Den Of The Danimal

It’s December already?

Dan — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:23:17 +0000

Time flies! It has already been a month since the last post, so I suppose it’s time for another update with more pictures of our sweet little girls. Their language skills continue to improve by leaps and bounds. It’s been abundantly clear for a while now that they’re no longer simply parroting back phrases that they’ve heard; they’re actually sorting through their vocabulary and constructing brand new sentences that communicate their thoughts. Last week Carolyn noticed a spiderweb up in the corner of the ceiling near the dining room table. Most of their sentences are still rather short (often just three or four words), so I was a little astonished to hear her come up with the six word sentence “Daddy clean up spiderweb with chair?” Needless to say, she was very pleased to see me comply, and I think they even applauded a little.

For the last year or so they have always really enjoyed watching out the front window on Friday mornings when the garbage truck comes by. It’s big and noisy and has a giant claw that reaches out to pick up the trash can and then dump it into the back of the truck. They seem to look forward to it all week long! But a few weeks ago they were out walking down the sidewalk with my Mom on Friday morning, and apparently when the big noisy garbage truck came by THAT close, it scared them a bit and they cried all the way home. Since then, they’ve definitely been a bit more skittish about loud noises… So last week, the girls and I were out raking up the leaves on our front lawn. They were having a wonderful time jumping on the piles of leaves and kicking them around… But then a big noisy truck drove by, and for some reason it spooked Elizabeth — so she ran over to me whining and crying, “Daddy hug! Daddy hug!” She was standing right next to my leg, and I had my hands full with the rake, so I just said “It’s OK Sweetie, you can hug my leg!” That didn’t seem to be good enough. “Daddy hug! Daddy hug!” she repeated. By this point, the truck was already disappearing down the street. “Just hug my leg, honey!” And then, still in her pathetic little whiny voice, “No, hug tummy! HUG TUMMY!” I suppose I was a tiny bit reluctant at first because I don’t want them to get all clingy, but how could I refuse that? They both got tummy hugs, and I have to admit those are my favorite kind too. Another fun thing has been that at bedtime lately, as Janet and I each hold one of the girls before we sing Rock-a-bye Baby and tuck them in, they almost always ask “Family hug?” And then, “More family hug?” Yeah, it might just be a ploy to prolong the going to bed process, but how can you say no to that?

This morning I overheard each of the girls apparently talking to the little toy she was playing with, saying “Jesus loves me.” And they seem to be at least somewhat aware of the approach of Christmas, because when they saw a decorative picture of wrapped presents, they both said things like “Open presents?” I replied, “Yes, soon it will be Christmas time and you can open up some presents. Do you remember doing that last year?” And it was Carolyn who said, “Nana and Papa’s house!” I’m not sure if she really remembers that from a year ago, or if Janet has recently talked with them about what’s in store. In any case, I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun this year!

Now, here are some pictures!

Story Time with Nana

Helping Mommy make pancakes

Helping EAT the pancakes!

Story Time with Daddy

Watching Caillou (a freakishly bald 4 year old) on the TV

We’ve been glad for the many days of fine weather this Fall. If it’s sunny and warm enough, the girls and I often head out to Dublin to visit with Janet during her lunch break. Usually we just drive to a local park and let the girls run around for a while, and everyone has a good time. The next three pictures are from one such visit.

Elizabeth climbs atop her throne

Carolyn's proud to be sitting on the BIG chair!

Swinging and smiling

The girls recently had an opportunity to try on their Christmas dresses!

We're very, very blessed!

Park!

Dan — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:55:07 +0000

The girls just love to go play at the park. When I ask if they want to go for a walk in the stroller, they’re almost certain to ask “Park?” And after walking several blocks, when we finally round the last corner and the park comes into view down the street, they both exclaim excitedly and in unison “Park! Park!” Often enough, that might even be followed with outright clapping and cheering — “Yaaaaayyy!”

Running!

"Cleaning" the sand off the play structure platform

Happy girl!

Pretty in pink

Four hands are better than two!

In addition to diligently “cleaning” the sand off of the play structure platforms, they also had a great time picking up handfuls of small dried leaves that had collected inside the sand area, and then tossing them out onto the sidewalk.

Bye bye, leaves!

They stuck with this for a while, and actually cleared out a surprising number of leaves.

Carolyn winding up for the pitch...

Hey Elizabeth, there's something on your shoulder...

Halloween 2011

Janet — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:32:52 +0000

It hasn’t been all that long since I first observed the girls in pretend play. My first recollection is from our family vacation in June. On the drive home I was passing Cheerios to the girls in the backseat. It was snack time anyway, and by passing the Cheerios back one at a time I could keep them occupied longer during the drive. I noticed that one of the girls would give the Cheerio to her baby and say “nom nom” before consuming the Cheerio herself. Their pretend play has developed significantly since then. Now they wrap their babies in blankets and tuck them in, sing Rock-A-Bye Baby and read stories to baby, and put pretend bibs on themselfs to eat pretend food. Oh yeah, and they put on costumes!

Happy Halloween from Winnie the Pooh & Tigger Too!

Pounce!

