why I am never reading The Little Red Hen to the kids again

Me: Look, Sam, Jane's awake! What shall we do with her?
Sam: Take her to the mill and grind her into flour!


Aaaaaa! :) No, we'll certainly read it again, but oh, how two-year-olds lack a sense of CONTEXT.

Sam, btw, is potty-training. We were going to wait till he was three, but Mom S. has had him peeing in the toliet before baths whenever they do sleepovers over there, and on Sunday he insisted on going potty before climbing in the bath here, and as I watched him, I thought, "look, he can do this. Why am I waiting if he already knows how to do this?" So, we got out the unders, and he's done beautifully for the last two days.

Except for one thing: that number two thing. The boy needs to learn how to POOP in the potty. Pray for us. It was especially not fun yesterday when our water was out (plumbing repairs elsewhere in the complex) and we had one of those accidents. Eee-yuck.

But, for the rest, go boy-o! (I have to say, potty-training with boys is more amusing than potty-training with girls. And for Sam's future dignity, that's all I'm saying about that.)


Brigid is spending most of her days either drawing or climbing the rope swing Adam set up under our stairs. She and I sat and did a 100+ piece puzzle the other afternoon. I am enjoying the late afternoon times when she's the only kid awake; I think she will enjoy school so much when she goes next year, but I will miss her. I'm trying to enjoy the times I have with her now.

Jane is a STINKER. Okay, not wholly. But I always had the feeling she was mischievous, and I'm being proved right. One example? Ever since she discovered that blowing raspberries while eating yogurt provokes a big reaction from me, she's blown raspberries EVERY MORNING when she ses me get ready to feed her yogurt. She's gotten good about not doing it when the yogurt's actually in her mouth (hooray for children who understand "no"), but she still does it beforehand, just to get me to scold her. I do, and she GRINS. It's become a game, and honestly, it's the cutest thing.

She does other similar things, and I pray for her a lot that she will learn self-control as she grows . . . I think, with the Lord's help, she will grow into someone who is winsome and brave and insightful.

Jane also knows how to stand unsupported for ages, and has taken several steps at a go.

Ekaterine is rather laidback. Literally. :) Her new favorite thing to do is to stand with her back to the couch and leeeeeeeean back, arms extended, just lounging - but standing up. Like, "oh, I am so relaxed. Check out how chill I am." And then she smiles at her cute self. She's also very into playing rumble-tumble style with her dad and older siblings, crawling all over them and getting them to roll her around and over them.

Kate has taken a couple of steps - usually toward me or Adam. I think, with God's help, she is going to become a woman who is very affectionate and very grounded.