Tri-Grapefruit

It's a pleasant surprise to find that people other than family have taken the time to read some posts from this blog, and I appreciate the comments received.

One of these people is Loie, a friend from church whom I mentioned in an earlier post because she was gracious enough to watch the kids on my birthday. Thankfully she didn't think the kids were too awful, because she agreed to babysit once a month so that I can attend my synod's monthly Assembly Meetings.

Not only was this extremely kind of her, but when she came by last time she brought grapefruit, because she had read my previous post about how the kids like grapefruit.

In her generosity she brought three, one for each of us, so that we could each have our own for a change. There was two small ones for the kids, and then she found a large one that she said was for me.

The reason I'm mentioning all this is mainly for Loie's sake, because I thought she'd appreciate Sofi's reaction to her gift at breakfast this morning.

Because today I decided I'd like to have some grapefruit for breakfast, and I decided "Yeah, I would like one just for myself", I took out two and set them on the table. Since one was for me I picked the large one and then one small one for the kids.

Before I could finish my cereal Sofi was all excited. The name grapefruit seems to elude her for some reason, and she keeps referring to them as mangoes (which she also loves). As she put it: "This mango is for Sofi" (pointing to the smaller one, and then to the bigger one) "...and this one is for Daddy... and Sofi." Actually, if you want it to sound more like Sofi, it would be faster, like this: "ThisMangoIsForSofi..AndThisOneIsForDaddy... AndSofi."

As you can see, Sofi wanted to make sure she had a claim on both grapefruits. Poor Isaac wasn't on her radar, but it turns out he wasn't too interested this time. Isaac was actually upset with the grapefruit this time around, but I don't think it was because he didn't like it. He just saw the cereal bowl it was in, and I think he wanted cereal instead, so he refused to eat the grapefruit until the very end when it dawned on him that he wasn't going to be offered any cereal from Dad's cereal bowl.

Sofi kept very close tabs on me during the entire sharing process, and let me know if I took two sections of grapefruit instead of sharing every other section. And after the juice was squeezed out into a glass (and drank entirely by my daughter) Sofi looked at the kitchen counter, looked at me, and announced "There'sAnotherMangoIfYouWantAnotherMango—I'mNotFullYet!"

Pumpkins

We're getting ready for Halloween tomorrow!
Here are the pictures...



      

Grapefruit

Fed Isaac grapefruit for breakfast for the first time this morning, just to see what he thought of it.

He's like his sister, loves it.

I like grapefruit too. Used to eat an entire grapefruit for part of my breakfast. Today, sharing it three ways this time, I think I got four bites.

I should add that this grapefruit my kids like is straight up. No sugar added. Just straight pulp.

Wonder how long it will be until Isaac eats an entire grapefruit for breakfast. I think Sofi was 12 months when she ate an entire grapefruit in one sitting.

Dancing

Sofi has started taking a dance class through the La Crosse Park and Rec. While I haven't seen the class since it is on Thursday nights and that is when I work at the Coop, Sofi does show a lot of moves at home. Some are actually from the class even!

The Apple Corer, Peeler, Slicer!

Sofi Coring Apples

Thanks to the apple trees at the cabin, and to Mary for going to pick them, we've plenty of apples! Mary's been trying to make apple sauce as much as time allows, and thankfully Sofi has become really good at helping, as the photo above and the video below attest to!

October is Good for Sprinklers

At our house we've been blessed with an underground sprinkler system. And it is still going, thanks in part to a podcast Mary heard that said one should continue to water into the fall. I've set them to go off early, around 5am. At about 7:30am it is almost done with the entire lawn, and it is doing the last section, which is the front yard.

The front yard is what Sofi sees out her bedroom window, and when she woke up and saw the sprinklers going she got all excited, put on her swim suit and asked to go outside. She hadn't even had breakfast yet!

It has been unusually nice for October, so it isn't as frigid as it sounds, but it was close, but the sun had yet to show itself over the bluff, and the water running through those sprinklers is mighty cold. It is amazing how resilient kids can be! She wanted me to join her. Isaac and I did go outside to watch, but it was cold enough just to watch Sofi jump in.

Love of Books

Sofi is getting to this very cool stage where is starting to memorize books. She'll just sit down on her own and page through books for quite some time, reciting to the best of her ability the story for that page. She does a very good job of paraphrasing, and occasionaly gets it word for word. In the video above she is "reading" Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh. She'll occasionaly recite entire passages of Dr. Seuss out of no where, without the book. Today she was "reading" a book about Arthur getting the hiccups, and what impressed me is that the book is a library book that we picked up just yesterday, and it has only been read to her two times, and already she is able to recite the basic story line on each page.

