October 2

Today was a stay at home, work and play kind of day. 

It was great.

While Lily napped this morning, the big kids and I headed out to the front yard. I sat on the swing with my sudoku (Daisy asked me at one point where my coffee was - girl was right! I needed coffee!) while  Daisy rode her bike and Caleb wrote with chalk. 

I was right in the middle of my puzzle when Caleb shouted, "LOOK! I made a C!"

And he had (you can see it, upside down, in the top center of the frame).

As I watched, he proceeded to make a few Hs, then an A. He tried a few Ls, but they were stumping him until I showed him how I drew mine. Then he made some Ls, and moved on to E, which I showed him and then he (roughly) mimicked. We tried a B, but the bumps on the B stumped him.

But my boy went from only writing an occasional C to writing 4/5 of his name overnight!

He was so, so proud of himself!

I can only assume that they've been practicing at preschool, or that he's been thinking about it for the last 6 months and is finally able to execute it. Either way, I'm delighted. I've been concerned about his fine motor skills for a while now, but this is just the success he needs to keep him going. Way to go, Caleb!

Then Lily woke up, so we all headed inside. Caleb and Daisy seem to have just discovered Lily's room (perhaps due to the fact that it is now a painted, orderly, pleasant space) and wanted to hang out there. I went to change Lily's diaper, and came back to find this:

The two of them were sharing a little footstool (Dan, Gayle, Grace: you may recognize it. It's the GRACE stool!), reading their own books. Caleb turned to a page in his book where the girl was holding her nose, saying, "Stinky!" But Caleb thought she was saying "Itchy!" and scratching her nose. That's what he was doing, and Daisy thought it was hilarious!

Caleb has been talking a lot lately about how he loves me most, then Lily, then Daddy, but I think he's bluffing. It's clear that Daisy is his best friend, and she adores him.

Seriously, I could not get enough of this moment!

(Also, I'm really pleased with the quality of the light in Lily's room! The big window lets in some good midday light, and the color of the walls gives it a nice tone.)

Just when I thought I'd seen all the cuteness I could handle, this happened: 

Caleb sat down on the stool and "read" the book to Lily.

She was totally into it, too!

And then, even cuter: 

Caleb held up the book so that Lily could "see" the pages, and pointed to the page as he told the story.

Another thing he clearly picked up from preschool. I'm so glad we're sending him there - it's been so good for him!

Meanwhile, Daisy sat and read her own book. 

I love this picture times one million. It makes my heart happy to see Lily's room coming together, in our house that is nowhere near as nice/done/updated as we'd like it to be. It makes me happy to see that even though our home has some major flaws, it is a place with lovely wood floors and big, bright windows, where our children have open space to play. It makes me happy to think that when we found this house (nearly two years ago!), Lily was no more than a twinkle in our eyes, and yet here she is - a baby born in this home, playing in her own room. It thrills my heart to see my children engaged with books, and to see that they enjoy each other, and want to be with each other.

This picture reminds me of everything that is right in our world, and all that we have to be thankful for. We are truly blessed.

And then, when I thought it couldn't get any better, all three kids napped for nearly three hours. Lily woke up first. Soon after, Daisy was awake, crying in her bed. She is still struggling with the concept of getting up out of bed and finding me when she wakes up from her nap. (However, she had no problem with the concept in the mornings, and was regularly waking Chris at 5 am. Her "Teach Me Time" clock arrived Monday, and this morning she stayed in bed until the light turned green at 6 am. Yay, Daisy!) Lily and I went in to her, and I snuggled with her while Lily lay next to us. Then Caleb woke up, and came into the room. All four of  us snuggled, rolled around, and laughed for the next thirty minutes. It was beautiful, and I am thankful.