Much much much too long

So… obviously, a lot has happened since the last time I posted.  It’d be a bit difficult to try to bring you up to speed with everything, so I’ll just pretend like I never quit posting.

Mommy’s tummy is getting SO big!  Sometimes I can feel the baby kicking, which is kinda funny.  It always makes Mommy happy when the baby kicks her.  Unfortunately, they must like the baby more than me, because I always get in trouble when I kick Mommy.  Then again, I suppose it’d be a bit hard to put the baby in timeout.  I’m not sure tummies have corners.

If you haven’t heard, I’ll be having a little brother!  He’s due around July 6th, and Mommy and Daddy have already picked a name out: Alexander Steven Morgan.  Not too shabby.  It’s no Daniel Benjamin, but we can’t all be so lucky.

Nana visited this weekend (and Daddy had Friday off work), so we did a lot of work in the baby’s room.  Nana and Mommy painted, and then the grownups put together the crib.  If Daddy could remember to bring the memory card home from work, we could take some pictures of the new room… but you’ll have to wait.

This weekend was also warm enough to do a little fishing.  Daddy said I needed a better fishing pole, so we picked one up first, and then we hit the lake.  I mostly just practiced my casting, but we caught a handful of fish between me and Daddy.  My new pole is REALLY nice.  I think I can cast it about eleven million thousand feet, but Daddy says it’s more like fifty feet, but that it’s still really awesome.

Here are a few recent pics for your viewing pleasure:

Happy Birthday to ME!

I’m three!  My birthday was on Tuesday, and it was really cool.  I didn’t have a party or anything, but Daddy brought home awesome balloons and I got some really cool presents.

Also, Ms. Mallory (a friend of Mommy and Daddy from college who’s now working in Huntsville as a NASA Co-op) joined us for dinner and cupcakes.  I took a picture of her so everyone can see:

That’s her with the arm.

OH… and since Mommy and Daddy just noticed that they have incriminating photos of me at every birthday, allow me to introduce: THE ICING CHRONICLES – Birthday 1, 2, and 3.

Notice a trend?    I make messes.  It’s just how I roll.

In honor of my birthday, I thought I should list which wishes came true and which will have to wait until next year -

Fulfilled Wishes:

• Getting Balloons!
• Receiving Truck and Car Toys
• Eating lots of Cup Cakes
• Being THREE!

Wishes not yet fulfilled:

• Getting to go to bed whenever I want
• No more time outs
• A puppy
• Getting to play with playdough every day

Maybe next year…

Updates

So… you know what’s bad about being as cute as I am?  Posts just aren’t as interesting without pictures.  The problem here is that most of the ways that I post pictures seem to be having problems lately.

But that’s ok…. we’ll find a way that works.

I promised you all a pic of my newly shortened hair.  Well, here it is.  It know it’s a little dark, but almost all of the pictures we have are dark (because they’re inside) or I’m outside but wearing a hat.  After all, it’s is summer and a little fuzzy headed boy like myself would hate to get a sunbun atop my noggin.

And yes… I’m eating french fries out of a car.  How cool is that?!

I’m sure you’re wondering what I’ve been up to lately.  As you might imagine, it takes a lot of crazy to keep me away from blogging this long, but a lot of crazy is just what we’ve had.

We have had a lot of people visit lately and it has been a lot of fun!  I’ve gotten to see Grandmama, Grandpa, Opa, Uncle Paul, Aunt Courtney, Nana, and Aunt Rebekah!  Plus, with Uncle Todd and Aunt Sarah living so close, I’m getting to see them a lot, too.  This next weekend, Uncle Chris and Aunt Stacey are coming to see us, and the weekend after that Grandmama and Grandpa are coming back!!

The best thing about relatives is that they can’t help but shower me with attention and affection.  I mean seriously… how could anyone pass up a rare opportunity to chase me around the house playing hide and seek or reading a book or fishing.

