Another "How-to" Lesson

I was given another how-to lesson from Abby today. We were in the car, driving home from the store, and she was holding a bag of peat pots (or, in my limited-gardening understanding, biodegradeable plant pots) that Daddy had left in the backseat, and the conversation went something like this.

Abby: "Mama, what's this for?"
Me: "Oh, it's probably something Daddy bought for our garden or for his classroom; I'm not sure."
Abby: "It says, 'Put some dirt in it, then put some weeds in (her version for 'seeds'), then put some water on it, and then grow, grow, grow. Then when the sun goes up and comes down, it's done."

Later, I noticed what she had been "reading." See above picture and notice the accuracy of the sequence (though it's a little hard to see because I took the picture at night, using the flash).

She, evidently, has her dad's green thumb! :)

How did Esther get in there?

Abby was telling me that Esther wanted to get in her "crib" (her Pack-N-Play) last night [this is the latest thing of Esther's, telling us she's ready for bed by going up to the "crib" and whining to get in]. Abby told me several times, but I was busy, and it wasn't time for her to go to bed, just yet. So I kept putting Abby off. Well, teach me a lesson. I hear Abby giggling, and I go in the den, where Esther's crib is, and Esther is IN THE PACK-N-PLAY!! I stood in horror, picturing Abby lifting her up 2.5 feet and hoisting her over the edge and then Essie's long drop into the Pack-N-Play (thankfully, it's padded with 3-inch foam). I quickly assessed Esther, fearing broken bones or injuries. She seemed just fine, happy to be snuggling with her blankie.

Now, yesterday, I had specifically told Abby not to lift Esther into the "crib" (which I caught her trying to do), so today she was in trouble, and she knew it. I said, "Abby, what did you do? Daddy, come in here quickly!" When I called for Eric, she turned her bottom to me and said, "Spank me, Mommy, spank me."

Visit with the 2nds

We had a great visit with my cousin Erin, her kids, and my aunt and uncle who came and stayed with my grandma for a couple days. Abby and Esther enjoyed the visit, too, playing along with their second cousins Jack and Ethan. It was nice to throw off the routine, so to speak, having playmates for a couple hours both days. What fun!

Abby and Jack remind me of the painting "American Gothic," you know the farmer and his wife?

Ethan's main mode of transportation

Esther can slide down the new little slide all on her own.

Ethan takes a turn.

Abby and Esther on the Slide

Jack and Abby play cars in the sandbox.

"I neeeeeeeed the baaaaaallllllll."

The two "E"s play together

All in the Family

Abby, Jack, and Esther play inside.

Second cousins are so much fun!

Smack!

Say "I love you" to Esther, and her repsonse often is to purse her lips and offer you a gratuitous smacking sound, the sweetest kiss you'll ever receive!

Abby Loves "Tattoos"

Sometimes my little girl amazes me with knowledge/skills beyond her age. Abby may not be able to identify a G yet, nor tell me what sound it makes, yet she has problem solving skills that astound us at times. Last December, for example, when I was needing to get into the occupied guest bathroom to get some Tylenol for Esther, I mentioned that I needed the bathroom, and Abby, who I didn't even know had been quietly observing me for several minutes, thought I needed to USE the bathroom. She was quiet for a minute, and then said, "Mommy, you can use the OTHER bathroom."

Another example is last night, at Mexican food, I was calling the waitress, who was a little too far out of earshot to hear me. She looked at me and said, "Mama, you can tell her when she comes back." Time and again, she comes up with ways to solve problems, and yes, I know they are not earthshaking disasters, but nevertheless, there is something, I think, pretty amazing in a 3-year-old who pays attention to the needs of others, not just her own.

