Harpers Ferry

Buddy passed by Harper's Ferry on his way to West Virginia a few weeks ago and thought we should come explore the area. We decided to make a day trip out of it today. Nyla slept in until 10am yesterday but only until 9am today. We were able to leave by 10:30 and she fell asleep in the car. I don't know why she's so tired. It's an hour and a half drive out there. Once we hit Fredericksburg which is an hour away, the terrain becomes much hillier and prettier. I suppose it's actually mountains in the distance but it's weird to call something so short mountains.

We had a brief picnic lunch on arrival but it was quite unpleasant because of the multitude of swarming gnats. They were everywhere and relentless. They favored my eyeballs. Bohdin complained of itchiness. It was hard to see Buddy through the cloud surrounding his head.

We parked at the visitor center and took the shuttle bus to the historic lower downtown. The area is quite scenic. There are tall hills around. The town is located where the Shenandoah and Potomac river merge. It is such a hilly area that walking around town is a workout. There are steps and big grades everywhere. The location on the rivers allowed it to become an industrial center but it also opened it up to mother nature. There is a sign in town showing the height of the various floods throughout time. The most recent floods were in 1996. The water line was very high. Buddy estimates the buildings on main street to be about 150 feet from the river. The waters at that point was 3-4 times taller than Buddy. Over time the buildings even closer to the river have been completely destroyed.

The main street has restored historic buildings with various exhibits inside. My favorite was the general store because the guy inside was so knowledgeable. He was telling me how many people prior to the Civil War did not wear underwear. This was amazing since the pants were incredibly itchy. He also said that it was around this time that shoes started being made for a specific foot. Prior to this a shoe could go on either the left or right foot.

Harper's Ferry exchanged hands during the Civil War 8 times. It has the rivers, the C&O Canal, and some railroad lines running through the town. We didn't see much of the Civil War history of the town. There is also other history but if you're interested I suggest you look at the website. http://www.nps.gov/hafe/

The town built steps out of the natural stone in the area. The hills are faced with large slabs of stone and the steps were just cut right into it. This made for some very uneven steps. We had to climb the steps which led up to the church and was actually part of the Appalachian trail. Going up past the beautiful church are even more stone steps which leads up to Jefferson's rock. Thomas Jefferson stood on the rock and declared it the prettiest site or something. We climbed up there and it is nice. We climbed just a bit further up from there to the cemetery. Bohdin was getting tired and grumpy at that point so we started heading down. After coming down a short way we started counting steps. It was 166 steps to the bottom.

It was a fun outing. Perhaps we'll go back out there again sometime. Bohdin said he liked it. Maybe we can hit it again when there are fewer bugs and it's not as hot and humid. Both Buddy and I would be interested in following the Appalachian trail a bit more.


Standing on a tree that fell in the Shenandoah
 

Holding a ladybug outside of the church
 

Sitting near Jefferson's Rock
 

At the top our climb
 

Puddle Splasher

It rained here yesterday so in the evening Buddy took the kids out to splash in the puddles. Bohdin is three and I think all three year old children like jumping in puddles. Nyla likes splashing in small pools of water. Now that she is older she is in the won't lay still for a diaper change phase. This means that she often goes around naked. When I hear her splashing and playing inside I know I have a mess to clean up. She has a knack for peeing on the hard surfaces as opposed to the carpet and rug. It may be on purpose.

 
 

I was taking a picture of Bohdin last night and he was saying no no no. Every picture I took came out funny looking. I decided to try a picture of him saying yes. I wonder if everybody looks better saying yes.

Saying no
 

Saying yes
 

Nyla climbed on top of the kitchen table for the first time yesterday. Bodhin had left his paints up there where she couldn't reach them. She obviously can now. I don't know how we're going to keep her safe. When we were making cookies yesterday, Nyla kept climbing onto Bohdin's stool with him. Over and over I would pick her up off the stool, put her down after she squirmed out only to have her climb again. I've been putting Bohdin's stool away but Nyla tries to pull it back out. She's not quite strong enough yet but it's only a matter of time.

