another non- pic week

I don't have pictures this week, either.  So you get a lot of blah, blah, blah this week, but I finally posted a bunch of videos in other postings from the summer that can keep you entertained.

This week the potty police came into town. Definitely my child.  Tucker is the potty policeman.  He has this discussion with Whitney about who has a diaper and who doesn't of their friends.  Like 10 times a day at least.   I figure my mom will get a kick out of this.  Apparently I did something similar when I was recently potty trained and my nursery buddies weren't.  The conversation goes something like this:  "...Aisley doesn't have a diaper.  She's big.  Joe has a diaper.  Tom is big.  He doesn't have a diaper.  Lucas has a diaper......"

Tucker is really starting to  like going to other places where he knows his friends are.  He walked out of nursery and his pre-school classes this week with a big, satisfied smile on his face, sighed, and said "Mom, Tucker likes nursery" or "Mom, Tucker goes to pre-school.  Pre-school is over".  Whitney makes no comment, only continues on her content and patient way. 

He really liked the house he went to this week.  I think it has to do with the tramp, sandbox and some really cool activities.  They did the five senses this week and Tucker had a grand ol' time with his buddy turning the smelling lab into a tasting lab.  They really liked how the strawberry pudding mix smelled and tasted, so they thought they would get the same effect with cinnamon.  Smells good, right?  So a big huge lick of it on the tongue must be even better.  Yeah.  I think they learned their lesson.  Dill weed was also on the paper and Tucker told me later that "mom, I LIKE pickles"  Not sure he has had pickles of late.  Who knows, though.  Might be a dad snack for them when I'm gone.  I stopped asking what happens when I'm gone.  It makes me too mad to think about it sometimes.

Another thing they did at pre-school was to try to guess sounds.  Tucker and his buddy (same as above) loved it so much they did it again.

I finally decorated for fall.  I normally do it first thing sept 1st because I'm so excited for fall, but not as much now.  I like to drag out summer and it's sunny days as much as possible.  So since I waited so long, I could put out the Halloween decorations.  I put their treat bags in their rooms.  They are these felt bags of a candy corn and a ghost that hold about a soup can worth of candy.  When Whitney walked into her room, she noticed right away.  She got a big grin and giggled at them for about a minute.  She really likes them.  She refers to them as "Halloween".  As in, "Where did Halloween go?" when I turn out the lights.

I read or heard somewhere that little kids don't necessarily know completely the difference between movie and reality.  I think that might apply a bit to books.  Whitney totally applies her books to real life.  Here are some examples:

I asked her to get her pj's on and she started reciting "...get pajamas big and small..." over and over.  It's a line from one of her books.

We went to a playground that has a monkey picture on the underneath of the slide and Whitney pointed out, loudly exclaiming: "Mom!  Look! There's George!"  We recently checked out Curious George for the first time and they love him.  He's real.

We went to a place that has trains.  Whitney started commenting "Tucker has train pajamas and Whitney has bear pajamas"  Yep.  You're right, Whit.

Her newer comments this week melt my heart.  She made me "soup", fed it to me, and after I pretend ate it, asked if "mommy feels better now".  She also says "I'm making Tucker feel better" whenever she does something to help him out.

The rest of this is just random silly stuff they say that makes me laugh.

Whitney finger painted her green smoothie on the table.  I came over to wipe everything up and she said to me "Mom!  I made pokey tree!"  Pokey tree is what they call the holly bush in our yard.  And it really did look like a leaf from the tree.  I wish I had a camera to take a picture of that.

Whitney got out her blocks one day.  There are some longer, straight, skinny blocks that do look a tiny bit like really thick french fries.  She said she was making herself French fries.  After she ate some, she made some more for Daddy, because "Daddy loves French fries."  Yep.  True that.

While we were at the playground one day, they were fighting over the little toy piano thing they have because Tucker wanted to play row row row your boat, but Whitney kept screaming "that's MY EMAIL!!".  It does look a bit like a computer keyboard.

She can count to 13 easily now.  I'm not sure why it's 13, but it is.  She also likes to say "I'm listening, Mom" when I'm getting after Tucker about something.  She calls going down the slide on her stomach "Whitney slug".  There were two benches facing each other at the playground, so Whitney sat down and asked me in a very serious grown up voice "Mom, do you want to talk?"  You bet!

 We went to Value Village and there were some tap shoes one size too big for only $2.  I seriously considered getting them for her since she loves to watch me dance, but realized another mom probably with a child really in tap lessons will want them, so I didn't.  But then Whitney asked for them the rest of the day.  She hasn't asked since, but I think she might be interested in dance when she is older.  Or now.

Tucker was very considerate of Whitney at the lake this week.  We didn't get in the water, but he threw rocks for a good long time while Whitney drew in the sand with her stick.  He brought her a pink rock he found for her to throw in.  And she wanted clam shells, so he brought her those when he found them.  It was really cute. 

Tucker likes to play take out the trash.  He drags our recycle bin through the house just like I drag the big cans up the driveway.  It cracks me up because he walks really slow and careful around the house like I do when they are "helping me" get the cans up so I don't trip over them.

One night I gave them goldfish crackers for dinner.  I think they've been missing them.  Tucker climbed up in his chair and said with his eyes big with excitement "Oooooo!!  Whitney! We got GOLDFISH crackers!!"

Tucker has started liking to take care of me.  He likes to feed me my food, give me water to drink and wash my hands for me, just like I do for him.  Kind of annoying.  Gave me a little respect for why he doesn't like it when I do stuff for him.

He figured out how to buckle himself in the seat so he always has to buckle himself in.  Add another 10 minutes on to the trip.  It gets worse if he thinks he needs to buckle Whitney in.  And even longer if Whitney doesn't want Tucker to buckle her in.  Whatever.  BUT it takes even longer if I try to do it for them.

Whitney is trying to figure out the rules.  And help others obey.  I fed them smoothie for breakfast one morning and was going to drink my smoothie while I checked my email.  Hah!  No checking email.  Tucker ran in and said "Mom.  Are you eating?" and climbed up to share.  Whitney came in and said "Mommy!  Go sit in your chair in the kitchen! (with kitchen pronounced as chicken).


all in all they've been really good this week and we've had a lot of fun together.