Daddy's lil' Squirt http://daddyslilsquirt.com All about our little son, Squirt...well, mostly about him :-) posterous.com Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:48:37 -0800 Coconut Painting http://daddyslilsquirt.com/coconut-painting http://daddyslilsquirt.com/coconut-painting

Lately Squirt has enjoyed finding fallen coconuts in the yard and bringing them to show me.  He stayed home a couple days this week with a fever so it was a perfect time to do some crafts with his coconuts.  He loves painting so painting coconuts as opposed to painting on paper would be a nice change of pace.

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Some un-used Christmas wrapping paper worked great as a drop cloth and a cupcake tray works great for the paint.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:17:08 -0800 Squirt shows me, what he calls, an acorn that he found. It's actually a young coconut. http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-shows-me-what-he-calls-an-acorn-that-h http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-shows-me-what-he-calls-an-acorn-that-h
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Taken with picplz.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:27:56 -0800 Squirt loves his new school shoes. He's cute trying to scrub them. http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-loves-his-new-school-shoes-hes-cute-tr http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-loves-his-new-school-shoes-hes-cute-tr
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Taken with picplz.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:32:43 -0800 Squirt practices writing. http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-practices-writing http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-practices-writing
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Taken with picplz.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:53:37 -0800 At the park playing with Squirt and his Hotwheels http://daddyslilsquirt.com/at-the-park-playing-with-squirt-and-his-hotwh http://daddyslilsquirt.com/at-the-park-playing-with-squirt-and-his-hotwh
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Taken with picplz.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:37:26 -0700 Been hanging with Squirt the last two days. He has a bad cough. http://daddyslilsquirt.com/been-hanging-with-squirt-the-last-two-days-he http://daddyslilsquirt.com/been-hanging-with-squirt-the-last-two-days-he
Media_https0i1picplzt_jvdly

Taken with picplz.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:07:00 -0700 Ninja Fish, That's Funny http://daddyslilsquirt.com/68930788 http://daddyslilsquirt.com/68930788

A long time ago I taught Squirt his first joke.  He mastered his delivery of the joke pretty quickly then he was telling it to everyone in the family.  Of course it made everyone laugh and he enjoyed telling it everytime.  The joke:

Q.  What kind of fish do you catch with gummy worms?

A.  Swedish fish.

On a recent night, I got home late from work and he was still awake in bed so I got comfortable right next to him.  We started talking and then he told me he had a new joke to tell me.  I couldn't wait to hear it.  "Okay, tell it to me." I told him.

Q.  What kind of fish do you catch with ninja worms?

A.  Ninja fish.

Now, that didn't make any sense at all but it made me laugh.  He told me the same joke several times, changing it each time (car worms, car fish; moon worms, moon fish; bed worms, bed fish; etc.) and we laughed after every joke.

When he first told me he had a new joke I expected to hear a new joke but his versions of the, apparently, one joke he knows were very amusing.  I listened to a few more of his awesome jokes then we said good night and he was asleep within a few minutes.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:11:16 -0700 What's your favorite game from when you were a kid? http://daddyslilsquirt.com/whats-your-favorite-game-from-when-you-were-a http://daddyslilsquirt.com/whats-your-favorite-game-from-when-you-were-a

I remember occupying entire afternoons playing tag or hide-and-go-seek. Now, Squirt is at that age where he understands and loves these games too.

Ask me anything

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:29:13 -0700 Reflecting After The First Year Of Preshool http://daddyslilsquirt.com/reflecting-after-the-first-year-of-preshool http://daddyslilsquirt.com/reflecting-after-the-first-year-of-preshool Squirt's first year of preschool is coming to an end in a few weeks and, like many parents do, I can't help but think back on the past year.  Even before preschool started it was tough for my wife and I to even decide which school he should attend.  When the first day of school finally came around I had high hopes but, unfortunately, it didn't turn out as expected.  To make matters worse, over the next few weeks Squirt didn't adjust well to his preschool. After much thought, we transferred him to a preschool with which he was more familiar but quite far from our home.  We managed to get him squared away in his new school and he came to enjoy it very much.  This was a weight lifted off my shoulders. Last summer I remembered looking forward to Squirt's first year of preschool very much and now that it has pasted, some memories will always stay with me.

