Sweetest Ever

Ah, traditions.  After the turkey carcass has been picked clean, the next expected food item is turkey salad.  Rae-rae and family came to partake.  I had the most fun with Giddy-up.

That bug game I played with Missy Bugg the day before would be an excellent starter game I thought. Instead of any attempt to play by the rules with a two year old, I just asked him to roll the dice, pick a part, then I would roll and pick a part.  He did a great job taking turns and loved making his bug.

 I hate having my picture taken and can't believe I'm posting all these pictures with me in it, but here you go.  I'm an ugly crier and an equally ugly laugher, but this was one of those memories I want to etch in my mind for future reference and this seems the best at capturing the moment.
This boy misses nothing and forgets nothing and now it takes hours to get through all the things he does with Gramerly. Actually, they can't even be accomplished in an afternoon, but he tries.  We have to play a game, feed the chickens, check on the bees, swing in the swing, get out the corn seed for the concrete mixer, play in the tree fort, stand in the refrigerator and point until something looks interesting. Today it was grape jelly, followed by making a PBJ cut into the shape of a dog, which he inhaled after appropriately bow-wowing. That just names a few things. On Thanksgiving we used beads to make a necklace, so now that's added to the queue.
I told him the beads were upstairs, so up he went and within 3 minutes, with no help from me, found every place a bead was stuck.  So I hauled the beading containers downstairs and proceeded to  make a new necklace with him.
I can't remember how it came up,after the necklace was made, but I showed him a little ring pop that was a penguin-picked for him due to his love of the little Pingu cartoon.  I took it out of the package and he was incredulous.  How could it be a ring, a penguin, candy, and look like his beloved paci (pacifier)?
Of course when he said, "This is like my paci,"  I said, "Thats a good example of a simile Giddy-up, comparing two things using like or as."  I don't know what it was, but this cracked him up.  He would laugh heartily, repeat "This is like my paci," crack up again and lean in for a hug, then stick the ring pop in his mouth and do it again.  Both of us were nearly hysterical and I'd never had so many lovies in such a short time.

I wish I could bottle that joy, but I'm happy to know through word and pictures I can revisit that place.

What a precious gift- gramerlings.