Happy Autumn

Sam drew these lovely autumn pictures. The top one is of his dad. We always know when he is drawing Dad because he has glasses and therefore ears to put them on. If his people don't wear glasses they have no need for ears.

School started a few weeks ago and it has been busy, busy, busy. Owen has afternoon preschool four days a week and Sam started first grade. I had this idea that with both boys gone Ruby would take a long afternoon nap and I would have time to myself to put my house in order, read, sew, or even write! This dream has had a few days of reality, but for the most part Ruby has not been cooperating with her nap schedule. I can't complain because she sleeps well for me at night and with just her home in the afternoons it is quiet. It is amazing how much volume a six-year-old can produce. I am puzzled at times of how to entertain an 18 month old. It's like amnesia from when the boys were this age. We take walks and play outside in the mild fall weather. We stack blocks and play puppets. We go grocery shopping and to the library. She is not very well behaved at either place and continues to wiggle out of the shopping cart and remove every book in her path at the library, so these trips are infrequent and on a need basis only. She is adding words to her vocabulary and says, "Owen," "cookie," and "bus". I am surprised she doesn't say "Sam" because he loves her so much, whereas Owen treats her like the plague. I ask Sam to give Ruby a kiss goodnight and promptly have to tell him to stop mauling her with affection, but when I ask Owen to give Ruby a kiss goodnight he says, "I'm busy" and runs away. I did point to Sam and ask Ruby who that was and she said, "me". Sam thought this was hilarious and it is true that she reminds me a lot of my oldest in looks and personality.