Climbing Trees

We have a "popcorn" tree that is in full bloom in our backyard, and Leah decided she wanted to climb it to pick some blossoms. Her first attempt at building an outdoor step stool included a wheelbarrow, a deflated ball, a bubble wand and a jump rope. Very innovative, but not very helpful.
We had a quick lesson in tree climbing, and once she was in the tree, she was thrilled! Leah gets anxious about trying new things, and I hear her say, "I'm feeling a little bit nervous" a LOT. So we spend a lot of time talking about new things before we finally get around to trying them.But she loved the climb, and I think tree climbing is now on the "safe" list. Hooray!

Peter Rabbit!

Sometimes bedtime just has to wait.

Then Again...

Sometimes helping in the kitchen just makes a big mess.
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I was very proud with myself for the way I reacted to this accident... no swearing, lecturing, or yelling. I just washed Leah off and asked her to stay out of the kitchen while I started cleaning up. If you haven't read this blog yet, start with this post. I agree whole-heartedly with this idea, and I was proud of Leah for recognizing that she had done something wrong. After a few minutes of watching me, she said, "I didn't mean to do that, Mommy. I'm sorry." Then, instead of having to apologize for yelling at her, I was just able to say, "It's okay. I know it was an accident."

I'm not sure it made the mess worth it, but it was rewarding to watch her learn about natural consequences and feel a little remorse for making a bad choice- in this case, carrying something that was too heavy for her. Hopefully I will remember this "success" story the next time I want to yell at her for doing something I've told her not to do a thousand times already!

School's In Session

We had an impromptu lesson on the solar system this morning. Planets are quite a concept to teach to a 3-year old and an 8-month old!
Adam struggled a bit, as he's still working on basic phrases like "Wooshee-ga ga", but Leah soaked up as much information as I could give her. Like most kids, she is a little sponge, and learning "Sun-Mercury-Venus-Earth-Mars-Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus-Neptune-(and how do I explain what happened to)-Pluto" is just like learning the alphabet!

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We were excited to give the silicon bug pan from Grandma M. another try, and this time it was a success! Letting Leah "help" in the kitchen is still a hit-or-miss endeavor, but she did a great job filling the pans. I just have to stand back, let her have at it and remind myself that just about everything is washable, replaceable, or just not that important. It's worth it to give Leah a chance to learn. And since everything was placed out of his reach, Adam was happy just to watch.
And as a sad little side note, that sticker on Leah's face was really sticky! She started pulling it off and her whole cheek was coming with it, so I reached over and gave it the Band-Aid treatment. Leah bawled for a minute or two, and I felt so bad! Maybe it would have been worth it to just let it fall off on it's own... but who knows how long that would take!

From her point of view

It's an elephant

Thanks to Pinkalicious, Leah has started a bad habit of sticking her tongue out. After reminding her that's bad manners today, she told me, "My tongue is just looking at you!"

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I wanted to buy Leah a new shirt the other day. She told me she already had a shirt and that she just didn't need another one. Who am I to argue that logic?

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We read "Morris the Moose" last week, and at the end, he exclaims that he made a "moose-stake" (instead of a mistake). Leah thought this was hilarious, and has started correctly telling me when she just made a "Leah-stake"!

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One day last week I hid out in the bathtub while Jason played with the kids. 30 minutes into it Leah discovered me and asked incredulously, "Weren't you lonely without me?" In 2.5 seconds flat, she hopped in to join me, followed shortly thereafter by Adam. I'm grateful for the moments of "loneliness" I get, because they are few and far between!

Sneaky

Any sense of security our fenced-in backyard gave me was dashed yesterday when I found a very proud Leah in the neighbor's yard.

"I sneaked under the fence, Mom! Like Peter Rabbit!"

Thank you so much, Beatrix Potter.

Top Ten Weekend Moments

10. Grandma came to visit! It was like having a relief-pitcher come in for the weekend, only her new energy included endless "tell me about when you were a little girl" stories for Leah and endless strength for holding a very wiggly Adam.

9. This also meant we had an on-call baby-sitter! We went shopping, out to eat, and even grocery shopping without the kids. Look out!

8. Dyeing Easter eggs. This is not an activity for the young and impatient, but we still ended up with beautiful, albeit very pastel and splotchy eggs.

7. Beautiful weather. Perfect for Easter egg hunting in the backyard.

6. Easter brunch. Yum.

5. Candy! Leah has been walking around in a sugar-induced coma, and keeps saying, "I love Easter goodies!"

4. Easter morning was a hit. Leah was totally into finding eggs and baskets, and was a little hard to photograph.

3. Adam, on the other hand, was happy to sit and calmly sift through his first Easter basket.

2. Adam really flexed his muscles this weekend, and has started pulling himself up on anything. He can really get around, even without crawling.

1. Being together with family. It was so nice having Grandma out- and good to remember that we're really not so far away after all!