So, I'm coming up for air again tonight. Kids are in bed and all is quiet. Internet is too slow to load photos or the cutest video EVER of Huck, so I'll just write for now.
The school year is upon us and for the first time ever, we are officially doing school. We started today. Flannery breezed through her alphabet, vowel recognition, counting by twos etc. while Huckleberry practiced sitting quietly in a chair for 15 minutes.
This sitting still business is a crucial skill, I would say even as important as counting by twos.
For example, when you are in the library and there are 5 people in front of you in line to check out books. You are 2 years old, you are hungry and there are fish in a tank. So you vacillate between crying and holding onto your mom's pant leg and running to the fish tank shouting at the top of your lungs, "FIS! FIS!". Times like this, sitting in a chair quietly admiring a sticker on your palm is so much more relaxing.
Or when you are stuck at the Farmer's Market waiting for your mom and dad to finish purchasing those delectable peaches that you refuse (on principle) to eat and you are tempted to run off to the playground or across Jackson Street's three lanes of traffic, that skill of sitting and being patient is a real life-saver.
So, now you know what Huck's been working on. He also likes to make Atty laugh. They sit and look at each other until one bursts out laughing and then the other one goes off and they just sit there like that for a while, laughing at each other. It's as delectable as the aforementioned peaches. Only, we eat it up like obedient children.
Huckleberry is a master pig-sprayer. He can hose down those pigs like nobody's business. He also hoses down everything else within a 20 foot radius. So, we send him down there by himself and then it's hard to tell if he or the pigs are more happy.
Speaking of which, it's been hot. Really hot. Late summer around here still kind of feels like an old dead morning glory vine that just hangs on because darn it, it is STILL summer. Dry, brittle, brown, dusty. That's us these days.
Flannery also began ballet yesterday and has returned to weekly singing school. She's so excited about ballet, I caught her making her bed in her ballet slippers this morning. Nothing like a little pink satin to pizzazz up your morning chores.
And speaking of morning chores, we have 7 little black Australorp chicks that will grow up and make us delicious eggs. They are prettty adorable. My kids watching them are even more adorable. Huckleberry flapping a piece of cardboard around inside their box for the pure joy of watching them scatter is less adorable. Atticus actually laughed out loud at them today.
Speaking of Atticus, he's on the move. He is the man with the plan and the ability to execute it. He's not full on crawling, but he scoots around on his tummy and when he's feeling patient, he crawls very slowly. Most of the time he is not patient. Therefore, most of Atty's clothes are becoming dingy on the fronts.
He is also maintaining his status as an O'Donnell non-sleeper. He teases us by randomly sleeping through the night and then returns to his normal pattern of wake-up and play from 2-3:30 am. Unfortunately, he does not enjoy playing alone. But he is soooo cute that sometimes we can't help ourselves.
I'll just pass on a few favorite moments from this week and then I'm going to sleep while I can.
Flannery was beside herself crying about something and the only thing that finally calmed her down was if I sang to her. So, I got to hold her on my lap and sing to her. I know it's silly, but that's one of those moments that I used to wonder if I'd ever really have, or did singing to one's children like that only happen in books? Now I know. And it was sweet.
Huckleberry was sitting next to Atticus at dinner. When some of Atty's many toys fell of the high chair tray, Huckleberry solemnly and silently slipped off of his chair, picked up ALL of the toys and gently laid them on Atty's tray. He then slipped back into his chair as if nothing had happened.
Atticus reached for me for the first time. 'Nuff said.
I'll post photos and a video another time.
The school year is upon us and for the first time ever, we are officially doing school. We started today. Flannery breezed through her alphabet, vowel recognition, counting by twos etc. while Huckleberry practiced sitting quietly in a chair for 15 minutes.
This sitting still business is a crucial skill, I would say even as important as counting by twos.
For example, when you are in the library and there are 5 people in front of you in line to check out books. You are 2 years old, you are hungry and there are fish in a tank. So you vacillate between crying and holding onto your mom's pant leg and running to the fish tank shouting at the top of your lungs, "FIS! FIS!". Times like this, sitting in a chair quietly admiring a sticker on your palm is so much more relaxing.
Or when you are stuck at the Farmer's Market waiting for your mom and dad to finish purchasing those delectable peaches that you refuse (on principle) to eat and you are tempted to run off to the playground or across Jackson Street's three lanes of traffic, that skill of sitting and being patient is a real life-saver.
So, now you know what Huck's been working on. He also likes to make Atty laugh. They sit and look at each other until one bursts out laughing and then the other one goes off and they just sit there like that for a while, laughing at each other. It's as delectable as the aforementioned peaches. Only, we eat it up like obedient children.
Huckleberry is a master pig-sprayer. He can hose down those pigs like nobody's business. He also hoses down everything else within a 20 foot radius. So, we send him down there by himself and then it's hard to tell if he or the pigs are more happy.
Speaking of which, it's been hot. Really hot. Late summer around here still kind of feels like an old dead morning glory vine that just hangs on because darn it, it is STILL summer. Dry, brittle, brown, dusty. That's us these days.
Flannery also began ballet yesterday and has returned to weekly singing school. She's so excited about ballet, I caught her making her bed in her ballet slippers this morning. Nothing like a little pink satin to pizzazz up your morning chores.
And speaking of morning chores, we have 7 little black Australorp chicks that will grow up and make us delicious eggs. They are prettty adorable. My kids watching them are even more adorable. Huckleberry flapping a piece of cardboard around inside their box for the pure joy of watching them scatter is less adorable. Atticus actually laughed out loud at them today.
Speaking of Atticus, he's on the move. He is the man with the plan and the ability to execute it. He's not full on crawling, but he scoots around on his tummy and when he's feeling patient, he crawls very slowly. Most of the time he is not patient. Therefore, most of Atty's clothes are becoming dingy on the fronts.
He is also maintaining his status as an O'Donnell non-sleeper. He teases us by randomly sleeping through the night and then returns to his normal pattern of wake-up and play from 2-3:30 am. Unfortunately, he does not enjoy playing alone. But he is soooo cute that sometimes we can't help ourselves.
I'll just pass on a few favorite moments from this week and then I'm going to sleep while I can.
Flannery was beside herself crying about something and the only thing that finally calmed her down was if I sang to her. So, I got to hold her on my lap and sing to her. I know it's silly, but that's one of those moments that I used to wonder if I'd ever really have, or did singing to one's children like that only happen in books? Now I know. And it was sweet.
Huckleberry was sitting next to Atticus at dinner. When some of Atty's many toys fell of the high chair tray, Huckleberry solemnly and silently slipped off of his chair, picked up ALL of the toys and gently laid them on Atty's tray. He then slipped back into his chair as if nothing had happened.
Atticus reached for me for the first time. 'Nuff said.
I'll post photos and a video another time.