Dressing Squirt for school in his little uniform.

Getting that last hug and kiss from him before he goes into his class.

See that day come when he wanted to walk into the school yard on his own and he made me kiss him in the truck where no one would see.

Seeing him almost burst at the seams with excitement because he had his latest school project to show me.

Doing homework with him.

Listening to him recite the songs he learned in class.

Seeing him write his own name (still a work in progress).

Letting him take the school bus home from school (his preference by the way).

Finding a best friend and inviting him over to play after school.

Listening to the high lights from his day in school.

http://twitter.com/squirtsdad/status/71730180082769920 I can only imagine what the next school-year holds for him, and I, but we are looking forward to it.  In the mean time we have a whole summer vacation to enjoy...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Sun, 29 May 2011 01:31:02 -0700 Drifting http://daddyslilsquirt.com/drifting http://daddyslilsquirt.com/drifting Sometimes it is a lot of fun seeing the things my son does or the things in which he becomes interested. The things with which he identifies and calls his own. My four year old son's latest obsession is drifting.
Drifting - A type of precision driving where the driver intentionally over steers, producing a controlled slide through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed.
Doesn't matter if it is his HotWheels toy car, a racecar in a video game, his bicycle or even a shopping cart, he can make it 'drift' and he loves doing it. So much so that we've almost had to ban him from pushing the shopping carts in the grocery store. He has had carts land on top of him, he has ended up on top of an over turned cart and has knocked more than a few items of the shelves. And, yes, his favorite movies are The Fast And Furious series. I hope he either out grows it or masters it by the time he is old enough to drive but until then it is a lot of fun watching him drift and enjoying his favorite movies with him.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Sun, 15 May 2011 17:55:28 -0700 Squirt's First Time To Placencia http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirts-first-time-to-placencia http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirts-first-time-to-placencia [slideshow] Placencia is a small beach village here in Belize.  One of the better beaches in Belize actually.  It is about a 3 hour road trip from where we live so we don't go out there often but I can definitely say that Squirt and our daughter are completely at home on the beach.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:19:57 -0700 Portable Gaming Platforms For A 4-Year-Old? http://daddyslilsquirt.com/portable-gaming-platforms-for-a-4-year-old http://daddyslilsquirt.com/portable-gaming-platforms-for-a-4-year-old Last year I passed on my beloved iPod Touch to Squirt, my four-year old son.  It was actually a Christmas gift I got from my wife years ago (1st generation iPod Touch) and it had an engraving on the back so even though it was now his, it still had sentimental value to me.  A few days ago he misplaced it and we haven't been able to find it yet so I'm sad to say, it looks like it is gone for good.    It was still in great condition too and had a flawless screen--no easy feat when living with two kids.  Squirt loved it as much as I did so he is constantly asking for his iPod. This could be an opportunity to get him something better but what?  Another iPod?  PSP?  3DS?  Things I'm considering:
  1. Price of the device.
  2. Also, the price for games and/or apps.  I don't want to spend a fortune on games/apps.
  3. Playability -- He is four years old so the platform of choice needs to have a large library of suitable games.  I know the Apple app store has a lot of games that are both educational and easy enough for a four-year old to play.  I really haven't played any other games on other portable gaming platforms.
  4. Ease of use.  My boy pretty much grew up with that iPod so he is adept at the touch screen interface.  I'm not sure how complicated or intuitive other devices (PSP, 3DS) are?
So parents, please help me out here with the poll below and any thoughts you may have to add in the comments:

[polldaddy poll=4867530]

