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.

Alright, Alright…

So where have I been, right?  ALL OVER.

Things have been really crazy this year, so I’ll apologize for dropping off the blogging.  Here’s what has happened to keep me away from my fans:

We prepared and sold our house
Daddy graduated
We had a house build in Huntsville
We moved out of our home in Cookeville
We’re now bumming around Grandmama’s and Granpa’s house until our new house is done

It’s been a lot of fun, but Mommy and Daddy have had a lot to do and haven’t gotten to help me blog much.

So what’s new? Well, I’ve said goodbye to my friends at daycare. I had a lot of fun there and they took good care of me, but I’m excited about the new house, too. While we’re staying at Grandmama’s and Grandpa’s, I’ve met some other kids on the trips to the park. They’ve taught me new games like “chase the ducks with a stick”, “stick my face in the dirt”, and “jump off the top of the playplace”. Funny… Daddy won’t let me play any of those games. He’s a party pooper. OH! Speaking of pooping..

I’ve been working on the potty training thing. I’m really good about going pee pee in the potty, but I’m still scared of pooping in it. Mommy says that she read that children are afraid to poop in the potty, because if poop can be flushed, the kids think they could be, too! Truth is, I’m mostly just scared of not being able to frustrate Mommy and Daddy so easily. So I’ll keep pooping in my pull-ups. Mommy and Daddy tell me that the characters on my pull-ups don’t like it (Tow Mater, Woody, and others), but I haven’t heard them complain yet.

I guess that’s a pretty good summary of what I’m doing at the moment. Daddy starts work next week and he’ll have to go down there Monday. Mommy will head down Wednesday for the final walk-through on the house (they did the initial one yesterday). I’ll come down Friday with Grandmama and Grandpa. I can’t wait to see my new room! I’ll have a bedroom AND a playroom!! Mommy and Daddy seem to be coping with the stress pretty well, despite having to try to deal with all the paperwork, phonecalls, and the purchase of all the stuff that has to go in the house.

There will be pictures once Daddy has an office again

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.

 

Learning to Talk

So I figure there are two major parts to learning to talk.  The first, of course, is being able to understand what others are saying.  I’m really good at this.  Here are a few things that I understand:

“Put that back”
“Sit Down”/”Stand Up”
“Give *name of person* a hug”
“Put that in the trash”
“Take that out of your mouth”
“Don’t eat the kitty”

The second part is learning to make the sounds yourself.  Now, it’s not that I’ve been incapable of copying the sounds that Mommy and Daddy make.  After all, I picked up several words long ago.  It’s just that, quite frankly, talking just didn’t seem that terribly critical.  With the proper mix of grunts, expressions, and hand motions, I can communicate quite effectively.  However, I have noticed lately that Mommy and Daddy (and now the grandparents, too!) have been making a point to have me try to say what I want.  Apparently they feel it’s time that I make the switch.  And to add insult to insult, they are even refusing to give me what I want if I’m whining.  I guess they don’t understand that I whine when I want something, not when I don’t want it.  Perhaps they are ones who need to work on their ability to communicate.

Anyway, I have been practicing.  I’m getting really good at repeating words back to them.  I’ve been able to use words like “Momma”, “Dada”, “Zeus”, “Kitty”, “No”, and others for a long time.  Now, though, I’m repeating back new words like “Door”, “Window”, “Cricket”, and others.  With a little more practice, I should be able to talk all on my own!  I’m a practical guy.  I suppose I can learn to use words if it really does help someone communicate.   In the meantime, though, I’ll continue to grunt.  And blog.

Things are heating up

Hi everyone!  I took a little break from blogging.  The weather has gotten so nice!  I think Mommy and Daddy are starting to get in the Summer mood, too.  We went to Walmart and got me some new stuff.  They got me some new sandals (my old ones were getting a little small), a cool ball to play with that looks like a globe, a new pool (because last year’s is too small), and some new clothes.  I’m REALLY excited about the pool.  Last year, I got to play in my little pool a lot.  I don’t like to stay in the pool, of course, but it’s fun to walk around it and push the sides down so the water can pour out.

Mommy and Daddy also said that I need to be sure to mention my new ability to say belly button.  Now, as it has an unnecessarily high number of syllables, I tend to shorten it to “Bay buh”.  This, of course, gets the point across, and I always make sure to point at mine or Mommy’s or Daddy’s in case there is any confusion.

You know what’s really fun?  Driveways.  I love to pick up the little rocks and chunks of asphalt.  Mommy and Daddy won’t let me into the house with them, though, so I try to leave myself a pile by the door (though the pile does seem to disappear sometimes).  Luckily, Daddy has been showing me how to use pockets, so I think I have a way around this.

Did I mention that I have a new booster seat?  The coolest thing is that I can now buckle myself in.  Mommy and Daddy just hand me the straps and I click the 3 straps together all by myself.  Sometimes it takes a while because I get one twisted or upside-down, but I can do it if given enough time.

Mommy and Daddy took some pictures the other day, so I’ll bet they’ll be asking me to post those once they upload them.