A Minute to Learn...

...and a lifetime to master.

Dex loved the new bookcase for games, especially since it now houses grown up games as well as kids' games. We spent the next few days showing Dexy how to play Battleship, Mastermind, Yahtzee, and Othello. He really enjoys Mastermind and Othello!

Dex even got to teach Daddy how to play Othello (I couldn't believe he had never played it before - especially since we've had it forever and before Dex came along Ben and I loved to play games). 

Dex likes to keep score. In this case, Mommy beat Dexy. But then again, she's had a lot longer time in her life to work on mastering it!

The Museum of Helicopter and Elevator Parts

The other day Dexter interrupted me while I was working to show me the "museum of helicopter and elevator parts" he had just made out of wooden blocks.  It was pretty amazing (the helicopter parts were pretty obvious to me but he had to point out the elevator parts).  I asked what his inspiration was for this museum. When he looked at me quizzically, I asked what gave him the idea for this, what made him think of it. "Well, I was just getting bored and I started thinking about building a museum and I thought of helicopter parts and elevator parts and then I got my blocks and built it."  Such a mystery how that mind works!

The Black and White Future of New York City

Lately Ben and Dex have been playing instruments to each other.  Sometimes Dexter will play guitar while Ben reads Winnie the Pooh poems or a book and sometimes Ben will "write" a song for Dex.  The other night while they were trading off songs (I should say sounds) on the guitar, Dexter announced, "This next song is called, 'The Black and White Future of New York City'." Dex started playing the guitar and Ben's mouth hung open in wonderment - where does his brain come up with these things? Seems like pretty sophisticated conceptual stuff but then so does a lot of what little kids say.

After Christmas Clean Up

As part of our post-Christmas clean up this year, we rearranged the furniture in our front room making it into more of a designated play space for Dexter. As part of that endeavor, we bought a bookcase at Ikea to hold all the games.

Dexy helped Daddy "build" the bookcase - he even used real tools!

Fruit Juicing

During our winter sequestration, Dex also transformed all the fruit in the house into some delicious fruity juice.

French Pressing

During the cold snap, we chose to make coffee at home rather than venture outside to buy it.

Dexy enjoyed learning about the french press and helping to make the coffee for Mommy and Daddy.

Fifteen Below

We got slammed with about a foot of snow the day before the temps plummeted to about fifteen below zero without windchill.  We hunkered down in the house for a couple of days - just looking out the back window made us cold!