A New Look

     We just got a color scanner for the computer, and are trying it out with this issue of Dallapè Dirt. Hopefully, the color picture of Rio below will come out better than the black and white Xerox copies we have been making. Let us know what you think of the new look!
Visit to California...   In February, Suzanne and Rio went to Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, to visit Grandpa Jim, Grandma Xan, John and Allie. We hadn’t been to California since June of last year. They were all pleased to see how big Rio has gotten, and to hear his extensive vocabulary. The weather was chilly, but it got nice for a few days. We went to the beach one day to go whale-watching, as this was the migrating season, and there had been over 600 whale sightings thus far. We were there for an hour (we got to see a film being made on the cliff, too!), and were about give up and go home, when one of the whales surfaced. It was pretty neat. We didn’t do too much else, since we both got sick halfway during the visit, and preferred to stay in and talk while resting.
     Rio loved being with his family. Allie let him wear some old green St. Patrick’s Day wigs—so cute. And Rio liked to wash dishes with Grandma after dinner. He also loved going to the little nearby playground every day. Allie took him there many times, and he always insisted Allie go home without him!

The Rio Report...  At two and a half years old, Rio is a bundle of energy as usual. He can carry on full conversations—often quite funny. His lessons are becoming more interesting all the time. He occasionally watches "Wheel of Fortune" (he calls it "The Letters Show"), and came up with the idea of turning his Sit & Spin upside down to duplicate the Wheel! We put numbers on the inside rim, and he spins it and guesses letters for the word on the board. He is also keeping up with his geography lessons—now he can tell you that practically every toy he owns was made in China!
     He is learning how to write. Suzanne makes dotted outlines of letters, and Rio traces them. So far, he has been able to write H and M without tracing, and about a dozen other letters with tracing. He loves scribbling and writing letters and stories—soon he might be able to do this without dictating.
     Rio loves playing outside, and he has gone over a couple of times to play with the little girl next door, Kiana, who is a few months older than he is. (See story on the next page.) He is looking forward to getting a pool in the summer and inviting Kiana to play in it.
     Rio has also developed a passion for stories told by his parents. Every night, right before bedtime, we have an "Unwinding Time," where we lie in bed, talk, sing, and tell stories. We both have come up with a lot of childhood memories, which Rio loves to hear again and again—and he can even tell some by himself!
How’s the Weather?   February was cold, though there were only a few snowfalls, while most of the time it was very sunny, as we have come to expect here. March has been very nice. The last few weeks were gorgeous—temperatures in the 60s or 70s, sunny, a light breeze every day. Today we are having a little snowfall, but it is not likely to last very long.

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The Sunny Day
By Rio

     Mummy put some sunscreen on Rio’s lips. On Rio’s ears. Mummy putted sunscreen on Mummy.
     Rio and Mummy take for a walk. We goed for a walk on Russell Park Road.
     Rio play there at Kiana’s house. Rio letted Kiana play with Kiana’s phone and Rio play with Kiana’s car-bike. It was blue. Her grandmother bringed a bike for Rio. Her grandma bringed out a slide. Rio goed into a little house in that thing in the slide. Rio play her phone. A lady talked "Hi."
     Rio look at Kiana and Rio on a video. Rio could watch a video.

Rio’s Funny Things

When asked if he knew any bad words, he thought for a moment, then said, "Disobeying!"

When drinking milk and discussing all its virtues, he said, "Milk makes my eyebrows big!"

We have a pumpkin that we bought last October, and Rio keeps asking when we are going to carve it. We kept saying, "someday." One day we discovered Rio, with the tiny pumpkin carving tools, jabbing them into the pumpkin. Guess he just couldn’t wait!

The Snowy Day
By Rio

     Rio played in the snow and Mummy put on some new mittens. Rio played in the snow yesterday and Rio leaved Rio’s mittens off.
     A snow comed from a sky. A snow feels like wet. It feels cold.
     Ab has a snowblower and lawn a snow. Rio helps Ab play in a snow and play with a shovel and play in a driveway. Daddy and Ab and Rio shoveled a snow yesterday on a driveway.
     Rio doesn’t like snow. It feels yucky. I can’t eat it while it’s dirty. Rio could eat it if it’s good and cold. The end.

[NOTES: Ab is our landlord. "Lawn" means to mow or shovel.]

Where’s My Newsletter?

     Some of you, who get your issues a bit later than the first part of the month, may sometimes wonder why it is so late. Also, you may find that someone in your family has their issue, but you don’t have yours yet.
     The Newsletter can be late for a few reasons. If you are a regular letter writer, we often wait until we get your next letter before sending the Newsletter, so we can respond to your letter and send the news in one envelope.
     Also, sometimes we don’t get your address right. If you have moved recently, we might still be using the old address if we are not aware of the new one. And there are a few people on the list that we are not sure what town they live in. We try this town and that town, trying to find the right one, and sometimes the newsletter comes back undeliverable. This can be avoided by letting us know your exact address. Sometimes people use return address stickers given to them by various charities, and we will make the necessary adjustments to our address book. Problem is, these labels sometimes are not accurate, so we end up having the wrong information in our address book. Again, you can avoid this problem by letting us know the correct address.
     A special note to readers: We send the Newsletter via e-mail to everyone who is online and who has the capabilities to download it. (Microsoft Word 98.) If you would prefer to get it in the mail, let us know. Likewise, if we are sending it online AND in the mail, and you want to cut down on paper and mailing supplies, we can cut you from the USPS mailing list at your request, and just send it online. Just e-mail us.

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