Toddler Tunes

The last week has been filled with projects and play-dates. We are dreading the return to work on Monday, but are looking forward to some kind of schedule. We have discovered that without a schedule, Frank is grumpy from assigned long-overdue projects around the house. Janet operates in spurts of obsessive cleaning/straightening and exhaustion from obsessive cleaning/straightening.

On New Year's Eve, we traveled great distances (two houses down) for a get-together at Robin, Waylon and Noah's house. Stella Dot brought Amy as Grant was still recovering. Waylon's sister and brother-in-law and their baby girl were there also. Partying really takes on different meaning when toddlers and babies are around. The kids and parents partied till they were pooped (tired). We had tons of good eats! Maddie was super clingy with Mommy so there are few pics of the festivities.

Maddie the train conductor. Noah has a huge train set and Maddie found his hat.
She wore it for at least an hour like this.

Last night, we invited Noah and his parents and Stella Dot and her parents over for some chili and chillin' (get it?) We were also planning to christen the new fire pit but it rained, so we stayed inside.


Amy (Stella Dot's Mom) has been hinting to Frank and her husband, Grant, that the kids would really benefit from some live music. So the guys put their musical differences aside (Frank plays old-time banjo these days and Grant plays rock guitar [is that right?]) and coalesced nicely to entertain all of us.

Getting in the groove.

Toddler tunes never sounded so good.

All the extra time with Maddie has been wonderful. She is speaking in four and five word sentences now. Last week she said, "Night night, see you in the morning," before climbing up the stairs to bed. Yes, she's getting a bit independent. She is able to request songs from Mommy and Daddy. Favorites include Twinkle, Twinkle, Old MacDonald, Farmer in the Dell and Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Frequently, she combines all of them in a toddler medley that is so sweet and funny we will try to record and share with you soon. In the interim, here's an idea of how it goes:
"Dinka, Dinka lida dah (twinkle, twinkle little star),
famah in dah dayah, famah in dah dayah (the farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell),
i-eey bi-eey bitah uh waaah bou (the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout)."

Tonight, when I was rocking with her before putting her down for bed, she requested "Dinka," which I thought was "Dindah," (Ginger, our cat.) As I explained that Ginger was sleeping downstairs, her request became louder and louder. Then, thankfully, she started singing it and I understood what she wanted. To be fair, "Dinka" and "Dindah" sound similar when one is tired.

Tuning her guitar (er, ukulele) just like Daddy.