recently heard from a certain three-year-old:
"I need a poop wipe"
"Did you go poop already?"
"I went poop. Therefore, I need a poop wipe."
...........graphic, but true!

Jasper also stood unsupported for a few seconds (on some rocks out by the back hose-spigot), and this morning he waved goodbye!
He's also signing more pretty consistently, and could clap if he knew what it meant. Or maybe he is clapping. I can never tell, he just looks so happy all the time :)

Josie and Jasper are getting along pretty well. He still bites a little bit, but yesterday he crawled over to Josie and gave her a big head-hug (where he leans in with his head, four paws still on the floor) after he made her cry. Wow, it was neat!
Josie is still really interested in reading, and is trying hard to sound words out two ways. Sometimes she picks a word and tries to figure out how to spell it (she pretty much got 'message' the other day--mesag--when Daddy told her that that's what goes on the other side of a card she made). We were reading Go Dog Go! and another book last night, and she sounded out 'down' and 'sad'.
We've also been playing outside a lot since it's been so hot. It's supposed to be 99 this afternoon. Thank goodness for the basement--and the SuperTarget...they have air conditioning!

Mama is 29!

Here she is, modelling the black forest cake of all cakes. Josie and daddi-o added EIGHT layers of cake, alternating between chocolate and yellow, with whipped cream slathered between each layer and all over (a quart by the end), with pie cherries in homemade glaze between the layers, almonds on the outside, shaved semisweet dark chocolate on the top, with marichino cherries on top. No one could make it through a piece. Note the avalanche of whipped cream and cherries on the side.

Blueberry introspection

We are so very nonchalant about our victory over the horrid blueberry bandito. Lo, tho' the walls, the table, the floor, and even the picture on the wall are covered in his vile blueberry oatmeal remnants, we are not concerned, looking only to the coming banana threat across the room...

First let me say that I don't "let" the boy eat dirt. He really does that of his own accord, no matter how many "not for you Jaspie!!"s Josie might provide, or how many "no eating dirt/sand/dog food!!!"s I might calmly shout as I run across the living room/kitchen/yard. So don't leave me comments telling me what a bad dirt-feeding mommy I am. Really, though, just think of it like a good multivitamin. Extra nitrogen, phosphorus, that other nutrient that neither Josh nor I can remember making him grow big and strong. Just look at those buns. Steel I tell you, steel!!


That said, here are a couple of shots of two of our gardens. I took the one of the 'big family garden' over the weekend, and things are already twice as big. We've got cantaloupe and zucchini against the brick wall, and a trellis for them to grow up. Lettuce/spinach, peas, onions, and beans in rows, then tomatoes/peppers, carrots, corn, potatoes, rhubarb, pumpkins, and watermelon. Josie and I still go out and hoe every day to keep the weeds down, but she's already enjoying the peas :)



"Josie's little garden" began life as a bare patch in the lawn where Josie planted a few old pea seeds in, oh, February. One sprouted and has been joined by a red pepper, carrots, spinach, and radishes. Yum! She waters it, tends it faithfully, and brings offerings of roly-polie-olies and worms whenever she finds them. Oh, and she's not just growing peas, they're 'sweet baby peas', since that's the kind Jasper likes. What a sister!


Finally, here are a couple of gratuitously cute shots of the kids. Couldn't resist, and I knew you wouldn't mind :)

consonants

I think the kids are getting sick--jasper's been pooping all morning, josie threatened to throw up. Oh well, such is life. We had fun this morning, rode our bikes to the doughnut shop, then across the street to the park where we sat on a blanket and shared our sprinkles. It was very nice (if a hard ride up the hill :)
After one particularly big rumble in the diaper, Jasper sat on my hip, blowing raspberries and practicing the new consonants he's discovered in the past couple of days. goos and gaas, and heees and haaas. very cute!

Gardening behind the scenes...

So even though these photos are from a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be good to see the team working together in the main (not josie-sized) garden. In the first photo, you can see how helpful Josie is being with the Tomato plant, Mommy is getting ready to plant it, and ... Wait, what's that Jasper's doing?

the second photo shows more clearly...

Along the gardening theme, Jasper recently sat for the traditional posed picture with daffodils, preferably in a Paddington Bear jumper. Note the two new teeth he's sporting! This was one of the few photos when he wasn't trying to eat the daffodil...

Josie and her kitties

Josie has decided that today she has three baby kitties. They're imaginary, of course, and their names are Jana, June, and Jasha. I'm the grandma kitty, my name is Asher, and I take care of the other baby kitties (whose eyes aren't open) while Josie takes the sick one to the doctor then out for a treat. I don't know where she came up with these names, but they're cute!
Jasper started reaching up with his arms when he wants to be picked up. This morning in the kitchen I was making some lunch and Josie was up on the counter. He crawled over, sat right in front of me, and when I looked down he put his arms up, then was just so happy I knew what he was trying to say! It was so neat!

Things are going pretty okay back here at the ranch...the weather's been very nice, bordering on a little too warm, these past couple of weeks, and we've really been enjoying all that summer is poised to bring. The garden is growing nicely, with little bean plants, peas, and greens; the rhubarb is growing (after immediately killing my four previous efforts!), melons and pumpkins are sprouting. Josie has a little garden in the middle of the lawn (she found her own little dirt patch and planted a pea seed), and her one pea has been joined by radishes (which sprouted in a little more than 24 hours and already taste nice and radish-y), carrots, and spinach. Oh, and a red pepper, which Josie likes to remind me are yucky. I think she'll eat them anyway. We go out every morning or early afternoon and hoe all the new weeds out (trying not to get anything we've planted) and water the seeds. Since I'm usually pretty delinquent with both of these, having Josie to remind me has been a big help!
I'll have to get some pictures of the two gardens, though...sorry I keep forgetting :)
One interesting thing, though...Josie's a natural-born pusher, but Jaspie seems to be a biter (just like I think I remember being, interestingly). Josie was kind of pushing him around yesterday and Josh was trying to convince her to back off when he made some sort of growling noise and zipped over to bite her arm. I was at the dentist, and so sad to have missed it! We'll have to work on nipping this in the bud, since pushing isn't nearly the problem that biting is (and Josie hardly pushes any more)...
Anyhow, here we are enjoying the spring weather:


In this last one, Josie's playing croquet...at least trying to figure out how!

Josie after her (almost daily) morning shower

Planting gerber daisy seeds all by herself.

Jasper's looking cute, on the hunt for dog food