Pack Mule

We made it back to Maryland yesterday with a ton of stuff. Buddy said it was like I was coming back from another country. I stopped at the thrift store and picked up clothes for the kids, books, Magic School bus videos, and a few pieces for myself. The thrift stores here are small and expensive. Bohdin already had plenty of clothes for this winter so I focused on next summer. In addition I brought back a lot of pumpkin seeds and freshly roasted chiles. I can't buy hot roasted chiles here. The pumpkin seeds aren't as good either. Instead of sending myself a package as I had intended I packed everything in our suitcases. They were so heavy. Paul helped us to the gate but in Baltimore we were on our own. Bodhin pulled his Thomas suitcase which may have weighed more than him. It's a slight uphill to get out of the airport and at one point Bohdin said "Mommy look at my hand". It had a red mark on it from the suitcase digging in. I was dying myself with Nyla on my back, and 4 bags. After a few breaks we did make it.

Not much else happened so I thought I would add pictures and things that I have either forgotten or didn't have room for earlier.

Nyla climbing on the stool to eat leftovers. She is really interested in eating with utensils right now. She is even more interested in climbing.
 

In Paul's backyard
 

At grandma's house
 

On the trampoline at grandma's house. Both Bohdin and Nyla liked jumping on it. She is wearing Bohdin's pajama top in this picture.
 

When we were at grandma's house, Paul asked Bohdin to guess how old he was. Bohdin guessed 156 and 100 which is his version of the biggest number he knows. Paul then asked how old I was. Bohdin said 31.

I forgot to mention that we have new next door neighbors. They have a 2 year old and a 9 month old. I have yet to meet the kids but I've heard them.

I can't remember if I already mentioned it but Bohdin is such a great traveler now. He has come really really far. In the airport he does everything himself. He doesn't even need help on the escalator with his suitcase. In the airplane he was able to occupy himself for most of the 3+ hour flight. I remember when it was constant work to keep him occupied in the plane. Nyla is at the tough stage now. I couldn't keep her in my lap even on takeoff. When the plane was still on the ground she crawled under my seat and came out in the row behind. The guy behind us had been bumped from first class so I don't think he was in the mood to have babies popping up at his feet.

It's back to the old grindstone here. It was a nice break. Now it's time to clean.

Taboo

Nyla woke up fussy on Monday and continued throughout the day which made it impossible to pack. We were going to leave Tuesday morning but I couldn't get my stuff together in time. Now 24 hours later I still don't have everything quite together. At Paul's house I have to lock her in the same room with me so she doesn't try to wander down the stairs. She is capable of going down safely but sometimes she thinks she can hold on to the railing and walk down. She can't. Nyla is an anti-packer. It's the age. One of her favorite things in the world now is to empty. Her other favorite thing is to walk and explore. We went to the store and she was able to stand in the basket despite being buckled in. I didn't realize those buckles only work on kids who want to stay in the basket. Nyla has the determination and strength to wiggle out of it. She doesn't understand that she can't walk around like Bohdin. He is old enough to realize that one must stay in the general vicinity. I remember what a tough time this was for Bohdin as well. We won't be doing much shopping together until this stage is over.

Since we didn't make it out this morning we went to the Berry Patch Farm relatively close to Paul's house. We met up with three other moms. Nyla did her squeal when she saw the pig. She walked quite near it and then sat down. Later the pig kissed her but she didn't like that. She also squealed for the chickens. Bohdin did a good job picking strawberries and he is actually the only one who put strawberries in the container. Nyla and I just picked them and ate them. It's a wonderful farm and they do allow this. We ended up spending 80 cents on strawberries. I also bought some freshly roasted chiles because you just can't buy that in Maryland and who can pass up the amazing smell.

