"Done!"

We taught Lauren the ASL sign for "Full" in hopes of avoiding the throwing of food when she is done eating. This worked very well with Max, but Lauren still likes to toss her food on the floor. :( However, she has mastered the sign, though she thinks it goes with the word "Done." Whenever Lauren wants out of anything, the high chair, the car seat, the sling, down from the precarious perch that she has climbed up onto, she puts both hands under her chin and says "Done! Done! Done! Done!"

But Mommy, This is What All the Kids are Wearing

It is finally cold out, and Max is enjoying playing in the two or three flakes of snow on the ground. A couple of days ago, he wanted to play in the 12 degree weather (-6 with the wind) and dressed himself. Green rain boots (on the wrong feet), red snow pants, blue jacket, no mittens, and his "airplane hat." I insisted that he put a warm hat and we finally compromised with both hats. I didn't win the mitten battle until he had run around outside for a few minutes and his hands got cold.

He really had fun running around, watching the propeller go around very quickly. Between the running and the wind, it really moved. Lauren and I, on the other hand, shivered until we convinced him to go inside.

Just Like Big Brother

Josh made Lauren a stool to match Max's. Max prefers Lauren's and Lauren doesn't really care as long as she gets to copy big brother. Today, she pushed her stool up to face Max and ate her yogurt just like him. Well, maybe a bit messier. Okay, maybe a lot messier. But, it was fun to watch.

Max's New Bedframe

Josh has been doing more and more woodworking projects, and last week, he tackled a new bedframe for Max. The one he had was too short for the mattress and falling apart. This was Josh's first project like this and I love it. So does Max.

Artiste

It was a cold and rainy day, and I decided to pull out the paints for both kids. We don't usually paint with Lauren because she tends to put everything in her mouth. She ended up doing a really good job, only putting the brush in her mouth twice, and ending up a lot less covered in paint than her brother. (Thank goodness for Crayola washable and non toxic paints.) It was a lot of fun.

I Know What These Are For.

Lauren really adores Diamond (she has more of a love/hate relationship with Cisco; loving him on her terms and hating it when he takes her toys, steals her food, and licks the cream off of her face). She discovered that Diamond loves to play with these rubber rings, so, after playing ball with her a bit, ran around the yard collecting them and bringing them to Diamond as the dogs played. 

Robot Boy in a Snowbank

I have no idea why he was "Robot Boy" but he is three, so we just don't ask these questions.

We had our only snowstorm last week. Max took full advantage of it. It didn't last long, but he had a blast shovelling with Daddy. A couple of days later, after warm weather and rain had washed everything else away, this pile remained and Max, Lauren, and I played in it one sunny afternoon. 

This is fun!

Lauren has used the slide in our yard before, but this was the first time that she has gone on the slide at a playground before and she loved it. She would scoot herself forward and then put her arms up and slide down, giggling the whole way. (And yes, Daddy was right there ready to catch her if she fell.) 

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! Big Brother's Rock!

Max and Lauren had a great time at a playground that Josh found today. It has been a very long time since we have been able to go to the playground, and Lauren loved the swing and the slide. Max loved it so much, he wanted to go back later, after the sun had gone down and it had started to pour rain. We convinced him that it was better to wait until another day. 

Little Girls Like Soccer Too

Lauren has as much fun chasing her big brother as Max has chasing the soccer ball. 

My Favorite Present

When asked what his favorite Christmas present was, Max often replies "my very own soccer ball that Santa brought!" (It is either that or the "Music Robots" DVD. It seems to depend on his mood.) He really loves to play soccer with us, and is surprisingly good for someone who has never been shown how to play. It is really nice to see him running around so much again. 

Winter in New England?

It was so warm today that we were out in short sleeved shirts. We had a great day, playing soccer, walking the dogs, running around in the yard, and taking a nice walk along the creek, but it certainly doesn't feel like January in Massachusetts. It doesn't even really feel like January in California. At least I am not feeling that badly about not being able to ski this year.