"It makes sense!"

A story stolen from my husband:

Today Alan was playing with Charlotte in her room, and she was struggling to remove the back cushion from the big rocking chair that I rock her to sleep in nightly, grunting, pulling, etc. Alan said, "Why are you trying to move that cushion, Charlotte?"

She looked right at him and said, "It makes sense." Hmmm... do you think one of us uses that phrase a little too often? LMAO.

Adventures in Gardening

First let me say that i have a black thumb. Fortunately, my husband has better luck than i do, but i really love planting things and watching them grow, even if i suck at being their primary caretaker.

Anyway, this year we planted some herbs in the side bed which should get enough sun this year since the tree blocking it last year was trimmed down, veggies on the side of the front bed (we widened it a bit), and flowers in the 3 pots on the front porch. The veggies are watermelon, leeks, and of course tomatoes. We also planted a bonfire patio peach in the front yard and a trailing raspberry vine in the back so it can hopefully grow up the fence and look wild. Basically we planted Char's favorites lol.

But, the rest of the front bed is stil crazy wild and weedy, so a couple of nights this week i've been pulling them up a couple of feet wide at a time while Char drives me crazy, i mean explores our front yard and everyone else's. Tonight i got out the water pitchers and cups so she could practice pouring nearby. All was going well until i heard the fateful words: "i ride this."

No three words have struck more fear in the hearts of, well, me. Not even "i climb this." Sure enough, she came up behind me and climbed on my back. Then she said, "Horsey, horsey, hmm hmm hmmm" (the sound a horse makes, duh). So i played horsey in the front yard for a bit. Then i decided i could weed while she rode my back and i would wiggle a bit to keep her occupied. Um, well, it wasn't enough stimulation apparently so she decided to practice "vaulting". Vaulting, in the horse world, has a specific definition, and it goes something like this:


Also, my weeding displaced a worm, which Char found absolutely fascinating. She wanted me to touch it, over and over, but she wouldn't do it. Then i picked it up and put it in my hand, and she still didn't want to touch it. She put her finger out like she was going to touch it, but she stayed an inch away. Then she decided to hold it, and did. She did great with it, and even touched it with her other hand, and then it wiggled and she squealed and dropped it and yelled, "Ewwww!"

But she kept looking for the worm afterward. She even said, "Worm go night-night?" Awww, she made a friend! LOL

She doesn't need me anymore :(

Tonight, she opened the fridge, got out the yogurt, closed the fridge, opened the yogurt, opened the drawer, moved a chair to the drawer and climbed up, got out a spoon, got down, told me to "hold it", climbed up into her old high chair now turned counter-high stool, took the yogurt and ate it, threw the yogurt carton (and spoon, oops) in the trash, got a rag, wiped her face and the floor, and put the rag in the laundry.

i need a squishy baby, not this pre-teen creature! LOL!

A little egg hunt

i thought i'd outsmart the ants and put the eggs out right before Char woke from her nap. Alas, they're too quick, so about half the eggs had ants in them along with bunny-shaped cookies and crackers. But she still had a fun time and half the cookies were spared (and 2 pieces of chocolate, too).

Good clean Easter fun?... maybe not

It wasn't exactly clean, but it sure was fun!

A visit with family

Yesterday we met Char's brother T at the park, along with his mom, dad, and one of his big sisters (the other is grown and couldn't make it). This is the first time we've been able to get together since Char's first birthday party, so it was definitely past time. But boy did the kids have fun!

i don't want to post pics of someone else's kid on the internet, so i'll just post a behind shot. But let me tell you, these kids look alike! T's hair is a wee bit darker than Char's this year (hers may darken in a couple of years, too, who knows) and his lips are fuller than hers, but otherwise they're practically identical. In fact, T thinks Char's pictures are his baby pictures! LOL!

Char was her usual charming and CLIMBING self! She was all over the playground equipment like it was no taller than the sofa, including a challenging couple of climbers. Also, there was a tube slide that is SO fast! She went around and around to go down that one! It was funny because after Char had gone down a couple of times, T decided to try it, but he was really scared. He said, "Let me show Charlotte how!" So sweet!

After 2 hours, EVERYONE was exhausted but it was sooooo much fun! i think the next time we go will be to the zoo, which we'd better do before it gets too hot.

Um, take my last post subject and reverse it

Today i toured a preschool that the pod people from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" would be proud to send their kids to. Soulless, joyless drones. At 18 months old!!!

It was a Montessori school, which normally i love. i did like the 3-6 year old classrooms as the kids were very busy working on Montessori materials and learning. But those classrooms, and even the toddler room, were eerily quiet and orderly. Even the 2 kids who cried (one fell off a step up to a sink when trying to get herself a glass of water and i didn't see the other) cried quietly.

If my first goal were an orderly child, i would send her there in a heartbeat. But, since she's only 2 and i think 2 year olds should be able to laugh and play and have fun, i don't think it's the right fit for us.

When i think of Montessori, i usually have an avant-garde, hippyish feeling around the corners of my thoughts. Not at all that way today!