FISHING!!!  I love fishing!  I know what you’re thinking… Yes, I’m only three.  Yes, I’m supposed to have the attention span of a chipmunk on speed.  Yes, fishing requires a level of finesse and patience that most kids my age could never muster.  Just chalk it up to one more proof that I’m exceptional.  The first day I went fishing, Daddy and Opa took me and we fished for 3 hours straight before dinner and another hour after.  Since then, I’ve had Daddy take me several times, Grandpa and Daddy take me once, and Daddy, Uncle Paul, and Aunt Courtney take me.  Now I’ll admit, I only stay really attentive when the fish are super active.  There are some times when the fish just aren’t as hungry, and I take that opportunity to wave my fishing net in the air, toss rocks into the water, rummage through tackle boxes, tear plastic worms into tiny pieces with needle nose pliers, and ask “why” fifty billion times.  Many times, though, the fish are super hungry and I’m more than happy to just relax and reel them in.

I’m rapidly approaching my third birthday!  It’s September 9th, and I’m very excited about being a year older.  It is my understanding that anniversaries of one’s birth carry great cultural significance, hence the celebration and offering of gifts.  I also believe that children are generally given more freedom and responsibility as they age, so I think this is my chance… I have it all planned out:

Me: “Mommy, can I get a tattoo?  I want a giant S on my chest like Superman”

Mommy: “What?!  NO you can’t have a tattoo!”

Me: “Ok, then I guess I’ll go wtih the belly button piercing”

Mommy: “ABSOLUTELY NOT.  You’re not getting a piercing either.”

Me: “Aww… how about a puppy?”

Mommy: “Fine.  But you’re not getting a tattoo or piercing”

And there you have it.  Many of you will remember that we had Zeus until we moved to Huntsville.  Zeus was a difficult kitty.  He liked to pee on laundry and would take most opportunities to run outside.  At one point, he disappeared for almost two weeks.  We ended up letting him stay with Nana.  They have another cat (Captain Jack), and the two seem to really enjoy eachother’s company.

Mommy, every boy needs a puppy.  That’s just the truth of the matter.  We don’t need a big one, either.  How about one of these?!

Norwhich Terrier

French Bulldog

White Terrier

See, Mommy!  I’m little and the dogs are little.  It was meant to be!  I think this is the part where I insert empty promises like “I’ll feed him and take him on walks every day” and where Mommy quietly considers how much work “my” puppy would mean for her and Daddy.  Still… it never hurts to ask.

Weekend of Awesome

It really was.  Grandpa picked me up Friday morning and took me to Hendersonville.  We had a lot of fun.  I had Wendy’s for lunch, and since it was Grandpa, I actually ate some of my chicken nuggets.  I also got to have some Fries and a bit of Frosty, and we got to visit Grandmama at her work and see all the office ladies.

Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Todd and Aunt Sarah all came for the weekend, too.  Taking the rare opportunity to please such a large audience, I performed my famous sumersaults and pot-lid percussion routines.  I have also deduced that sticking fingers in one’s ears is a form of praise much like applause.  I mean, why else would they do it every time I brought those lids close?

Can anyone else hear that ringing?

And I got to go on a boat!  Daddy, Grandpa, and I hit the lake for some water fun.  I was a little nervous at first, but I was very brave and had a LOT of fun.  My favorite parts were the bumps… if they stopped, I’d just hop in Daddy’s lap until I was tired.  And there were ducks!  And BABY boats!!  Ok, so I think I heard Daddy call the baby boat a “Jetski”, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a baby boat.

 

Spirit Week

We’ve got Spirit
Yes we do!
We’ve got Spirit
So I’m blue!

Ok, so it needs a little work.

It was Spirit Week at the daycare.  Here’s what we had planned:

Monday – Pajama day
Tuesday – Crazy Hair
Wednesday – Wacky Tacky Clothes
Thursday – Favorite Color (our class was Blue)
Friday – TTU Pride

So on Monday, I wore regular pajamas.  The real excitement started Tuesday.  Daddy took me to Walmart, and we got some blue hair gel.

It.  Was.  Awesome.

