Videos
The Coat
Back in December, we came across this video on the church website. It’s a beautiful, wordless cartoon depiction of an act of charity, taken from the life of the prophet Heber J. Grant. Maddie cannot get enough of watching it:
She asks to see it often. As soon as we pull it up she shouts, “Big one! Big one! Full screen!” because the default small version just isn’t enough for her.
Even though we’ve seen at least 20 times, I still tear up at the end.
What I Found When I Came Out of the Shower
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They had set up camp right outside the bathroom door. I wish I could say they are always this patient waiting for me to finish showering in the morning.
Quite different from what they were up to a year ago…
At least the waiting time sparks some creativity.
The Alphabet
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Maddie cannot get enough of the alphabet. We sing the song about 10 times a day. This Dr. Seuss book is one of her favorites to read.
Warren’s kindergarten teacher has them sing the alphabet in a slightly different way than most have heard. I like it because it slows down the LMNO sequence by making the break at LMN, with the rest following. At the end they sing, “Now I never will forget how to sing the alphabet!” Maddie loves this version and sings the word “alphabet” with gusto.
She can’t recite the whole alphabet by herself, but she can copy me pretty well.
Her favorite letter to screech is Z, if you couldn’t tell.
She also notices letters on signs everywhere we go. Yes, she’s pretty much obsessed with the ABCs.
Word Count Addendum
Kelley brought it to my attention that I forgot to add “What’s THAT?!” or sometimes just “THAT?!” to Maddie’s list of spoken words. I don’t know how that slipped my mind considering it was her first real form of verbal communication.
And while we’re adding to the list, she’s already picked up a few more words since the last post. The count now stands at 26 with the following additions:
Happy: hap-ee
Puppy: pup-ee
Book: book
Apple: ap-ee
Please: peas
Oops: oops
Comida: da
Shoe: thew
Where did it go?: go?
Hi: Hi
Bye: byeeeeee
And the best one to-date,
Renny: R-r-nenny
We’d been trying to get her to say Renny for a long time, figuring it was easier to pronounce than “Warren.” To help her understand how the word starts, we’d begin with a few “rr-rr” sounds and then say “Renny.” Seems she now believes that the name must be revved up to say properly.
It’s one of those mispronounced words we’ll be sad to see corrected.
Rise and Shine
If I’m not fast enough in the morning, Warren comes to his sister’s call announcing she is done sleeping– anything from adorable babbling sounds to outright piercing shrieks. He almost always asks if he can get Maddie out which often comes in handy since I’m notoriously slow getting ready at that time of the day. I love that he’s anxious to help his sister and that she’s so pleased to see her brother.
I’m not sure if Maddie will ever attempt to climb out of her crib with Warren around.
Flying?
I’m not quite sure how she discovered this talent, or it’s purpose, but this move cracks me up.
Look, Ma. No hands!
The Washing Machine Song
Back when we lived in our old apartment, we had a coin-operated washer and dryer. Warren quickly learned the ins and outs of the laundry procedure and made up a song to get us through the chore. He was about three here:
Now that we have our very own, non-communal set, he doesn’t sing the song anymore. I miss it, but not enough to ever go back!
The Godfather
(Or would it be the godmother?)
Maddie has this way of talking that sounds suspiciously like Marlon Brando’s Don Vito Corleone from “The Godfather.”
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
You’d better believe we try to elicit this speak as often as possible.
Renny Rides Solo
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For Warren’s 3rd birthday, we got him a two-wheel bike but one without pedals. These are great little bikes because they teach balance without the hindering crutch that training wheels can become. For the last year and a half he has been cruising around on that thing without any fear. This year for Christmas, he asked Santa for a pedal bike. He felt like he was ready to upgrade and so did we.
His only problem was that he had little experience actually pedaling anything. Not a tricycle or big wheel or anything. We had no yard and therefore no way to provide any opportunity. So recently we borrowed a friend’s bike (with training wheels) so he could practice a little. We hoped that he would be confident enough to then go out on his own.
He was thrilled to get his new bike Christmas morning, which I think gave him all the motivation he needed to give it a go. We took him to the church parking lot. In less than an hour he went from insisting that Colin hold onto his seat to insisting that Colin let go so he could ride faster.
Riding a bike is a big accomplishment. We’re so proud of him for working hard to master this skill. What a big boy he is!
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