Ho Hum

it's been a while! Have you given up on us?

Mr. Zeke is quite the chatter box these days, but of course he says everything in his own adorable way. For example, Ayla plays Hide-n-Seek with Jake. When she counts and Jake hides it goes pretty much as you would expect: "One, Two, Three... ...Ready or not, here I come!" Sometimes Zeke wants to play for him it goes something like this. "Un, noo, un. Oh no not, ho hum!" It's making me chuckle just typing it. Here's some other things he's saying these days.

heheem = waffle
HeeHaa = pizza
waygee = blankee
kaycoo = thank you
whoa-dee = yogurt

When Zeke really wants something, an "ee" is automatically added to the end of whatever it is. "I wan mokee" (i want milk) if he REALLY wants milk, then : "I wannee mokee" He has taken a particular liking to my kitchenaid mixer. He calls it "tahtee" because I asked him one day if he wanted to "touch it." " I wannee tahtee." :) I joke that he's speaking ewok. Anyway, we get the mixer down off the counter and he plays with the bowl of it for hours. Whatever entertains ya I guess.

He also says okay instead of yes. It's so cute how he says it. "Zeke, are you hungry?" "okay"

I'm noticing as his speech develops that he has a little lisp which makes for cuteness when he says things like "thnow"

One of my favorite things these days is a little game Ayla and Zeke play. Ayla will go to Zeke and say, " Zeke! Can you say_____?" And then Zeke will do his best to repeat whatever Ayla just said. Some of the things he says are just so cute like when Ayla asked if he could say "powder" and he said "poonee."

Zeke is afraid (and I mean terrified!) of things that are rubbery and spiny, like some of the big bouncy balls you find in the toy department at stores. Or like my blue rubbery pastry brush. And particularly this red rubber bath toy boat that he calls the "beep beep." He runs screaming from the room if you even mention it. Yet you hear him obsessing about it. you hear him walk into the bathroom, open the cabinet under the sink and then say hi to it. It's safe as long as it stays there. Silly kid. Well this evening he decided he wanted to be brave and stuck out one tiny little finger and touched it. He was so excited (especially since Ayla was cheering him on) Once he realized it wouldn't bite him, it has quickly become his favorite new toy. He started out by carrying it around the house the way you or I would carry a nasty wet rag-out in front of his body as far out as possible, pinched between his pointer finger and thumb. Like I said, silly kid.

I have recently described Ayla as especially twirly these days. It seems like no matter what she is doing, she's dancing while she does it. Especially when she's talking to you. She'll be telling you about school that day, or telling you a story and her little legs with be prancing and twirling the whole time.

Ayla has such an interesting perspective on things. She sees things in such an artistic, poetic way. Yesterday she told me that the song we were listening to sounded like the sunset. When we say bedtime prayers she often prays (in a somewhat somber, dramatic voice) something like this, "Dear Jesus, we pray all your soul. The glory is yours. We pray you all the angels. Amen." Mind you, we taught her just to say thanks for a few things and then go to bed. But that's just not her. I don't think she knows what she's even saying but she likes that it sounds the way it does. Sometimes she'll just go on and on all dramatic like that (while mommy falls asleep next to her.)

Ah, what else... I recently enrolled them both in Kindermusik classes that start in February, I'm pretty excited about it and I know Ayla is too. I don't know. I'm falling asleep sitting here, but wanted to post something so you don't give up on us.