The Indianapolis Children's Museum

Dear Peep, 
I will no longer make comments as to why I haven't posted in a while or why I am behind.  Anyone with a two year old, or has been around one understands.  I will say the hacker backed things up for a while.  Jerk hole!!!  Who would mess with my precious boy's memory book? 

Now that you're two Daddy and I decided we would go to the Children's Museum more frequently so we bought a pass with pass for the year.  We have already gone twice with guests so from here on out it is "free" visits.  It really is amazing how a pass to a place calms your nerves.  No more rushing, now more anxiety that you won't see everything.  We've been twic
e since the purchase.  Once with Heather and Phillipe, Sylvie and Etienne.  Then we went with your best dude Devo and Mike and Meagan.  Both times were great, both times were different. I just browsed for the photos with the twins and there aren't there anymore.  I am not sure what happened!  Here are some photos of you and Devo to enjoy as you orbited around each other all day.  Your favorites this trip...playing in the ice cream parlor/house, looking at the Star Wars costumes with Daddy, trains, and building your own Chihuley sculpture with Devlyn.  

Henry and Devo on the carousel

 LOve, Momisk

Did this work?

Hmmmmm......

Dear Bumbling Hacker...

Dear Person Who "Hacked" Our Passwords Recently...
Seriously, you are like a novice, right? I mean, I appreciate the broken English, the offers to meet online to chat and discuss paying you off, and 30 consecutive emails asking to send you money (isn't that against the Hacker Code - to demand money?), but you gotta tone it down a couple notches. Because instead of coming across as scary and/or threatening, you just sound desperate and sad.

Granted, most of my knowledge about Hackers comes, in fact, from the movie "Hackers" (and to a lesser extent "War Games"), but shouldn't you be waiting for US to come to YOU?

Aaaanyway, I wish you well in your hacking career. You got a lot of moxie, kid, and I think you're gonna go far.

PS, have you ever seen "War Games"? You know in the end, Matthew Broderick almost blows up the world right? Do you really want to blow up the world???

HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF CHESS.

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Lurkers Report

Dear Readers, 
 I was rather distracted in January when it is tradition to ask for your readers to delurk.  The last time I did this it was so exciting to hear from people. 
So I'll ask you now...
If you read frequently, I'd like to hear from you.
Please, either leave a comment here by clicking the word comment at the bottom of this post or e-mail me at  lisa@whatelserecords.com 
Let me know who you are, where you're from and how your found our little blog.   Please add yourself as a reader too on the right side of the screen.  When I post a new blog you'll get a notifying e-mail. 
Thanks,  I really look forward to hearing from you! 
Sincerely, 
Lisa T.

2 Years in the Making

Dear PeepsTWO,
You are now two years old and 1 month. It is time to update all of your exciting abilities.
A list will be the easiest to get out the latest and greatest...
1.  You sing ABC's (knowing what they are and that they make up words mean), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Happy Birthday, Mary had a Little Lamb and our made up Jammie Time song.
2.  You can identify at least 20 letters of the 26 letter alphabet army.
3.  You've moved on to to more involved story books.  You really like to read Goggles!, Peter's Chair, Hi, Cat!, Man on the Moon, and Skates by Ezra Jack Keats.  Keats was an author that based his character Peter on a photo booth picture he found on the ground one day.  Peter grows up through the books with his sister Susie.  You loved the characters names and pictures in Keats books so much Mommy put them all on reserve at the library and we spent a week reading them over and over again.  You also love Blueberries for Sal by Robert McKlosky, Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman, Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion.  It appears that you like mostly books written in the 50's-70's.  The stories are crisp and clear with sweet characters. 
4.  You have started "reading" books to us.  For about 6 months you've "read"  Machines At Work by Byron Barton.  One afternoon I said why don't you read it to Mommy this time.  And you recited each page accurately.  You do the same with most books after 2 or 3 reads.  
5.  You have a super charged memory for books or events you've experienced. 
6.  You easily talk in 5-10 word sentences using nouns, pronouns, verbs, contractions, adjectives and verb tenses.  I should add that you LOVE to talk.  You speak very clearly too.
7.  A great joy together is art time.  We paint, stamp, stick stickers, play with play dough, markers, glue, glitter, and crayons.  You tell us you're drawing cool backhoes.
8.  With all of the road work in town you can identify every type of heavy equipment.  You point out the window and yell, "BACKHOE, CEMENT MIXER, LARGE EXCAVATOR, BULLDOZER!"  It isn't unusual for me to hear begging from the back seat to turn around because the crane is now working.

