...Actually, I didn't really get him to eat them--he sort of decided to on his own. This video clip of Yo Gabba Gabba certainly helped:
...haha...but also, I've had to be super creative and laid back about it. (By laid back, I mean, act like eating vegetables is normal, and don't hover while he tastes it. Also, don't make a big deal if he doesn't like it at first.) One day we read a book about rabbits, so that day, I made us some rabbit food. I arranged five of the smallest leaves that you find at the center of a head of romaine lettuce in a line from smallest to largest, and then put a dollop of dip on the side. He totally ate it up.
I find the best way for me to get our family to eat vegetables is to prepare a whole bunch of raw veggies, and some ranch from the Hidden Valley seasoning packet, and our veggies are gone in no time. Recently he asked for broccoli "trees". So I bought those. Today, I cut up a bunch of broccoli, carrots, and something new--cucumber. I told him that if he bites the cucumber slice, he can make a moon. So he started doing that, and seriously porked on the rest of the cucumber.
Sigh. I guess today's been a pretty successful day.
Sunday was the annual primary program in our ward. It's always fun to watch the children say their lines and also very touching to hear their beautiful songs. I knew many of the songs because we were in the process of learning them in our old Millcreek 6th ward when I was so fortunate to be primary president. It made me a little bit sad because I miss being in the primary. At the same time I'm glad I can enjoy Relief Society for the first time in a long time. Plus, I honestly don't think I could manage it with Andre.
The best part for me, though, was watching how Paulo responded to the primary program. He was so attentive. He knew some of the songs and would mouth the words at times. Half way through the program, he began to use the armrest on end of our pew as if it were a microphone, and he'd sing into it, and pretend to say lines when other kids were saying theirs, and then he'd stop when they stopped, and would sit down on the floor reverently folding his arms. He has to wait a whole other year before going into primary. By then he will be so ready and will know all the songs and stuff. He's so sweet. My son my son.
Last week I decided to use $10 of our grocery money to splurge and buy ourselves a hummingbird feeder. I've seen hummingbirds coming around by our balcony and thought it would be an educational investment. Within a few days we had our first hummingbird, and he comes around everyday now, many times throughout the day, especially in the morning. So this morning, I held Paulo on my lap and we were super quiet and still. Hunter got out his Nikon camera and shot a whole bunch of photos, and these turned out the best. 
Yes, we really took these photos. They're not from an online stock photography company. The photos look a little different from each other because Hunter used flash on the second one.
Anyway, we named him Harold. We confirmed he's a ruby throated hummingbird. He seems to be protective of his new found territory--we watched him bully off another hummingbird who had come to check out the new feeder. It's kind of cool being able to bring nature so close to our home. Paulo gets really excited about it. Beautiful eh?
We also observed another cool natural phenomenon yesterday afternoon. After returning home from church, we got out of the car, and Paulo always sits on this little spot on the curb next to a fence while waiting for us to get Andre and all our bags. Well, on this particular occasion, there was a highway system of tiny ants along the bottom of this curb, which stretched from a little tiny hole in the cement (by our car) about 30 feet along the walkway toward the mailboxes. The ants were rushing in two different directions, and in a perfect line. And the funny part is that at one point along the "highway" the ants broke off the normal path and started up the curb in a diagonal line, and it looked just as if it was a highway exit. It was so cool. Hunter told me that the reason the ants stayed in a perfect line like that is because the ants, which are all female, communicate with each other through pheromones and their antennae. Isn't that cool?
