Easter

Easter in Galena had a different rhythm this time. While there was a similar cast of characters (the Petersens joined us, and Ryan's friend, Marta), Ava and Cal were two years older than the last time. And what a difference that makes!

The Easter Bunny didn't come to the house this year so we had to go find it -- I mean, him. He, right? Cal was suspicious of the creature so we skipped the photo op.

But with some thoughtful planning on Grammy's part we did all the other expected things: an egg hunt, baked some cookies, and colored some eggs.

Most of the adults found a worship service on Easter Sunday, but the kids stayed back at the house with Uncle Kurt and Aunt Denee. After brunch they dug into baskets filled with treats; I took pictures of adorable toes.

Pronouns and Prepositions

I admit that I haven't paid much attention to developmental benchmarks. I figure that each child learns at their own pace, so as long as Calvin demonstrates consistent growth, we're fine. Perhaps that's a simplistic approach, but it's working so far.

One side effect is utter amazement when my little guy exhibits a new skill set, especially with language. The latest shocker is his use of pronouns and prepositions.

Settling into dinner one night, Calvin was outlining who should sit where. But instead of speaking in the third person, "Calvin sits in Calvin's chair", he said, "Calvin sits in his chair", "Mommy sits in her chair"!

Which reminds me, his complete sentences now include prepositional phrases. Cal has a great grasp on whether he'd like to sit on or beside me, if he would prefer to go up or down the stairs, or whether I should walk in front of or behind him.

And it seems that Cal has a good grip on sentence structure. Spotting our cat the other day, he told me, "Mommy, Jake is in chair." Then immediately corrected himself. "Jake is in the chair."

Of course, he hasn't mastered everything. Cal still says, "mines" instead of "mine". As in, "This cup is mines." An adorable mix-up, I think, and it makes perfect sense. If this is yours, or hers, or his ... then it should be mines as well. He almost has me convinced!

Bravo, Son!!

Strolling Galena

Perhaps the tales recorded here show that life is busy these days. There are birthdays to celebrate and trips to take, and before we know it, four months have passed between visits with friends.

We carved out some time for a great weekend in Galena with our good friends, Jeff and Kira, beautiful Maeve, and their playful dog, Scout. Of course we were glad that we did.

Galena inspires relaxation. Whether we're playing games at the house or wandering the streets downtown, it's always a good time.

It was still chilly, but we bundled up a couple of times to brave the great outdoors. Not interested in riding in his stroller, Cal gave Pooh Bear a ride instead, nice and warm.

There's a Baby in Your Belly

People keep asking Calvin if there's a baby in Mommy's belly and he has always given the same answer: "No". This response is accompanied by the best "why would you ask such a crazy question?!" look on his little face.

Of course, as soon as I start to tell people that Cal might figure out that a baby's coming when we bring one home from the hospital, he changes his tune.

When Eric asked him to say "hi" to the baby, he leaned into my abdomen and said, "Hi Baby!". To the follow-up question, "What's in Mommy's belly?" he answered confidently, "A baby! There's a baby in your belly!"

Smarty pants.

Happy Birthday, Dear Maracas

Inspired by our freestyle jam in music class, I found some maracas for Calvin to use at home. Actually, I found three sets and took them to Montana for all of the children to enjoy.

In a beautiful demonstration of "what's mine is yours", Calvin and Chloe divided two of the sets, taking one of each for themselves, leaving one of each for the other.

These maracas remain a dear friend for Calvin even after we've come home. They go with him to daycare, to bed, and most definitely to Grandma's house.

A week after our time in Montana, we headed over the border and through the suburbs to Grandma's house to celebrate HER birthday. Along the way, Cal and I practiced singing "Happy Birthday" to Grandma. With all the practice we've had lately, he fell right in line.

Happy Birthday, dear Grandma .... We repeated the song a dozen times before he started to switch it up.

Happy Birthday, dear Mommy ....
Happy Birthday, dear Calvin ....
Happy Birthday, dear Pooh Bear ....

And then it happened. Calvin cracked his first joke:

Happy Birthday, dear maracas ... and then he laughed and laughed and laughed. Our little comedian.