Shining Moments

Dallin
*Dallin keeps growing and growing! He is a big kid. We are starting to wonder if he is going to reach his full stature by the end of grammar school. He is bigger than most 4/5 year olds. People are constantly amazed that he is only 3. They often ask if he is in school yet or act like he is slow until they find out his age...then it is pure shock. It seems like I am always explaining. "I know he is ginormous, but he is only barely 3....he is going to act like he is 3."
*Dallin said that he wants to fix airplanes when he grows up just like his Grandpa. (He also wants to play the bass guitar in a band like Grandpa)
*It is no longer enough just to name his poops. He now empathizes with them and has full conversations with them about why they have to be flushed. "I'm sorry poop, but I have to go to nursery. I have to flush you now. Go with your family poop!" He wanted to give it a hug and a kiss, but I had to draw the line. It is kind of sweet, but sometimes I am jealous and wish that I was treated with as much respect and empathy as poop. :)
*Dallin found a cricket in the house and ushered it out to the porch. When he got it outside he explained to it "I'm sorry cricket, but you have to go back to your own time to be with your family." If you have seen "Meet the Robinsons" this is pretty funny.
*Dallin has discovered that we have NAMES! We have really been working hard to establish that he has to call us Mommy or Daddy and NOT by our first names. "Let's go check Christopher!" "Val! Val! Val-come over here!" It is funny though when he yells for Kate and uses her FULL name. LOL "Kate! Kate! Kate Wivia...come here!"
*We are REALLY working on manners and being respectful at our house (though my children act like this is not the case) so Dallin is repeating all of the phrases we use so often. He is like the respect police for everyone but himself....sigh...maybe it will sink in. "That is wude (rude) and spectful (disrespectful) No say that!" "That not a toy, mom, don't play with it" (This was when I poked his belly button LOL)
*"Are you proud of me? Is Dad proud of me? Is Kate proud of me?" Dallin is really into having his family be proud of him for his accomplishments. He will ask everyone if they are proud of him, and he just beams when they say yes. Dallin, my sweetie pie, I am very very proud of you!
*"I am so angry that I fall off my bike and got bleed!" Dallin rides his bike now. He pedals and everything. He really looks grown up! Today, Dallin lost control of his bike on a downhill corner and ended up driving off the edge of the sidewalk, toppling over his bike, and landing on his face....TWICE. The first time, he had a mouthful of blood and I was certain we would have to go to the ER or to the dentist, but it was just his lip. After the second time, he got up and balled up his little fists and gave the above statement. It broke my heart. Poor little man. He is a little more wary of bike riding, but I am trying to keep him doing it so he doesn't quit. He will ride if I am right beside him.
*Dallin "sings" to make people happy or to make Kate or Madison stop crying. He thinks it is magic because it was on SuperWhy. Maybe he is right. Every time I am mad at him and he starts squatting/bouncing along and "singing" (I use the term loosely since there are no words and he is a little tone deaf) I can't help myself and I end up smiling. See! Magic!
*"I use the potty all the time just like Elmo" Elmo is the standard by which we live. Dallin wears underwear during the day and STAYS DRY! Yippee! He even stays dry during naps. He still wears a pullup at night and when we go to church or nana's house. I hesitate to fully put him in underwear since just when I think it is a non issue, he pees on the floor at Wal-Mart or on nana's carpet. Sigh....well, 3 times out of 4 ain't bad!
*Dallin can recognize 2 of something. I know this may not seem like a big deal, but he is not quite 3 and I am impressed. He can count into the teens, but I have never really thought he grasped numbers as an amount of THINGS. The past couple of days, he will point and say "Look mommy, there are two ____" and he is right! What a smartie!
*Dallin is getting really good at playing soccer. He will kick the ball, and he has even gotten in a few good steals from me. He will also tell you "No touch the ball with your hands. Papa said." LOL
*Dallin got stuck IN the rocking chair! How might this happen? He wouldn't sit down on the chair and ended up tipping the whole thing over. I had just barely called my mom to ask a question. He landed with his knees in the slats on the back of the chair and started complaining that his legs hurt. I gruffly told him to get up and he said he couldn't. I thought he was kidding and tried to pull him up...he was good and STUCK. At first it was kind of funny because where his knees landed, he was suspended in mid-air by his knees on the back of the rocker. (This was when I took the pic) but I quickly began to freak out when I couldn't get his out and his legs turned reddish purple. I grabbed up my phone and told my mom I needed another adult, I couldn't get him out. By the time she got here, he was out (He told me to put him back though so nana could help him) but those legs were pretty red for the rest of the day.
Kate
*Kate is not quite as verbal so there are as many Kateisms. She can say "thank you" and loves to watch anything Elmo. She will also play with her Tickle Me Elmo all the time. It is really funny to watch her "tickle" him.
*Kate is becoming fiercely opinionated. She wants to do things her way when she wants. This has led to temper tantrums and timeouts.
*Kate LOVES Dallin and they play together quite a bit (mostly nicely). She can hold her own.
*Kate loves to play soccer in the backyard.
*Kate no longer looks like a baby. She has come into her own and has fully entered toddlerhood. She is getting taller and has more and more hair that I love to style.
Here are some pictures of some of the great dos we have tried.
Kate with bobbed piggy braids

Kate with criss cross hair