 

 

 

I saw the end of a program on Discovery Health a few weeks ago called Taboo. The last segment they aired was about extended breastfeeding. They showed a mom breastfeeding her 5 year old. I was surprised it was part of the program but on further reflection I sort of see the point. Extended breastfeeding is really really rare in this country. Very few people see older children being breastfed so it's not part of our usual world. Paul asked me the other day if I still breastfeed Bohdin. I do. I don't know when he'll stop. Either when I'm done or he's done. I hope it's when he's done but we'll see. I don't advertise this fact. Many of my mom friends in Colorado know but that is because I'm lucky enough to be part of a group where that is more common and probably more accepted. I'll admit that it can look weird to see an older child nursing but I assure you it is not. I'm not sure why I wrote this but there it is.

I can't end on that so I'll mention some Nyla stuff. I tried to post this a while ago but it was deleted. Prior to coming to Colorado, Nyla was becoming a handful. She loves to climb on stuff and Bohdin's stool is irresistible. I don't like her climbing on it since it has 2 steps and she could easily fall on the hard tile floor. She has also discovered how to unfasten the child locks on the cabinets. One day she opened a drawer and took out the aluminum foil and unrolled it twice. She also bit two holes in my saran wrap. Now I have two teeth marks every few inches. She is becoming such a handful.

I also forgot to mention that our old neighbor moved out. I ran into her in the hallway and apologized that we were too loud or something. She said that's not why she was leaving. She also said that she never complained about the noise. That's not what was told to our landlord and the HOA. So now we have a new neighbor. This is number 3. I've already met her. She is 2 months pregnant and very sweetly came up the evening we were packing to ask us to be quieter so she could take a nap. She seems really nice. I wish the units were built better.

I Love You

We went down to Trinidad to see grandma this weekend. Nyla didn't have the easiest trip down but we did make it. Grandma's house is great for kids for several reasons. The house is one story with lots of loops so it's great for playing chase. There is a long hallway which is great for all sorts of games such as bowling or tackle. There is a large outdoor area to explore. Both kids had a good time there. I was very happy not to have to chase Nyla up the stairs.

Bohdin, Nyla, and I went to the farmer's market in the morning. It is next to the new playground in town and when Bohdin saw it he couldn't resist. There are two very tall covered twisty slides on the play structure. He started climbing up and nearly changed his mind. It was really high. I waited for him at the bottom and could hear thump, bump, bonk as he was coming down. He finally made it down to where I could see him and he was sideways. He looked completely out of control, more like he fell down the slide. When he made it to the bottom he declared it fun and wanted to try it again. He did try it again once more without the bumping this time. I was proud of him for going on such a tall steep slide. Actually I was proud of him for trying it even though he was a little scared.

Without tv or internet access people are forced to do other things to pass the time. Paul chased Bohdin around until he was too tired. I won't tell you how long that was so I don't embarrass him. Which adult can match the energy of a 3 year old though? Next he took him outside to paint the sidewalk with his sidewalk paints. This then led to sprinkler wars. I think they both won.
 

Paul and Bohdin played together a lot on Saturday. That evening they made popcorn together. Paul didn't like when Bohdin spit back some of his popcorn back in the bowl they were sharing. I had already warned him once so I took the popcorn away and got him ready for bed. Bohdin said he was sad and cried. With all of his crying I was having a hard time putting Nyla to sleep. Bohdin ended up leaving the bedroom. I checked on Bohdin after Nyla fell asleep. He was sitting with Paul eating crackers and didn't want to come with me. After a few more minutes I went to get him again. "I love you" back. He's the 3rd person to get an I love you after me and Buddy. Buddy thought it was pretty fast but he hasn't seen how much time Paul has been spending with him.

 

When Bohdin was two (I think) he fell in some cactus at grandma's house. He has been extra careful around cactus since then. When we went on a walk he did a really good job of avoiding the cactus by himself this time. We collected rocks, flowers, golf balls, and a toy plane on our walk. We also found some gourds and Bohdin and Nyla had a rousing game of fill the bucket with gourds. Nyla did other fun things as well. She jumped on the little trampoline. She walked to her heart's content. Here she is playing the piano.
 

