lissa and mommy

As Paul was putting Tim to bed the other night:

I love you.

I love you too, and so does Mom and so does Luke and so does Gee Gee and so does Gramps and so does Gran and so does Grand-da.

And Lissa.

Yes, and so does Lissa.



One morning last week:

Can we go to Addie and Emily's house and play now?

No, Addie is at school this morning and Emily is at work.

No, no. Mommy's don't work.

fishing

We spent the night at the cabin and after an afternoon of fishing, finally had some luck when the sun started to set and the wind died (duh). Tim helped me reel in a fish, feeling it pull on the line. Then he helped Gramps feed the fish. He didn't want to come home, which is new. He's so much more independent up there than he has been in the past. It's going to be a great summer of cabin visits with him this year and in years to come. If only he'd sleep...


helping mom reel in the fly


casting his toy rod




back home and helping dad braai


tasting the marinade for dad's hallelujah ribs

a room for someone

I finally decided on a theme for Luke's room - outer space - thanks to a gift from the Viners. They bought wall decals of the planets, stars, an astronaut and a space ship. This was a birthday gift for both boys and I split them up between their rooms. They are wonderful, engaging decorations, and can be moved around easily from wall to wood to window as Tim discovered.


wall decals from the viners. the sun is about 14 inches wide

Tim's room had a transportation theme with airplane pictures on the walls and bedding with trucks, cars, trains and planes. After a little Internet searching, I found more decals plus some switch plates for the light switch and handles for the closet doors in both outer space and transportation themes.


the switch plate has the planets of our solar system on it

Tim loved the new truck, plane, car and train decals and was happy to let Luke have the new outer space stuff. Tim's fan chain pulls are airplanes and he got jets for the closet doors. Paul bought a teddy bear astronaut in Orlando for Luke's fan pull.


teddy bear astronaut

I found space shuttle door handles for his closet. All I lacked was bedding for Luke.


space shuttle door handles

When the outer space bedding arrived and I put it on Luke's bed, Tim fell in love. He started by saying it was wonderful and that it was Luke's and quickly changed to it was wonderful and it was Tim's with a question. I didn't care, so I switched all the room decorations. Tim loved, loved, loved his room for two days, but after two restless nights, he asked for cars and trucks back. The new bedding is part cotton part poly and his old stuff is all cotton. Apparently, he prefers the feel to the look. I switched the sheets and duvet and he returned to quiet slumber. I also put a few car decals on his walls. I guess I'll eventually switch it all over. I just dread putting Orion on Luke's ceiling. Oh, my acing neck.


orion glow-in-the-dark stars. the big and little dipper are also on the ceiling and the southern cross is on the south wall

easter

the first egg


our kit came with little cardboard colored stands for display



Tim took to egg dying like a pro this year, managing to dunk and remove the eggs with little mess and no damage. He even handled the flimsy tool that comes with kit. We dyed 12, but I think he would have colored 1200.


counting eggs


When Daddy gets home tonight we’re going to dye some eggs like we did in the video that you’ve been watching.
Will we make a NEW DDD (DVD)?

Yes, we will.

I want a blue egg and pink and yellow and white.

And purple?

Um, yes I think they do have purple eggs.

I want blue and purple and green and white.

Yes, that’s a good idea.

role playing

On our hike today at Coyote Ridge

Tim has started role playing full time now. Peter Pan is the story of choice this week. Today, I was Wendy, Paul was Michael, Luke was John, and Tim was, of course Peter Pan. Even though he assigns roles, he adopts a character at whim. He repeats dialog from the movie, his favorite is to give me a handful of willow seeds and say "Mother, buried treasure."

He also recites long parts from books that we are currently reading. Green Egs and Ham and Are you My Mother? are frequently requested. Yesterday:

You are not a kitten.
You are not a hen.
You are not a dog.
You are not a cow.
You are not a plane.
You are not a boat.
You are not a Snort.
You are a bird,
And you are my mother.

Pretty good.

At the grocery store today he was holding my grocery list.

What spells T, Zero, M? Pointing to a word on the list.

Oh, that's actually an O Tim not a zero. They look the same. It spells Tom which is short for tomato.

We need tomatoes Mommy. We were next to them and the avocados and he picked up a tomato.