Quick 5

Well, we made it to October.  Apparently the angry wind outside means the seasons are changing.  I'll have to see it to believe it.

1.  This week we had a play date with Grammy.  We saw Grammy on Sunday when we went to Colorado Springs to celebrate my nephew Oliver's dedication, but apparently that wasn't enough.  On Monday morning, Alaina spent a good amount of her room time sobbing because she wanted Grammy.  When I asked her why she wanted Grammy, she replied, "Because I love her!"  And when I asked her what she would do if Grammy were here, she said, "Go to the playground!"  So I asked her if I should email Grammy to see if she might have some time in the next couple of weeks to come over and play.  Alaina perked up then, and said, "Yes!  Go mail her right now!"  She then proceeded to ask throughout the day if Grammy had "mailed" back.  Thankfully Grammy was able to come over on Wednesday for a trip to the park.  I guess the girl just needed to fill up her Grammy tank.

2.  The bad news of the week: Lee's car needed to go into the shop.  Nothing like watching big chunks of your bank account disappear rapidly.

3.  Lately, Alaina wants to pray this prayer at every meal:

Thank you, Cubbies!

4.  Joya is slowly catching on to the idea of eating big people food.  This is what she looked like after a particularly enjoyable lunch:

5.   I know that Alaina is getting older, and that means it's time to start responsibility training.  However, I really struggle with knowing what kind of chores are appropriate for her.  I read the articles online, but they don't really help me, for some reason.  Right now Alaina's main responsibilities are cleaning up the toys in the living room at the end of the day, and gathering and taking out the recycle.  Then today I stumbled upon another one that I think she might be able to help with: dusting.  I got a Swiffer feather duster thing in the mail, so I've been using it.  Today I handed it over to Alaina to use on the shelves within her reach.  And she LOVED it.  And cried and cried when I made her put it away so she could go take a nap.  I hope she feels this level of excitement toward all the chores I give her in the future.

A big shout-out to my foreign family: sis Carolyn and bro-in-law Jason who are celebrating their 5th anniversary today.  Congratulations, you two!  Hope it involves a trip across the border to Sonic.