Throw-back-Thursday "M-I-C-K-E-Y"

Dear Dada,

Apparently I'm not the first to send you periodic letters while you're at work... Daniel initiated the practice way back when he was born...

So in honor of his genius idea I thought I could devote future Throw-Back-Thursday posts to highlight some of his most exceptional notes...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From May 2, 2013

Dear Daddy,

You know how everyone has a special someone that is always there for them through thick and thin?

Well besides you and Mama and my Grandparents, I have Mickey. He is such a great friend - especially if you wake up in the middle of the night or have trouble because you are bouncing and signing in your crib quietly falling asleep for a nap.

Some things I appreciate about Mickey:

He lets me bite his nose and ear. (Affectionately of course).
He can swim in the washer and not drown.
He always smiles.
He always listens.
He always is up for a nap when I am.
He is really good at flying. (Particularly when I throw him out of my crib in a ploy to get Mama to come back).

Needless to say it was a rough couple of days when I couldn't find him after spending a nice weekend in Davis. I looked everywhere for him - In the bathtub, under my dirt bucket, in my tool bench and even under my bath towel!

Then, just as I was about to file a missing persons report, I FOUND HIM! Well, technically Ama did. He had pulled a Corduroy! I guess he was really listening to the part where Corduroy hides in a big bed when the night watchman comes looking for him. Thankfully Ama found him curled up, cold and quite lonely in her bed and brought him straight home.

I was overjoyed to put it mildly.

Next time Mickey goes on a vacation with me I will be sure to keep a closer eye on him!

Love,
Daniel

Pinterest Part II

Dear Dada,

I warned you it was addictive! This Pinterest addiction is really transforming my bucket list, nap time antics and even hairstyles!

Here's an update of things I'm loving this week:

Dream Rides

(I know I can't legally drive yet and my foot doesn't even technically reach the pedal but a guy can dream right?)

DIY Health

When you have hair as blonde and nice as mine you have to take care of it properly. Who needs professional products when you can use all-natural ones?!

Nap-time

In case you were wondering why I have decided to give up my morning naps... the day is just too short to sleep it away!

Hope you're staying busy and inspired today Daddy! Love you!

Sincerely,
Joshie

Pinterest

Dear Dada,

Have you heard of Pinterest? It is such an awesome platform for the DIY types - like me!

I've already started some of my own boards and all I can say is... I'm addicted. It is such a great place to find new ideas especially when you have the knack and love making to-do lists.

I'm totally inspired and now full of so many new projects I'm finding it hard to choose which to tackle first!

Here is a sampling of what recent pins I've found particularly mesmerizing:

For the Home

Recipe Ideas

Humor

Crafts

I look forward to periodically sharing other top pins with you Dada! You should totally get your own account.

Love,
Josh

Safety Drills

Dear Dada,

As I know you are already well aware firetrucks, police cars, and ambulances are all pretty popular around these parts.

Fire safety and really general safety (aka toddler survival when your older brother has the amount of energy equivalent to an entire display case of rockstar energy drinks) heavily relies on emergency preparedness. Frequent visits to the local Fire station have helped cement fire safety procedures into our minds:

Stop.Drop.Roll

Frequent drills ensure everyone knows exactly how to operate should catastrophe strike.

In my case safety drills have become rather second nature. Thanks to Daniel's abundance of ideas and enthusiasm we have established an excellent pattern of how to operate should a firetruck come blaring down our bedroom hallway. (I know there are naysayers out there regarding the validity of such a concern but, you know how the saying goes, better safe than sorry). We try to practice this scenario at least 37 times a day.

Stop.Teeter.Lean


I thought you would be able to work with less anxiety knowing we have perfected this lifesaving technique. Personally, I can't wait till I get to be the firetruck driver in our drills... 

Proudly,
Joshie

The big ONE

Dear Dada,

A pretty important milestone is rapidly approaching and I want you to know that I am already in planning mode.

It's going to be a big ONE. The kind that's been nearly 12 months in the making.

Me!

I'm turning one!

Daniel and Mom have already turned to Pinterest for birthday cake ideas which I sincerely appreciate. Daniel seems quite set on making me a firetruck cake with real flashing lights. He also insists that chocolate is the flavor to choose for such occasions.

While I do appreciate the enthusiasm and love lights in general I did have a few ideas myself for the big day. Really it boils down to four simple requests:

1. Refreshments

After much taste testing and scavenging culinary experimentation I have finally settled on my top two requests for appetizers:

Bark and Sand.

