By the Way: Once Upon a Time Last Friday

Hello! Ola! It's me, Daniel. I want to tell you another story, Okay? Good! Ta bom!

Once upon a time last Friday it was very-very cold. I came to my GiGi and HeyYea's house wearing a big fluffy coat with a big fat hood that covered my head. There was ice on the car and ice on the streets and ice on GiGi's garden. That's really strange because in Brasil and south Texas the only place I've seen ice is from the freezer.

Anyway, I came to play with GiGi and HeyYea because they get lonely on Fridays and need my help. Papai said goodbye to HeyYea while I explored a tent that GiGi made under the table. There were books and pillows and a flashlight inside the table tent. I mostly liked the flashlight, so we crawled out and went to play in the big room.

There were these bright hearts on the cold glass. Red yellow blue green. They were cold too!

I put them all up high, because I'm a big boy.

I asked, "Wanna' go outside?!" because we always play outside at GiGiHeyYea's house. "It's too cold," they both said. GiGi lifted me up to look out our bird-watching window. She showed me the rain and the ice on our tree. "We'll stay inside."

Maybe they'll change their minds.
Wanna' go outside?!

Since we couldn't go out, GiGi taught me how to take pictures with her camera for a little minute.

Here's me being still for a picture.

Here's a picture I took of HeyYea.

Then I got really busy with my very most favorite thing. Can you guess what it is?

WHEELS!

Wheels up high in the sky. Wheels on the table.
A truck book with wheels. A train.
Wheels on a bridge.

HeyYea likes wheels too.

Fire truck. Helicopter. Orange car. Green wagon.
See the green car with the man inside? That's Daniel driving.

The green car is the best.
I drove it through the tunnel.
The Bitsy 'Pider was tall enough to be a tunnel too.

There's a big fire truck with a ladder,

and a little fire truck with a man inside.

Mr. Potato Head was fun to play when HeyYea needed a break from all the wheels.

I'll tell you a secret.
Mr. Potato Head has a bunda.
(That's Portuguese for bottom.)

I helped HeyYea make Potato Head look like this.

HeyYea has two very special cars. He lets me play with one of them every time I ask. I'm very careful cuidado. Today HeyYea shared his big car!

HeyYea's big car had front wheels that turn.

The doors and trunk opened up too.

It was awesome!

When my GiGi started fixing my lunch, I came in the kitchen to help her.

I made rice. I made pasta.

I made feijoa--that's beans in Portuguese.

Of course I helped GiGi wash things in the sink.

I like the faucet.

Two chairs (and lots of towels
make it just right for working.

After all that work and helping HeyYea with wheels and Potato Head, I was really hungry. Then I was really tired. My GiGi gave me my little sheep Baa and my pacifier that I call Pah. She zipped me into a suit that she called a blanket sleeper and we snuggled in the rocker.

Like we always do, she read Goodnight Moon. Today, I could barely keep my eyes open when the quiet old lady was whispering "Hush." It was one "Jesus Loves Me," one "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and I was out. I think heard GiGi sing one more song about Jesus' names in my dreams. "Master . . . Savior . . . Jesus. Like the fragrance after the rain."

With Baa and Pah and my blanket sleeper, I took a nap for 3 hours! (I had to catch up a little because lately I don't like to take a nap at school.)

It was such a cold day that, when I woke up, GiGi had cooked some warm cinnamon apples for my frutinha snack.

Yumm! I also had a honey almond flax bar
that we call duro because it's very chewy.
I like to chew como ratinho-like a little mouse.

We had some time left to read Curious George before we drove home to Mamae and Papai. There were a few more games GiGi and HeyYea wanted to play too.

Here's a fun puzzle.
I spent lots of time helping GiGi fit
straws, pipe cleaners, and shiny puffy balls
into those holes.

HeyYea blew ping pong balls out of this tube.
They bonked me on my tummy, and we all laughed.

And of course, I had to ask GiGi to get the vacuum out. And the broom with the red handle. And the broom with the yellow handle. Grown-ups can be so messy, and I was there to help.