Auntie Shannie took these fun photos for us.Happy New Year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
more story telling
Kaemon Ze's been telling me stories again (but usually only after I prime him with my own tales). Here's one he told me today:
"One day, a velociraptor ate another velociraptor! And then another velociraptor. Then there were no more velociraptors because he ate them all! So---he ran away."
Then he drew a picture to illustrate his point:
"One day, a velociraptor ate another velociraptor! And then another velociraptor. Then there were no more velociraptors because he ate them all! So---he ran away."
Then he drew a picture to illustrate his point:
Thursday, December 30, 2010
telling stories
I've started telling stories to Kaemon Ze and encouraging him to tell me stories in return. Last night, before we fell asleep, I told him a story about a velociraptor and his friend Kaemon Ze (and Kaemon's Ze's friend, Elayna). I keep them pretty short and usually start of with, "One time" or "Once upon a time" and always finish with "The end" so he knows when the story begins and ends.
After I told him two stories, he asked Daddy to tell him a story (his story was about a "very talented boy and his handsome father" who went to a swimming pool). After Daddy's story, I asked Kaemon Ze to tell us a story.
"One day a velociraptor said, "roar!"
After a pause, Daddy asked, "Then what?"
"There was a velociraptor on the t.v."
"Then there was no velociraptor."
After a pause, Daddy asked, "All done?"
"Noooooo!"
"One day there was a velociraptor come. come to drink the water."
After a pause, mama asked, "The end?"
"No."
But, he seemed to be done. To be continued, it seems. :)
After I told him two stories, he asked Daddy to tell him a story (his story was about a "very talented boy and his handsome father" who went to a swimming pool). After Daddy's story, I asked Kaemon Ze to tell us a story.
"One day a velociraptor said, "roar!"
After a pause, Daddy asked, "Then what?"
"There was a velociraptor on the t.v."
"Then there was no velociraptor."
After a pause, Daddy asked, "All done?"
"Noooooo!"
"One day there was a velociraptor come. come to drink the water."
After a pause, mama asked, "The end?"
"No."
But, he seemed to be done. To be continued, it seems. :)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
proper use of tools
JoyBoy saw Grandpa's tools on our counter, so he asked for the step-ladder to get a closer, hands-on look. Then he took off and came back with the set of tools Grandpa and Gramma had given him for Christmas. Cool!
Pulling the pliers apart.
Do pliers fit here?
How about here?Saturday, December 25, 2010
our christmas
This Christmas may have been the best Christmas yet! It was gentle and easy in the morning, fast in the afternoon, delicious and fun in the evening... all around a thoroughly enjoyable day!
We spent our "wake up" time in bed, leisurely... I brought in the stockings and we had fun opening them on the bed. Kaemon Ze got more dinosaurs in his stocking - he loved that! When he finally came out into the living room, this is what he found: a fort! Daddy had put a bundle of soft dinosaurs from Bunny and Papa inside the tent and at the exit of the tunnel was a box of dinosaurs from his uncle. He was one happy boy!
My parents, "Bunny and Papa" spent Christmas morning with us via Skype. Technically can be so wonderful!
His velociraptor meets another dino that looks like a T-Rex (I've forgotten the name).
My funny hunny wore the headlamp I gave him for hours. It was really amusing to see him wearing the headlamp while figuring out how the espresso machine works. :)
We are blessed with great neighbors, including Jessica and her family. She gave us parents a fantastic gardening book specific to the NW and broken down by months. Very helpful. She also had a few treasures for Kaemon Ze, including this chalk set with this wonderful note.
Later, his cousin stopped by to visit before dinner. She's trying on Kaemon Ze's dinosaur rock, insisting it's a costume. :)
Fun, fun! Good friends, Dan and Claudia stopped by on a lark to deliver presents! We talked them into staying for dinner (even though they had just eaten) and for our "true white elephant" gift exchange.
Kaemon Ze gets Dan "on the floor" to play with his dinosaurs and the animals Jessica gave him. "Oh good! Dinosaur food" is what daddy said when he first saw the animals. :)
For our Christmas dinner, Jason served lasagna and Japanese eggplant parmesan (with veggies from our garden).
God-mama Jenn made this beautiful (and over-the-top delicious) pear and blueberry pie. Yes, that crust is made from scratch.
Dan loves children and Kaemon Ze is no exception!
Thank you everyone (near and far) for making this Christmas so wonderful!
We spent our "wake up" time in bed, leisurely... I brought in the stockings and we had fun opening them on the bed. Kaemon Ze got more dinosaurs in his stocking - he loved that! When he finally came out into the living room, this is what he found: a fort! Daddy had put a bundle of soft dinosaurs from Bunny and Papa inside the tent and at the exit of the tunnel was a box of dinosaurs from his uncle. He was one happy boy!
My parents, "Bunny and Papa" spent Christmas morning with us via Skype. Technically can be so wonderful!