 

Nyla woke up grumpy so duty calls.

The Honeymoon Is Over

The first thing Bohdin said this morning when he woke up was "Remember I had that bug in my drink and I spit it out?" I wouldn't have picked that to be the most memorable event of yesterday.

We met Tyken and a 2 year old girl from playgroup at the zoo yesterday. Bohdin wanted to take his digger and loader because one wanted to see the giraffe's long neck and the other wanted to see the elephant spraying water. I was fine with that as long as I didn't have to hold them. Everything was going fine until we made it to the sea lions. There was an educational sign with a button to press. Bohdin wanted a turn but Tyken kept it covered. That made Bohdin sad and he started to cry. We sat and had a picnic lunch. Bohdin and Tyken were holding sticks and Bohdin wanted Tyken to drop his so they could drop together. Tyken didn't want to drop his. Bohdin just kept following Tyken around saying "I'm using my words." Tyken probably understood what Bohdin wanted this time but he simply didn't want to drop the stick. This made Bohdin sad and pouty. He sat by himself for a while. After he recovered he went to play with Tyken again. They were playing around some rocks and Bohdin ends up crying again. Later in the car he told me that Tyken was standing on a rock that he wanted to stand on. He said something to Tyken and Tyken pointed to another rock that Bohdin could stand on. I guess that made Bohdin cry or sad or something because then Tyken said they could stand on the rock together which made Bohdin even sadder. I don't know what more Tyken could have done. Bohdin was just in a pouty mood yesterday. I've experienced it before and it is tough. When a compromise sets him off even more what is one supposed to do? Hopefully Tyken can forgive Bohdin's bad mood.

We all rode on the train at the zoo and Bohdin said it was fun. He doesn't look like he's having an especially good time in the picture but he said he liked it. This train went on a track as opposed to the train the previous day which went on the sidewalk. Bohdin liked that fact much better. We had to leave afterwards because it was way past nap time. Nyla had already had a loud meltdown as we were waiting for the train to depart. She fell asleep almost immediately in the car.

Nyla had a brief nap and afterwards we went to get her 12 month shot taken. We weren't really prepared to take it now but she wont' be 12 months much longer. She has a bruised cheek, busted lip, and a cut above her eye but the picture turned out well anyway. Last night she fell on the concrete step and added a large red spot on her forehead so at least we avoided that. Out of the 56 shots the guy took she was smiling in all of them. It was an easy and fast photo shoot. The $9.95 package contained a ton of pictures so if anyone wants one let me know. Bohdin couldn't resist looking at all of them and has already slightly bent several of them.

 
 
 
 

I promised Bohdin we could go to the playground afterwards and we tried the new one they built near Paul's house. It's a great playground esecially for elementary kids. They actually have a tall steep slide which I don't see very often. They also had a see saw. Bohdin was excited about that and enjoyed riding it for a while. He was lighter than the other kid so he was bounced around a bit at the top which I don't think felt too good. There is a Sonic nearby and I bought Bohdin a slush before going to the playground. They don't have Sonic in Maryland. The wasps were buzzing around the slush while we were at the playground. Bohdin said mine had a bug in it so I just threw it away. Bohdin took a drink of his and spit it out. There on the ground amid orange slush was a wasp. It didn't move at all. Maybe it drowned in the slush or just was slow because of the cold. I'm glad it didn't hurt him. Bohdin decided to keep his drink although I'm not sure he ever took another sip.

Bohdin played outside a bit more after coming back to Paul's house. I guess he and Paul watched the Olympics or something while I was putting Nyla to sleep because he was excited about the dancers he saw on tv. Both kids have been going to bed way too late. At least they're sleeping in a bit in the morning.

