Day 547 - Snow Angel, Snow Angel, Will You Be Mine?

Winter is coming. I'm not just quoting 'Game of Thrones' here. I'm being serious. Winter officially doesn't begin until December 21st. For the record, I can't actually tell you a single thing about 'Game of Thrones'. I just know that's a line that's used on the show...or at least I think that's the case.

Proof.

 Even though winter isn't supposed to rear its ugly head for another three and a half weeks, it seems no one told winter that is the case. If you haven't looked outside lately, then step away from your phone/tablet/computer, walk to the window, and look outside. 

Odds are that if you're in the Midwest, you'll see white stuff covering the ground. That's called snow and it's a very cold, icy, powdery substance that occupies a state of matter somewhere between liquid and solid (Thank you to Mrs. Tushaus and ninth grade science class for pounding that into my memory banks). 

Obviously, as adults, we know all of the basic facts about snow. After all, one only has to scoop it off their driveway a few times before getting the gist of it. However, for Ellie as a two-year-old, there is much, much to learn about snow.

Lesson 1: Any trip outside needs to include the proper attire.

For the record, despite what Ellie believes, proper attire in snowy conditions does not include sandals. You laugh, but you try telling an excited two-year-old that she can't wear her sandals in subzero conditions. Just remember to follow this rule of thumb and you'll be ok. If your child has full mobility, then it's time to add more layers. 

For Ellie, the proper layers consist of a long-sleeve shirt and jeans, a pair of snow pants, a warm winter coat, a stocking hat, two pairs of gloves, and last, but not least, the snow boots. Once Ellie is adequately covered, then the fun can begin.

Lesson 2: Riding a sled is easier than walking in the snow.

The first thing any snow-crazed toddler wants to do upon seeing five inches of frozen wonder in front of their faces is run headlong into the drifts. That's exactly what Ellie did. What she didn't plan on was just how hard it can be for a full-sized adult to make it through that amount of snow, let alone a three-foot-tall toddler.

After several face plants and slip-ups, Ellie was feeling defeated and was already wanting to call it quits on the snow day. Fortunately for her sake, I had an ace in the hole: her sled. I hustled into the garage and grabbed her disc sled and a dog leash before heading back outside. Why a dog leash? Last year, I discovered that if we hooked a dog leash onto the hole on the edge of her sled, we could easily pull Ellie around the yard until her little heart was content. So that's exactly what we did.

Starting in the front yard, we made several circles around the golden rain tree in our front yard before venturing to the back lawn. After a couple of passes around the back yard, Ellie declared she was done and rolled out of her sled, pushing herself to her feet. She then grabbed the leash out of my hand and proudly marched around the back yard, dragging her sled behind her.

Lesson 3: The unattainable dream.

As anyone who has ever played in the snow will know, there is one snow time activity that will always end in soul-crushing disappointment. What is this activity? Making snow angels.

Ah, yes, snow angels. A favorite winter pastime of children and adults alike will always fall prey to one massive shortcoming. You see, there is a complete and utter inability for one to make the perfect snow angel without help from a friend. Otherwise there will always be that stray handprint or footprint in the midst of otherwise pristine snow.

As Ellie had never made a snow angel before, I decided the time was right for her to learn. First, I laid down on the ground myself and pumped my arms and legs back and forth before climbing out of the snow (Side note, snow angels are a poor decision if one is wearing jeans). It goes without saying that the dreaded handprint was left in the midst of my creation. 

Once Ellie watched me, I helped her lay down in the snow before coaching her through the motions of making a snow angel. By coaching, I mean that I had to physically pump her arms and legs for her. Then, as she was stuck in the snow, I helped her out of the drifts. As we both stood and gazed at her creation, I realized something. On her very first attempt, Ellie had lived the dream: the perfect snow angel! No stray handprint. No stray footprint. Just perfection.

I promise there's one there...

Not long after that, we headed inside and bundled up together under a blanket to partake in that last great wintertime activity: watching Christmas movies on TV. Yes, it was 'A Very Monkey Christmas' indeed. 

Side note: That last joke would have been better if we had been watching 'It's a Wonderful Life.' Unfortunately, in the eyes of Ellie, George Bailey and Curious George really don't compare. #DaddyWrite

I like to imagine that George Bailey is challenging Curious George to a fight in this collage and C.G. is fearful of what's about to happen.

Day 544 - Three Stories About Words

Hello again, #DaddyWrite Nation. That's right, I just called my miniscule reader base a 'Nation'. It's all in fun though. I must admit that it's been a while since I last wrote. If you need proof, look no further than the fact that my last post was about Election day. 

That being said, it's not necessarily that I didn't want to write. It's more that I sometimes feel that it's becoming more and more difficult to find new and interesting stories to tell from my days with Ellie. Never fear though as I do have what I consider to be an interesting story on tap for today. Well, not so much a story as a cavalcade of stories, tied together by very loose threads.

Ok, then.

The common thread tying each of these stories together revolves around Ellie's propensity for spoken word. If you haven't been around Ellie anytime recently, you would likely be shocked by the never-ending stream of words pouring out of her mouth at all times. I don't know if it's her liking the sound of her own voice or just a fascination with the English language. However, she just loves to talk.

For an example, look no further than this morning. Ellie and I had just finished up doing some dishes together (meaning I had done the dishes and Ellie had just gotten things wet) and moved into the living room for some relaxation time. While I was laying on the couch catching up on news for the day, Ellie decided to engage in some light reading. Rather than ask me to help her though, she decided to instead audibly read books to herself. 