What's That Noise?

It's 7:15pm, and I go to the computer to check out the YMCA website, to see what their hours are for child care, with the idea that maybe I'll try to work out a bit on Friday.

So I'm online, checking it out, when I hear this odd sound. It sounds soft, and sort of like bubble wrap being stepped on, but really small bubbles, not large ones. Kind of like what is being laid under the new floor that we are currently have installed. So I don't think much of it... it's probably one of the kids crawling/walking over some exposed part of the under layment for the unfinished floor.

It is proceeded by laughter. Thankfully I hear both of them laugh, so I figure they are enjoying themselves and I don't get too concerned.

I then I hear that odd sound again, followed by more laughter. And again. And again.

Now I'm suspicious.

I go into the kitchen and no one is there, so it isn't the under layment I'm hearing.

I walk towards the bathroom and what do I see? Sofi standing there with the sink stop down and full of water, a sopping wet sponge in her hand, which she is holding over Isaac's head and squeezing the water out (which is the sound I'm hearing). Isaac is sitting there in a puddle on the bathroom floor, his clothes sopping wet, loving every second of it.

Sofi Trilogy

Today's post it appears will be a trilogy featuring Sofia, as she has managed to do three interesting things today.

WET HAIR

We're all in Isaac's room, and I'm sorting through Isaac's clothes when I look up and notice that the back of Isaac's hair is all wet. So I wonder out loud "How did Isaac's hair get all wet?" To my surprise (though I really shouldn't be), Sofi replies without even looking up "I spit." "What?" I say, not believing what I'm hearing. In turn she replies by making a hacking sound at the back of her throat and brings salava bubbles to her lips, obviously deciding that a visual will clarify things better for her dad.

It goes without saying that I put her on a time out, though it felt like I was putting her on a time out for telling the truth, since I didn't actually catch her doing it. I have a feeling she felt the same, but she was still willing to apologize to Isaac when she was done with her time out.

CLASSIC SCISSOR INCIDENT

Later I was in the kitchen while Isaac was napping when I realized it was too quiet. Sofi was still awake, and it just shouldn't have been so quiet. This means two things: 1. Sofi died or 2. She's doing something she shouldn't.

So I walk to Sofi's room and look in and don't see her. But it is still too quiet and I can't think of any place else she would be, so I go into her room and sure enough, there she is sitting on the floor in the corner, looking up at me, arms behind her back, and little pieces of yarn all over her lap.

"Sofi, what's behind your back?"

"Nothing," she says, even though she pulls out her left hand voluntarily and shows me the doll it is holding. The doll has yet to become a Sinead O'connor look a like, but was on its way.

"Sofi, what's in your other hand?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, I don't think so. Give the scissors to me." At this point she pulls out this small pair of scissors that she found in Isaac's personal care kit, which are meant for cutting his nails.

LIVING WET

This last one is short, and one Mary will appreciate. Today at lunch out of no where Sofi started singing "Living Wet", which is the baptism song that Mary teaches at Sunday School, and the one Mary wrote. Sofi even added the jazz hands at the end, though the motion was more in the arms than in the fingers.

Dog Tales

So Jake will be leaving tomorrow. She's been here a total of six days, and has pooped in the house six times, and peed in the house at least as many. The grossest by far was the pile she left on the floor next to my side of the bed, just before bedtime, which I discovered as I was crawling into bed with the lights out and nothing on my feet. Three feet is about how high I jumped, and I cursed pretty loudly too, loud enough to make Mary jump.

Mary thinks we are just missing Jake's cues for wanting to go out. Personally I don't think Jake gives any cues, unless you count managing to see her sniff around on your floor to find a spot to go. That's not a cue in my book however. A cue is a dog sitting at the door barking or whining. A dog sniffing around my house is simply a dog trying to find a way to do it's thing. And there is no chance that I'm going to spot a "cue" as quiet as that when I'm trying to tend to the needs and desires of a three year old and a nine month old.

And then there is the compost pile in our back yard, which Jake discovered one her second day here and has concluded is her own personal buffet.

Oh, and then there is the jumping up on the table. Not just jumping up on a chair and then putting the front paws on the table, but actually jumping onto the top of the table and walking around in search of food. Very gutsy on Jake's part, to be sure.

To read these posts would make one think the dog has been nothing but trouble. To be fair there are some sweet moments, like when the dog is extremely mellow in the afternoon. She fits right in with nap time thankfully. And Isaac has really taken to her, crawling up to her and stealing her toys, which she steals back. And when Isaac sits on her, she doesn't bite, but just lies there and takes it. Here's a video to give you a good idea...