We're off to grandma's house tonight. Bohdin fell one time there and landed in some cactus. He has never forgotten that and is quite careful around cactus. I don't think Nyla will be remotely careful. I'm glad she won't be able to climb stairs there becasue I'm tired of carrying her back down the stairs. She likes to climb halfway up to the landing and turn around and wait for me to see her. I don't like the game nearly as much as she does. Sometimes she thinks she can walk down stairs just by holding on and she really can't.

I forgot to mention that on the way out of the zoo we passed the elphants. If you recall, Bohdin wanted his digger to see the elephant spraying water. I didn't tell him that it was highly unlikely but I was thinking it. One of the elephants was being watered down and we did indeed see the elephant spraying water out of his trunk.

So Much Stuff

Bohdin is laying next to me so I asked him what he did yesterday. He said he wouldn't tell me. When I asked why he said it was because it was so much stuff. We have been doing more here not only because there is more to do but because there is stuff that is close by. In Maryland we have to travel 20-30 minutes to do anything and that's just one way. It makes an outing less spontaneous because nap schedules need to be considered.

Yesterday we met Tyken at the play area of the new shopping center nearby. All of the new shopping centers are starting to look alike. They are outdoor pedestrian areas with a play area in the center. It had the shooting jets of water, a small play area and a train to ride. Bohdin rode the train with Tyken although he was hesitant to go without me. In the end he did. None of the pictures show him having a great time but he said it was fun. He commented that the train went on the road instead of the track.

Bohdin and Tyken played in the water afterwards. Nyla didn't play in the water. She prefers puddles of water to shooting jets. We couldn't stay too long since we were meeting Paul for lunch at the Indian restaurant that recently opened near his house. Nyla ate a ton of food. It was her first time eating Indian food.

At Paul's house he shared a popsicle outside with Bohdin just like old times. Bohdin was having fun outside and didn't want to come in for a nap. He filled the watering can with water from the hose and watered the grass. He really misses having a yard. I miss it also since I can't tell him to go outside and play anymore without all three of us going with him. Bohdin is an outdoor sort of kid and we didn't take his needs into account enough when we decided on the condo. Well actually we did but it hasn't worked out like planned. Nyla used to just eat everything outside which made it difficult. Now she's getting older and wants to walk into the street. I also didn't realize how ugly the weather would be out there. Not the temperatures but the wind. I need to make more of an effort to get Bohdin outside instead of making excuses.

These are 2T swim trunks. It seems like he needs something with a bigger waist.
 

 

 

Nyla is wearing one of the new diaper covers that my friend made. I made a dress for her daughter in exchange. I got the better end of the deal.
 

A New Boy

We went to playgroup yesterday at a nice popular playground. Because of its popularity (due to the large shade trees) there were lots of other people there. Bohdin and Nyla had a great time. Bohdin played with Tyken and Nyla wandered around doing her thing. She found shoes to play with, a ball to hold, a bucket to fill, and people to look at. I normally have to watch her like a hawk at the playground because she gets into trouble but I didn't have to yesterday which made for a nice relaxing time to talk to some friends.

 

 

 

 

Paul scheduled a playdate with his friend's 2.5 year old daughter for the evening. I didn't think it would go well. I thought he would probably ignore her or maybe silently acknowledge her existence. This is the boy who last week wanted me to ask kids to play with him. He used body language to try to communicate with the kids he would play with. Sometimes after an hour he would say a few words. When the little girl showed up, Bohdin talked to her. We went to the playground together where some other kids were playing. While this little girl was on a swing, Bohdin was filling up a cardboard car with woodchips. A girl and boy approached him and asked if they could help. Bohdin said okay. Normally he would nod or just give a look and a grunt. He then went on playing with the girl. They piled wood chips on the slide and took turns going down the slide. Bohdin asked the girl how old she was and answered six. Bohdin told her he was 3 and to watch how fast he could run and then counted for her. It was remarkable because it is so unlike him to talk to strangers. He was a different boy. I wonder if playing with Tyken helped loosen him up. Tyken is the first kid that he can have a strong peer relationship with. He's been testing boundaries with him, suggesting things to do together, taking turns. All of the things he needs so much at this age. It's much better for him to test physical boundaries with a 3 year old boy than a 12 month old sister.

