PLEO

The 2009 Clemson football season is officially under way. And despite our not-so-best efforts, Rhianwen was still determined enough to try out some cheers. It went like this:

“P-L-E-O, fight tigers fight fight fight!”
(The licensed version would be C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-RRRRR-S. Fight Tigers, fight Tigers, fight fight fight!).

Ah well. She won't win the next National Spelling Bee. The cool thing is, that she can identify all of the letters of alphabet correctly most of the time and many times can remember what sound they make. I don't really know how this happened, but it's exciting!

The well hidden garden gnome.

We got to have a picnic at Duke Gardens with Alex, a cousin of Wally's who's going to grad school near us, and RiLee his sweet wife. The picnic was rather crazy as we chose a different place than usual and Alden kept wandering across the creek, under a tree, and probably would have kept going if we had let him. Needless to say, mommy was quite distracted trying to get some form of sustenance into the kiddos, keep them from falling off the bridge or into the creek, and worrying about an awful diaper rash that Alden had developed (well, awful in my book). I was later (once I figured out what actually happened on the picnic) highly impressed when I realized that RiLee asked if I had brought Balmex, a term that I thought only mommy's were familiar with. Hopefully, Alex and RiLee won't decide we're better off avoided, because we do like them so much and want to spend more time with them!

Having fun in the yard.

My college roommate and her kids and hubby also stopped by over Labor Day weekend to see us. It was so great watching Rhianwen and Kara playing together. Last year Rhi wasn't quite on Kara's level, but this year was completely different. I don't think I even know much of what they did b/c they kind of disappeared while Allene and I chatted. I wish they lived closer. It sure would be nice to do that on a weekly basis!

I was proud of myself when I pulled out the kiddie pool, scrubbed and hosed it down, and filled it back up for the kids, until Wally, the boundless energy engineer, dragged the play-cube all the way up to the front and set it up so that the kids could slide into the water. Rhianwen loved it. Alden, when down on his tummy first, and got a big face full of water and then was very dubious about the entire thing after that.

How am I supposed to go about this?

This way!

I have finally discovered the secret to Alden's climbing skills: levitation.

He's even climbed up to the tip top of the piano and taken a much loved painting off of the wall...twice...in the matter of seconds. I'm not sure what he thinks he's going to do with a painting of the Eiffel Tower, but apparently he feels that above the piano really is not the place for it. I really can't leave him alone in a room. I keep telling myself this but I just keep hoping someday this will change.

"Not any time soon, mom. Not anytime soon."

Rhianwen continues to amuse me while we play. I think she could sense I was all cooked out one day so she decided to do something about it. She came up with a bowl and spoon and said:
"Mom, I brought you some soup."

What kind of soup?

"Special soup that I buyed from the store...It's different."

Different than what?

"Different than purple. It's blue soup."

Next up is the beach. Rhianwen keeps asking when. We only know how to tell her in terms of naps/night-time sleeping. So, she went to bed last night and 5 minutes later got up and said, I took a nap and slept for night. She was pretty upset that she had to go back to bed. We then tried to explain it using the rising and setting of the sun. I'm beginning to feel like a native American. Today she asked, "Which morrow are we going to the beach?" TO-morrow we said. I think I need to get this girl a calendar!