First Steps

For a few weeks now, Adelie has been taking a few steps from one person to another if we help her get her balance.  But today, Adelie pulled to stand on the chair in the playroom and then took 2 independent steps to me.  Later she did the same thing in the basement.  And so I'm making it official.  Adelie has taken her first steps.

Lessons from Staley

Lesson #1:  The Grammatical Use of Numbers

"I'm a little tired and a lot hungry.  I'm 20 hungry and only 1 tired."

Lesson #2:  Being Flexible, yet Persistant

Staley to Liam:  "I'm Ariel.  Do you want to be Prince Eric?"
Liam:  "No."
Staley:  "Do you want to be King Triton?"
Liam:  "No.
Staley:  "Do you want to be Flounder?"
Liam:  "No.  I'm Buzz."
Staley:  "Okay.  Do you want to be a mer-Buzz?"

Lesson #3:  Dressing the Part

Me:  "Staley, what do you want to wear today?"
Staley:  "I'm not Staley.  I'm Jasmine."
Me:  "Okay, Jasmine.  What do you want to wear today?"
Staley:  "I'm Jasmine so I need to wear pants and a bathing suit."

I loved the description.  But because it was 20 degrees, we did eventually settle on something else.  :)

You Know Winter Has Been TOO Long and Cold When...

...you decide that 36 degrees and sunny is the perfect weather for a morning trip to the zoo.

Getting up close and personal with the giraffe

Always ready to join in the fun

She Says...

We had used up the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom so Staley was getting another roll out from under the sink.  She looked at me and holding up the new toilet paper roll, she said, "I got another gallon of this out."

Zach teases Staley quite a bit, and she's started to understand when he's teasing her.  The other night, she told him, "I'm going to tease you."  She looked around the room and, seeing his flashlight, said, "That's my flashlight."  Zach responded with, "No it's not.  It's mine."  They went back and forth until finally Staley said with a smile, "Oh, I was just teasing."  About 15 minutes later, Staley was using the bathroom and suddenly said, "Oh no!  How did I get poo poo on my shirt?"  Alarmed, Zach rushed in to see what had happened and with a big smile, Staley told him, "Oh, I was just teasing."  I must admit, she got him pretty good.

The other night at dinner, Staley and I had this conversation.
Me:  "I want you to eat 6 more peas, and then you can have some fruit."
Staley:  "How about 2 peas?"
Me:  "Ummm...how about 6?"
Staley:  "How about 2?"
Me:  "Nope.  6."
Staley:  (in a moment of inspiration) "I know.  How about twenty-two?"
Me:  "Okay."
And then she proceeded to eat her 22 peas.  She's a tough negotiator...but not that good at math.

Daddy-Daughters Day

Zach is an amazing father.  He is involved in (almost) every aspect of our parenting journey.  From getting the girls up and ready in the morning to putting them to bed at night, Zach is right there.  He comes home from work ready and willing to take over kid duty.  Week-end time is family time.  He can play princesses and mermaids with the best of them.  And when he stays home for the day with the girls when I have other plans, Staley knows it's going to be special.  Because nothing can compare with Daddy-Daughters Day.

Daddy-Daughters Day has become a special tradition at our house.  Staying home for a fun day with Daddy is good.  But because he doesn't get to do that very often, Zach always plans something a little extra special for his days alone with the girls.  He's taken Staley swimming and to Monkey Joes.  Eating at a restaurant is usually involved...with dessert, of course.  One time Zach bought a Play-Doh ice cream shop for a little added at-home fun.  And a few weeks ago, Zach came home the night before Daddy-Daughters Day armed with over-sized construction paper, glitter, glue, and jewels.  While Adelie napped, he and Staley went to work on their creations...

and when the glue had dried and the glitter had settled, the end result was...

...awesome tiaras!

Daddy-Daughters Day is always something to look forward to.  And whether it involves swimming or dessert pizza or tiara making, I know that these special memories of time with Daddy will remain with our girls as they grow up.  And I love that!

Daddy with his girls

Expectations

After years of working with children and now having 2 of my own, I have learned the value of clearly stating expectations.  At work, on day one of working with a child, I start by telling them the rules of my room.  We daily articulate to Staley and Adelie what our expectations are.  And I've found that when children know what the expectations are, they are much more likely to live up to them.

Even as an adult, I like to know what is expected of me in given situations.  At work, when helping out at church, during my children's activities.  It gives me peace of mind when I clearly understand how things are supposed to go and what I am supposed to do.  Now I'm not sure how well this stating expectations works for anything else, but since I find it so effective in my life, I'm willing to put it out there and see if it works.

I'm done with winter.  After record breaking cold and snow, winter has outstayed its welcome.  And so, March, these are my expectations for you:

1. Temperatures in the single digits or even the teens are not acceptable.  And don't even think about the negatives.  Let's shoot for some nice 50 and 60 degree days.
2. No more snow.  I mean it!
3.  Ditto for freezing rain, ice, and wintery mixes. 
4. A gentle breeze is nice, but cut it out with the high winds.  I don't want to hear any more talk about wind chills.
5.  I'm fine with wearing a fleece or a jacket, but it's time to put away the hats and gloves.  Let's work on that.
6. I expect sunshine. 
7. I expect melting snow. 
8. I expect the opportunity to play outside at least several days each week.

You are the beginning of spring.  It's time to start acting like it.

Good Point

Today we were driving home from Peoria as a family and had this conversation:

Staley:  "I don't want to be in my carseat.  I want to get out."
Me:  (Teasingly) "Okay, Daddy.  Stop the car.  Staley wants to get out.  She can just walk home from here."
Staley:  "I can't walk home.  It's too far."
Me:  "Oh, you have young legs.  You'll be fine."
Staley:  "But I have to hold your hand when I walk in the road and you're staying in the car."

She makes a good point.  I can't argue with that.