Munchkins in Hoods (it rained finally!)

Flower Boy and Fairy Princess Go to a Tea Party

The Many Faces of Queen-Fairy-Princess Josephine

Power to the People

Girl power! Yah!

Actually, these were the poses that went along with my request for them to say "cheese."

Sam is obviously enthralled.

The third pic is of one of our friends comforting the children, who were frightened by the UVA mascot - a giant puffy 'cavalier' - wandering around. He did look spooky.

8/25

1) Jo and Sam hanging out with cousin Alison and her friend
2) Jo washing Sam in his turtle tub - and then washing the turtle, the walls, the floor...
3) Jo decided to wash her baby doll, too

Sorry for bad photos - still trying to figure this one out!

Dat at the kids' museum

Sitting

Playdate: Dolls, Bells, Paint

More wood out of nowhere

Jo: I hate it.

Me: You hate what?

Jo: I hate it when the tree cutters cut down trees. I really hate it.

Kids on a Bed, Artist at Work

Is that a glorious birdbath or what?

What in the world?

Big prize to anyone who can figure this out.

Jo said:

We all going to be wood.
I going to be wood.
Daddy going to be wood.
Sam going to be wood.
Billy going to be wood.
My dolls going to be wood.
They can carry us.
They will build us.
I don't want my splinter out.
I don't want my other splinter out.
We're going to be wood.

What in the world does that mean?????
Is this some kind of weird tree-loving poem I'm just not environmentally friendly enough to understand?

Germ Theory

One of the biggest perks about living where we do is it's small enough that we run into friends almost every time we leave the house. Last Friday, we were all tired and sluggish, but still dragged ourselves to Fridays After Five (free live music in the summer)... and we were so glad we did! We ran into ZB, Jo's little friend who adores her, son of my friend Emily - and the two of them ran and danced with abandon.

So, germs. Explaining clean vs. dirty, why swimming in the pool is okay but drinking the pool is not... it's all very complicated and mystifying to a toddler.
"Don't put your hand in my cup," I told her the other day.
"I have germs?" she asked.
"Yep."
"I have PINK germs." Of course. They still gross me out.

She's being so good with Sam (who is sitting up so well these days). He was grabbing at her and pulling her hair, and she asked me why - but then sighed with acceptance, answered herself, in a funny, deadpan voice: "I - am - a -toy." It was hilarious.

Josephine's Imagination

Josephine has a big imagination. She lives in metaphor. She constantly reinvents the world.

"I've got hooks so we can hang up your playclothes and you can reach them," I told her yesterday.
"Hang them on the ceiling," Jo suggests.
"On the ceiling? But then you couldn't reach them."
"I can," she insists.
"I couldn't - I couldn't reach them!"
"I can, they go up on the ceiling, I jump high, I reach them, they go next to the ceiling fan, I fly up and get them," she says.

It's lovely, except when it's not.

"Does it go this way?" she asks, spinning her potty seat around. "Is it a hat? Is it glasses? Look, Mommy, I sit this way!"

And all I want to do is scream: "It's a potty seat! Sit on it and pee! Argghhh!"

Or: "I'm going to see my friends. They live that way." And off she runs, in the opposite direction of our house, with speed and conviction. Argghhh!

Above picture shows Jo watching the birds outside chugging it down from the new bird feeder...

Developmental news:
Jo is learning her letters, can recognize words like Moon and her own name. She knows things I haven't taught her - I said that "G" starts the word "girl," and she said, "G is for garden, too."

She knows how to count, and can do basic addition and subtraction.

I have taught her to understand that her daddy is "facetious" and that the story of where my Daddy is (dead) is "complicated."

She is potty trained (after the poo incident at the thrift shop, thank god, because I was going to go back to diapers until she was 45.)

When I tell her she's done a good job, she always tells me, "Good job, Mommy!"

It's so nice. I can't believe she's going to be three soon!!!

Jo and Sam

Sam loves Jo.
And Jo loves Sam.

Sam watches everything she does; helooks for her; she dances her crazy dance (involves jumping and spinning in the air, counting, quite elaborate and hysterical) and he squeals with laughter.

And Jo loves Sam - when he cries, she seems to know what he needs, and is usually right ("He wants a baby biscuit, Mama," she'll say) and she very sweetly entertains him, plays with him, lays with him, and likes him being around.

It is our mission in life, Sean and I agree, to tend this relationship between them. It is a surprising joy.

Of course, as I write this, Jo has found a tambourine and is beating it on the floor for him, singing/shouting, and driving me nuts, "Sam is my friend too!"

Sam is Six Months

He is 18 pounds.
He can scoot around on the floor, "creep" I think they call it, so basically, he's mobile.
He can also sit up, though he prefers to stand - he can stand up, holding onto something, all by himself. He wants to walk. He is ready to GO!

I talked to the doctor about the frustration Sam seems to have when he wants to eat and move and loses toys - I guess it's just some kids are like this - when he starts eating, he wants to stuff his face; when he starts moving, he wants to go fast; and when he can't, he screeches in the most ear-piercing agony of desperate angst I've ever heard. And it works - none of us can stand it - even Jo will give him a toy to get him to calm down. VERY different from mild baby Jozy...

Though, I should say, he is still very easy to make laugh, very ticklish, very cuddly, and already a ladies' man - Jo's friend, Caroline, for instance, who is 4.5, adores him. He will grow up with no small amount of feminine love.

Fairy Gets Her Wings

As you may recall, the last time we went to the doctor, he asked Jo about her doll Supergirl.
"Does she fly?"
"Yes."
"Do you fly"
"With my wings..."

Well, yesterday we took Sam to the doctor, and before we left, Jo insisted on wearing her wings - the doctor was super impressed, saying he would have to tell his family at dinner about this, as he had recounted the first conversation with her and obviously, she had remembered it and wore her wings. (Of course, I was super proud that the doctor thought her so clever.)

She also wore her new boots from friend Audrey (who is 7 months younger, but half a head taller) and her beach babe dress from friend Zara. A very cool look.

What I love is that, if you compliment Jo on her shiny red boots, she very sweetly says, "Thank you!" Her manners are sometimes impeccable - Yes, please, No thank you, "May I have scuze please?"

Other times, she gets red in the face trying to force herself to burp.

Sigh.

Day at the Fair

Just above: Jo's favorite cow. Because it was very noisy.

She was sooo excited about the fair, b/c she wanted to ride the ferris wheel just like in her favorite book of the moment, Madeline and the Gypsies. She was sure she would see the characters Madeline and 'Pito' there.

I had to go on it with her. I was TERRIFIED. She wanted to go again.

She also had her first real pony ride, did the carousel, went on a little train, a bizarre alligator. (On rides, she got a very serious, intense face that did NOT look like enjoyment in the slightest, but after each she seemed decidedly pleased. As the pony ride lady said, "She's a thinker.") Got to pet sheep, goats, cows, horses, bunnies. I held a baby duck & a baby chick. Jo was a little upset and concerned about the idea that the animals were all going home - until I described the fair as a giant playdate for farm animals.

She wants to go to the fair again, period.