These amazing quiet moments speak more than the loud, the chatty, the adventurous ones ever could. They huddle together beneath a sunny window in a nook behind the glider to peruse their books. With no woodworking tools to use, our little woodworker uses his ingenuity and searches Mama’s kitchen to find a tool that will do the job. Something that will bore the hole he needs. In this quiet moment, Quinn sits nearby and watches him at work.

I love these moments and always feel privileged to witness them and even more lucky to occasionally catch the moment with my camera.

Taking a book break

The Woodworker

I am well aware that I do not realize just how lucky I have to be in a city that has such amazing wild spaces to which we have access. I am able to take my kids to such amazing places where they can commune with nature and build a deep connection with it. I really do hope these experiences help then find respect for the amazing natural world and be better citizens than previous generations able to live in harmony rather than damage and pollute what is around us.

Bull Creek is so magical. I can’t explain it, but to say it is a zen place for us. Therein lies another thought I wish to leave with my children - that when you feel sad, depressed, overwhelmed, uninspired, without purpose or just lack a zest for life - get to some wilderness as quickly as you can. Nature is so incredibly cleansing. There is a calm and a clarity that I can’t find anywhere else.

I often think that city folk spend so much time trying to fill “voids” in various ways, when the real problem is they are completely disconnected from the natural world. Cities sprawl and continue to bulldoze more and more. Someone has actually written a book talking about “nature deficit disorder” in kids. I believe it. Anyway, enough of my soapbox.

Breeze on the water	Nearing the end of the day…
Mama and Quinn with trusty stick	Tyler searcing for some good rocks

Tyler has never been the naked type.  He doesn’t mind clothes and is never pushing to remove them nor fights getting dressed.  Quinn is learning to take her shirts off, but so far seems to be in the same boat as Tyler.  The last week or so, about a half hour before Daddy is to get home - it is has been naked hour around here.  One kids gets the idea and the seed is planted.  Then I have each kid running to me asking for help removing an article of clothing.  They run around the backyard and house half naked and having a good time.

I don’t mind - I just find it so interesting how having a partner in crime makes all ideas seem wildly fun and nutty.  The other day these two were giggling hysterically in the backyard (a bad sign).  Tyler had dragged a flower pot of flowers we had just planted earlier across the patio and it fell over.  Not to be outdone, Quinn goes to pick one up, drops it and the clay pot shatters.  Mama was not happy at all.  {sigh}

They are so insane together - the power of two - they are just getting started.

Picky Eater
The kid was always a garbage disposal meaning that he would eat everything and loads of it. It was nice; he ate or at least tried a few bites of whatever he was given. Then he turned 3. He has decided that he doesn’t like raisins. Seriously?? Are you kidding me?? Raisins..of all things, raisins? I didn’t believe him at first, so I continued putting them in lots of things and he continued to balk. Sure enough, no raisins. And some of my more interesting meals he is more hesitant about. It doesn’t bother me at dinner, but for some reason since I have been cooking us things for lunch, I take more offense at this meal. And I have been trying some fairly out there things lately…squash macaroni….
I know it is a phase and it will pass. I mean my brother ate hamburgers most of his young life and thanks to his wife, now loves sushi, indian food and will try all sorts of things. It isn’t a big deal and he still loves things like miso soup, so he isn’t that picky. It is just another transition in his personality and I have to ride the wave. Three is proving to be a very odd year.

Dumper, Picker, Ripper

Oh my lord!!! If I thought Tyler was dumper, then I didn’t know Quinn yet. This child makes lakes on my kitchen floor, floods the bathroom and does it all with a smile and focused determination. “Water stays in the sink/bath” - I think I will have to repeat these words a thousand times and also get incredibly creative about redirection because her focus is impressive. I tell her and she pushes her hand right past me to dump. And if I try to take away the dumping device, well, she then puts the death grip on it. Stubborn as a mule this one.

And more on the picking/ripping front. A friend made her a valentine’s card with a heart made out of buttons on the front. She pulled it out of the backpack the other day and Chris and I knew it was on. Oh yeah, 5 buttons off before you knew it. I made some dolls for them that you will hear about it a future post and I left the buttons off because I just knew she wouldn’t be able to resist them.

How many book spines have perished in her hands? If a spine is worn enough, she will pick and then yank it off. Tyler has been asking for our copy of “Wheels on the Bus”. I haven’t shared with him that it was diposed of because his sister tore it in half.

She is such a mess…but an uber cute one!

The other day Tyler was talking about his chuckles. Chris and I were puzzled and asked him what he was talking about.  He replies. “Sometimes I call my butt chuckle and these (grabbing his buttcheeks) are my chuckles.”  Chris and I were cracking up for a good while…

This past weekend on a hike out at Bastrop, Tyler was asking about the picture of a dog on some of the hiking signs wanting to know what it meant.  We explained that it meant dogs on leashes were allowed on the hike.  I think he was thinking “persons”, but the comment that came out of his mouth was, “why don’t they make Persians where leashes??”   Chris and I were hysterical.  It sounded so damn funny coming out of his mouth.

We have the silliest kid…

One day Tyler picked up my camera and I decided to show him how to use it. So off he went during Quin’s nap shooting pictures. It was hilarious to download the pictures later that night and see just he ended up taking pictures of. Here are a few that I liked - the basket where we keep his train track (you can see the rope handle of the camera hanging down) and the tree stump where he and Quinn enjoy putting this and that in the hole in the middle.

My sweet, sweet girl, One thing about Quinn is that she ALWAYS says “tink you” without fail. I think she loves the interaction of the transaction. You give her x and she can say y. She may be asking you for something, wanting you to hold something, giving you something or you may give her something - but she always will say, “tink you!”. It is just so cute.

She may be very upset and her brother because he took something or has something she wants. If he gives it to her, she says, “tink you” and walks off. She has been doing this for months now - I think she started this at like 15 months maybe? Maybe earlier.

I also love the preemptive gratitude - she will hold out her hand for you to take something and say “tink you” and then I will take the item from her. I love the expectation she has that I know what she needs/wants.

We have all been so blown away and what words she already knows and all the communicating she does. She even picks up on the context of the situation. She bumps into you, she will say, “sorry”. She is trying to get by you, she will say, “cuse me, Tyler”. Or even to the dog, “cuse me, Chase”.