Do you have a smackerel of honey?

Here's some honey!

Bouncin's what Tiggers do best!

We also made a trip to Joan’s Farm & Pumpkin Patch again this year. The girls love being outside anyway, and they certainly had fun running around and exploring. And yes, they pretty much ran everywhere. After all, why would anyone walk when running is an option?

Do you have any idea how hard it was to get BOTH of them to sit still at the same time and look anywhere near the camera?

Fun family outing

It's heavy, but she's strong.

Lift with your legs!

Of course, there was more than just pumpkins to explore. Like sticks,

Stick!

and rocks,

How many rocks can I balance on top?

and leaves,

TWO leaves!

and animals,

What's this?

and dirt!

It's okay if you brush it off.

And the pumpkins were fun too.

Carolyn & the Pumpkins

Elizabeth & the Pumpkins

A little help from Mommy

After a fun-filled day it was time to head home.

All in all a fun trip. Special thanks to Nana and Papa for joining us. Two active little girls, four adults, two still cameras and one video camera. Yep, that’s what it took to capture some of the moments to share with you.

“It’s not easy.”

Janet — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:58:22 +0000

Now that I’m a mother, I begin to understand and appreciate how children can inspire a parent to do something that otherwise wouldn’t be worth the effort. But pleasing that special little one will make them smile – and there is great value in that!

Recently Elizabeth came to me with a toy in need of repair. The paper wrapping on the play can of beans had been chewed and gotten torn and was in danger of coming completely off. She wanted me to fix it. I pondered, wondering how could I oblige her. In the end, I used some glue to affix the wrapping, then wrapped the whole thing in packing tape hoping that would keep every thing in place. It made her happy and that made it worth it.

It reminded me of a baby doll I had when I was a young girl. This wasn’t just any doll – you could bathe her and she even came with a tiny little bath sponge. Then one day the sponge broke – split right down the middle. I took it to my Daddy and asked him to fix it. His remedy? He used glue to put it back together. While the sponge was once again in one piece, it now had quite a solid seam running the width of it. I mentioned I was young, right? So you might figure I was still solidifying my language skills. I complained, “It’s not easy.” He had done his best and I used that little sponge for many more years. And we still remember that something “hard” is also something “not easy.”

Note: I thought I still had that doll in a box in the garage, but I looked and couldn’t find it. I tried finding her on the internet but wasn’t successful.

Little Helpers

Janet — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:45:25 +0000

We had a very busy day on Saturday. The girls LOVE to be helpers and there were many opportunities for them…

First, they swept the patio.

Teamwork!

Working together makes it go quicker!

Then they helped with the raking.

Maybe I’ll have to see if I can find some garden gloves in their size.

Later they helped mash the potatoes for dinner. (Sorry, no pictures of that one.)

Other favorite “helping” activities include: mixing up ice cream, cutting out biscuits, handing me laundry to fold, putting laundry away, or handing me groceries to put away. They are very busy little girls!

Photo Update

Dan — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:24:36 +0000

I know, I know… This may be the most boring blog title in all of history. But I’m just not feeling very inspired to write much, and all I really want to do is share some recent pictures of our darling little girls. Enjoy!

Elizabeth's playful grin

Look out, she's got a stick!

Backyard giggles

Fun and laughter

Carolyn's smiling, even though she just had a nasty chomp on her lip!

Can you say photogenic?

Squeals of laughter

Playing at the park!

Without any prompting or help, the girls put their dolls into the high chairs and strapped them in!

Carolyn has independently discovered planking!

Further information on planking can be found here.

This adorable picture was snapped moments before she threw chalk at my face.

Young artist?

I LOOOOOOOVE JUMPING!!!

Almost naptime?

New pajamas!

Hugs

Playing in the tunnel

Look at me! I'm so cute!

Believe it or not, they actually can cooperate enough to spin like this...

Grandpa Wright

Janet — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:42:42 +0000

My earliest memories of my maternal grandpa are of him in his work uniform, his Sears repair truck parked in front of their house. Grandpa could fix pretty much anything. I remember my Dad calling Grandpa on more than one occasion for some pointers on what to do about a malfunctioning appliance. And Grandpa could help – from 1,400 miles away over the phone – just by listening to a description of the problem.

Grandpa - September 2008

I mostly grew up in the Western United States. But Grandpa and Grandma were in Wichita, so of course that meant visits with them were somewhat rare. But they made extra efforts to spend time with me. I remember my parents driving us to Wichita one summer. Then they returned home while Karen and I stayed at our grandparents for a few weeks before Grandpa & Grandma drove us home. (And I remember my aunt rode in the middle of the backseat between us the whole way to California! She must really like us to have indulged us all that way.)

I remember Wright Family reunions in various parts of the country – Grandpa and Grandma always had their popup trailer. One year the Wright reunion was in California. Grandma & Grandpa came out early, picked up Karen and me and took us to the reunion. Then Mom and Dad came up for the weekend and we went home with them.

Despite the distance between us, Grandpa and Grandma made it a point to be at some of the most significant events of my life – high school graduation, college graduation, and my wedding.

