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.