The Past Few Weeks

Wow, it has been a busy couple of weeks here. And with Mike leaving next week on a business trip, it's going to keep being busy! But I have been snapping shots of what we've been up to. There are more on the real camera, but we'll get to those another day. Pardon some of the fuzzy photos--with how much they move around, it's almost impossible to take a clear picture of my kids.

Finn loves balls, and has decided that (most of the time) it can't be any ball, it has to be a basketball. He loves to try shooting it at the hoop. He is not content to play with it in the hallway while the men who work in town play during their lunch breaks--but I make him anyway since they usually use both smaller courts in the gym. But when he gets the chance, he could spend all day shooting around. Or trying to anyway.

Look at that form! He actually shoots with one hand!

We said goodbye to one of Madie's teachers last month. Her boyfriend found a job in Portland and they are moving down there. Miss T. was great! We'll miss her a lot. When we met her new assistant teacher, Miss Bree, Madie said she wouldn't talk or play with her. (She said the same thing about the now head teacher when she was new.) But it looks like she's adjusting fine. 

Again, ultra fuzzy. Miss T. was trying very hard to get Madie to smile, but she wouldn't even look at the camera, so it was a tickle fight. 

Madie has learned a lot in the past few months. I've been letting her read a few of the one- and two-letter words in our books together--just the same few over and over--and I think more than anything else she's getting the hang of sounding things out. She has a friend named Zoe and during quiet time one day, she was drawing her a picture. She brought it out to show me and said, "I wrote Zoe's name on it. I just sat there and said, 'Z-Z-Z, OH-OH-OH, EE-EE-EE until I could spell it." And she did! Correctly! Here's a shout out to all the people in the world with phonetic names: I LOVE YOU! 

Last week a friend of mine returned after being away for a few months. She fell ill right after getting home, so I watched her younger child a couple of days. Both Madie and Finn loved it. Madie liked helping to babysit, and Finn decided he would watch his own baby. He ran to get him, put him in Viv's carseat, and gave him some toys. Then he simply stood next to the carseat looking down at his baby, and would gently reach down and pat him on the head and say, "Baby." It was so cute.

I also watched Killian last week. Man, I'm gonna miss this little guy. I love when he and Finn get together.

Finn stuffing his face with oyster crackers while they wait for the soup to cool at the cafe. Killian had some too, but he mostly just wanted to get them wet in his mouth, then squish them in his hand. You see his right fist? Yeah...

"Finn, Killian! Look at me! Look over here boys!"

And this is after the oil truck finally turned the corner down the street.

I love this picture of Killi so much, I actually cropped my own son out of it.

When I told Finn he couldn't have another scone, and that we had to leave. 

And this is where Killian starts getting teary-eyed. Oh my word.

Today had a wicked morning. After dropping Mike off and going to the transfer station, I worked out at the gym for 20 minutes before I had to be downstairs to sub for the AM Abs class, which got over in time for me to be 10 minutes late to subbing for toddler story time at the library, which got over just in time for me to be 5 minutes late (but really right on time 'cause they were 5 minutes behind) to getting the oil changed in my car. While that was going on, Madie, Finn, and I got lunch across the street which was really special for Madie since I usually do it when I'm grocery shopping while she's at school. (The morning just gets away from us, so we frequent that cafe weekly now. Thankfully they have a kind of rewards program, so I get a certain percent off when my receipts add up to a certain amount.) After that we had about 15 more minutes before the car was ready, so we went to the hardware store to get a flea collar (as a precaution) for Elvis. And guess what we found...

Finn, meet Amigo. Amigo, meet Finn.

Finn was absolutely in love. And Amigo, much like Elvis, is a wicked sweet dog. He and Finn chased each other around the store until Amigo finally got a little too rambunctious and knocked Finn down. Finn was fine, but the owner was upset by it so she took him home. Madie was relieved. She likes animals, but is uncomfortable around ones she doesn't know very, very well. She was okay with Amigo--happy with him even--as long as I was around, but on one of my many trips down an isle to get Finn, Amigo went up to her and sniffed her hair and she kind of freaked out. I explained he was just sniffing her like Elvis does, but I get it--his head is above her own. She did say he had "sad eyes like Elvis" and she liked that. She thinks it's cute.

Speaking of dogs, here's the quote of the day from this household: 

Madie to Elvis: "Come here poopy--" then, catching herself: "Come here gas. Mom! I know Elvis' second name! Gas! 'Cause he's stinky!" Spot on.