Some Pics From the Last Little While

Here are AJ and Makenna on our trip to the zoo. No, he's not on his knees. Makenna is really that much taller than AJ. Two months younger, but a lot taller.

So, I guess I'll start with the zoo pictures.

This next picture is just AJ and Makenna sipping their waters as we're passing the Dromedary Camels.
The next picture is just moments earlier. I wanted a picture of our crew at the zoo.
In the picture, are Jen with Jaxon and Emerson in the stroller, Dexter in my stroller, and AJ and Makenna walking.
Now, I really need to learn how to use my camera, because I just can't do any of the neat stuff that I see other people do. It's probably too, that I just don't have the eye for that kind of thing. Nonetheless, I really liked this little series of pictures that I took of AJ walking on the train tracks at the zoo.








Time to show off my little artist/writer. Below, you can see some of AJ's awesome colouring. Now, the really awesome colouring is me... but the other awesome colouring, like the circles and the treads are AJ. What I really want to draw attention to is that he copied the word WallE at the bottom there. You can see where he squished in the extra L. Under this picture is him writing it again. He has since learned that the E doesn't have quite as many lines. He know says, "First a line, and then top middle bottom."






Next we have a look at a day at the park. Dexter is so excited that he is big enough and agile enough to play at the mini structure called Toddler Town. I don't quite have him independently setting himself up at the top of the slide, but he's really close. He already knew to go on his tummy and start trying to get his feet down first.


Beep Beep, coming through!
AJ and Makenna showing how 'the big kids getter done'.

Next is a picture of the boys on the baby swings before Auntie Jen arrived. Yes, for a long time now AJ has been capable of swinging and having under-ducks on the big kid swings, but it's nice and easy to push them both on the baby swings side by side and they think it's pretty fun, which is not evident in their facial expressions.

AJ and Dexter having a bit of morning snack/lunch at the park.



Sorry, once again, I realized I forgot to rotate and picture and now can't be bothered to turn it. What you see below here is Dexter attempting to climb the loft bed where AJ sleeps. He succeeded in getting both feet up on the first rung of the ladder. In the picture, he's just on the reading mattress, not on the ladder.






Dexter loves AJ's camera. He'll toddle around the house with it, lifting it up to his eyes. Super cute.


Dexter has learned to be quite proficient with a fork. I say 'learned' but it appears he just instinctually knew how. That's my eater.


Richard and I were on the same wavelength the other day. We were both thinking it was time to get AJ a 'big kid puzzle'. You know, like not wood, and maybe with 60-100 pieces. Richard headed to Walmart to see what they had. He came home with the 300 piece 'family puzzle' seen below that I will discuss and rant about afterward.
Okay, so it has AJ sized kid pieces on the right half. My guess would be about 100. On the left, is about 200 little tiny mom and dad size pieces. He had no problem doing the border, although it was way too time consuming for an almost 3 year old's attention span. But this freakin' thing is like a Where's Waldo picture. My eyes were going buggy. We must've worked for over 2 hours lazily. It wasn't like I could hand him a bunch of red pieces and say, "Here, work on the flower" which is the way that he usually does puzzles. He works on sections, like someone face, or a certain character first, or what have you. This time, it was more like, "Here's 4 pieces that look like they might be the swimming pool. See what you can make of it, eh?" Nonetheless, he had fun and really wanted to do it again the next day. We said, "Maybe you can take it to Gram's house!!!!"


On Friday, I watch Jack and Rya. Auntie Erica has started back to work, so we're switching care of the kids again. Here's a little look at our day.

Below is AJ and Jack wearing red because they just had their Valentine's Day party at preschool. They are talking on phones, and calling each other Fireman Jack and Fireman AJ.


Here are Jack and AJ playing downstairs so they don't wake Dexter. They had already woken Rya. They were supposed to nap, but were a little too goofy. They are breaking all of my little rules about the downstairs playroom like 'no dumping' and 'AJ's toys stay on AJ's side' and 'Dexy's toys stay on the baby side'. But I can't complain. They must've played down there for about 1.25 hours or so and with no problems or arguements at all. And, no destruction! They had big fun.


Here are Dexter and Rya enjoying their after-nap bottles. Rya says, "What nap? I don't like naps."

Here are Dexy and Rya. Dexter still has his "I'm teething and I just woke up" flushed cheeks.



Here are Dexter and Rya trying to navigate the ride on car and plane.



Here's Dexy pushing Rya down the hall on the ride on vehicle.




I think that's about it!!!