His velociraptor meets another dino that looks like a T-Rex (I've forgotten the name).
My funny hunny wore the headlamp I gave him for hours. It was really amusing to see him wearing the headlamp while figuring out how the espresso machine works. :)
We are blessed with great neighbors, including Jessica and her family. She gave us parents a fantastic gardening book specific to the NW and broken down by months. Very helpful. She also had a few treasures for Kaemon Ze, including this chalk set with this wonderful note.
Later, his cousin stopped by to visit before dinner. She's trying on Kaemon Ze's dinosaur rock, insisting it's a costume. :)
Fun, fun! Good friends, Dan and Claudia stopped by on a lark to deliver presents! We talked them into staying for dinner (even though they had just eaten) and for our "true white elephant" gift exchange.
Kaemon Ze gets Dan "on the floor" to play with his dinosaurs and the animals Jessica gave him. "Oh good! Dinosaur food" is what daddy said when he first saw the animals. :)
For our Christmas dinner, Jason served lasagna and Japanese eggplant parmesan (with veggies from our garden). 
God-mama Jenn made this beautiful (and over-the-top delicious) pear and blueberry pie. Yes, that crust is made from scratch.
Dan loves children and Kaemon Ze is no exception!
Thank you everyone (near and far) for making this Christmas so wonderful!Friday, December 24, 2010
christmas eve
Waiting in line to see Santa. He's rather excited about this!
Meeting the Big Guy can be a little intimidating...
Santa was wonderful -- he just pulled Kaemon Ze up on his lap.Kaemon Ze looked a little like a deer in the headlights and wouldn't look at us for a moment. :)
But we managed to get some nice shots.And Kaemon Ze got to ask Santa for a velociraptor!
Later that evening, we opened presents at his grandma and grandpa's house. Their tradition is to open all of the presents on Christmas Eve. This works out brilliantly for us because we prefer to open our presents on Christmas morning...so we always end up with two Christmases!
seeing santa again
We've talked a little bit about Santa Claus (mostly because we have a few Christmas books around the house). This week, we received a few holiday photos of his friends sitting on Santa's lap. Yesterday, after studying one of those photos, he said, "Please, see Santa?" I told him that we would try to make that happen. I knew that with Christmas Eve tomorrow...we were pushing it.
This morning we decided to chance it by going to the mall on *gasp* Christmas Eve to see the Jolly One. To prepare him, I told Kaemon Ze that when he sits on Santa's lap, he can ask Santa for a toy. I asked him, "What would you like to ask Santa for?" He didn't hesitate; he said, "Mean dinosaurs - velociraptor and T-Rex." Well, alrightythen!
Kaemon Ze was surprisingly quite excited to see Santa -- we managed to get out of the house pretty fast. There was a line when we got there, and he did great waiting in the line (about 40 minutes or so). The wait gave him time to go watch Santa interact with the other kiddos.
As we got to the double door/entry that led to Santa, Kaemon Ze started playing with the doorstop. The little girl behind us started to play with him. One movement led to another, which led to the girl accidentally hitting Kaemon Ze in the head with the door. He was rather surprised (though not too hurt) and started to cry. Of course we were next to see Santa! The girl's mother apologized. I re-assured her it was okay. As I was comforting him, I was laughing to myself... Kaemon Ze has a track record for injuring his head right before photos. Clearly, this would not be an exception. I just had to laugh (what else can you do?). At least this time I would not have to put make-up on his face!
As we were waiting for the go-ahead to approach Santa, Kaemon Ze told me, "I don't want to sit on his lap." I assured him he did not have to, but if he wanted, I would sit with him. No pressure... none what-so-ever. He was leading this adventure.
Now...keep in mind, that this is how it went last year, when he was nearly 14 months old:
I was hoping he'd have a better experience...but you just never know. That Santa guy can be an unnerving.
Santa was AWESOME! He engaged Kaemon Ze in conversation then gently reached down and picked him up and placed him on his knee. Kaemon Ze was a little like a deer in headlights, but wow... he was on Santa's lap! Here's our JoyBoy:
After the photos, Kaemon Ze asked Santa for a velociraptor. So cool. However, when we stepped away, JoyBoy wanted to know where his velociraptor was. Oooooh! No wonder he was so excited to see Santa! He thought he'd get the dinosaur NOW. Whoopsies.
I neglected to foresee that gap in knowledge. Sleepy-tired tears ensued as we explained he'd have to wait until "tomorrow morning" to see what Santa brought. Luckily, he got over his upset in short order and fell asleep right away in the car.
Now we're just hoping the box of dinosaurs my little brother sent has a velociraptor in it, because we sure didn't get him one! Haha
Merry Christmas Eve!
This morning we decided to chance it by going to the mall on *gasp* Christmas Eve to see the Jolly One. To prepare him, I told Kaemon Ze that when he sits on Santa's lap, he can ask Santa for a toy. I asked him, "What would you like to ask Santa for?" He didn't hesitate; he said, "Mean dinosaurs - velociraptor and T-Rex." Well, alrightythen!
