We've Been Doing a Lot of Running Around

We haven't really been BUSY, per say.  But it feels like we've been doing a lot of running around.  Doing stuff.  And then, you know, actually RUNNING.  Sometimes crawling, as Dex enjoys pretending he is an alligator and that Erin is his baby alligator.  Sometimes jumping, as Erin has rediscovered the big trampoline in the basement and thinks it's super fun.  Sometimes sledding, as we had MORE goddamn snow on Monday (St. Patrick's Day) and Dex and I both went sledding down the hill.  Dex told me I was out of control, because I went skidding across Mr. Mike's driveway and spun around in a circle.  We've had a couple of luxurious, nothing really to do weekends where we've done fun family things.  And today we ate ice cream at the corner for the first time this season.

Running around.  It's a good thing.

Went to a train show in Wilmington last Sunday.  Both kids were entertained.  Dex enjoyed the trollys again.  Erin could have stayed forever, I think.  The other day when we were driving to school Dex told me he could see Grandma and Grandpa's house (he has REALLY zoomy eyes).  Then he told me he could see Grandpa in his garage, testing out the Lionel trains so that when we go visit next weekend Dex won't have to wait for as long to play with them.  Best get crackin', Grandpa.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We did some running around on Wednesday before school.  Dex was pretending he and Erin were race cars.  Surprisingly, he always won.

And Erin wanted to show Aunt Jeanne her cute fake Uggs that I randomly found in a box of clothes in the basement.

Fast race cars don't wear shoes

Erin's double fisting the dogs

We got one nice day today before winter returns.  So we went to the playground that nobody ever goes to.  Nobody was there.  Except Superman.  Riding a duck.

And also a pumpkin.  Riding a panda.

Huh.  Yeah.  I dunno either, Erin.

Slide baby

Super Climber

Running the bases

I think Dex is... pitching?  Maybe?  And John and Erin are "running" the bases.

Superman is super strong

Apparently she is missing the snow

John was swinging pretty high, til Dex told him to stop.  He didn't want Daddy to flip upside down.

First merry go round.  Is that what you call these things?

I can't remember why they both decided to "sleep" but they were really quite content to spin lying down.

I love how he's looking over for Erin, waiting for her to slide down next to him.

Ice cream!

Erin likes watching traffic, and REALLY REALLY likes it when loud motorcycles go by.  I'm really not even kidding.  She was freaking out with joy.

We're going to miss this little place when they move.  Where else will we be able to go watch cars?

We have no plans for tomorrow.  My guess is it will be filled with more running.

DST

Daylight Saving Time.  You take the good with the bad.  I don't mind that it's darker when I wake up in the morning.  It lets me sleep in later.  I don't mind that Erin actually sleeps til 7:30 for now, instead of waking up at 7 or earlier.  I DESPISE the fact that it is Tuesday and I still feel like I lost an hour of sleep.

And I love that we can, once again, go outside to play after dinner.  I had kind of forgotten about that.  DST was combined with some spring-like weather, and we had to take advantage for the 30 minutes we have between the end of dinner and the time to go up for bed.

Behold, the magic of DST:

Dex has grown in to his big bike enough that his feet can sit flat on the ground when he rides.  So I think that bike can officially be his.  Which means...

This can happen.  Which she loves.

I don't care what you say.  This dog, dumb as he is, has got a heart of gold.

Brave girl here decided she could slide by herself

Wheeeee!

My favorite photo from the evening

PS - Also, this is happening in the kitchen.  John is borrowing a steamer from someone, and the removal is WAAAAY better than the pain in the ass it was for the bathroom.  I suppose some time we need to figure out what we're going to do in the kitchen instead of the hideous wallpaper.

PPS - Dexter still likes ice skating.  This is from Sunday with our friend Brynn.

DCM

We don't often go to Children's Museums, because I forget they exist and because, quite honestly, I hate kids.  Not usually my OWN kids.  But other people's kids.

But today at DE Children's Museum they had a special class on "Being an Engineer."  So we took the kids and packed some snacks and headed to Wilmington for the afternoon.  Dex was a little hesitant at first in the Be an Engineer class, but he thought the electricity demos were cool, and he got to build a roller coaster for a marble and shoot a ping pong ball out of an air compressor.  And he and Daddy made a wand.  Which he adores.  So I do believe it was a success

Mid-wand

Erin and I entertained ourselves with a little engineering of our own while the boys were building wands.  There was a big room filled with all different kinds of blocks, so we explored in there for a long time while we waited for the boys.

Erin's idea of engineering mostly involves carrying a green LEGO around with her everywhere she goes.

Mostly she practiced her climbing skills on some huge blue blocks

She LOVES stepping up and down stairs like a big girl.  But she needs to hold my hand.

Quite honestly, I am surprised we got Dex in to the Engineering class at all, as he had to bypass this big climbing thing to go to the class.  And he was decidedly NOT happy about that.  He was delighted to climb it a few million times after the class, though.

