Fast times at Skyline Drive

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

President's Day

Dax and I had another fun day together! We started the morning with a special surprise - some of Daddy's old Legos! Dax LOVES playing with the legos at daycare so we thought he'd enjoy some at home as well. He played for a full hour. That's like days in toddler time.

After that, we took a break from fun to do some laundry. Dax helped sort the socks.

Then I tried another Pinterest idea and we used white crayon to decorate a paper before coloring over it with watercolor paint. Dax was not super into coloring, but enjoyed painting for a little while.

He woke up from his nap quietly and after laying in his crib awake for awhile I went to check on him. He said, "Hi Mommy! I'm a snowboarder. This is my scarf and this is my hat!" He had wrapped his blankies around himself as if they were winter gear. It was very sweet.

After that we had to go outside to enjoy the freshly-fallen snow. Dax was less than thrilled when I started shoveling, but our kind neighbor, Al, offered to clear our driveway with his snowblower so Dax got a little more attention and play time. He wouldn't leave the sled, but enjoyed riding around in the snow.

Of course we also had some less structured play time, too.

"Look, Mommy! I'm in a boat!"

"I'm at work eating lunch like Daddy."

Silly boy

Scolding me for doing it wrong

One of his favorite toys lately - Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

Overall, it was such a fun day! I am so thankful for all of the extra opportunities to spend time with my little man.

Rainforest Cafe

This weekend we were feeling a bit of cabin fever and decided to head to the Mall of America to get out of the house. We figured people watching and walking around would be a fun way to spend the afternoon. When we got there, we also thought it would be fun to do dinner at the Rainforest Cafe - what kid wouldn't want to have dinner in a jungle? We checked in and even though it was still well before 5, there was an hour wait. Thankfully we could walk around the mall while we waited.

Lego Land was a hit!

Loving the Disney store

So excited to see Sully

We returned a few minutes before our scheduled "safari" only to wait a bit longer. Dax was in good spirits, though, and we were looking forward to the adventure that was surely ahead. When we were finally being seated, they led us through a thunderstorm and past a mechanical gorilla in the middle of a rant. It was moving around and making lots of noise. Dax was terrified. I stood him in the booth next to me and explained that it was not real. We tried to tell him that the gorilla was just saying hi to him and was glad we were visiting. He didn't buy it. He wouldn't color on the kids' menu, wouldn't drink his milk, wouldn't sit in the high chair, and started to cry when I tried to move him to sit on my lap. He was literally frozen in fear. We learned that the thunderstorms would come every half hour and the gorilla would come to life every 15 minutes. Our special dinner was quickly turning into a nightmare. While we are pretty go-with-the-flow diners, we became "those people" and requested a new table (knowing that there was now almost a 2 hour wait and many people hoping for tables). They were so accommodating and we were promptly moved out of the gorilla room. Dax immediately said, "That's better!" and, even though he kept looking back to try to spot that scary gorilla, he ate his dinner and happily chatted with us throughout the rest of the meal.

Still willing to say "cheese", but not very enthusiastic

"That's better."

(After looking at a picture of himself on the camera display) "I want to see me smile."

"I want to see me giggle." Goofy boy!

He has not stopped talking about it since and consistently reminds us (himself?) that the gorilla was not real. Needless to say, we will not be going back, but would definitely recommend it to other families with braver children. The food was decent, the atmosphere fun, and the staff so wonderful.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Jesus Loves Me

Oak Grove - the church where Dax was baptized - celebrates milestones throughout a child's faith journey. Last year we attended a baptism anniversary party. This weekend we attended again with other two year olds for the Jesus Loves Me milestone. We learned some great strategies for praying with children and instilling that habit and Dax got to decorate a pillowcase that he can use to remind him of Jesus' amazing love for him. It was a lot of fun!

Birthday Boy

A few days later we celebrated Dax's actual birthday. When he woke up we marked his height chart and marveled at how much he has grown.

Then, he celebrated with his friends at daycare. He was SO excited to go.

With the birthday sign his friends made for him!

After work, we decided to go out to eat since he loves having dinner at restaurants. He requested pancakes so we went to Jensen's Cafe. He ordered for himself - when did he get so independent?! He also talked LOUDLY throughout dinner and responded when we shushed him with, "No! I want to talk!" Terrible twos? Assertive little boy? Still learning manners? Regardless of the reason, we had a really hard time not giggling at him. We'll continue to practice inside voices.

As requested

Daddy does an amazing snow plow

Listening to Gma sing Happy Birthday

We are so grateful that God chose us to be Dax's parents. Every day we are blessed to share our lives with our smart, strong-willed, thoughtful, creative, and funny little boy. Happy birthday Dax!

Our Superhero

Party Time!

Dax had a great 2nd birthday party. He loves to read so we decided that books would provide a fun theme this year. While we did not do too much, there were quotes from some of his favorite books with the food, a book-page banner for the birthday boy, and some themed favors for his guests.

The best part, though, was how much fun he had! We focused on inviting Dax's friends this year in hopes that he would enjoy playing rather than being overwhelmed by lots of people in his house. He did play and play with the little ones running around, but also had a few overwhelming moments as the center of attention. He got over it fairly quickly when he realized he could eat his cupcake and open some presents.