What's new this week -- August 24

The weather finally cooled down this week so we enjoyed the rain at the beginning of the week and then too much sun at the end of the week, then some rain again. The heat doesn't seem to bother the kids (it makes me grouchy), and I guess I may as well get some use out of the summer clothes while I can.

This week Kinsey is interested in the contents of dirty diapers. Sorry, rather gross -- but she wants to see every time. And she will tell me that it should go in the big potty, so maybe she is showing more signs of potty training readiness.

Kinsey also has favorite shirts this week. Her doggy shirt was dirty so I told her she couldn't wear it and she cried for quite a while. Luckily I could convince her that her kitty shirt or horse shirt were good alternatives. These three shirts were gifts from Aunt Kindra sometime last year and now they are the favorites. Too bad she has tons of other clothes not being used now. I've been trying to collect a wardrobe for next year (well, next size anyway ... she's not growing too fast) and that makes me wonder if I'll collect too much stuff that she won't wear because it isn't the favorite :) OK, OK, she really isn't that bad. Most of the time I just give her a few clothing choices and she is happy -- just not first thing in the morning when she is somewhat grouchy.

This week a friend let us borrow some of her kids' toys (toy rotation is genius by the way) so we got a "new" dollhouse, train set, and farm with animals for a little while. Kinsey and Kyler played all day with them for several days. And I love the dollhouse too ... Kinsey would play for hours with it if only Kyler wouldn't take key pieces just to participate in the fun. I'd love to get a big dollhouse for Kinsey, but birthday presents are somewhat planned for the next little while with bikes and sandboxes so we'll see. So if only I could find a great one used for a great deal .... hmmmmmm

Kyler has been bringing books to me to read. He wants to sit on my lap and turn the pages. He really likes one that is kind of like a picture dictionary, though it has funny looking old pictures. It has a non-electric push mower instead of a modern lawnmower. But he has a favorite picture on a few pages and I can ask him where they are and he will point to the plane, or the bee. This is all so new for him. Actually he seemed to listen a little more (OK, about twice this week) to instructions that I give him and obey them. And he is going into the kitchen and pointing to the sippy cup or food and making his ubiquitous grunt to indicate what he wants. Hooray, maybe obedience and communication are in the works.

And finally, Kyler started eating only crackers again. Argh.