Firetrucks

After a small mishap with some bananas and a skillet ... Kimber managed to have WLFD arrive for Micah's Birthday.  Titus and Isabele got to see 4 firetrucks and a zillion firemen, outfitted to the gills - including helmets.  Isabele said "fire man" and "helmet".  That was her take on it.
Titus was quite concerned that the firemen were going to spray fire on Kimber's house.  Brian explained that the firetrucks only have water in them and that they spray water, not fire.  We thought that was clarified. 
We went home, almost had a repeat of the smoke (from the granola in the oven), and put the kids in the bathtub.  There Titus told me that he didn't want the firetrucks to come to our house and spray the fire.  I could not convince him that fire trucks spray water on fire, and that they would not come to our house tonight.  He finally seemed satisfied to think that the firetrucks would only spray water on bananas.  (Lucky for Titus we were out of bananas).
The next day we had a fire and water science lesson.  I think he understands a bit better after pouring water on lit matches.
It is so interesting to observe and participate in what and how a 3 1/2 year old learns. 

Sampson

Titus' Sunday School lesson a couple weeks ago was about Sampson.  The card that came home had a typical bible story depiction of a man with bushy shoulder-length hair, with flowing, somewhat ragged, white cloth about his body.  He was also "hugging" a scrawny lion.  Titus found this paper in the car yesterday and asked me what it was.  I told him it was about Sampson and the lion and what happened when Sampson's hair was cut.  So, Titus then proceeds to tell me what it is about.  It went something like this:
Titus: Yeah, this is about Sampson.  He got his hair cut.  Then he killed the lion with his hands.  And he leaked.
Me:  He leaked??
Titus: Yes.  He leaked.
Me: You mean he was weak?
Titus: No.  He leaked.
Me: Okay.  What did he leak?
Titus: He leaked in his pants.
Me: Oh (rather amused).
Titus:  No, He leaked in the toilet paper.
Me: Okay.  Interesting.

All I can figure is that the teacher told him Sampson was weak after having his hair cut, and Titus thought she said leak.  To his credit - Sampson's clothes do look a bit like toilet paper (especially if you are 3 1/2).
I suppose it is good that he remembers the story.  I'm not sure how much he has benefited from the story, but, at least he remembered it.

On a side note:  My little sister had her own adaptation to the end of the Sunday School song Zacheus, when she was little ... "For I'm going to your house to play toys and eat pizza".  Hannah was in the 2 and 3's class - so probably somewhere around Titus' age when she changed the song.

Current conversation

Titus:  Here Isabele.  Here is a mushroom for you.  Do you want it?  It has sugar in it.
Isabele: no
Titus: Okay.  Give it back.  I'll put it away.  Do you want a hotdog?  I'll get one for you.
Isabele: (silence)

Now she is sitting on the floor by the fridge eating a hotdog.  Titus just got a yogurt out of the freeze (where he put it yesterday).
"Look mommy.  It's all melted and the spoon is stuck.  I left it in the freezer all day long and now it's all melted"
Guess it's a good thing I don't feel the need to control everything they do. 

Too long.

I guess August has been busy.  I've been doing some more online legal nurse consulting.  I enjoy doing it, but it sure uses up some time.  Isabele talks, real words, non-stop.  She and Titus are playing together more and more every day.  They also bicker a lot, but that seems to be pretty normal for their ages ....

Titus found my latest knitting project - a hat for Isabele, and somehow managed to put it on, and hold the 4 attached balls of yarn.  He was quite proud of himself.  And he didn't mess up the knitting at all.  I'm still a bit amazed that he didn't pull any of the stitches off the needles.

Oh - we are working on some outdoor improvements / changes in the last couple weeks.  Brian is building us a new deck.  He started with new steps / landing out the side door - the one we use the most.  Now he's working on the rest of the deck.  It looks wonderful already.  I'll post pictures when he's done.

I decided to bite the bullet and get the dirt to make the front yard into a garden.  We had all but 10 landscape bricks that we needed to go around the front yard.  They were in the back around the deck, but are not needed with the new deck design.  So, last Friday, we had 13 tons of dirt dumped in the front yard.  Another couple days, and I think I'll have it all moved to where I want it ...

Here's the picture of the dirt pile prior to moving any of it.

 Of course the kids enjoyed playing in it while I worked on spreading it out, and moving it to a couple other locations in the yard.

Upcycled and Recycled

I made this bag as a gift, then made the gift bag too.  Just because I find it interesting, I thought I'd list what was purchased and what was re- or up-cycled. 
The fabric for the wristlet bag - scraps from a couple dresses I made for Isabele last year.
The ribbon for the bag - old blanket binding scrap.
The buttons on the flowers - out of the button jar - where all buttons go when clothes are too yucky to donate.
Newpaper - An old The Paper.
The "tissue paper" - the unprinted side of a Wal-Mart bag.
I did purchase the zipper.
I did purchase the fabric for the flowers - fat quarters that I used about 2 inches of - lots more flowers to be made from those.

Just too tired.

We were over at my mother's on Sunday for lunch.  The kids went swimming a little and then ate and played for an hour or two.  Then the bugger ride home. 

Look!! We can both ride it mom!

We had loaned the glider bike to some friends to use with their kids as Isabele wasn't quite big enough to use it by herself.  She has grown quite a bit this summer, so I asked for it back the other day.  It was returned and is once again a favorite at our house.  Isabele can pick it up and get on it, and with shoes on, sit on the seat and reach the ground.  She can do 2-3 steps and then falls over.  Not bad for 21 months.  She prefers to straddle the bike and just walk.  Having watched Titus learn how to use it, I know she will figure it out.

Titus, of course, loves playing around on it.  

Isabele was playing on it and next thing I know Titus says, "Look!!  Mom!!! We can both ride it!"

Obviously, she's having fun with Titus "helping" her.

They are trouble.  Oh the things they are going to get into together.