9.  You are starting to have dreams and with that comes fear because you aren't quite sure how cows and horses are floating in the sky or why there is a goat in your room.
10.  We are so pleased that you now say yes more than no.  It is particularly endearing when you say, "Yes, I do!"
11.  Word games are a favorite of yours.  You mix and match the middle and ends of words or swap out the vowels as if you conjugating verbs for fun.  Tico Taco Toco Tico...Henusk, Henisk, Mamisk, Mamusk, Smack, Smook, Smeek.
12.  You can identify and say the colors... red, blue, green, brown, black, yellow, orange, silver, gold
13.  You can identify and say the shapes... circle, oval, square, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, octagon, hexagon, pentagon, heart, star, plus or cross, diamond, crescent, half circle, and quad foil (four leaf clover).  You find these shapes around you all around you and shout them out.
14.  Still love sweepin' for Mama, which is wonderful but you can make a lot of mess.
15.  Pee in the potty often.
16. Brush your own teeth and wash your own hands.  You love washing your hands.  It is hard to pull you away from the sink!  If I try to help I get a quick, "Henny do it his ownself!"
17.  You make good playtime practice at the library train table of always handing a toy to someone else before you begin to play.  Along with your new understanding of playing with others, this has seriously cut down on your desire to swipe other kid's train cars.
18. Most nights before bed time you look out the window by Daddy's office to find the moon.  As soon as you find it you let us know if it is a crescent moon, half moon or a full moon.  I love that!
19.  You are obsessed with poop.  Someone got you the book, Everything Poops, and all you can talk about it poopin' in mud and running over it with a backhoe.  I hope this one passes quickly, no pun intended.
20.  You can id most money, and can tell us who's picture is on the penny & 5, quarter &1, the 20 and sometimes the 10 and the nickle.

21.  You now love our night time ritual.  Daddy and I take you back to your room after reading for 20 mintues (you'd have us reading all night long).  Then you ask daddy to, "TICKLE BELLWEE!"  Daddy does that for about 5 minutes then you have him hold you like a baby.  Next you give him a hug and kiss.  Daddy says, "Goodnight, see you in the morning, I love you tantamoose!"   Then it is my turn.  I give you big hugs and snuggles and sit you on the edge of the crib.  I slide you back and forth with a big hug and sing with you, "Squeezin' means lovin'.  Lovin' means squeezin!"  With a kiss on the nose I say, "I love you, I love you SOOOO much."  You lay down and you say, "So much! Too much, Too much Mommy."  I say, "Never too much! Never!"  You roll over and put your thumb into your mouth and curl around your blankets and say, "I love you Mommy, I love you Daddy!"   I say, "Goodnight, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. I love you."  Daddy yells out, "Dude abides."  We close the door and you shout it back a couple of times and you're asleep.  Thanks for being so easy.
22.  You can spell your own name!  We were at the zoo with cousin's Ella and Tyler and Tyler asked me if you could spell your own name yet.  I waited a second, looked at you and said, "Henry can you spell your own name. H..."  You said, "H-E-N-R-Y!"  Never under estimate my dorky obnoxious songs doing some good!

You scare us with your knowledge sometimes but can't get enough of you.  We are so fortunate.
Love, Mama

A Sharing Heart is Sure to Bring Happiness

Dear Peepso, 
Yesterday we went visiting to Heather, Phillipe, Sylvie and Etienne's house.  You had not been lovingly playing with your little barn any longer so we decided it was time to pass it on to your friends.  You handle it like a champ!  You helped me wash the animals and put them in a bag and carry it all to the car.  

When we arrived we handed it over to the twins and you didn't even think twice.  Not even a hint of a ruckus.  We stayed a while and played on the street in front of their house.  Etienne has now mastered the step and was easily coasting down the hill on his push toy.  It was pretty awesome.  

Sylvie and you worked on getting your bubble gun from cousin Wendy to work.  Check how fetching Sylvie is in her purple sweater dress, jelly shoes and 3D glasses.  It was pretty awesome how you all happily took turns.  It was a sunny warm afternoon of friendship and play.
I am grateful for great friends big and small.
Love, Mama

Welcoming Walks that Usher in Spring

Dear Peepster, 
I think that just about everyone that lives in areas where the seasons have drastic changes get to the point during each season where they sigh and say it is time for the proceeding magical actions to take hold and finally transform the cold to warm, the hot to cool... My goodness we had a really inviting warm week!  We got our jackets and shoes on and played most of the day in the sun and warmth tangled with chirping birds and tulips wiggling their way up through the ground.  Thank God!  Cabin fever would be an understatement to our restlessness.  You were to the point you wanted to bring sticks and handful of leaves into the house with you when passing from the car to the side door.  We needed some love from the outside.

So we went on walks, rolled down the driveway together on a skateboard, took a basket and went on a nature grab, drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, and picked up sticks to clean the yard.

 I love spending time with you just being active and happy together.  It was icing on the cake when we shared this with Daddy and we roller skated in the driveway and threw loud poppers on the asphalt.  
More of this goodness is on its way!
Love, Mama

Florida, Henry Loves You But You're Whoopin' Its Butt! Part 5

Dear Big Peep, 

After we returned to Grandpa Tim's from Homosasa Springs we had a little birthday party for you.  Aunt Krispie just arrived as our visits overlapped by a day.  So Nanny, Cathy and Jim, Grandpa Tim and Trish, Aunt Krispie, and Mama and Daddy all sang happy birthday around two bright candles lit on a cake that Mama made from scratch.  You were very excited.  Aunt Cathy made homemade ice cream to complement the cake.  Very full and tired we played with the cool magnetic fishin' pole Cathy bought you and read the book from Nanny and you were in bed snorin' soon after.  I was really happy we were able to celebrate together since Grandpa Tim isn't quite up to make a trip just yet and Aunt Krispie's roller derby season would be starting on the Saturday of your birthday party.  Visiting family is so much more challenging at times with you along, but it is also sooooooooo much nicer and funny too.  

I'd like to note our last visit to Florida was about three years ago.  Daddy and I finished the final paper work and website stuff to get on the books.  We were so excited.  I felt strongly we would find a boy in our arms within a year.  Pretty amazing how quickly it all happened.  We are so grateful.

Love, Mama