I got to wear it Tuesday and Thursday, since one day was for hair and the other was for the color blue.  The first day, my hair was still a little too long, so it didn’t spike very well.  Still, it was cool:

 

Mommy and Daddy learned their lesson, though, and shortened it up for Thursday.

I think this hair says “That’s right punk.  Walk away.  Cuz I’m crazy and you know I’ll mess you up.”

And what of Wacky Tacky Day?  Well, let’s just say that we will never speak of it again.  I was so Wacky and Tacky, that no pictures will ever be released.  Just leave it alone, people.  We do not speak of such things.

And Friday?  Well, I wasn’t at daycare Friday.  Grandpa picked me up and we got an early start on our “Weekend of Awesome”.  But that, dear readers, is another post.

Happy Birthday to Me!

That’s right… I’m now the Big Two.  I don’t know why people keep calling it the “Terrible Twos”.  I’m having a great time.  Mommy and Daddy are finally learning to understand Danglish (Daniel English… I figure people would get confused if I shorten it Danish).  I mean seriously… I understand that they’re getting old, but is it really so hard to understand that Neos means Sandals, Beeboo means Paper, and Kahkoo means motorcycle, bicycle, circle, ring, finger, and sock?

I had a really fun party, too.  Lots of friends and family!  And I got some great presents… everything from some cool new books to a big car and motorcycle toy that are big enough to ride on.  Mr. Jim even got me some safety gear!  Plus he got me a blank license plate.  He said we can write “Daniel” on it if it’s going on the car, but if we decide to put it on the bike, we have to write “Snake”.  I, of course, prefer snake.  Unfortunately, having no riding gloves, I’m forced to wear Daddy’s motorcycle gloves.

The whole party was fun, though.  We hung out, played in the house a bit, and finally moved outside where I could enjoy my new riding toys.  I wonder what I’ll get next year?!  I think I heard Daddy mention a dirt bike and Mommy mention a giant inflatable bubble.

I’m back!

So Daddy is off work now.  His Co-op finished and he gets to spend some time at home until classes start back up this fall.  Now, he and Mommy can spend a little more time helping me blog.  We’ve done a lot of stuff lately!  I’m still going to day care because I have so much fun there, and I have to keep going to keep my slot.

 The weather has been so great!  Mommy and Daddy let me play outside every day.  Grandpa and Grandmama came over a couple weeks ago, and we did a lot of stuff in the yard.  Now, I get to help water almost every night.    The coolest thing is the flowers we put in.  They are really neat, and they keep getting bigger and bigger!  I planted a tree, too!  We also got a new pool, and it’s a lot more fun than the little one I had last year.  Since I know you all want to see them, here are some pics from my recent adventures.

 

March of the Daniels

Last night Mr. Thomas and Ms. Summer came over for dinner and brought their Daniel.  Their Daniel is tiny!  And squishy.  Mommy and Daddy say I used to be that small too, but I think they’re mistaken.  We had a lot of fun together, even though he can’t walk.  Or crawl.  Or sit up.  It’s not his fault - he’s little.  He also seemed a little afraid I’d squish him.  I wouldn’t though!  I was as gentle with him as I am with the kitty!  In other news, the kitty has been walking funny since I body-slammed him last week…

Mommy picked me up early again yesterday and today.  We played all afternoon and went for walks and had so much fun!  Mommy looks awfully tired though!  It’s so warm out now that we can go for walks everyday, and Mommy doesn’t sound so funny when we go up the hills now.  We also get to play outside at daycare on the playground too.  Today I played with the toddlers!  One of my toddler friends showed me all of their toys.  They’re way better than the toys in the baby playground!

Nightmares and zippers and things like Chemistry

Lately, I’ve been waking up and immediately crying really hard. In the past, Mommy and Daddy would hear me talking to Mr. Floppy (my bunny) or other bedroom accessories. After I played for a bit and relaxed, I’d then inform them of my readiness to get up with a sincere and escalating call. These days, though, I’ve been instantly going from asleep to completely awake and really upset. Mommy and Daddy think I might be having nightmares. All I know is I don’t like it.

