Sewing and Oiling

I usually don't bother sewing until both boys are napping or sleeping for the night. But since the mending and hemming and other little projects have been piling up for too long, I waited until only Jesse was taking his morning nap to pull out the sewing machine, so of course Lucas was ready to participate!

He messed around for a while with the buttons and settings and the pedal on the floor until I was ready. Then he watched me work for a while and had fun jumping up and down along with the needle!

Later on when I was oiling the machine to store it away for a while he asked what I was doing. He knows exactly what oil is from train books and shows, so I showed him my machine's "engine" inside and how its wheels also need oiling from time to time to help them work better. He then asked if he could oil his trains so he brought them over!

The spout was closed but he had a good time pretending to unsqueak the axles and wheels. This kid is just so darn adorable and fun!

Q-tips

I love watching our little explorer get into things. The messes are totally worth it!

Edit: see the way his feet are crossed? Jesse almost always does this when sitting up. So cute!

The Preschool Subway

Now that Lucas has gotten most of his friends hooked on trains, he's moved on to evangelizing his preschool class!

His teachers had noted that there were one or two kids besides Lucas who loved trains. There's one particular boy who goes on subway joy-rides in the same way that we do with Lucas. So... out came the books about trains, songs about trains, and now... a cardboard train and station!

Here's Lucas turning on the lights:

All of the boys and girls participated in painting the large cardboard box. The teachers arrived early and stayed late a few times to cut out holes for and reinforce the windows, to purchase extra parts, and to attach press-on lights for the front. They posted pictures downloaded from the internet around the room for inspiration, and the class decided together on drawing a yellow "R" (the other day it was a blue "E").

To ride the subway, each child needs to buy a (carnival-style) ticket at the station:

The large paper to the left posts the rules of the subway:
1) Stay in your seat.
2) Wait behind the yellow line. [See it, below?]
3)You need to buy a ticket to ride the train.

Figuring out on the map where the subway is taking him...

'Stand clear of the closing doors, please!'

Caught

I walked into the living room one morning and found this little booger going to town on Lucas's bowl of cereal and soymilk. I think Papi had left it on the table in front of the t.v. for Lucas to work on while playing but Jesse got to it first. What I loved is how Jesse just kept enjoying and stuffing his face even after I saw him. There was absolutely no sense of being caught doing something off-limits. (I guess it didn't help that I was laughing with him.) Yes, Jesse!

Mua-haha-haha-haha!

How Did I Miss This One?!

Somehow I had overlooked before this fun photo of Lucas and the girls getting dumped on!

More of Lucas and Mateo

I just love watching Lucas playing with his friends!

11 Months

Hi Jesse,

This past month, in three haiku's: (Warning: I never claimed I was good at this!)

Two more teeth make six.

Your mouth occupied in prep:
words, roars, wet kisses.

Spring is bittersweet.
Warmer days are coming soon.
With them, no more babe.

Holding you is bliss.
Round, solid, snug in our arms.
Never let you go.

About that last line: we mean it!

Love, us

Whee!

Jesse At The Park

Jodi, Brandon, Jakelynn and Lucia

Lucas's preschool was closed last week for a mid-winter break. We had originally planned on joining Tata, Maquin, Liam, and the Abuelos in Puerto Rico during that time but in the end the trip didn't work out for us.

Missing our family members and getting tired of the cold and the same-old routine, we were starting to feel sorry for ourselves when our (other) southwestern friends came to visit for a few days! Playing together and catching up and getting to know each others' kids a little better was just the right medicine! Thanks, guys!

Look at this gorgeous family!

The girls loved holding Jesse...

Lucas can't stop telling stories about Luci and Jake. We miss you all!

You Are My Sunshine

All this interaction with the camera has gotten Lucas more excited about making videos and seeing himself perform. The other day he came up to me out of the blue and asked if we could record a video of him singing a "happy, beautiful song." So we walked over to the dining room where the light was brightest, sat on the floor, and here's what he sang:

Lucas And The Camera

Sometimes I let Lucas take the digital camera and play around with it (dangerous, I know). His favorite thing is to turn it on, place it on the floor next to his train tracks, then lie down and watch through the camera display as he makes them pass by the viewer.

I love to see what surprises turn up when I upload the pictures later:

Lucas And Mama

L and I have been having a lot of fun with the camera lately (more videos to come!). He especially liked when we turned the camera around on ourselves like this:

The Peanut Song

The live versions of the song you read about earlier.

Our camera allows for just 1 minute of recording time, so here it is, continued:

Compost

Lucas is learning to distinguish between what goes into the trash, what goes in the big recycling box (he and Papi go down every week to the bins in the alley to sort), and what goes in our compost bucket before being sent to the larger compost at the church. He seems to understand that food goes back into the ground to give it vitamins so that our garden can grow and be healthy and so that it doesn't go to waste in the dump.

Out on the front porch Papi and I found that Lucas had placed these uneaten apple slices in the (now neglected) pots that usually hold herbs for most of the year. He later explained that he put the apples in there to help the garden grow! You're starting to get it, Lukie!