Family Files!

We picked up this 1970s Little Tikes Cozy Coupe at the thrift store for $2.50, and I think it might be the best $2.50 we ever spent. It took Charley no time at all to figure out how to open the door, climb in, sit down, beep the horn, and turn the steering wheel. When I handed him my keys, he immediately tried to put them in the “ignition.” Obviously he sees and hears everything we do (note to self: might be a good time to stop swearing). He has been taking lots of unassisted steps in a Frankenstein-like way, but still gets around by crawling the majority of the time. We started him at the YMCA daycare in the Ladybug Room (where Flora started) — he loves to snuggle in the pile of stuffed animals, dive in and out of the ball crawl, and play on the playground. Yesterday Flora taught him “Ow” and if you say “Ow,” he’ll either say “Ow” or give you a little smack. He says “A-dah” for Daddy, “Mama” for Mommy, “Cah” for Cat, “Dahy” for Doggy, “Hah” for Hi, “Ow” for Ow, “BiyBiy” for Bye-Bye, and “Da” for everything else. If he sees something he likes or wants, he shakes his head yes in confirmation. He has five front teeth in now and a back molar on it’s way. He is forever pointing at pictures and objects to “ask” what they are. He laughs the hardest at his big sister’s antics. And yes, he is STILL a wicked Mama’s boy.

View Charley’s “Car” photos

Flora officially turned three and a half this month, although when asked, she tells everyone she is five. She is forever verbal, talking non-stop from sunup to sundown, with her usual list of demands, fantastical stories, and continual questions. She is learning to write letters and numbers, can spell and write her name, and can do basic addition on her hands. She loves to play in her sand box where she makes the most delicious pies, ride her multitude of bikes and cars in the driveway where she travels to Target, dress her babies and stuffed animals (always named Polly), pretend she is an animal (bear, cat, and dog are her favorites), loves to read, and is finally loving her little brother (“I just love him in the whole world!”). The potty humor has emerged (oh the endless ways the word “poop” can be worked into a word or sentence), along with some real sass and defiance that makes us wonder if she is actually thirteen and not three. Her favorite color is pink, only wants to wear “twirly” dresses of her choosing, and gives daily hairstyle requests. She’s able to — demands to — do things by herself, like getting dressed and brushing her teeth. Her favorite foods are macaroni with milk and butter (a comfort food from my Mom’s side) and crusty bread toasted. She personifies her stuffed dog Rusty and brings him with her everywhere — the subject of many a story, he NEVER hits nor needs a time out, and currently works at Trader Joe’s. Flora is super imaginative and has a steel-trap memory on which she will recall the most amazing details from long ago. Her favorite shows (this week) are Phineas and Ferb and Spongebob Squarepants. And she has a best friend at school named Ruby — the two of them together are as silly as they come.

View Flora and Charley’s “Sand and Popsicle” photos