Caden started swim lessons this month! Since we are taking lessons at the local outdoor pool, the weather was definitely a factor in January. It was pretty chilly some days and the wind could be brutal! Both kids swam with caps on to help keep them warm, though neither has much body insulation. Better keep swimming! Caden always goes first during lessons and then when it is time to switch he stands under the hand dryer in the bathroom to warm up.
Caden really likes going under the water to do bobs and glides. Mrs. K is already working on his strokes and his back float is pretty good! Caden loves to swim already and he is becoming a little fish quite quickly. He can almost swim unassisted and is gaining confidence at each lesson.
Each night before bedtime, Caden and Daddy do a funny back and forth banter. At the end they both burst our laughing at themselves.
Daddy: “Guess what?”
Caden: “I love you.”
Daddy: “No. Guess what?”
Caden: “I love you.”
Daddy: “No. Guess what?”
Caden: “Just tell me!”
Daddy: “I love you!”
Caden did a one on one trip with Daddy this month too. Saturday morning they went to the Dallas Zoo. Caden loved taking pictures of all the animals in the zoo — composition and focus were irrelevant. He just wanted to have a picture of all the animals they saw. The camera from Oma and Opa at Christmas has been a bit hit!
Caden also got to feed a giraffe! He thought it was really neat and was amazed by their long tongues.
Daddy and Caden took the Dart light rail to the West End for lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse. Then they went back to the zoo for a few more hours. They escaped from the rainy downpour during dinner at HopDaddy burgers.
Daddy booked an AirBNB in Uptown Dallas. Sunday morning they rode the McKinney Avenue trolley and then took a picnic lunch to DFW airport to watch the planes take off and land.
From there they went up to the Dallas Area Train Show in Plano. Several local model train clubs were there with their model trains and extensive tracks. Caden even got to “drive” one of the trains! It was a day full of modes of transportation. =)
Both kids helped me strip the wallpaper and paint the small bathroom downstairs. Caden had been stealthily “helping” remove bits of wallpaper for a while and stashing the remains behind the potty. I finally bit the bullet and turned the kids loose. Fortunately the wallpaper came down pretty easily and the kids enjoyed getting to use the paint roller for both the base coat and the blue gray top coat. They like painting where “it matters” instead of just on paper, but regular paints are fun too!
This month Caden finished is kindergarten level math curriculum! While math doesn’t come as intuitively for Caden, he is doing awesome. We rolled right into the first grade workbook for the same curriculum. Caden also finished the handwriting workbook and is getting more comfortable writing lower case letters.
In our literature study, we finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The kids both really liked the book and we have since read it a second time. We let the kids watch the old movie too, which they liked. Now they have been chanting their version of the songs in the movie … It’s not quite how the official song goes, but it does make me smile!
Oompa, loompa, doopety do. I have another little puzzle for you. Oompa loompa doopety do. If I were a man I’d be inspired by you.
