A 4 year old may be old enough to bring the deli counter soup into the house from the car before he is capable of thinking to put it lid side up on the counter.

No soup was damaged in the writing of this post. Safeway must know a few things about 4 year olds.

We spent Monday at Mt. Rainier with Auntie, exploring and having fun. Before we got started on the first trail of the day C. started complaining ( Read more... )

This summer A. has been studying creepy crawlies found in our yard. This has involved capturing a few specimens in mason jars for examination. Occasionally I have felt it necessary to liberate some of the prisoners. We had a snail who came to a sad end, due to lack of water or possibly lack of air (we never got holes punched in the jar lid. When ( Read more... )

Auntie is visiting this summer, and she is a very good baker. Yesterday she made cookies and biscuits ( Read more... )

Mr. Chris Malaprop, upon the occasion of his sister's injuring a finger during horse play, delivered with nose in the air and in his most condescending tone: "I have no symphony for you ( Read more... )

are when babies come. -- Melanie Wilkes, Gone With the WindMay 13th was a happy day, because we welcomed Andrew Paul into our family. He was 8lb 2oz and 20.25 in. He's a favorite of everybody, as demonstrated by the lunchtime fight that happened today. A opined that mommies who have babies probably love them best; C hotly denied this, insisting ( Read more... )

AM is at a really cutely verbal stage now, and I feel a compulsion to jot down here (so that I don't forget) her signature phrases. They are so mundane and toddler typical that I doubt anyone else cares, but here are a few of my faves.

Me: Whacha doin'?
AM: Oh, nuffin'.

Me: Hello, AM.
AM: Huhwo.

Me: Can I help with that?
AM: No! I!

A. is swooping a new paper airplane through the room.
"What airplane is that, A?"
"It's in the Loofawaffle."
"Hunh?"
"You know, the Loofawaffle. Gramps was telling me all about it. We Americans fought against them in WWII."
"Oh, that Loofawaffle. Carry on."

"What's that 'Dodge-your-money' music that Mozart wrote?"
"????"
"You know, 'Dodge-your-money' ... The one he was so exhausted that he could hardly write the overture to?"
"'Dodge-your-money'? Uhhh, did you mean 'Don Giovanni'?"
"Yeah, that one."

Well, I've embarked on a huge new endeavor: home schooling A. R and I have been thinking about doing this since before A was born, and, after a long period of thinking, reading, talking to people, experimenting with learning activities at home, exploring materials, and chewing fingernails we decided to go for it. I am very much indebted to a ( Read more... )