Leaps and Bounds

3 years, 9 months is an active age!

Daniel is all about jumping off of furniture and chatting away. He asks us about twice a week if he gets to go to school tomorrow. I hope he will still be as enthusiastic in two months when it's time to go back.

I have said numerous times in this blog that I wish I had a recorder on all day to catch his thoughts and observations. His imagination is exploding, and we can see it in his play and ideas about what he wants to play.

I took a parenting class this spring and one of the strategies they suggest is 30-45 minutes of "special time" everyday with each of your children. No interruptions, just play directed by your child. Daniel usually wants to play "Start Wars guys, baseball guys, little people in a spaceship go on a treasure hunt." I was away for a sorority trip this weekend and called from the airport on my way home. Daniel said he and daddy had special time while Eliabeth napped that afternoon. He recounted that they played football/baseball/Star Wars guys. I asked if they were on a treasure hunt, and he responded, "No, that for our special time, Mommy."

On Friday afternoon, Scott and I switched cars and kids so I could drive to the airport. Scott and I talked about what food was at home for meal options through the weekend, and he texted me to let me know that Daniel said sometimes when he is away we have "surprise McDonald's" for dinner.

The same evening, a friend asked Daniel what he was going to do with Daddy this weekend, and he answered, "I don't know, the Wii is broken."

While we were in AL visiting Gramps, Gigi, Aunt Brooke, and Uncle Daniel, he became much more comfortable with their wonderful dogs, Boone and Lucy. Daniel really warmed up to them, and the last day they were visiting, he laid in the floor next to Lucy and rubbed her belly. He tried to tickle her, like he does Elizabeth, and asked, "Mommy, why don't dogs waff (laugh)?" Good question.

The Latest & Greatest

Elizabeth -

Can do a seat drop

Climbs in and off of Daniel's bed, the couch, and dining chairs

Goes down stairs on her bottom

Rides her Ladybug push toy

Laughs at Wall-E in appropriate scenes (I can't believe we have let her watch movies!)

Sucks soft cheese and peanut butter off of celery

Understand EVERYTHING we say, no doubt, and has no problem saying no or squealing in resistance.

Likes to sit on the potty (we did not suggest this) and can take off all of her clothes

Will follow her big brother everywhere

Picks at him for a reaction!

Recognizes friends and neighbors

Loves her paci the BEST. Bunny is okay, but nothing is as good as the paci.

Shows off by running around, spinning, stomping, and shrugging.

Chases Daniel around the table, airport, restarants, malls.

Has an affinity for Elmo. Waved at him at SeaWorld, but did not want to stand next to him for a picture.

No longer wants to sit in a high chair at a restaurant. Must sit in a booster in a regular seat or she will have a hissy.

Loves accessories - sunglasses and hats, especially.

Never wants to be left behind by her brother and daddy. If Daniel has to go to the bathroom while we are out somewhere, she insists on going along with them.

Jibbers and jabbers, but mostly just gestures for communication. Daniel will say, "Wizzy wants a cookies. Wizzy says she wants my toy. Wizzy won't weave me awone!"

Slept in a twin bed with a bed rail at Aunt Jo's with no problem - I think she thought it was really cool to share a room with Daniel and be in a big girl bed.

Likes to wear other people's shoes. Mine and Scott's at home. We were at a friend's house the other day, and she put on her one year old friend's sandals.

Loves baby dolls and pushing them in her stroller all over the house and up and down the sidewalk.

Loves to slide and swing. Not so sure about sandboxes or going barefoot outside.

Takes shoes off the instant she is buckled in her car seat!

Seems to like songs by the Wiggles. If she is upset in the car and I ask her if she wants to listen to the CD, she says yes every time.

Still not in to fruit or fruit juice. I'll bring bananas and apple juice as her only options so she will eat them!

I love summer

(Cousins!)

Especially when the humidity is low in D.C.! I love the feeling of freedom summer brings. I guess that comes from being out of school as a child. It makes me want to pack up my bags for a couple of hours, a couple of days, even a couple of weeks and head outside, or to someplace new or different and just enjoy the fact that there is time to explore outside of our routinized life from September - May. I love the freedom I have as a stay-at-home mom to take Daniel to the aquarium on the day he wakes up and says, "Can we go see some turtles somewhere?" or to plan an 11 day trip that turns into 12 days without the stress of having to get back on the planned return day when the airport is so crowded we can't get our bags checked and through security in time for our flight.

Our trip out west was so great. We had lots of Denney time with Johanna, Darrel, Ty, Kim and Baby James. (Although, not as much time with Ty & Kim, but at least we got to see them!) I think California is so beautiful, and by the time we left Daniel would even point out and observe remarkable moutains, blue skies, and the ocean. We even had some excited "ooohs" from Elizabeth, too!

We began the trip getting over our jet lag. We had a nonstop flight from Baltimore that arrived in CA at 1 a.m. eastern time. Daniel slept for the last two hours of the flight, but E was WIRED. She fell asleep on final descent and stirred little at baggage claim and the rental car pickup. We went to the beach and the La Jolla aquarium on Sat and Sun and headed up to Disneyland on Monday. We had so much fun! I had low expectation of D-land, but really liked it! The kids did, too. We rode rides and watched the Star Wars Jedi training show which Daniel will be talking about for years to come. Darth Vadar in person. It was better than Christmas morning!

(We finally go him a light saber. It was the perfect time right before the show.)

On Tuesday, we drove down to San Diego to the zoo, which is just amazing. They have all of the best animals, and unlike our zoo, they are RIGHT in front of you. National Zoo is great, but the pandas are often about 100 feet away. At San Diego Zoo, they are so clearly visible - all of them!

Wed. we headed down to Coronado for lunch & a bit of strolling around before driving up to Ty's desert oasis on Thursday. We had a fun time jumping around at this indoor moonbounce palace, and the kids had their first snowcone! Daniel wasn't crazy about it; Elizabeth drank the syrup from the cup! We loved on Baby James and now know what it means when people describe 115 degrees as a "dry heat." We celebrated the 4th in the pool and fun backyard of some of their friends before heading back to San Diego on Sunday so Scott could fly out for work. On Monday, we found a great playground in Carlsbad and scored some major deals at Baby Gap there. After turning in the rental car and standing in line for just over an hour, we were rebooked on a flight the next day, so the kids, Aunt Jo, and I headed to Sea World for Tuesday afternoon and evening. We had the nicest ticket sales rep I have ever met, who scored us a discount and two free tickets! Daniel was brave and went to the Shamu show, even though it was "woud" and LOVED it. The expression on Elizabeth's face was priceless because you could tell she did not understand what the hoopla was all about and then she noticed the huge orca whale launching out of the water. When it was over Daniel told me to check the schedule to see when the next show would be! So, we stayed on and saw the sea lion and walrus show before heading back to J & D's. We could not have asked for better weather during the trip.

(Mmmmmm, first ice cream sandwich!)

I earned my mom scout badge in travel by only breaking a sweat twice (and raising my voice once) on the five hour, three-of-us-in-two-seats, flight back to the east coast. It was long, but really okay. I give Daniel and Elizabeth a lot of credit for being patient and making it through without a single meltdown, just some occasional snarling at each other and whining.

MUST BLOG SOON...

Daniel and Elizabeth never stop! I should just have a recorder on all of the time.

We are in CA visiting Aunt Jo and Uncle D and are headed to see Ty, Kim, and Baby James tomorrow!

Much to report and will do so with pics before we leave on Tuesday!