hide & seek

I've been meaning to post this for awhile, I just never got around to posting it. This happened about a month ago and I wanted to share it with you.

So the other day I had a grand idea. I thought it would be fun to play a little game of hide and seek with lilster. Lily is pushing 31 months already, and had never played before. I have fond memories of the game, and was really excited to share this with my daughter. Also, I would be lying if I wasn't actually pretty excited to get to play it again. I must say I was quite the "hider & seeker" as a child.

seek

take 1----well, i started out by showing her how to be the "seeker", at least thats what i had thought. i told her to wait in the living room and count to 5 and then come find me. i took off to her room to hide. as i ducked behind her play kitchen and then turned around i realized she was standing right next to me, with a huge smile on her face.

take2----my first attempt hadn't exactly gone as planned, but i had quite the laugh and lilyana seemed to be having the time of her life, but then again she always does! so i took her back into the living room and did my best to explain to her that she need to wait on the couch and count to five, and then she could come find daddy. as i took off down the hallway to her room for the second time, i looked down the hallway to the living room and noticed that she was on her knees, peering over the side of the couch, just watching where i was going.

take3----so maybe i didn't think this thing all the way through, but i was not going to give up yet, for there was too much at stake. instead of hiding i went back into the living room to give more instructions to lily. she was now having trouble sitting on the couch due to her excitement and anticipation. i then told her she needed to cover her eyes when she counted, so she couldn't see where daddy was going to hide.

take4----well she did exactly what i said, but i soon realized i was probably going to need to explain that she needed to keep her fingers together as she covered her eyes. again i laughed as i noticed her little eyes peering out at me through her little out-spread fingers.

take5----i had finally shown her how to stay out in the living room, and how to count the correct way, and even how to cover her eyes the right way. we were ready to go again. lily started counting and i was off toward her bedroom (i realize that her bedroom is an "easy" hiding space, but this was only her second time playing and i didn't want to be too sneaky yet) so i decided to hide behind her door this time. two seconds after i managed to slip behind her bedroom door i heard the little patter of feet running down the hallway laughing. she went straight to the little kitchen first, but to her surprise i wasn't there! she is way too smart for me though, for a second later she found me with a huge smile on her face. as she was jumping up and down she said "lets do it again!"

After a few more "seek's" i decided she was ready to learn the second half of the game, which as we all know is the best part! I can remember enjoying the hunt, but I really enjoyed hiding.

hide

take1----so i sit her on the couch again and this time i tell her to go hide somewhere like daddy did, and that i would come find her. without missing a beat she is off toward her room. i begin to count out-loud one one thousand, two one thousand, until i get to five and then say "ready or not here i come" and so lily responds "ok" with her little voice. i started to laugh again, realizing i never told her that she needed to be very quite so that i wouldn't know where she was hiding. so before i go back to find her, i tell her that she needs to be really quite so that i don't know where she is.

take2----again i start one one thousand, two one thousand, until i get to five and then say "ready or not here i come" and again she responds "ok". i am not doing a very good job explaining. :) one more time i tell her to be very quite so that i won't know where she is when i try to find her.

take3----one one thousand, two one thousand, "ready or not here i come" and no response... she got it! now as i start down the hallway i begin the age old phrase... "lilyana where are you?" just for fun, and to my surprise i hear lilyana say "i'm back here, by the kitchen". by now both lindsay and i are laughing out loud. from the hallway i say tell her that she needs to be very quite so daddy won't know where she is.

take 4----"lilyana where are you?" i say. again she says "i'm back here by the kitchen". well, i decide to go keep moving back toward her room, just to see where she decided to hide. "lilyana where are you?" i say again. "i'm back here by the kitchen" so funny! once i make it to her room, sure enough i see her little head peering out from behind the kitchen with her big ol' blue eyes and huge smile. as soon as she saw me she said "i'm right here!" she was so excited for me to find her.

Suffice to say, we had a wonderful time playing together. Oh yeah, and regardless of how I explained it, anytime I would say "Lilyana where are you?" she would always respond with her location. If not after the first question, definitely after the second or third. Who would have thought hide & seek would have been such an adventure.

*Did I ever mention how much I love being a Daddy!

-Joel