what have we been doing

Things have been pretty snotty here in Dudeville.  He has not only cut two canine teeth, he also seems to have caught a cold at the same time.  Needless to say we had quite a few jammy days here this week.  As the week wore on his mood improved and we were able to do a bit more, including going out and playing in the first snow of the year.  

Otto has really been a fan of blocks for a long time.  Lately in the evenings he and Eric have been making giant towers and castles.  He builds most of them telling you the colors of the blocks as he goes along.  He is talking so much these days it is really amazing.  So much in fact two days this week he made himself hoarse talking all day with post nasal drip and a cough.  He sounded like he had been smoking a pack a day, it was quite funny.  

Here he is all bundled up in his hat, mittens and snow boots.  We were coming back from my doctor's apt. when he NEEDED to play outside.  This was his first real chance to run in the snow.  The snow kept him busy for a little....

... and then he declared in a loud voice, "LID OFF, DIG WITH BACKHOE IN SANDBOX!"  There was really no getting around the fact that playing in the half frozen sand was all he wanted to do.  Before Eric went in to get a hat and gloves (it was about 25 degrees out) he opened the sand box.  Otto climbed on in and starting digging away.  Happy as can be.  We had to pull him kicking and screaming out of there when he was clearly freezing and it was almost dinner time.  You think a wet toddler makes a mess when they come in from the snow, try one who has been playing in the sandbox!  Anyone who would want to volunteer to help us move the box and all the sand to an out of site location is more than welcome.  This is not a battle I want to fight all winter.

A new game that Otto and Eric like to play is "see-saw".  It is a great workout for Eric's legs.  Needless to say when Otto asks me to play this game I tell him to wait for Daddy to come home.  He'll play with him.

Eric has been working away on redoing one of the rooms downstairs and turning it into his office.  It is almost done and looks fantastic.  

Today he was fixing one of the chairs for the office and had quite the little helper.  Otto loves anything to do with hammers, screwdrivers etc...  So much in fact I am going to try to find him some kind of little kit construction set to add to his wishlist.