Escaping!!!

I caught Pfluger on camera being innovative in the back yard! The picture is taken through the screen and window, so the quality isn't great, but its enough to get the idea. Enjoy!

Balloons & Grocery Stores

When we go to the grocery store, Daniel notices the balloons almost every time. Of course they are high enough to see from the whole front of the store. :) We were in Costco the other day and I stopped to wipe the cart clean. Daniel pointed and said, "That, that, I want that" in his loud and high-pitched voice. We moved closer to the wipes, thinking that is what he wanted, but as we did, he raised his hand up...and pointed to the balloons!
His insistence grew louder and his pointing more determined.
All the strings were tangled, and I had to donate a dollar, but he got his balloon. It ended up being the biggest one--yellow, and had two blow pops tied to the bottom to keep it weighted. Blow Pops anyone?!?
He played with it all over the store.
Now, he's playing with Daddy's opened deodorant, so got to go...

Baby is moving!

We learned from the sonogram that baby is a mover--she wouldn't stay still, and kept moving her hands all over. (Daniel also did the same thing!)
There have been two times today that I have felt the baby move--really little kicks to my stomach. I figure some of them are in reaction to Daniel stepping on her, or climbing over her :) I guess she has got to learn to hold her own soon enough.
Anyway, thought I'd share the news.

Daniel LOVES Balls--Thanks JJ

I was doing something in the back of the house on Saturday and heard Daniel giggling and screaming in the front room with Clinton. I went in to enjoy this scene! It was delightful.

JJ, Lewis, Aiden, Brooks, Cate--thank you for the wonderful balls! As you can tell, we're REALLY enjoying them. :)



Not only is this a fun experience with Daniel, but it's also Clinton's premiere using iMovie! Great job honey.

About a Daniel

Daniel is moving about, growing and developing every day. Especially for those of you who live far away, I thought you'd enjoy this glimpse of our one-year-old boy! He's such a joy.



Oh, and now I know that you can't rotate video--sorry about the side angle perspective!

Please...

Daniel has learned the sign "please," and is getting quite good at using it, especially when prompted. However, he just came up to me and reached to sit on my lap. I diverted him with a toy, so he walked around my chair, hurdled a few piles and reams of paper to come to the other side of our computer desk. He then signed "please" and pointed up to the top shelf of the desk. He didn't want the mouse, the camera or the rubix cube, but instead reached for the New Orleans shot glass! (We use it for coins; however, this one happened to be empty.) He's now toting it around the room!
I guess I'm a sucker for manners! :)


















...well, that was stupid! Sorry Clinton, you're now one shot glass short--oops! Daniel made it to the kitchen floor, and now I have another reason to sweep and vacuum! Off I go to it.

Fruits of our labor

We've been working hard on the garden this year. So far, we've had good experiences working the soil, planting the plants, watering despite Pfluger (our dog who LOVES to chew the hoses) and weeding (thanks to Clinton--you can see him in the background of the grape picture weeding the garden).

Currently, however, we are fighting ants on our grapes and pill bugs or something on our squash. So, as we are coming into the heat, we get to start fighting bugs!!! Wahoo! Despite all this, we are hopeful, and enjoy looking out at our yard and know we're doing our part. Enjoy the pictures!

It's a girl!

We found out this morning that we'll be having a girl! Plus, she's very healthy and progressing well. Now it's time to start thinking of names.

"That," "What's That?" and "I want that!"

Daniel is becoming so communicative. In the car, he will sing and sigh and pat his hand in front of his mouth making a "Ah-wa-wa-wa-wa" sound. He is now signing: more, milk, please, and seems to know what they mean. We're working on Amen--this one is slow going because he doesn't want to stay still for prayers. (I'm open for suggestions on how you taught this to your kiddos.)
He also loves toothbrushes (and most things in the bathroom!) In the morning, he will sit on our bed and point through the bathroom door, saying "that, that, that" in successively higher-pitched tones until we manage to distract him (rare), or give him his toothbrush. We have now implemented a new rule in our house that you only play with your own toothbrush!
He shared his vocal talent yesterday at the Mount Bonnell (the Young Single Adult) ward--one not used to noises during the sacrament. We went to hear Aunt Candace speak about her mission, which she did quite successfully, and at several quiet times during the meeting, everybody heard "What's that?" in a very high-pitched voice. He walked the back row and distracted everybody from the High Council speaker--sorry Brother Simonsen!

Just now, he succeeded in opening the bathroom doors, looked at me while pointing his finger at the toothbrushes and said, "I want that!" I guess we now have three phrases to use!

Oh, and Daniel is figuring out doors and doorknobs! Watch out us!