I don't know how much of this comfort with others he can take back home with him. We go to the playground pretty often there but the kids are different there in a way I can't define. It doesn't seem fair to say they are less friendly but that is almost how they come across. Nyla just woke up. It will be another day of chasing her up the stairs. Bohdin wants to go out and pick vegetable so I'll go help him open the door now.

Best Day Ever

When we dropped Buddy off at the airport Sunday, Bohdin wanted to go on an airplane also. Paul checked the flights for us and said there was an opening the next morning. We came home and packed and cleaned (meeting our new downstairs neighbor in the process). We didn't need to leave for another hour. We made it to Colorado and in the process he rode two buses, one airplane, one train, and several escalators. He loved it. The plane ride was okay. Bohdin looked liked a seasoned traveler. He didn't even need help with his suitcase on the escalator. The trip made me see how much he has matured recently. He's at a crossroads right now where he's holding on to some baby behaviors but soon he'll embrace the little boy he is becoming and it will be amazing.

When we arrived at Paul's house, we went to the garden to pick plums, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The plum trees looked so big. Buddy and I planted them when Bohdin was one. They look like trees now instead of sticks with leaves.

After a nap, Bohdin met up with his best friend T- (name withheld). Bohdin and T- have played together since he was a bit older than Nyla. He still talks about T-, asks for stories about him, and asks to visit. We met up with him at our old playground and after about 30 seconds of hesitation they dove right in. The last time Bohdin had seen him in March Bohdin ran in the opposite direction at first. Bohdin had the best time of his life playing. Back in Maryland at the playground Bohdin rarely talks to the kids. Bohdin had no problem talking to T-. Later we went to Chik-Fil-A together. Bohdin entered the enclosed play area that was overrun with kids and started playing with T-. I never thought he would go into that kind of situation. I think T- made him braver. They had so much fun together. Bohdin laughed more yesterday than all of the last few months combined. They just kept feeding off each other. It brought tears to my eyes because T- is such a good friend for him but he lives so far away. We haven't been able to find a good friend for Bohdin in Maryland yet. Seeing him with T-, he is missing out on so much. He needs somebody like this in his life but I don't know how to find it.

87 cents

Bohdin had a late nap yesterday so we didn't make it to the playground until 7:30. We were the last ones out of there when it was getting dark. Bohdin wasn't ready to go home yet and asked to go to the stores which are near the playground. He asked if we were out of beer or chicken and I said no. I only had 87 cents in my pocket and as we were walking home I told him it wasn't enough money to buy beer. I was racking my brain trying to think what one could buy for 87 cents. An apple, a can of beans, yogurt. When we were almost home we agreed that the next time we went to the commissary he could take the money and buy something. He asked if he could go to the grocery now and buy something. It was getting pretty late but I didn't want to pass the learning opportunity up so we turned around and headed back towards the playground and the grocery store. The first thing Bohdin went to was the large bags of candy. He didn't have enough money for any of them. Next we went to produce. He decided he wanted to buy some grapes. I weighed out the grapes and found we could only afford very few. I kept taking grapes out of the bag. Bohdin suggested I take them off the stem. We ended up with 2 handfuls of grapes. We already had grapes at home so I suggested we look around the store to see what else we could get. This isn't a cheap grocery store so there wasn't much. He liked the idea of yogurt but he wanted a 6 pack which was way more than he could afford. I took him to the candy section near the checkout lane and he saw a bag of Skittles he could afford. He put the candy on the end of the conveyor belt because he likes to watch it move. He handed the cashier his 87 cents although the total was 84 cents. It was his first purchase. He said "everything costs a lot of money." Bohdin doesn't have a good sense of money at all but I hope he learned a little something from our trip. He at least has enough Skittles for 3 days now.