UPDATE: I found Squirt's iPod Touch under the driver's seat of our truck.  He is quite happy now so we won't need to buy him another one.  Although, I think our daughter (and me *cough*) could use a new iPod.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:57:32 -0700 Every Monday Should Be This Easy http://daddyslilsquirt.com/every-monday-should-be-this-easy http://daddyslilsquirt.com/every-monday-should-be-this-easy I was trying to get in my last half hour of sleep.  You know, when you're too tired to get up out of bed so you try to sleep in until the very last minute when you know you absolutely can not stay any longer without making the kids late for school.  Well that didn't happen this morning.  My 4-year-old had other plans. He pried open my eyes and said, "Dad, wake up!  I need to go to school."  Did my son say that?  I wondered. Again I hear him, "All my friends are there, wake up!" This is from a kid that used to cry at preschool, hates breakfast and would rather watch cartoons or play games than get dressed.  He completely caught me by surprise when he told me exactly what he wanted for breakfast and he actually ate it without threats of taking his iPod away.  (Yeah, I gave him my beloved iPod months ago.  I still kind of regret that but he loves it just as much as I did.) I was in awe but I wasn't about to ask any questions about the change of behavior, I just went with it.  So I got him dressed, dropped him off at school then promptly returned to that extra half hour of sleep.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Sat, 05 Mar 2011 14:47:35 -0800 Kite Season Is Here http://daddyslilsquirt.com/kite-season-is-here http://daddyslilsquirt.com/kite-season-is-here Here in Belize, the month of March marks the height of kite season.  Soon there will be children of all ages out in the streets flying their homemade kites built with straw and plastic bags.  Undoubtedly, power lines all over the country will also be littered with tangled and abandoned kites.  

This is actually one of my favorite parts of the year.  It is the kite season because at this time of the year the wind blows almost non stop and the temperature drops a few degrees giving us a few weeks break from the tiring heat.  Another reason I like kite season is that my now soon-to-be four year old son loves kites.  He shouts and points out the car window every time he spots one ever since he learned to say the word kite.  The fact that he is four this year is what makes this year special.  About two years ago I tried to fly a kite with Squirt but that ended with me trying to reel in a kite while chasing him through the park.

Well I couldn't wait until March so way back in February I surprised Squirt with a new kite.  I attempted to build one the night before I bought one but failed miserably and that kite pretty much crashed and burned.  I took him to where there were no power lines, my parent's huge yard, for safety and tried to teach him the finer points of getting the kite up in the air.  After several days of instruction, and fun, he is picking it up nicely.  Pretty soon he will be able to get his kite up off the ground all on his own.  The best parts are watching him run back and forth in the yard directing his kite across the sky and making airplane engine sounds.

Kite_04

Kite_01

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Kite_03

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:38:00 -0800 Tough Decisions http://daddyslilsquirt.com/tough-decisions http://daddyslilsquirt.com/tough-decisions

This year a major event for me was enrolling our little 3 year old into school.  We did actually do this but things didn't go smoothly.  Squirt would dread every morning he had to go to school and it just became unbearable to put him through that every week.  With only about a month total of preschool under his belt we decided to take him out of school.  Maybe he just wasn't ready.  We told ourselves that we would try again when he was four years old--we knew some parents that didn't put their children in school until they were four years old.

Several times my parents had suggested that he attend a preschool near their home.  Squirt's cousins attended that school and Squirt had been to several school functions so he knew the teachers quite well.  Between both of our work schedules there is no way we could make the commute every week day to that school.  My parents suggested that Squirt stay with them during the week but we were not ready for that.

In the meantime, I was concerned about him falling behind with essential early education.  So, I purchased the same books they used at school and I would try to teach him to read and write his alphabets and numbers.  We did make some progress but I knew it was not what he could be learning at school.  At home I could see that he wanted to be challenged and engaged more.