For some reason my video of Ellie reading refuses to load. Bummer.

Pretty cute if I do say so myself. In all honesty, I was super impressed by Ellie's ability to memorize her library books in a relatively short period of time. However, that's not the only thing Ellie has been known to memorize. She also tends to commit every single moment of her day to memory.

Since I quit working, it's been a tradition for Bethany to call each night on her way home from work so that we can share stories from our days with each other. As Ellie's gotten a little older though, she's developed a desire to share in the stories from the day. 

As soon as I pick up the phone and exchange pleasantries with my wife, Ellie will yell, "Mommy, I want to tell you about my day!" Those words are followed by Ellie explaining every aspect of her day in painstaking detail. In case you're wondering, today's highlight for Ellie was me taking a shower after coming in from mulching leaves, during which she sat on her bed and played with hair bows. 

Of course, an important part of every child's day is to think about the things he/she is thankful for. For Ellie, that is accomplished through prayer. Each night, after Bethany wishes Ellie good night, my daughter and I spend a little more time together in the rocking chair in her room. 

As we sit there rocking back and forth, Ellie and I will pray together. Normally, I will pray as Ellie prays along with me. Lately though, Ellie has gained more of a desire to pray on her own. As soon as I finish my prayer, Ellie will then fill the silence by saying a prayer of her own. As she's two, you can't expect a ton of depth. However, it's still really special to listen to as she thanks God for her mommy, her daddy, and her baby brother, among other things of importance to her.

My hope for Ellie is that as she continues to grow, she continues to show the same comfort and confidence in herself and her vocabulary as she does now. After all, I never want her to feel like the things she has to say don't have value. 

Although, if we're being truthful, Ellie is a toddler so some things she says will certainly lack value. That's just the way it is. #DaddyWrite

Day 536 - Ellie Elects to Go to Election Day

As I sit here this evening, election coverage illuminating the television, it seems fitting to relive one simple quest that played a big part in Ellie's and my day. This is the story of that quest...for democracy!

To start things off, it's important to realize exactly why a two-year-old cares whether or not I vote. Simple, Ellie knows there is something in it for her if I go and vote. I've made a habit of taking Ellie with me whenever I vote. She was there at the Presidential election, car seat and all. She was also there at the primaries a few months ago. That very election is where Ellie's fascination with the American electoral process began.

The beautiful part of our local polling place is that it is held in a nearby church. Therefore, it goes without saying that there is a large population of retired folks there to hand cookies and coffee to people as they leave the polls. As a result, Ellie has associated the process of voting with getting a free cookie. Please don't ask me how she remembers this months later; I really don't know.

Anyway, when I asked Ellie about going to vote today, she responded with the comment "Go vote and get a cookie." Therefore, as any responsible parent would, I cued up the camera on my phone and prompted her to restate it again. 

With the promise of a cookie to be gained, we made our first attempt at the polls between 10:30 and 11. We cruised into the church parking lot from the south side only to see something I'd never actually seen at an election before: parking attendants directing the sea of cars. When our parking attendant motioned us far away from the front door, I responded by rolling down my window and finding out how long the lines were. His response was simple, but still super helpful. He told us the wait was around 30 minutes and followed that up by saying we should check back around 2:00 if we didn't want to wait. 

With that, I decided to head for home so Ellie could get her lunch and a nap with the promise of voting later. To that, Ellie continued to mutter her motto for the day in the back seat, "Go vote and get a cookie."

Once Ellie awoke from her slumber, her first words to me were, you guessed it, "Go vote and get a cookie." With that, we headed back to the polls to find a much shorter line than before. We parked relatively close to the front door and headed inside. Then, we found the line to our precinct and settled in. I kept glancing down to Ellie at my side, clutching a plastic horse close to her body, nervously looking around the gymnasium at the sea of people around her. Don't worry, I did provide continual reassurance that she and her horse would be ok. 

Yes, Ellie and her horse would even be safe from the guy who wore a hoodie with Vlad Putin saying "Kill 'Em All".

The time came and we received our ballot. Heading to a table across the room, I sat down with Ellie near my side, and embarked upon the wrist-breaking task of voting. After a while, I noticed Ellie was getting braver and was more willing to step away from my side. In fact, she wasn't just willing to step away from my side. She was willing to sidle up to other voters at the table and gaze at their ballot. However, she refused to give me any inside information to how they voted on the Missouri Bingo amendment. I still have no idea what to do with that one.

Forgive me for that unsightly glare. #1541.

Finally my ballot was done (I didn't even have to start filling in bubbles with my left hand) and it was time to submit it. Once that task was completed, Ellie's true task could begin. She led me out of the gymnasium to the cookie table in the lobby. There, she stood, gazing at all of the options in front of her until I finally took a napkin and picked a Snickerdoodle cookie for her to enjoy. Then, it was time for her to reap the benefits of democracy.

In all seriousness, I did feel it pertinent to try and teach Ellie about democracy today. However, I think my lessons might have fallen on deaf ears. Maybe comparing legislators to rule-making mommies and daddies didn't really resonate with her. Or maybe, just maybe, she was too engrossed in her Snickerdoodle cookie to care about anything else in life at that moment. #DaddyWrite

Daddy, is this what democracy tastes like?