Kaemon Ze was surprisingly quite excited to see Santa -- we managed to get out of the house pretty fast. There was a line when we got there, and he did great waiting in the line (about 40 minutes or so). The wait gave him time to go watch Santa interact with the other kiddos.
As we got to the double door/entry that led to Santa, Kaemon Ze started playing with the doorstop. The little girl behind us started to play with him. One movement led to another, which led to the girl accidentally hitting Kaemon Ze in the head with the door. He was rather surprised (though not too hurt) and started to cry. Of course we were next to see Santa! The girl's mother apologized. I re-assured her it was okay. As I was comforting him, I was laughing to myself... Kaemon Ze has a track record for injuring his head right before photos. Clearly, this would not be an exception. I just had to laugh (what else can you do?). At least this time I would not have to put make-up on his face!
As we were waiting for the go-ahead to approach Santa, Kaemon Ze told me, "I don't want to sit on his lap." I assured him he did not have to, but if he wanted, I would sit with him. No pressure... none what-so-ever. He was leading this adventure.
Now...keep in mind, that this is how it went last year, when he was nearly 14 months old:
I was hoping he'd have a better experience...but you just never know. That Santa guy can be an unnerving.Santa was AWESOME! He engaged Kaemon Ze in conversation then gently reached down and picked him up and placed him on his knee. Kaemon Ze was a little like a deer in headlights, but wow... he was on Santa's lap! Here's our JoyBoy:
After the photos, Kaemon Ze asked Santa for a velociraptor. So cool. However, when we stepped away, JoyBoy wanted to know where his velociraptor was. Oooooh! No wonder he was so excited to see Santa! He thought he'd get the dinosaur NOW. Whoopsies.
I neglected to foresee that gap in knowledge. Sleepy-tired tears ensued as we explained he'd have to wait until "tomorrow morning" to see what Santa brought. Luckily, he got over his upset in short order and fell asleep right away in the car.
Now we're just hoping the box of dinosaurs my little brother sent has a velociraptor in it, because we sure didn't get him one! Haha
Merry Christmas Eve!Thursday, December 23, 2010
visiting laura on christmas eve, eve
We missed an opportunity to see Laura last week, so we dropped in today for a super quick visit. Today is one of their busiest days at the chocoloaterie.
The shop was busy (good for them)! Laura took a few minutes here and there to come visit with us on the floor. Kaemon Ze asked her for a "chocolate dinosaur" - and amazingly, she had one (a stegasaurus). What a lucky kid!
Lapping up the Laura Love!
When we got home, Santa had delivered several boxes!
The shop was busy (good for them)! Laura took a few minutes here and there to come visit with us on the floor. Kaemon Ze asked her for a "chocolate dinosaur" - and amazingly, she had one (a stegasaurus). What a lucky kid!
Lapping up the Laura Love!
When we got home, Santa had delivered several boxes!dinosaur eggs
I woke up at 1:30AM and by 2AM, I was still awake, so I just got up. I finished painting the rocks I found to look like dinosaur eggs. Here's the finished product. I sure hope Kaemon Ze likes them! I also hope he doesn't throw them. :) I'm in fully appreciation that he's at an age that I can give him bubble wrap and painted rocks for Christmas and he'll think it's great! :)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
his first letter to santa
The top part is Kaemon Ze asking for a velociraptor; the bottom part is him asking for a T-Rex. He told me he wants "mean dinosaurs" from Santa. Hmmmm... maybe my thoughts about him loving bubble wrap and painted rocks isn't going to fly after all...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
sunday waffles
Helping daddy make the waffles!
Hanging with his buddies. (L-R: Finn, Kaemon Ze, and Elayna)Saturday, December 4, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
two birthdays, one day
Kaemon Ze was invited to two birthday parties -- on the same day!
Elayna's fun birthday cupcakes.
Princess Elayna is two years old now!
Lots of little boys to help open presents!
Elayna's sweet family.
Contemplating the "purple pentagon." Yes, she knows her shapes, colours, numbers, letters, and is starting to read!
Boys will be boys...
Now... onto the next party!
The question is, "will Kaemon Ze stay awake from all the partying?"
Emma is turning 3 years old!
Princess Emma loves her barking birthday card.
Kaemon Ze checks out the piñata.
Emma's funny daddy tries to go through her tunnel fort.
Elayna's fun birthday cupcakes.
Princess Elayna is two years old now!
Lots of little boys to help open presents!
Elayna's sweet family.
Contemplating the "purple pentagon." Yes, she knows her shapes, colours, numbers, letters, and is starting to read!
Boys will be boys...Now... onto the next party!
The question is, "will Kaemon Ze stay awake from all the partying?"
Emma is turning 3 years old!
Princess Emma loves her barking birthday card.
Kaemon Ze checks out the piñata.
Emma's funny daddy tries to go through her tunnel fort.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)