To be fair, I haven't always been the best dog sitter, as there was one day that I thought I was only going to be gone for four hours and it ended up being nine.

None the less, it will be nice to be able to focus on only two kids again. I'm not ruling out dog-sitting in the future, but "Jakie-Brakie" will need to be able to but a brake on the bladder and communicate her need to go outside before she can vacation here again.

Dress Rehearsal

Sofi was reading a book in which a little girl uses a sheet to become a ghost, and as soon as we were done reading she said she wanted to do that. Why not, I thought, and we headed to the basement to find a sheet.

We had a difficult time lining up the eye holes, so she wasn't to crazy about her costume in the end. But I enjoyed the spontaneity of it all.

Mary found the cat ears for Isaac the other day while she was looking for a new season of clothes to bring up into his room.

Emptying the Dishwasher

Today I handed Sofi the silverware basket from the dishwasher and asked her to put away her and Isaac's utensils, which she has done in the past easily enough. But she ended up going above and beyond my expectations, because when she finished putting those utensils away she continued putting the rest of the utensils in the basket away. And not only was it gesture, but she actually did it correctly. The forks went with the rest of the forks, the knives with the knives, etc.

The entire basket was put away, and in the correct places! I was very impressed! It is the little things like this that amaze me.

Ear Plugs can Plug More than Ears

For some reason ear plugs have been a scarce resource in our household. Which is unfortunate because I use them every night.

I've been suspecting that there is an elf, one that is three years old, that has been finding them and squirreling them away. Who knows where. Could be anywhere. I've often found Disney princesses hiding in my shoes. This makes sense I guess, at least for Cinderella. But where my ear plugs go I'm not certain.

In reality they are probably falling under the bed, because I often misplace them when I wake in the middle of the night and take them out to take care of Isaac.

Well Mary has discovered that if they truly had fallen under the bed, they aren't there anymore. This evening, as Mary was making a trip out to our compost pile behind the garden she noticed some poop... some very colorful poop. Blue and purple to be exact. The colors of the ear plugs we use. Upon closer inspection, sure enough, that what was in the poop. Almost the exact same size of the poop.

And not just one or two. Six total. And this isn't a trial thing either I'm told. Mary's found Jake on our bed leaning to reach the book shelf where Mary keeps her ear plugs.

Thankfully these ear plugs aren't plugging anything else, though I wouldn't mind really, because I certainly didn't enjoy cleaning up the pile left in the front room this morning.

Table Set

At lunch today Sofi actually set the table for three... herself, me and Isaac. She actually got out two settings of silverware (she did get herself an adult setting... is she trying to tell me something?), and two bowls and plates. The amazing thing about the bowls is that we actually needed them, as we were having soup. Did she actually notice this without me telling her? And she got out two spoons for Isaac (baby spoons too, not adult ones)... as she put it: "One for Isaac to chew on, and one to for eating".

Anyway, I was impressed to say the least. It was a little act that meant a lot.

Isaac is enjoying the dog sitting. He wants to be on the floor to chase the dog, but Jake gets right in his face, so Isaac doesn't often ends up getting more than he bargained for. Jake is starting to mellow (thankfully!)

Dog Duty

Constantly chasing after her, telling her not to do this and that, taking things away from her that she's not suppose to have, feeding her, and occasionally cleaning up after her... If you think I'm talking about Sofi, you'd be wrong.

"Jakie-Brakie", Sofi's name for my parent's "shitty-poo" (as it turns out an apt nickname for this particular shitzoo/poodle mix) arrived last night to stay for the week. And after being woken up early by her whining and barking at seeing her matriarch leave at 5:45 am, and after wiping up after her and pulling numerous children toys from her mouth... I can already say after caring for her only a couple of hours that I've no desire for a dog. I certainly don't need another bundle of energy to manage.

In regards to the wiping up after her, that wouldn't be so bad if I happened to be the first one to discover the mess. Unfortunately Jake chose to relieve herself while I was in another room getting the diaper bag ready for our trip to the library, and Isaac happened to be the first one to discover the puddle. Crawled right through it. So not only did I end up cleaning up after Jake as I was trying to get the kids to the library, I had to quarantine my son so that he wouldn't continue to explore the puddle, and once I was finished with the puddle I had to change Isaac's clothes! Ya know, it takes long enough getting out the door with two kids! Who needs a dog that goes indoors, even after having been outside may I add!

The dog feels so much like a extra child that I find myself calling him "Isaac" (and for some reason calling Isaac "Jake"... maybe because the both move around on all fours?). Honestly, if this is what it feels like to have three kids, I'm getting snipped.