fish.

Pita and Daniel watering plants

On Saturday we headed to Austin and met the Cisneros family there. It was so nice to see them and spend time with their beautiful kids! We met at a park where we played for awhile. We rode a green train around the park, and that's pretty much the only thing Daniel can tell you about the trip - he loved the train ride! We got to go through a dark tunnel, and we saw a man playing a guitar while we rode by. (Daniel has told everyone we've seen this week about these two random facts!) Carlos had brought a remote control airplane, and the boys had fun flying it around while Dany and I rested in the shade. We enjoyed several picnic lunches and went swimming at the hotel pool. (Well, the Cisneros boys went swimming while Daniel splashed his feet in the water. They were good little swimmers!) Such a fun trip, and I hope that we'll do it again!

Diego climbing up high

The Cisneros family sees a squirrel!

The 3 boys enjoying their ride to the hotel room...and some chupa chups

Our son and our godson

Daniel playing on the firetruck at the park

Chuck E. Jesus

Daniel got a prize bag from the birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese the other day. In that prize bag was a deck of tiny playing cards with Chuck E. Cheese on the back. He had them out and was so excited to find "matches." (It's not too hard when he's matching the backs of the cards vs. the fronts!) He put two cards next to each other and said, "Two Chuck E. Cheese's!" Then he put more and more cards together to make a long train and said, "Look at all those Chuck E. Cheese's!" He looked at me and said, "Cheese's?" Then he began singing, "Cheese's loves the little children, all the children of the world....."

And that's how he began worshiping Chuck E. Cheese.

Bumps and Bruises

If our new sitter calls Child Protective Services, I hope that all of you will vouch that we're good and decent parents:

1) Tuesday: We were at Wal-Mart, and the cart I picked happened to have no working strap. I thought about putting it back and getting one with a working strap, but geez - I'd already wiped it with the sani-wipe and put my green bags in. So I thought we'd try it out. How bad could it be? Apparently, bad. Daniel repeatedly tried to stand in the cart the entire grocery trip. I just kept my hands on him, and we made it through the store somehow. We get outside, and I turn to put the groceries in the trunk. Daniel stands up, and falls backward into the cart. Thankfully, he fell backwards vs. sideways. He got 2 little scratches on his back.

2) Wednesday: Daniel was in the living room, spinning in circles - a favorite activity of his. He got a little too dizzy and fell. He fell right into the sharp fireplace hearth, headfirst. He got a nasty looking bruise and small cut across his right eyebrow.

3) Thursday: Daniel was avoiding going to his room to help get things cleaned up at bathtime. David (teasingly!) started pulling him by his legs to his room. Daniel was cracking up. He thought it was so funny. He got dragged all the way from the living room to his room, giggles all the way. He got a big rug burn across the right side of his forehead.

4) Sunday: Daniel wanted to go outside. Can you imagine? My child spends 8/9 hours outside during the day. We were headed to the backyard. I wasn't paying attention to where he put his fingers - right inside the door jam. I started closing the door behind us, and he started screaming. I saw that I was closing his middle and ring fingers in the door, but it was too late. He has a black fingernail, and it was swollen for that day. (He was looking at his fingers afterward and started pointing at them one by one, saying, "Pink, pink....black!")

That last injury earned him a chupa chup.

Chuck E. Cheese

On Saturday, we went to our first Chuck E. Cheese birthday party. Most of you know that we don't really let Daniel do TV, we don't let him eat many sweets or junk food, and we don't ever actually pay for the rides at the mall. He just sits on them and turns the steering wheels, which is already exciting enough for him (and we quickly whisk him away when another parent actually pays to let their kid ride them - heaven forbid he sees that they move!). So.....Chuck E. Cheese was a huge hit! His favorite rides were the big horse, the little horse on the carousel, and the train. He won two lizards with all his tickets. He officially loves Chuck E. Cheese's. Here are a few highlights: