Feeding the Brain

The last few nights Dagney has really taken to reading books. She cannot get enough of them. Our bedtime routine has always been to read a few books before going to bed, but this week her enthusiasm reached such a fevered pitch that I thought about cutting out the book reading time altogether because she was getting way too excited before bed. Dagney would slam her fist into the chair in anticipation of us sitting down to read books. She would jump up and down, scream and point at each book. Consequently we ran out of books which could hold Dagney's attention.So today I decided it was time for Dagney and Daddy to go to Borders and pick out some new books. I kid you not, this was my expectation:

...We walk into Borders hand and hand...father and daughter. We stroll to the back of the store and sit down together. We go through a variety of books and Dagney lets me know with some sort of simple hand gesture and a nod if she is interested in reading a particular book or not...

I don't know what I was thinking.

Everything went well when we entered through the first set of double doors at our local Borders store. Dagney's excitement was palpable as she looked over the few clearance books there in the vestibule. We opened the second set of doors and Dagney took off like the wind! She was in a full gallop, going from section to section; fiction, mystery and home improvement, pulling book after book from the shelf. Dagney was so charged by the colorful covers she could not contain her enthusiasm as she whipped them onto the floor. I also didn't realize how many toys, stuffed animals and colorful writing accessories Borders kept in stock and at arms reach for a toddler. Dagney found all of these items and proceeded to taste each one.

In the end, however, we found some new books and Dagney and Daddy had a wonderful time.

Dagney running through the store...

Dagney looking for a new aisle of books to deshelve...

Dagney by-passing the books for the toy shelf...

Dagney discovering Dora...

Good ole Sandra Boyton...

"Ebony and Ivory"

Paige has really taken to Dagney's toy piano, which was a gift from Ohma. She loves pressing the keys, hearing the sounds and seeing the lights. Without a doubt it is her current favorite toy.

One thing we are really noticing about Paige is she is more sensitive to loud noises (will cry) and really seems to enjoy the instrument toys more than Dagney.

"Better watch out Lauren, here comes Paige!"

Vikings Win! Vikings Win!

After the Vikings stomped the Houston Texans 28-21, Dagney was anxious to show off her giant finger and let everyone know who #1 is.

Dagney's Tricks or Treats?

While Trick or Treating, Dagney sucked on a butterfinger candy bar for the last half hour. She apparently bit through the packaging with her eight teeth and sucked on it as she went from house to house. The next day we elected to give her a healthier alternative - one of two popcorn balls she got and she loved it! She even came up with her own word for popcorn:

"Pa-pa!"

"More pa-pa, yummie!"