Misc Fun in January and February

We hiked the beautiful Blackwater Creek Trail in the middle of Lynchburg. Some of which went through the trees, and some was on the biking trail cut through the rocky mountain.

We went to Amazement Square, the local kids' hands-on museum. Jessica loved "milking" the plastic cow and playing in the river. Dave loved the golf ball roller coaster area, and I rode the zip line and wished I had their Velchro body parts board for Jessica to learn from at home.

It's been harder to keep Jessica in the cart. She could push the cart herself, but she couldn't steer it away from the shelving. "BONK! Hahahaha!"

Every morning she stands on her stepstool in front of her mirror and "brushes" her teeth, while I wash her face and put pigtails in. I'm not used to the drier climate here, and I had to start the habit of putting lotion on her to relieve her rough skin and the occasional red patch on her face. Our day still consists of cartoons, time outside, some craft, some housework, reading and naptime, errands, water playtime, and the daily contest of how many toys get spread through the house.

Jessica enjoyed her first s'more, and her favorite food of the month was soy beans - partly because they'd squirt out of the pods, which she thought was funny. 

About this time we had to reestablish naptime and bedtime, and I decided to capitalize on her love of clocks. I bought a CD alarm clock, and set it for 7:30 pm, when it would start playing music. After a little explanation, she would jump up excited for her bedtime routine.

I made a "toddler clock" with a new background on an old clock. The pictures on the rim are for night activities (brush teeth, jammies, stories with daddy, prayers, and sleeping) and the pictures inside are for day activities (get up, breakfast, get dressed, lunch, dinner, and the really helpful ones: reading time & naptime).

I put a big "drip drop" shape (her words) on the hour hand so she would ignore the confusing minute hand. I added colored triangles and shifted the numbers forward half a space so the hour hand doesn't touch the number until it's hour starts. All I had to do to persuade her to do something was point to the clock, and she totally got it. I also got her a calendar and drew pictures of our activities so she could look forward to events.

I hung our new pictures. For Christmas, I gave Dave a portrait he had admired of Jesus calming the sea. I got myself a copy of "Mercy Claimeth That Which Is Her Own". It brought tears to my eyes the first time I saw it in the Church Art Competition. It won a purchase award, and the huge original hangs in the Conference Center. When I walked into Deseret Book to find a painting for Dave, the artist, who actually lives in Virginia, was there painting in the lobby. It's a personification of Justice holding his sword, satisfied by the gift of Christ, and Mercy, calling to the penitent sinner. 

And Dave finished our second bookcase, and we love them. He figured out a way to cut dentils into the walnut crown molding, which I especially like. 

Dave also fixed our dishwasher. The appliances here are conspiring against us; the oven just had to be replaced, and later our dryer needed a new heating coil. I'm glad to have a handy man around the house.