Grandma & Grandpa - September 2008

Grandpa had a hemorrhagic stroke in June, just weeks after his wife of 66 years passed away. When he was recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital, he was very weak so instead of going home he was transferred to a nursing home. We all hoped for some time that he would regain sufficient strength and mobility to be able to return to his home – but that was not the case. I think he missed Grandma and without her much of his incentive to recover was gone. He passed away in September at the age of 90.

The last time I saw Grandpa was in November when I took a trip to Wichita over Thanksgiving. It was a hard trip. I travelled alone and was away from my girls overnight for the first time. At the time Grandma was living in the nursing home suffering from the late stages of Alzheimer’s while Grandpa was still at home. I think part of me knew it would probably be the last time I saw my grandparents even though I desperately wanted to plan another trip that would allow my girls to meet their GGma and GGpa.

I miss Grandpa and both of my Grandmas. But more important than that, I know that they are without pain and suffering now. So my sadness is only for myself, not for them. They have been restored. And I like to think that they can look down from heaven and listen to little girl giggles and laughs any time they want.

Mom & I with Grandpa & Grandma - November 2010

“Thank you, God.”

Janet — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:40:27 +0000

At breakfast time recently, I held hands with the girls so we could pray. At the end they said “amen” with me. Then they said “pray, pray, pray.” I asked if they wanted to pray and told them they could say “thank you God.” This is not an uncommon exchange and it usually ends either there or after I say another short prayer. But this day was different. This day Elizabeth repeated, “thank you, God.” These days the girls repeat everything they hear, however I think Elizabeth does have some rudimentary concept of thank you — she does say it at appropriate times at any rate. God is a much harder concept. There is much for her to learn still, but this was a great step in the right direction.

And now moving on to some of my favorite August pictures…

At the "car" wash

Just... need... to move it... here.

Hi!

Mmm... strawberries.

Does she have a great smile, or what?

Enjoying her new "shoes"

On their way to becoming bookworms

Help?

Janet — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:44:53 +0000

The girls are at that amazing age where they WANT to help. So often they’ll come to me arm stretched out towards me and say “Help? Help?” I’m trying to encourage that behavior! If I’ve been to the grocery store, I’ll let them put the groceries in the fridge (which means everything is on the bottom shelf) and I’ll let them hand items to me (one by one) to put in the cabinet. Or I’ll give them each an empty milk jug and we’ll walk outside and I’ll lift them up so they can put it in the recycling. I kneel on the floor and help them measure and pour and stir so we can make ice cream. I’ll hold them up and let them help me mash the potatoes for dinner. They help put the megablocks away in the box. (Of course it’s pretty tempting to then upend that full box of blocks again!) In the bath they each want a washcloth so they can wash themselves. They hand me clean laundry to fold (and it often has to be folded more than once) and then want to help put it away in the drawers. Pretty much every chore now takes longer than it used to — but it’s way more fun. Gotta take advantage of this eagerness to help while it’s there!

I had trouble finding “helping” pictures so here are some of my favorites from July that I hadn’t got around to posting yet.

Let me help you!

Cool water on a hot summer day

Water! Water! Water!

Down? Down? Down?

Monkey Girl

Exploring the back yard

They love manipulating their world

Simple joys

I found a stick!

In!

There!

I See You!

Janet — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:48:09 +0000

My Dad and Linda were able to visit for a few days in July. What fun it was to once again reacquaint the girls with some of their grandparents! It took a little while for the girls to warm up, but by the end of the visit they were giving hugs night-night and playing happily with Grandpa and Grandma. One day we spent some time at the park where the girls tried out their new bikes and also demonstrated their climbing prowess. I’m slowly becoming more confident of the girls’ climbing skills. They’re pretty adept – at least as long as they’re paying attention to what they’re doing. Of course, they are just barely two so they do tend to get districted. That’s what makes me nervous.

We’ve been playing Peek-A-Boo with the girls since long before they were able to really participate. But Grandpa and Grandma put a couple of new spins on the game that the girls have enjoyed. Dad picked up a plastic ring toy, looked through it, and said “I see you.” The girls wanted to see him use the other eye. Then of course they both wanted a turn. I’m not sure if they know that “I see you” is a three word sentence instead of a multi-syllable word, but it sure sounds cute when they say it. Now they’re looking through all kinds of things and saying “I see you” – the holes in the laundry basket, the shade awning supports at the park.

Later in the visit the girls noticed Linda’s wedding ring. She turned the diamond to the inside and asked “Where did it go?” The girls long ago mastered the concept of object permanence and had no trouble finding the ring. They wanted to play more, so they would reach out and turn the the diamond inside and ask “er go?” with a little shrug of the shoulders. Too cute! They’ve continued to enjoy this game. And I like playing with them, each time discussing the significance and symbolism of the ring Dan gave me. It can’t be too soon to begin instilling those lessons.

Snuggled up with Grandpa & Grandma to watch Sesame Street

Vroom! Vroom!

Too busy to sit still for a silly ol' photo.

Three generations.

Doing a craft with Grandma.

Giggly girl!

Grandma & Carolyn

Proud Grandpa!