Family Update

Athena likes to hunt for candy eggs. Every day I put a few jelly beans in five or six eggs and she hunts for them in the living room or backyard. She asked me for "pot and tandy" yesterday. She meant cotton candy. She stuck a small black bean up her nose a few days ago. She alerted me and I looked up her nostril. Sure enough there was a black bean. I told her to blow. She sniffed. I said, "No, blow like this." She sniffed. So the bean disappeared up her nose and was never seen again.

Athena is learning that people have different preferences: She had her first sweet cantaloupe and she liked it. I asked her, "Does Mommy like cantaloupe?"
"Yes!"
"Does Daddy like cantaloupe?"
"Yes!"
I smiled. "Nope, Daddy does not like cantaloupe. He thinks it's yucky."
She thought for a second. "No! Daddy likes cantaloupe!"
I smiled. "You want to call him and find out?"
So we called him on the phone and he told her he did not like cantaloupe.
"Does Daddy like cantaloupe?"
She smiled. "No."

Carson uses his neck and stomach muscles to crunch up like he wants to sit. It will be a while, but he's showing interest. He's got the baby bald spot on the back of his head. He has a bit of eczema on his face- my genes at work there. But he doesn't complain about it. We use Eucerine. He's coming outside with us in the evenings now for as long as he will allow it, now that it's warmer. He loves when Athena talks to him. He just lights up. She talks to him like I do; It's so funny to hear her call him, "yidda man," or "yidda boy." Or "is otay, tarson; don't fuss." "Be happy!" she says energetically. And it works for a little while. She puts his bink in his mouth. Funny how I go to talk about Carson and say more about Athena, but they are a package deal I guess. He is a well-adjusted, solid, and happy kid.

Everything is blooming and leafing out in the backyard!! I am having so much fun watching it all grow. I know all my little trees will grow another one to three feet taller this year. Every evening we go outside and play in dirt, rocks, water, and weeds.


Conrad put a play set together and got very sunburned doing it. (I had asked him if he wanted sunscreen. He said, "no, the first sunburn of the year is the rite of passage into summer.")
"Look at the park Daddy built for you!" I told Athena.
She replied, "No, unca Dan buiwd my part."
(Athena was inside during the sunniest part of the day and hadn't seen Conrad out there all Saturday. She did however come out in the evening with me and saw uncle Dan helping with the swing set a little.)