I’ve been trying to figure out how zippers work. I first learned while attempting to escape my cotton prison during nap time. PJs are for babies. This, of course, led to Mommy and Daddy coming to my crib to find me partially or completely disrobed, including diaper. And yes, it was sometimes inconvenient. And yes, it was sometimes messy. But it was also glorious. Anyway, as I had only explored the “taking off” side of zippers, I’ve decided to start learning to zip things up. Last night, Mommy and Daddy were trying to get me dressed for bed when the realized that I wasn’t leaning over to be difficult but was actually reaching for the zipper so I could zip up my PJs. With Mommy holding the pieces just right, I was able to zip the outfit almost up past my leg. I still have some practicing to do, but that’s what nap time is for.

Mommy picked me up early from daycare yesterday and today. I like spending so much time with her! I wish it were Spring Break every week. She’s also been doing a lot of cleaning. While it’s nice to have so much room to run, she’s taking away all my toys. Now, I don’t mean the regular toys that were bought for me. I mean the extra toys, like school papers and books. How am I supposed to knock everything off the coffee table if it’s clear?! I have a hard enough time finding outlets for my need to inflict mayhem. Things are really getting out hand. I’m going to have to do something to level the playing field. It may finally be time to execute plan Alpha Male. Everything is in place, though I did have a surprisingly hard time finding peppermint-flavored staplers. Now, if I can just find a way to open the lid on the motor oil…

 

Great weekend!

I had an awesome weekend!  Saturday morning, Mommy, Daddy, and I went to see Nana and Papa!!

On Saturday, I got to play a lot of cool games.  One of Mommy’s and Daddy’s friends has DDR (Dance, Dance, Revolution).  At first, I just watched, but it looked like so much fun.  It’s easy!  Basically, when the music starts, you just stomp on the pad.  Uncle Chris stomps on a lot of different pads as the music plays, but I like to just stand on one arrow and stomp really fast.  Daddy tried to give me my own pad by putting my changing pad on the floor, but it just wasn’t the same.  With a little convincing, I got Uncle Chris to let me share his pad.  We did much better that way.

 Another cool toy I got to play with was Daddy’s Rubix Cube.  He messes with it when we’re in town, but he hasn’t completed it yet.  I’m trying to decide how much more time to give him.  The basic algorithm is quite simple, and it pains me to see him struggling with it so.  I tried to give him hints by hitting certain edges on the floor or chewing strategic corners, but I don’t think he picked up on it.  I figure I’ll give him a couple more tries to finish it.  I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings.

 

I also got to go to church and hang out in the nursery for a while.  Everyone there is really nice, and I got to see some more of the family.  Overall, it was a really cool weekend.  I’m also glad for Mommy because next week is Spring Break.  She loves spending time with me, but she knows how much I love being at daycare and how much I learn there.  She and Daddy talked about it, and they decided I can still go to daycare some, even though Mommy’s not in school.  She deserves a break!  She’s been working really hard at practicum, school, and at home.  Mommy says she might steal me away from daycare for a day, and that would be fun, too!

Oh yeah!  And I learned something new this weekend!  The kitchen pantry at Nana’s and Papa’s has a loose door knob, and I can open it!  On most doors, it’s too tight for me to turn the knob.  I know what to do, but I just can’t get my hands around it and turn it far enough.  That one door knob, though, is just light enough for me to open!  And now, Mommy and Daddy can tell me how to throw stuff away, too.  At home or at Nana’s and Papa’s, they can hand me something and say “Throw this away, please.”  At home, I can flip up the lid, throw away whatever I’m holding, and shut the lid.  At Nana’s and Papa’s, I’ll open the pantry, throw it away, and close the door.  They say I’m really smart, because I only throw away what they ask me to, and I know how to open and close stuff.  I keep trying to tell them that I’ve always been this smart, but I finally have time for silly things like garbage disposal.

 New food I like: Black-eyed peas.  Suspiciously nutritive, yet delicious.