The winning purse

Dear Diary,

I have been hinting and hinting that I would like my own purse, but Mommy and Daddy just didn't get it. And so for weeks, I've been forced to make do with anything else I can find with a handle: a sandbox pail, a mini-grocery basket and even an empty ice cream bucket.

But guess what? Grandma and Grandpa came through for me in a big way. They flew all the way to Sweden to get me a purse of my very own. I'm so excited! I carry it with me everywhere. I don't think I will ever let go of it.

Ahhh... I've been dreaming of this moment. Until next time diary!

Love, Sydney

You "doh" it your way, I'll play it mine

As I've mentioned before, AJ loves Playdoh. Sydney, however, still thinks it's something you eat. So what do we do to keep child #2 occupied when child #1 wants to spend 45 minutes making snakes and worms?

We put the large container of Playdoh canisters and molds on the floor. Sydney happily dug in. Her favorite game right now is simply carrying things around the house.

So AJ and I continued making our Playdoh creations, while Sydney made repeated trips between the living room (where Jeff was) and the dining room (where we and the Playdoh were).

I wasn't paying attention to how many things had "disappeared" from the big yellow Playdoh station, until I happened to walk through the living room. That's when I discovered the stash that Little Miss Busy had transported. What fun!

Preschooler of steel

Make no mistake. This cape has super powers.

It has the power to make a three-year-old WANT to put on his pajamas each night. (Of course, there is the down-side that he doesn't want to take them off in the morning.)

This kid is getting so big. He now knows how to toast his own frozen waffles. Though he does still need Mommy's help buttering them and cutting them up. Thankfully, Super AJ is a cautious superhero.

Please grow. Please just live.

Admittedly, I have not had the best success growing trees. The year Jeff and I got married, I planted two pine saplings in the yard at our old house. I thought it'd be cool to watch them grow as a symbol of how long we'd been married. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way. The first tree died within the year. The second one hung in there for a little while, but finally died while Jeff was deployed to Bosnia. Thank goodness that wasn't an omen of some sort!

This year at the State Fair, we picked up another small sapling. We've planted it, but based on how it's looking after a couple weeks, I don't think its odds are too good.

I refuse to be discouraged, however, and so last week we purchased and planted two new trees in our yard. (The ones you see in the photos.) These are a bit bigger to begin with than the saplings, so hopefully we - and the trees - will see a better outcome. And hopefully in years to come, I'll be able to revisit this project by showing how much the trees - and the kids - have grown.

Take a waka waka back in time

Ah... the funny things we used to say. They sound even funnier coming from a preschooler. For instance: "Gobble up those ghosts, Daddy!" or "Daddy got the cherry."

No, this wasn't an attempt to re-live the glory days of our youth. (Or maybe it was, just a little.) While celebrating our friend Jess' birthday last week, we discovered an old Mrs. Pacman game in the corner of the restaurant. AJ, who is fascinated by video games, wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, the machine didn't work, and I didn't figure that out until after I'd stuck two quarters in it.

So when we got home, I pulled out our old PlayStation game (you know, the one a certain unnamed member of our family thought we should include on our wedding gift registry) and hooked it up.

AJ sure thought that was cool. I don't think he ever really played the game. But he got to hold one of the controllers and push some buttons and knobs. And that was enough.

Let's hear it for Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde! This sure was a trip down memory lane.

Multi-tasking at 14 months

Sydney is such a girl.
No, she's not particularly dainty or feminine. But she's already showing a remarkable ability to juggle seemingly impossible tasks. Take note of what's in her hands: an empty bubbles bottle, two small stackable cups, a Fischer Price toy, and a cup of milk. It was amazing to watch her focus, determination and perseverance as she repeatedly tried to pick up all of those items at once. It took her more than 15 minutes to figure out a way to carry those five pieces, but at last she had it.

Victory - literally - was in her grasp! And she makes it look easy.

Of course, that stubborn determination isn't all good. Over the weekend, she learned a new word. "No." Except, when she says it, which is quite often, it comes out as two syllables. "Nnnnn-no."

There's a whole lot of attitude packed in that petite frame. Am I looking forward to battling that attitude in the future? Nnnnn-no.

The worm rescuer

Pity this poor worm. First it's flooded from its underground home by two days of rain. Seeking relief and a dry spot on the driveway, it suddenly finds itself scooped up by a well-meaning, but not-so-gentle preschooler.

Initially, AJ wanted to keep "Wormie" as his pet. He was sure the worm liked him. That's why it was tickling him.

I was fine with him carrying Wormie around, until he started looking for a home for his pet - specifically the basket under Sydney's stroller.

I convinced him that worms need to live in dirt. That started a search for the perfect spot. Apparently, none of the planters in our front yard were good enough for Wormie. AJ finally decided to let him go amidst the coneflowers in the garden.

With the catch-and-release at last completed, AJ ran back to the driveway in search of another worm that was "still wiggling". He soon found a second survivor, which amazingly was none other than Wormie's daddy. AJ grabbed him and ran back to the garden to facilitate a reunion.

I never did see what happened to Wormie. As for Wormie's dad, alas, I fear he didn't make it. He was still hanging out on the rocks when the rain started again, forcing us to head back into the house.