Bohdin and I were watching the mens gymnastics on tv the other night. I asked him if he could do those things. He said he didn't have the clothes. This led to me asking him if he would like to take a dance class or gymnastics or something. He said he would like to draw better. We took out the finger paints the next day. He has been finger painting like crazy since then. The walls of his room are almost covered with his creations. He likes to mix all of the colors together in a pile and then spread them out with my small dough roller. Yesterday we had to get more since he's used all of his up. He also bought some regular liquid paints which he used this morning. There are more colors in there but they all turn to brown when mixed. Still it will be something different.

At the playground last night, Nyla was climbing everywhere as usual. Nyla doesn't need any help coming down one of the slides. Since it is a tunnel, it forces her to sit and she then slides down. Later she tried to go on one of the other slides and tried to walk down it. She fell after the first step onto her butt and then slid down. I was scared for her but she thought it was great fun. She's so fast and independent and fearless it's going to be a challenge to keep her safe.

Right before we left, Bohdin started playing with another 3 year old. He was huge. His dad said he was 50 pounds and was a foot taller than Bohdin. I don't think he was 12 inches taller but he was certainly taller. This kid was trouble. His demeanor just oozed naughtiness. I should have picked up the kids and ran away but I didn't. The dad came over to apologize when he covered Nyla with wood chips. We started talking about 3 year olds and he asked if Bohdin was potty trained. I said yes so the dad asked about night time. Bohdin has been out of diapers at night for 2 years now. I didn't say that though. He must have felt inadequate about his son at this point so he said his son started sleeping through the night at 2 months. He picked the wrong thing to impress me. I don't get the sleeping through the night bit. How did that become such a big deal? I'm 31 and I woke up twice last night. Maybe people are trying to say that their child no longer needs them at night? I wasn't ashamed to tell him that Bohdin didn't do that until he was two. That's not really true though. He still wakes up at night just like I do and I'm sure most other people. The difference is he doesn't need me as much as he used to. I don't mind that my babies need me a lot. Okay sometimes I do. But I know it won't last forever. The neediness is part of being a baby.

 
 

Still nothing

The aircard internet connection we ordered didn't work out so we're still witout internet or rather I'm without internet. Buddy still has internet at work and the internet connection works outside at night but only sporadically during the day. I've been affected by this more so. Someday we'll get a connection again and I can post regularly.

Buddy left for West Virginia yesterday and will be back on Friday. On Sunday he flies to Syracuse. I'm getting left behind in our summer travel plans. I haven't been anywhere. Part of that is because I'm the researcher and without the internet I can't really find a place for us to go. The other part is that Buddy has been gone quite a bit. We can't go anywhere this weekend since he'll be between travel. Last weekend he was sick and the weekend before that was too hot. I have been able to do a bit of sewing and reading though since I can't be online. I'll post some pictures when I can.

A few days ago Bohdin decided to finish his workbook that Paul bought for him. It required him to circle the pictures on the page that began with a certain letter sound. I was surprised that he was able to do this. He would just say "mmm moon yes" or "mmm ball no". Now I have to find him some new workbooks. When I get internet time again that is one of the first things I'll look into.

Bohdin is also doing better with simple math. He can only do it in a practical sense. If I asked him what 4-2 equals he wouldn't know. When we were making banana bread together yesterday he knew that after we put in 2 of the 4 cups of flour we needed 2 more. That's the kind of math he is capable of but I think it's important. When I was substituting the fourth graders would look at word math problems like they were written in Chinese.