I also notice a propensity for architectural/engineering adeptness, which she, obviously, gets from Eric, who has a bachelor's in industrial engineering. Of course, I may be a proud mama and all, but I thought this was pretty amazing. She was playing a game online, where you can build a house, inside and out. She put windows up high; she put flowers on the ground out in front; she put a doghouse in the back. When she put the door on the house, it was not quite level with the bottom of the house, floating just a hair off the ground. I thought, "Wow, that's still pretty good. She knows to put every item where it would usually go." Then, noticing the door wasn't quite right, she repositioned the door and put it even with the bottom of the house, exactly even. Now, I thought this was really something. Of course, I AM her mama, no bias whatsoever! :)

That is, perhaps, why I sometimes forget I'm talking to a 3-year-old. Today Abby announced that she LOVES "tattoos." Looking way down the road, all the way to high school, envisioning my tattoo-covered daughter, I quickly denounced tattoos, saying, "We don't like tattoos." Then, trying to focus on positives, I said, "Now, body stickers are fine, but we don't like tattoos." My daughter who thinks of body stickers AS tattoos, looked a little perplexed at this proclamation.

A Beautiful Day at Hartford

Roaming

Peek-A-Boo

Mommy Heart Failure

Roaming Again

"Higher, Grandma, Higher!"

Weeeeee!

2 Peas in a Pod

And Again


"I climbed up here all by myself!"

Enjoying pulling and eating grapes from the vine...any new freedom =]

Picky-Nicky, as Caillou says

1, 2, 3 Weeeeeee!!

"Could I get a little help here, Grammy?"

Essie's not enjoying being restrained for 2 seconds together!


My mom and I enjoyed a beautiful day at Hartford Park yesterday. The weather was absolutely ideal, no wind (biggest factor!), balmy and warm (around 79, 80 degrees), just the perfect day here. Both girls had a blast. We enjoyed a small picnic, swings, slides, jungle gym, trees, and for Esther, wide, wide open space to aimlessly, but self-confidently roam.
Hope you all are enjoying as-nice weather!

Stitches

Without the bandage (and after ice cream =]), four days after fall

With the bandage, two days after fall

Last Saturday afternoon Abby had a terrible fall. She was outside with Daddy and Jacob (the nextdoor neighbor). She was running toward our retaining wall, trying to grab the water hose, which Daddy had turned on to soak some dry grass. She tripped over a tuft of grass and landed facedown on the edge of our retaining wall. It split her forehead open with about a half-inch gash, which was probably to the bone. So frightening. She was screaming, blood was pouring, and Eric was trying to call for me, but I couldn't hear because I was blowdrying my hair after a shower. When I turned the blower off, I could hear Eric screaming my name, which NEVER occurs in my house, so I knew there was an emergency. The gash was so deep, we knew we had to take her to Urgent Care or the ER. She cried while they cleaned out the wound (with NO anesthetic) and then tried to lift off the table when they gave her 3 DEEP shots to the forehead. It was so excrutiating to go through and watch for us, Mommy holding her hands down and keeping her as still as possible. The memory will be forever be imbedded on my mind. She was given 4 stitches (3 shots for 4 stitches!!), which she, obviously, couldn't feel at all. Praise the Lord she is for the most part unscathed. She was amazingly brave through it all. Though she squirmed and cried here and there, she was a real trooper.

Huh-uh

Esther's latest trick is shaking her head and saying, "huh-uh," which invariably makes me laugh. She usually does it in the right context, for example, when she's responding to, "Esther, is it naptime?" she often shakes her head and says, "Huh-uh," (although there have been times she's nodded yes, and meant it).

But sometimes she says, "Huh-uh" when she means "Uh-huh," like when she's sampling ice cream, "Essie, do you like that?" She shakes her head and says, "Huh-uh" and then leans forward for more. Too funny!

Hablas Espanol?

Abby's latest fascination is Spanish. She wants to know what every thing/object is in Spanish. She asks this way: "Mommy, what does nose mean in Spanish?" She means: "Mommy, how do you say nose in Spanish?" Since my limited 2-year high school Spanish jaunt often leaves me floundering for the word, I usually slink off to the Web and look it up on my Spanish/English dictionary. "I don't know, Abby; let's see, oh, nose is 'nariz' is Spanish." Then comes the next thing/object she can find to ask about, "Mommy, what does head mean?" This time I know, "Head in Spanish is 'cabeza.'"

Last night, while munching on a cookie, she asked, "Mommy, what does cookie mean in Spanish?" Having no idea, we looked it up again on the Internet. "Oh, cookie is 'galleta' in Spanish, Abby." So she looks proudly at her cookie and says, "I'm eating a galleta."