the park

{Aidan and Malayna running to the "little park"}

We met Aidan and Wendy at the park today. Malayna and Aidan collected some acorns {with and without hats}, played hopscotch {the three-and-a-half-year-old version}, did some swinging and lots of running around. {Hmmm. Wonder if that'll bring on a nap today? I have my fingers crossed.}

{Malayna with a "cheesy" smile and Aidan with
a bruised forehead from a spill in the park}

When I was getting her ready for her rest, she asked me if she could have a pretty ring like mine when she grows up. I told her that it's a wedding ring and she can have one if she gets married. She said, "I'll marry Aidan when he gets as big as a daddy."

Speaking of daddies, Aidan's dad Daniel is 40 today. Wendy wanted to give him a special gift and asked me if I would make something. Last week while Malayna and Aidan were playing we brainstormed and came up with the idea for this book. A little background: Daniel and Aidan like to listen to music together. Not just any music, though - Aidan's latest favorite singer is David Bowie. {It's pretty funny to hear him singing "Rebel, Rebel" while he's playing.}

{Daniel's birthday gift}

We chose five songs {four Bowie and one Lyle Lovett} that have funny or sweet lyrics. Wendy gave me some photos and some color ideas. It's an accordion book - so it can also be displayed open like it is in the photo.

Daniel is the editor of Parents Express * and has a monthly column called "Dadography", where he writes about parenting Aidan. If you're in the Philadelphia area, the magazine is a great resource for activities, playgroups, events, etc. It also has articles each month about new books, cooking with kids, traveling with kids and an "ask the doctor" column.

*I'm having trouble getting this link to go directly to the magazine, so click on it, then go to the sidebar and select Parents Express.

Malayna was inspecting her acorn collection when we got home and noticed a big one with a tiny one attached to its stem. {When she found she found it I said it looked like a mommy with a baby acorn.} She said that maybe we could take them apart, and I asked her if they would be sad if they were separated. She said, "Noooooo. They're acorns. They don't have faces!"

{a very serious acorn collector}