One Small Step for Man...but Won't Your Parents be Proud

I (Paul) was looking through some recent pictures, and there was a repeated theme of our kids' sense of triumph while performing tasks that for most people aren't a big deal, or even desirable, but for them the tasks might as well be lunar landings.

Madeleine has followed Asher's lead in the can stacking art, but she has some catching up to do since Asher has had a head start on her. Check out her concentration in this picture.
Sorry its a bit blurry, but her pride is unmistakable, and why not? I doubt I could stack cans to my height.
About the same time, my company was moving offices so I was kicked out of work on a Friday afternoon. We spent the afternoon at Country Mercantile. It is a few miles outside of Pasco and its a cross between Tillamook Cheese Factory (except its Chocolate), a fruit stand, and country craft store. I imagine it is a little like Thanksgiving Point in Utah (although I have never been there) except more rural. In fall they have a harvest festival with hay-rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, petting zoo...Vanessa has claimed the "Pumpkin Patch" post so she will tell you all about it, but one of the attractions for the kids was a hay-stack for the kids to climb. Asher was one of the smaller kids trying to climb it and it was a little out of his league as shown in this picture.It was a tough go since some of the blocks were taller than him, but when he finally reached the top he was as proud as any one summitting Mt. Everest.
Finally the other day I caught Madeleine doing this.
Better yet is when she noticed I was taking her picture. Note the look of triumph.

It is a feat of coordination for an 18 month old, but she is going to love these pictures later in life.