Waldchen Essentials

I recently upgraded to the newest version of software for the website. Everything looks ok so far, but let me know if you come across something that’s broken. Look for a redesign in the next few days. 🙂

For some reason Elise has been mildly obsessed with nursery rhymes for the past couple weeks. She wants to read them, sing them, and listen to them all the time. Erick was a little concerned the other day when he came home and found her acting out Three Blind Mice. She had her wooden knife and was pretending to cut the tail off one of Asher’s toy mice. I assured Erick that she knew it was wrong to really do that to a mouse and that she does have a very healthy fear of real knives.

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We had several more inches of snow earlier last week. Elise and I went outside to play in it while Patrick was napping. We tried to make a snowman, but it was the kind of snow that doesn’t stick, that fluffy, powdery stuff. So we made snow angels instead and fun tracks all over the yard. Just as much fun as playing in the snow–drinking hot chocolate when we came inside! Elise sipped her “warm” chocolate from a mug. Aunt Laura and Uncle Steve gave her this princess mug for Christmas which Aunt Laura decorated herself. Elise especially loved feeling like a big girl while drinking her special treat.

Patrick took his first tentative steps over a month ago. Since then he has been slowly growing in stamina, balance and momentum. He seems to have really hit his “stride” this week and is walking whenever he can. When he is holding a toy or book in his hand, he actually walks better. He focuses on that object and not so much on the walking. At certain times in the past few days we’ve had him corralled in the living room by the couches, coffee table, and pack ‘n play. He loves to walk along them and across from one to the other. He even walked the majority of the length of the living room, just stabilizing himself briefly on the chair and coffee table. I didn’t get that on video, but I made a few videos of him walking yesterday that I will share soon.

Edit: I just added a video of Patrick taking a few steps across the living room. –Erick