Hieroglyphics

Yesterday Matt was watching Naomi while I was doing the glucose test at the doctor's office. She was bending over her large doodle pad drawing something very small, which is odd - normally she makes big drawings with lots of lines and circles. He asked her what she was drawing, and he had to have her repeat it a few times until he understood what she was saying. Our not-quite-2-year-old was drawing "hieroglyphics"! She pronounces it "hywogifics".

There is an episode of Little Einsteins where they visit the pyramids and talk a little about hieroglyphics. Who knew she was really absorbing that information? Plus this morning she informed me that one of her stuffed animals looks like a sphnix. Quite the terminology for a kid who hasn't figured out how to pull up her own pants! (She does pretty well with that except she can't get them over her bum.)

Highly intelligent child...

Here's an update on what our highly intelligent child can do:

1. She can count to 15
2. She has started using "I" in its proper context (I see it!)
3. She can sing a whole verse of Old McDonald by herself (and usually picks camel as the animal)
4. She heard a riddle a few times on a Dora movie and proceeded to tell me the entire riddle in the car today....about 10 times in a row. The riddle goes like this:

What is furry, swings from tree to tree (accompanied by arm motions) and goes "EEE EEE OOO OOO" (accompanied by facial expressions and arm motions)? [PAUSE] A monkey!

The excitement of sweeping

Naomi has taken a liking to the broom. As a narrow-minded adult, I tend to just use it for sweeping the kitchen floor. Naomi has exposed me to a world of uses for the broom!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Matt had a birthday at the beginning of January! We had an all-out crazy birthday party for him..."all-out crazy" is just a little different now than it was in college! We also fed the missionaries dinner and had some friends over to play games and eat the birthday trifle.

Naomi was very involved with all of it...she picked out the balloons, helped Daddy open the presents and cards, popped one of the balloons, and commandeered the candy bar attached to the balloons. I guess it was a good warm-up for her birthday in February.

Victory! (at least temporarily...)

Yup, sure is...this is a picture of Naomi asleep in her toddler bed!! Today is the second day we've attempted naptime in the toddler bed. Yesterday was a failure; Naomi got in some "quiet time" but never slept. I need to exult in the victory today, because I don't know when it will happen again!

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

On New Year's Eve, we took a trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. As before, one of my favorite areas was Cat Canyon, and here is a picture of an ocelot. Matt and Naomi enjoyed the hummingbird house and the aviary, and we took a fun trip down through the underground cavern and geologic exhibits.

Baby-sitting Fish

Our neighbors asked us to keep their fish while they are on a trip. Naomi loves to watch them, talk to them, talk about them, poke at their flowers, see them eat, etc.

We don't keep them down low where she has constant access to them. I can't imagine the havoc she would wreak in her excitement!