Not only are these quite popular hazardous and filthy choke hazards food items amongst my dear friends in COOP but I personally like the varied texture and taste each bite offers. Plus there's the added fiber benefit.

2. Activities

Personally I pretty much like to do one thing all the time - walk. Perhaps we could work in a walk-a-thon... potentially even to the park where I have found the tastiest free bark and sand options!! This could really help us save on our party budget.

3. Entertainment

This idea really came from the doggie calendar I received at Christmas from Auntie Kristina and Uncle Eric. Everyone knows I love dogs so....What could be better than a dog kissing booth? Perhaps a few friends with friendly pets would be willing to loan them for an hour or so such that we could get our fill of droolly kisses, fur grabbing and tail pulling!

4. Cake

This may seem redundant given my desire for refreshments but I really truly just want one kind of cake: a Mud Marbled Choco-Wood-Chip Cake with Sanded Frosting. Never tried it yourself? It will completely rock your world. Once Martha Stewart discovers this new flavor her resulting online recipe is sure to break the internet.

I think Daniel finally caught on to what I was really wanting today at the park and, bless him, he scurried away to make the cake of my dreams!!

 Replete with birthday fanfare he unveiled a perfectly sanded, wood chip studded confection which I promptly attempted to eat despite Mom's best efforts to foil my plan.

I suppose that we could call that an early birthday celebration and still stick with a firetruck cake for the actual birthday party... any preferences on your end?

Love,
Joshua

Potty Training and Wanderlust

Dear Dada,

So apparently, despite my earlier theories regarding potties they are not meant for storing magnetic alphabets.

Big Bro Dan has been really into teaching me this technicality recently.

Personally I don't really see what the big fuss is about. Apparently it's a rite of passage or something.

I mean I've seen MM's consumed, cheering, singing, serious reasoning, bargaining, comparisons to other children who seem to be accomplished in this area drawn... it's been crazy.

At first it seemed like Mommy was really just asking Daniel to help generate more projects for her to work on.

The toilet paper roll took on some interesting new formations...

A few puddles randomly appeared in various locations in the house...

And Daniel started receiving new garments as gifts from his Grandmas which I personally was concerned seemed entirely too skimpy for the cold weather we've been experiencing.

Today though it finally dawned on me why Daniel is so into not using diapers anymore.

There are new exciting places with potties to explore hidden nearly everywhere you go!

Today at Safeway Mommy ushered us into one such gem tucked away behind some produce crates. After kicking her phone out of her pocket into said potty, crying upon bonking my head on Daniel's when she attempted to retrieve it and getting comforted in her lap in the middle of the bathroom while he happily completed his project amidst erratic phone calls (Facetime calls at that!!) from the now malfunctioning phone to Uncle Eric Park... I did start to have a few doubts... but playing with the water and foaming soap at the end reaffirmed my new wanderlust.

Dada, perhaps we can look for a potty at the Hardware store next time we're there? I'm sure there are some awesome aspects I can attempt to lick appreciate while Daniel does his business!

Love,
Joshy

I Wanna Ride on a Firetruck

Dear Dada,

I thought life was crazy riveting enough with my verbose and loud big brother but it turns out the volume level can be turned up even louder.

Thanks for resisting the urge to file a noise complaint with the city over the weekend and instead joining in the fun when our buds Elisha and Micah to come play!

***Warning. The following photos may contain certain attire only worn by "big-boys". I'll be sure to write about this new curiosity in an upcoming post.*** (Now it's up and you can click here to read.)

After calmly posing for a quick group shot upon their arrival I think my favorite part of the entire evening was the non stop energy.

When you are all convinced that you want to be a fireman when you grow up it's not really that hard to choose what to turn your closet into duh... the fire station and your wheeling device into alternately a ladder fire truck AND a pumper truck. As for a theme song for the night...

Yeah. That was a unanimous vote too.


 Many fires were fought; teddy bears saved from deadly peril; breakfasts cooked; bed-jumping-cardio-sessions completed and even a few snacks inhaled when it dawned upon us that the only proper way to end such a firefighting work day would be a proper hoe-down.

Thank you for providing the live music!

Perhaps Micah will show a little more enthusiasm next time.

Until next time,
Firefighter Josh

PS I never realized how difficult it could be to get a shot of the whole station crew. Good thing we're all so photogenic even when we decide we don't like hats, have a few boogers to mine and that we really like our tongues!