It wasn't an easy decision but this week Squirt started attending his new preschool.  Much to our relief he is enjoying it very much.  Only two days in and he is already impressing his teacher.  All things considered, it is a weight lifted off my shoulders personally, knowing that he will be experiencing preschool like he should--as a fun and stress free experience.  It's not without difficulty not seeing him everyday and we are constantly wondering how he is at any given moment but we are taking it one day at a time.  I keep trying to remind myself that Squirt loves his grandma, he'll get to see his cousins everyday and he is developing what he needs to develop right now.
Couch_dudes

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:06:05 -0800 The Minutes Of My Jog With Squirt http://daddyslilsquirt.com/the-minutes-of-my-jog-with-squirt http://daddyslilsquirt.com/the-minutes-of-my-jog-with-squirt 5:40 pm:  Squirt starts reminding me repeatedly that I promised to take him for a bike ride today.

5:45 pm:  I give in and I tell him to ask his mom to get his tennis shoes from inside the truck.  (This conserves my energy for my jog.)

5:48 pm:  I still end up having to go to the truck when my wife finds only one shoe.

5:55 pm:  After I get Squirt ready I send him on a mission to find my jogging shoes. (Still attempting to conserve energy for the jog.)

6:00 pm:  We head out the door and I argue with Squirt about him having to wear his helmet.  He tries to convince me he doesn't look cool with it.

6:10 pm:  Squirt charms a tourist couple when he politely says, "Excuse me" to pass them on the side walk.  They politely step aside and commend him on his great riding skills.  He laughs.

6:25 pm:  Jogging along side Squirt on his bike has gone good for the first half of our trip.  We turn around and begin to head back home.

6:30 pm:  I shout at Squirt to slow down because I need to catch my breath.  After a couple minutes I start to jog again.

6:40 pm:  I shout at Squirt to stop while I walk to catch up to him and catch my breath again.

6:45 pm:  After another attempt at jogging I've decided to walk the rest of the way home.

6:46 pm:  We watch Buddy (our dog who always follows us on our jogs) go behind a bush to take a piss.  It's like he is human.

6:55 pm:  We reach home, my shirt is wet and I know my legs will be sore tomorrow.

Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:33:43 -0800 Park Fun http://daddyslilsquirt.com/park-fun http://daddyslilsquirt.com/park-fun

Squirt terrorizing the pigeons

He's also now old enough to go on the swing by himself

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:03:20 -0800 Crayons And Quality Time http://daddyslilsquirt.com/crayons-and-quality-time http://daddyslilsquirt.com/crayons-and-quality-time
Up until a few days ago, quiet time in our home has been almost none existent.  Squirt just never stops moving.  Thankfully, it seems he has discovered that he can create awesome colored pictures with his box of crayons and a good coloring book. The best part about his new found interest is that it is a great activity for quiet time and he always enjoys when we color a picture together.


It's exciting to watch how much thought and concentration he puts into his color selection and coloring technique.  He seems genuinely interested in making the picture his own and he demonstrates an amazing amount of patience to complete a picture.  His little 3-year-old passions have always been airplanes, helicopters, motorcycles and race cars--those are his favorite things to color.  During our quiet times together I enjoy hearing questions like, "Dad, what color are headlights?" or "Dad, what color are helmets?"  I like suggesting a suitable color but in the end he picks his own color and thats just fine.

P200111_19

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:49:38 -0800 Yeah, I used one of Squirt's shirts to work on the truck. Lol, the wife wasn't happy. :) http://daddyslilsquirt.com/yeah-i-used-one-of-squirts-shirts-to-work-on http://daddyslilsquirt.com/yeah-i-used-one-of-squirts-shirts-to-work-on

P080111_18

via TweetDeck

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:34:09 -0800 Squirt, On The Guitar [VIDEO] http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-on-the-guitar-video http://daddyslilsquirt.com/squirt-on-the-guitar-video
This might be my proudest moment as a dad so far. :)

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72356/fprofile.jpg http://posterous.com/users/15WZhWSL18R Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad Squirt's Dad