Erin and I found a cool slide, and after sliding twenty seven times while holding my hand, she braved it on her own.  First big girl sliding!

Sprinting back to the slide.  She LOOOVED it.

Click on the above for video of the sliding child.

Much time was also spent playing with water.  And playing with and in trains.  Which I don't have any pictures of.  Because, trains.  Yeah.  We got some.

Mmmmmm.  Chlorinated water...

It was a successful afternoon, capped off by a good dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.  The kids are passed out.  The adults are heading that direction.  And it's a terrible night to lose an hour of sleep...

The Young LEGO Nerd

Since Dexter got his LEGOs for Christmas he's been fairly well obsessed with some LEGO tutorial videos on YouTube, by the self-proclaimed LEGO Nerd.  He watches them every single morning.  He knows the sizes and the name of every LEGO piece.  He talks to himself in LEGO nerd fashion while building.

Saturday he went to a birthday party.  And scored a LEGO Creations set that builds three different kinds of cars.  He was very very excited to open them and play with them for well over half the birthday party.  When he got home he and John built the first car they had directions for.  And Dex made his own LEGO video.

For comparison purposes, you should watch a couple minutes of the LEGO nerd's tutorial first.  I know, I know.  I'm sorry.



And then please to be watching our very own young LEGO nerd.  It is eerily similar.  Sorry for the length.  There's no good way to trim it.  Just watch a couple minutes.  It's cute.

DEXTER'S LEGO VIDEO (CLICK TO PLAY)

PS - We have no school today, because it's snowing.  Again.  Some more.  Guess what Dexter is currently watching on his IPad?

Runny Babbit Day

Nast light Dexter and Daddy discovered a bew nook, which I had re-discovered on Dexter's closet shelf that afternoon.  Runny Babbit.  A billy sook by Shel Silversteen.

I didn't realize it was Runny Babbit Day until Nexter Dorman got a kug and a hiss from Daddy when his big old brain was being inflexible.  Now that Runny Babbit Day has begun, it cannot be stopped.  Nexter Dorman has declared today, and today only, Runny Babbit Day.  Tomorrow we have to go back to nalking tormally.

We do need to call Candpa Growan and tell him about Runny Babbit Day, though.  He will be very excited.  Because EVERY day is Runny Babbit Day in his house.

I need to read this book, I think.  So I can find out about cair huts at the sharber bop.  And other thilly sings.

Happy Runny Babbit Day!

On Talking 16 Month Old Babies

This whole talking baby thing is such a foreign concept to me, as Dex didn't talk at all til he was almost two.  But Erin has a lot to say about everything, and while most of it is babbling gibberish she actually has some understandable words.  Behold the list of words the baby has mastered:

Hi
Mama.  Incessantly.  All the time.  Always with the Mama.  Between her and Dex, meal time is a sea of "Mamas"
Daddy
Dexter.  Kind of.  It's kind of more like Deh-ehr.  And she doesn't say it often.
Book.
Ball.
BOO!
Cheese.  It sounds like Che.  She has, occasionally, used this same word for Aunt Jeanne.  That's my girl.  She also calls pizza "che."  Perhaps because that's the only part she eats off the pizza.
Cracker.  It sounds like Ba-ger
Apple.  It sounds like Bapple
Shoe.  It sounds like Shhh.  Or, sometimes, Ooosh.
This.  Is sound like Dis
That.  It sounds like Dat
Eye
Truck.  It sounds like Buck
She says "T" for teeth and for toes.  Not really a word yet.  But close.
Uh-oh.  A popular word in the house.  Both children find it hysterical.

She has animal sounds:
Woof for a dog
Whistle to call Buddy (mostly she just blows out of her mouth.  "Mama?  Phhhhhhhh."  That means "Mama, please call Buddy over here so I can giggle and try to hide from him.")
An under her breath "meow" for a cat
Blowing a raspberry for a horse
Baaa for a sheep
Moo for a cow
La-la-la for a pig (thanks, Sandra Boynton)

Sleeping in Buddy's bed.  Oh, yes.  She also does a snoring sound.

And, finally, her newest word:
Mahna-manah

What?, you say.  Yes.  I know.  Please watch the video below to have the Mahna-Manah song stuck in YOUR head for all of eternity.  Both kids have watched it.  Both kids find it hilarious.  Both kids sing the song all day long.

At Erin's 15 month well visit a few weeks ago (she was 16 months old) she was 32.5 inches tall.  92nd percentile for girls.  She was 21.2 pounds, which is 44th percentile for girls.

She finally got all four molars in.  That only took a week of waking up in the middle of the night screaming.  She just (like 2 days ago) barely broke through one of her bottom teeth, on the left side.  Still no sign of a bottom tooth to the right of the middle.  But something is going on in there, because she slept for crap again last night, too.  Damn teeth.

Some day soon she is going to be speaking in sentences.  And we will never shut her up.