Because it just tastes good

A few days ago I looked up good activities for two-year-olds. I got such great ideas and suggestions. Several people said that they like to color with crayons that don't have the paper on them.

Today, I told the Em that I was going to put the baby down for a nap, and that she should color for a few minutes. I unwrapped the red crayon and told her to use it, and wasn't it cool that it didn't have a wrapper anymore? Off I went.

While calming the baby, I thought to myself, "She is being so good. I think that I'll give her a treat for staying out of his room while I try to get him drowsy. She is such a good listener today!" I put Owen down, and went to find her.

It was very quiet in the house. I had to really look for her. And I found her standing by the fridge, really close to the fridge. Hugging the fridge, trying to hide by the fridge.

Then I see two pieces of the crayon in her left hand, and her right hand is in her mouth, with two more pieces of crayon. Red crayon mess. Why, why do toddlers eat strange things? I didn't know if I should give her a treat, because she did stay out of his room for several minutes, but it was because she was eating something inedible.

Last week we went to the park, and two days in a row she ate sand. I have read that the mouth is a way that they explore and learn, which is understandable. But why would you repeat it? Sand in your mouth has got to be disgusting!


Three days ago I was in the bathroom, and Owen started to cry. Then Emma began to comfort him. I marveled at how attentive she was being. I imagined me walking into the room and finding Emma trying her hardest to make it ok for him, and then I would swoop down and grab him and we all celebrate.

I think I still had an adoring smile on my face from this fairytale as I walked into the living room. There I find Owen on his stomach, yelling from anger as much as anything, with Emma sitting on him. She was perched on his bottom and patting his back.

Sigh.

She explained it well though. With a burst of excitement (and a smidgen of hesitation) she exclaimed, "I'm riding Owen!". She thought it was darn fun. Thus, the lesson of "You can't ride Owen" followed.

It's tough being two. It is a world of rules that you don't understand and logic you can't follow. Why is it ok to ride daddy and not Owen? What is ok to eat, and what isn't? And the list goes on...

I'm here, just busy

Trying to get two small children to do anything that resembles posing fora picture is a challenge, to say the least. On this particular day, the children were accidentally dressed in matching outfits. Now, what mother doesn't think that's cute? So of course I tried to get them to "be cute". No dice. Emma was too interested in her corn to sit still, and Owen wasn't particularly happy with the entire affair. But, life is real, so this is what it really looks like.

The winter was long this year, maybe it will be every year! We did thumb our noses at Mother Nature on occasion, and ventured out long enough to realize that it really was a bit cold to be outside.

The O-dawg loves his feet. He loves having them bare so he can examine them and taste them. I don't think that my body could ever do this. Well, maybe at one time, but it rebelled at least a good quarter of a century ago, and now I would be embarrassed to say how close (or far) I can come to my toes.

Come on, you don't stretch either.

Emma's gracious grandmother (I should say one of them) shared her keyboard with her for her birthday. We think that little Emma is musical, so Nana got a chance to share her love of music. It was a joy to watch, I took a ton of pictures. Emma graduated from banging on as many keys as possible to pressing them one or two or several at a time quickly. Of course, I think that music is in her blood, but of course I am biased. A few days ago she turned the keyboard on, began to play and sang "Jesus Loves Me".

You can call me anytime during the day Oprah, we would love to come on the show.


Cute post-bath baby.

black and white kick

I love Picasa.







My little guy is pretty serious, but he does smile and laugh too. His favorite person might be Emma. As a mom, I don't know how I like being the second fiddle! He is scooting around like crazy, and really knows how to move around. He squeals with delight and screams when he is mad. And mad he gets! He loves carrots, squash, and tolerates green beans. Peas are a different story. You would think that he ate dirt after each bite. I love peas, so I am not sure what the problem is. I think he is just like his dad, in many ways. (who also isn't crazy about peas) I am amazed at how much individuality there is even at this young age.
Emma has a stuffed butterfly that she plays with for long stretches each day. One favorite thing that she does is she drops the butterfly, picks it up, and says "Butterfly, did you fall down? It's ok butterfly". She loves to take care of it. She is a daddy's girl for sure. When he comes home she runs to meet him and loves to spend time with him. Emma loves toast and most foods, and likes raw carrots after she saw how much her brother likes them. She loves to be outside and loves going for walks. She is a joy and we are enjoying her very much.
I have 200 pictures on the camera to put on the computer. I have 180 to order. I am behind.
We are going to start packing soon. It feels daunting, but we are really excited to get to our new home. We are going to have to just do a few boxes a day for the next several weeks. I thought it was going to be really scary to have a house of our own, but so far it has been a relief. It will be nice to be accountable to ourselves and be able to make decisions and paint and update when we want to. It is also a great feeling to be paying towards something.
Ahh...I feel like a grown up.
Already??