First Father & Son Campout

Clinton and Daniel had their first Fathers & Sons Campout last night with the men from church. Daniel helped Daddy pack up the car by checking the tire pressure and working on the bumper, then they were off.
I learned I have a lot to learn about these events when packed a bib for Daniel's dinner. I was amused to hear Clinton laughing when I told him this and he admitted he wasn't going to use a bib on a F&S campout--silly me! I'm grateful Clinton volunteered to help with the laundry as well.

I don't know much about the campout details--I guess that's how it's supposed to be?!? However, I was able to learn that Daniel slept well through the night and awoke early (6:00 am) with the light of day. He enjoyed climbing all over sleeping Daddy in our two-person tent. Needless to say, Daniel fell asleep in the car ride home and continued sleeping upon returning home for at least an hour...Clinton joined him in slumber land; although, he made sure this was in the comfort of his own bed without a little munchkin learning to mountain climb on him. Clinton can fill in more details, if that's not breaking a male-bonding pact. :)

Yeah for Fathers and Sons and Campouts! Maybe next year, Clinton will have two sons to accompany him on the campout! Won't that be fun (for me especially)!

Meanwhile, Candace and I had a GREAT girls night out! We can recommend Freddy's Frozen Custard, which recently opened up in Pflugerville (on 1825).

Daniel's First Birthday

On April 30, 2009, Daniel turned ONE year old. It was a great day with lots of celebration! We continued the "Train up a child" theme to culminate our year.

Thank you Grandma Wouden for coming to play--it also helped Mom get the cake decorated throughout the day. It was really wonderful having you in town. We often thought of other family members all around the world--we miss you. Daniel enjoyed your phone calls as he had learned to put the phone to his ear and make noise.

We had made a colorful train out of cardboard boxes and fun gadgets to play with. It even had a "present car," which Daniel enjoyed discovering throughout the day. He loved opening presents throughout the day and playing with all of his new toys, which included a rocket walker/rider toy, Leap Frog fridge magnets (Thanks Grandma Dee and Grandpa Dan--he knew just what to do when he opened the package, and went right to work pressing buttons!), and more.

We had a BBQ dinner of hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages with all the fixins, and of course birthday cake. Daniel thought it was more interesting to touch the fire, but luckily Daddy was there watching over him. He and all the kiddos began dismantling the train and enjoying all the frosting and goodies. It was a happy time!

Thank you for all who participated in our celebration, both near and far. We are blessed to have wonderful friends. We love Daniel and are grateful that he is in our lives. We also love being parents--families really are the way to go!

Mother's Day Bliss

While finishing my lesson preparation early Sunday morning, Daniel was drinking his milk and snuggling with me! It was a wonderful way to start Mother's Day 2009! Clinton made us scrambled-egg bagel sandwiches for breakfast and then we rushed to get ready for 8:30 am church, but not before I got two cards. Daniel signed his (see attached picture) and Clinton's poem allowed me a day of rest and relaxation--and he held me to it!

Clinton's card poem:
"Honey, it's your SPECIAL DAY, so just ignore the phone. The chores can wait, so sleep in late or spend some time alone. Enjoy your favorite magazine. Veg out and watch TV. Sit back, relax and snarf some snacks...in short, pretend you're ME."

After church, he brought me lunch, which even included chocolate milk! We all got to take a long afternoon nap, and then I got to read the Ensign and Life of Pi while he made a delicious pasta and chicken dinner with our fresh garden herbs! He, of course, did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen--another amazing treat! Talk about spoiled!
Needless to say, we slept well last night--Me, because I was relaxed, and Clinton, because he was exhausted.

Thank you, honey, for making it such a special day for me. Looks like I have a high bar to live up to for Father's Day!

REALLY Yummy Breakfast Casserole!

We used this recipe at our Visiting Teaching Conference earlier this year--it is phenomenal! I hope you all can enjoy:
“Thee” Egg Thing
Melt ½ stick (¼ cup) butter in a 9”x13” pan. In a bowl mix:
10 eggs
½ cup self-rising flour (or regular flour plus ½ teaspoon baking powder)
1 pint cottage cheese
1 lb. grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
1 small can (3 or 4 oz.) chopped green chilies

Bake for 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

New Calling

Sunday was a big day for me as I got a new calling as the Relief Society President for our ward. Life will be interesting as we get organized! I am grateful for the opportunities we have to serve.

I do feel sorry for my bathrooms--it will now be even harder for them to stay cleaned :)

Balls Balls and a Swimming Pool

It is great having Grandma Wouden in town for Daniel's first birthday. On a very rainy day, we went to run errands, including visiting the toy store for a few last-minute gifts. Daniel got to have his own playgroup in the purple-elephant swimming pool and his many ball findings. It was so much fun watching him as he is ever-more mobile. He's walking and getting more confident every day.

We love him and are so glad for the year we have been his parents.