King of the Manure Pile

My little baby is turning two today. I think that even though he's standing on top of a pile of manure and grinning about it, he might turn out okay.

Fun Outside

We went over to the pre-school last week and Desert Boy had the opportunity to play with other kids. He found out it's a lot of fun to make friends with older kids who can take him on fun trips.

Jenna was really patient with him, happy to have someone younger than her to do what she said.

Later we went to the kids' music class, which involved trying to march in time to the beat of a bass drum. Most of the kids did really well. It brought back memories of marching band for me!

Desert Boy had trouble staying with the group because he kept getting distracted by flowers and sprinklers and dirt. We never have a fast walk unless he's running somewhere where he isn't supposed to go.

Back inside, kids took turns banging on the drum. Desert Boy paid close attention.

His older friend had to take a turn carrying the drum that was as big as him!

And then finally it was Desert Boy's turn to bang on the drum. He didn't want to stop.

Playing in the Field

My husband needed to check some fields and asked if Desert Boy and I would like to come along. We jumped at the opportunity, both of us wanted to see something different. So after we got there, I started looking for birds and flowers while my husband took Desert Boy to go make sure the irrigation pivots were running correctly. I walked in their direction, and when I got closer, I saw a strange sight. I looked closer.

No, I wasn't imagining it, my husband was down on his hands and knees in the field and Desert Boy was playing cowboy. This looked like a lot of fun.

As I got closer, I saw my husband was all wet from adjusting the nozzles on the pivot. I also saw Desert Boy had a good grip on his collar. He's learning.

My husband actually had a purpose being down on his hands and knees. He was checking the field for sprouts and checking the soil moisture. Of course I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't asked.

It must be tiring work hanging on.

Finally it was time to get off, thank Daddy, and run off to play with Henry.

Desert Boy Tries Out His New Boots

I had to go check on one of the ranch springs and I had Desert Boy with me, so I put on his new irrigating boots. He was excited, because he loves water and knew that he was going to get to play in it. 

Despite plenty of dry grass to walk on, he chose to walk right down the middle of the spring channel. 

But eventually he got stuck. That silt and mud can really be sticky, especially for little feet in little boots. Desert Boy did his best to get out.

He got out, but his boot was left behind. Fortunately he knew he should pull it out of the mud.

He started retreating to higher ground. 

And then he poured the water out of the boot. He looks like an expert doing this, doesn't he? I wonder where he learned it so well?

Finally all the water is out. Time to hike in the water some more!

Scenes from Easter

Easter turned out to be a busy, fun, and memorable day. One of my goals was to get a nice family photo because we all got dressed up, but that didn't quite happen. Maybe the next time we all get dressed up we can try again. When will that be? Maybe Christmas, if we're lucky.

Nevertheless, we did get some photos of various events on Sunday. After church we went to an Easter egg hunt, except it wasn't really a hunt but a grab, because all the eggs were on plain sight on tops of tables in a row. Desert Boy was excited to pick up a few eggs and quickly proceeded to open them and spill the candy all over the floor. We stuck a couple eggs in his pocket for later distraction.

We went by the train and got to go on a train ride, which just delighted Desert Boy to no end. See next Monday's desert destination post for more details. Choo-choo.

While we were on the train, Desert Boy rediscovered one of his Easter eggs and quickly started eating the chocolate. 

And when I asked him to smile for the camera, this is the face I got.

Later in the afternoon we had an Easter egg hunt at our house, where the older cousins hid eggs for the younger cousins. It's always amusing. And I figure it's good for math skills to make sure all the eggs have been found.

Desert Boy gets some assistance from his pretty cousin. 

And then there was lots of yummy food. Here are some cupcakes in mini-ice cream cones, a favorite of the younger than 10 crowd--and those who wanted to take a brief trip back to that age!

Desert Boy Climbs at the Playground

The other afternoon, Desert Boy took a break from going down the slides and decided to work on his climbing and balancing skills. What amazed me the most was that he fell down a few times, but just got back up, started again, and kept going until he could do it. 

This particular obstacle used to be really hard for him, in fact he couldn't do it alone. But in a few weeks he's grown a little more and gotten more coordinated, so he did better.

Can he make the next step?

Mama, are you still taking photos?

He starts smiling once he realizes he's nearly made it.

And then the pose. Henry's nose is poking into the right side of the photo--he stayed close.

Then it was onto the next challenge, one a little bit harder.






At this point I figured I better stop taking photos and go over to make sure he didn't fall. He didn't quite know how to get from the ladder to the platform, so he was "stuck." That's a new word. I think he'll be ready to go out rock climbing in the desert before too long.

Filling Some Big Boots

Desert Boy in a Movie

Okay, Desert Boy isn't in a real movie. I found this cool website that lets you make your own animated movies. I wasted too much time on it and now you can suffer the results with me. Here's a scene between Desert Boy (my son) and Henry (our dog). It was inspired by Desert Boy trying to ride Henry several times yesterday. Each time Henry stayed resolutely on the ground, not getting up even though Desert Boy kept saying, "Up, up." Henry has some common sense. I'm not sure about Desert Boy.

Desert Boy Updates and More

Here's our beautiful apricot tree, all blossomed out. This morning it was 19 degrees. Brrrr. The tree used to have wonderful apricot crops, but I'm wondering if we'll just have to remember them instead of experience them. I am already lamenting the loss of the apricots--can you feel my pain?

Okay, better move on. I took Desert Boy to preschool for a couple hours this week. He loves to go and play with the bigger kids, try out new toys, and draw with markers.

He's very serious about drawing. And he's so proud he can get the lids off the markers by himself. I am keeping the markers in our house hidden--I don't think I'm ready for new decorations.

Putting the lids back on the markers isn't always so easy, and the face he makes gets a grin from Teacher Gwendy.

At recess time, Desert Boy hangs out with the girls on the swing. It's fun watching him try to imitate what the older kids do. Physically he can run around with them, climb up the slide, ride the bikes. But verbally he is still talking in one-word phrases and his own language that no one quite understands. "Backhoe" is a a frequently uttered word.

Pre-school wore him out, so when I got Desert Boy home I put him on his bed. I was washing sheets, so I laid him on a blanket, but he managed to scooch until he was nearly off the bed. That didn't stop him from sleeping.

Do you think you could sleep in this position?

Here's how we're progressing with toilet training. 

The bowl makes a rather nice hat, doesn't it?