Wandering Through the Playground: The Sandbox

One Saturday, when it was only grossly hot (as opposed to disgustingly hot), Dash and Liam wanted to wear their shoes. All dressed up, let's find somewhere to go! The local park it is. The sandbox was a major detour.

"I'd like that rusty truck that's been sitting here for who knows how many years, please."

"Um, what do I do? There's... this... sand everywhere."

"The truck says, 'PTTTTTT'"

"Okay, well, I'm just going to stay here until you tell me what to do. Because I don't know."

"Woah. Magic dust."

"Woah! Magic Dust!"

"It must be for eating."

"Yes, it must be. Mmmm."

"A box full of pebbly food. AND trucks. We must be in heaven."

Sharing Progress

Sharing is in full swing with the Bradley twins lately. Don't get me wrong, the stealing toys and the jealous yelling have not left us yet. But sharing is slowly creeping into their lifestyle.

Examples of sharing and outcomes:

• Brother A wants Brother B's toy. So he grabs a nearby toy, offers it to Brother B, who accepts and relinquishes the coveted toy, which is quickly nabbed by Brother A. Everyone's happy, Mama's impressed.
• Brother A wants Brother B's toy. So he grabs a nearby toy, offers it to Brother B who ignores him and continues playing with his own toy. Brother A drops the offered toy in Brother B's lap, pretending it was accepted, and snatches the coveted toy out of Brother B's hands. Brother B screams.
• Brother A plays with a toy, sees Brother B's interest in it, and freely offers it to him. Mama oozes with mother pride goo.
• Brother A gets in a sharing mood and brings any and all items to Brother B. Brother B is confused.

Pretty awesome progress, I'd say.

Post-edit: I forgot a good example! Here it is:

• Brother A plays with a toy, Brother B wants it and tries to snatch it. Brother A offers a different toy to distract Brother B. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it dissolves into a biting fest.

Shirtless Evening

What do you do when your children are shirtless after a messy dinner and are chomping at the bit to go outside? Well, we certainly didn't pull on the reins, we let them ride!

First stop: playset. Slides are for climbing, don't you know?

Fits three males!

Next stop: a little stroll down the sidewalk, sampling this and that.

What is this breeze against my chest?

A heart-melter

Say, if I get my pants out of the way and suck in a little, there's my belly button!

Liam's trying to decide if he should stand up or consume those acorn shells.

Squirmy?

Hope your evening tonight is as pleasant as this.

Crayon Options

What To Do With Crayons: A List of Ten

1. Marvel

2. Eat the box

3. Stuff the box

4. Help a friend stuff the box

5. Eat the crayon

6. Help a friend eat the crayon

7. Color on paper (Best Choice Award!)

8. Color on floor

9. Color on floor more

10. Color everywhere else

Which is your favorite?