Happy Do-day, Daddy!

Alex's birthday was on Sunday (yesterday), and we celebrated with songs and grasshopper pie (one of his favorites)! Kiana sang him happy birthday in the sweetest way possible:

Happy do-day, Daddy! Happy do-day, Daddy! Happy do-day, Daddy! Happy do-day, Daddy!
(SO sweet!)

We let him sleep in, and then opened presents at the breakfast table. The kids made a puzzle for him (we got a blank puzzle that  they drew their own art on, so that you have to put the puzzle together to see the artwork), which was tough (very modern art-ish!) but fun! & We followed presents with a delicious birthday breakfast (breakfast potatoes, ham, perfectly ripe canteloupe, & juice).

After church, Laurie brought Emi home to play with Aidan while Kiana napped, and the two adults had a date: we walked through Fort Tryon Park's heather garden (full of blossoming spring flowers!) to the Cloisters, had lunch there, and then wandered around exploring Renaissance tapestries, sculptures, implements and architecture. We enjoyed having uninterrupted conversations, and being able to stand tall, hand in hand, without the weight of (crying,laughing, sleeping,/otherwise) small beings.

Then we came home, and were happy to be joyfully welcomed by those same small beings: Kiana had had a wonderful nap, and Aidan and Emi had built play-dough-and-marker sculptures (very different from the Renaissance ones we had been looking at!), and basked in being allowed to watch "George of the Jungle" (a movie) AND two "Dora the Explorer" shows (a major TV treat!). We all had grasshopper pie for mid-afternoon snack (it was perfect!), and then went to Javits. Both kids played baseball with Daddy for a while, and clambered up and around the arched and flat monkey bars. At home again, we had nachoes, followed by more grasshopper pie (Aidan switched to Caburry chocolate Easter eggs, and was in Heaven to be allowed to have *5*).  It was a wonderful day!

Kiana woke up this morning with another present for Daddy: she pulled me out into the living room, and before doing anything else, found the baseball mit, gave me a ball, and demanded that I play baseball with her ("bay-boll!!"). She even has her own baseball song. ("Bay boll! bay boll! Bay bol bay boll bay boll!") Defintely her daddy's daughter!!!

Here are some excerpts from Kiana's conversations, recently:
- "MAMA dress me!" (not Daddy)
- "Me dahs! (me dance)!"
- "Me Ehmo! (Me / I want Elmo)! Pease Ehmo! (Please, Elmo)!"
- "Dop dere [Stop there]. Does in [Toes in]. Whee!" [Getting Elmo to sit up in her lap, so they both can ride her rocking-moose together.]
- "A B D D dah dah dah dah dah!" (ABC song)
- "One, two, ree (three), foah (four), fah (five), fix (six), deven (seven), eight, nine!" (she can count to ten, but sometimes skips either ONE or TEN)
+ LOTS of songs: about Elmo, Daddy, Mommy, everyone! & Especially in the bath. I love that both of my kids love singing, and think that it's totally normal to sing about anything, any time!

PS Sorry about the side-ways Aidan photo - Blogger has "upgraded" and is now messing with me. AURGH!