Sunday, May 18, 2008

5/18/08 Up downtime

Arrrgh. Did I say the boys needed downtime at home, without anything scheduled? They were horrible today! Resistant, obnoxious, constantly saying annoying things, making lots of obnoxious sounds, pillow fights, hitting each other, kicking each other....just being kids, right? Yeah. Annoying kids. Maybe even bored kids.

Sunday nights, the boys are offered two TV shows, but they have to clean up the family room before dinner to earn the second show. Tonight they didn't want to do that, and I was very clear with them: only ONE show then. So what do you think happens after the one show is over? A total Julian meltdown because he wants two shows, despite the careful warning.

Finally they settled down to play outside after their TV show.

They sure got their share of each other this weekend, playing together almost nonstop. It's actually quite heartwarming to listen to them talk together, though Gabriel is usually pretty dominant. Tonight I heard him say, as he was explaining something about their truck-and-rope arrangement, "OK. Now, so, I'm very smart, but of course (rolling his eyes), everyone knows that." Good grief! I butted in and said, "No, you're just very conceited!"

Katrina had a rare day of being the favorite around here, being generally funny and adorable and making cute sounds and...dare I say it, sweet? Well, not quite, but lots of fun anyway.

Dave took her to Stanford yesterday to be a subject in a language study, and the researchers asked him if she was putting two words together yet. Dave said he didn't think so (he hasn't heard her say "My (anything)"). Tonight she was picking at dinner (she's been eating horribly), and he held up a piece of bread and said, "bite?" She glared at him and practically roared, "NOOO BIYE!" OK, well, I guess she showed him -- on two counts!

The pressure to prepare for remodeling and moving is constant and unrelenting. Some progress today, never enough -- I guess slow-n-steady will be the key.

5/18/08

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