Bohdin won't be going to preschool this year or probably ever. It's a very competitive market out here and Bohdin wouldn't interview well. Not only that I don't want to shell out $10,000. It's insanely expensive here. There are some free or low cost ones but we don't qualify. I may get together with some other moms and do a homeschool preschool type of thing. I've mentioned to a few people that Buddy wants to homeschool Bohdin. I'm pretty much on board with this idea. If that were the case we would start him with a kindergarten curriculum next fall when he's almost 5. If he went to a regular public school he would have to wait another year. Homeschooling is not an easy decision to make or it doesn't feel that way to me. I don't know if Bohdin would ever be able to make the switch to a regular school if we start on this path. He's not going to be tall and he doesn't have an outgoing personality. I think he would have a hard time fitting in. School can be tons of fun if you're popular but if you don't fit in then school can be lonely or even hell.

My mom asked the other day if Nyla is just as curious as Bohdin was at this age. I said yes but in a different way. When I talked to Buddy about it later he said that Bohdin wanted to know what things are while Nyla wants to know how things work. I'm not sure I 100% agree with this assessment. I know that Nyla is interested in what other people are interested in. She studies human behavior. When we were at the playground the other day Nyla walked over to the group of 5-8 year olds who had congregated on some of the play equipment. She just put herself in the middle of all of them. Later she tried to recreate some of things they had done. She was very mad at me that I wouldn't let her climb down the chain. Bohdin was off playing by himself on a different play structure. He prefers to stay away from large groups.

All of Nyla's copying comes with the comprehension of a one year old. She throws things in the toilet that don't belong. She throws things in the trash that don't belong. She is getting better at turning the pages of a book without ripping them. She has eaten everything she is not old enough to have yet. She won't drink out a sippy cup, she prefers Bohdin's sport bottle. In some ways she's less of a baby than Bohdin since he didn't have an older sibling to learn from. In other ways she's a typical toddler. She drops food from her chair. She is fascinated by taking things out. I had forgotten what a messy age this is. I spend an enormous amount of time cleaning and I can't keep up.

Nyla is awake now so I'll go outside and see if I can get a connection and post this message.

Quick

The pictures didn't upload the other day because I was at the library and the connection wasn't good enough. Hopefully this works. We should be getting our new internet connection today.

Buddy and Bohdin were sick this weekend and now Nyla is sick. The weather is really nice today and Bohdin has been cooped up for the past few days so we have to take advantage of it. It's one day only.

 
 
 
 

Sandy Point State Park

Bohdin has been asking to go back to the beach ever since we went to Virginia Beach. Although the Chesapeake Bay is quite close it doesn't have a beach. The beaches on the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland and Delaware are about 3 hours away. I did discover a state park in Annapolis that had a beach. The charge was $5 per person which I thought was pretty high for the short time we would be there. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I thought we would give it a try. It turns out that children are free so it only cost $5 to get in. It's only 10 minutes past the mall so the drive wasn't too bad for the area. When Buddy saw the pictures he said it looked like they dumped construction grade sand and made a beach. I felt the same way. The beach looks completely artificial. The sand is very coarse. Bohdin liked it okay but not as much as Virginia Beach. One of the things he didn't like was all of the jellyfish in the water. Some boys caught one five feet in front of us. We were five feet from the water. Those suckers were coming practically on shore. Nyla didn't like it there at all at first but she warmed up to it a bit. Bohdin enjoyed it. We might try to go later in the day sometime when the sun isn't so high. Nyla refuses to wear a hat and I was worried about her burning.

On the drive home, I glanced back in the mirror to see something white on Nyla's hand. She's going through that terrible gagging herself phase so I thought maybe she just had some spit up. I asked Bohdin about it and he said it was the sunscreen. I left it in her reach and she had opened it up. When I asked him if she had made a big mess he glanced over and started laughing. Not a good sign. She did make a mess back there.

Bohdin was naked at dinner (slept in bathing suit, took off after nap but not replaced). I was in the kitchen working on the next pizza to go in the oven and glanced over when he started talking. He said something about tickling a penis. I went over to talk to him about his penis because I want him to know that nobody should touch it but him. I was asking him questions and he finally said that it is a game that you play with one person.