Onion Balls

David took a keen interest in the onions on our pantry shelves. He likes to call them "balls" and his little fingers take the onion paper off one (tiny) piece at a time. I found pieces of onion paper all through our living area for several days after the onions had long disappeared.

I really thought this would be a self-correcting problem. I thought he would smell them, or even taste them when he bit into one--and then I assumed he would be done and move on.

Apparently our boy loves onions. He couldn't get enough of these balls.

Part Mouse

David's love affair with cheese carries on--he can hear the cheese drawer open, even when he's not in sight of the regrigerator. On one occasion I was trying to hide cheese from him until he finished eating a few other things on his plate. He leaned over, picked up the towel, and shook it furiously. Much to David's satisfaction, the treasured piece of cheese flew through the air. After we witnessed these sleuthing techniques, Sam commented, "I think our son is part mouse."

I couldn't agree more.

Breakup

I took David on a little stroll on one bright and sunny day in March. The clear skies pulled us outside--but the temperatures kept us bundled up. 35 degrees actually feels balmy after a long winter. It was the length of time in the cold that prompted us to bundle up--an hour walk in 35 degrees calls for this:

As we left our driveway, I could only think that David was so quiet because he was feeling cozy:

We walked along snow banks that were taller than me. At one point, I heard twigs crunching just to the left of me. I looked over, and saw a big brown ear twitch on the other side of the snow bank. The next thing I knew, I watched a HUGE cow moose catch a running start, then she heaved her weight over the 6 foot snow bank about 20 feet in front of us. My heart was pounding in my ears when I saw it all happen in what seemed like slow motion--and I was looking in every direction to see if she had a calf around. I was thankful that the moose didn't see me and the stroller, and even more thankful that she didn't seem to be looking for a baby of her own to follow her lead. A mama moose is not one to be reckoned with--just avoided as much as possible.

Other than this little surprise, our walk was calming and peaceful--enough so that David caught a few z's while I strolled him along.

After I took the above picture, I looked up to see another fellow enjoying the opportunity to walk on a clear March day. He was on the other side of the road calling out to me, "It's a warm spring day, isn't it?" I looked around and had to chuckle. Allow me to share the "warm spring day" I saw:

Not a sprinkle of green anywhere--just dirty brown snowbanks as evidence that the winter is beginning to melt away.

Maybe that's why in these parts they don't call the season "spring." They call it "breakup." As in all the ice begins to break up. A month later, and I'm still waiting to see the first colors of spring green on trees. To help the season along, I have 12 seedlings on my freezer for my summer garden.

Snow Boy

Not quite steady enough to walk in the snow--David got a taste of the cold stuff just by sitting in it.

Next year we'll have boots and mittens worthy of tromping through it and building a snowman together.

Iditarod 38

Dear Grampa,

I was able to talk mom and dad in to taking me to watch the ceremonial start of the
Iditarod Race 38 here in Anchorage.

It was really fun to watch the dogs come down the trail . . .

 pulling their sleds and mushers.

We bundled up, but it was a perfectly warm winter day at 24 degrees:

It was a great family outing, and only a mile away from where we live!

 I like to watch the dogs that live across the street from me while they play in their yard. So mom and dad thought I would get really excited about these dogs, too. I was mostly speechless--taking it all in as a truly Alaskan experience:

I hope that someday you'll have the chance to see this too.

Love, David

Favorite

One of my very favorite memories is from a bedtime routine right after David turned one. He knelt down on the ground next to us and folded his arms as we got ready for family prayer. That image of happiness found a permanent home in my heart.

It's nice to know that routines we do day after day leave their marks on our little boy. I hope he will always know that family prayer in our home is constant and a treasured time to be together.

Look what I can do!

David is learning to put together blocks.

When he makes a match, he is so pleased with himself.

In the meantime, while he tries to get the pieces lined up, he is very tenacious! He'll try and try, express some frustration, then keep tryiing. Once he gets it right, he'll wave the pieces in his little way of doing a victory dance. I think we have a problem solver on our hands!

Gym Time

David and I had a play date at the local gymnastics club in town. It was a great way to spend some time with friends! They open up all the mats, bars, beams, and bring out a few toys for the toddlers. We had fun jumping on the trampoline together, and going down this slide.

It made me realize that this was the first time David had been on a slide or a trampoline. We look forward to summer time when the frozen world outside melts into a playground!