Maggie laughs a lot these days, and the one person who can make her laugh more than anyone is her big brother. He also managed to make me laugh pretty hard today, too.
http://youtu.be/jhHMLe6a2csTag Archives: Griffin
First Fire
Two winters later, we finally have a swept and inspected chimney, bringing our cozyness potential up at least three more points. To Griffin and Maggie’s delight, we built our first crackling blaze tonight.
Good idea?
“Griffin, do you think that’s a good idea?”
“No, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
Green Halloween?
“Hey Griffin, what do you want to be for Halloween this year?”
“A rain barrel!”
More From Griffin
“Mama, I have all these songs in my body and I’m tryin’ to decide which one you can hear!”
“Mama, I want to fetch a pail of water for the garden.”
“I will bring my scooter outside and then people will hear it going “ba-bump, ba-bump” because there are cracks and then they will play with me. Maybe Bud or Betty will come out!” (Bud and Betty are our 80 year old neighbors)
G: “I’m still a little bit sad.”
Me: “Oh, yeah? Why?”
G: “I’m still sad from yesterday.”
Me: “What made you sad yesterday?”
G: “You were loud with me.”
Me: “Oh, I’m sorry that’s still making you sad. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
G: “No. Don’t worry. My sadness will go away soon.”
Me: <heart aching>
Our Haphazard Garden
While some thought did go into planning our garden this summer, the result has been a splendidly haphazard garden. We planned what we were growing and started everything from seed in the spring, but by the time we were ready to plant in the ground, Maggie had been born and stuff just needed to go in. We borrowed our neighbor’s rototiller to incorporate our backyard compost and got our seedlings in the ground. By the time we had it all in, we realized we had more space than we had planned for and made a mental note that next year we could go bigger. As time went on, we got some surprises: lots of “volunteers” started sprouting up all over the place as many tomato plants and vines took over the unclaimed real estate! We’ve been delighted as we discover what’s coming up and have been watching all kinds of expected and unexpected plants grow. The produce has been delicious, and what’s even better is that Griffin is excited to be part of it all. I’d call that success!
Unexpected Sight
As I was finishing my lunch in the dining room, I suddenly realized there was silence coming from the basement when just a few moments earlier there had been rambunctious banging of “music” wafting up the stairs. Wondering which object I would find flushed down the toilet this time (and when exactly I would learn not to leave him alone in the basement), I rushed down the stairs saying, “Griffin! What are you up to?” Imagine my surprise when I came upon Griffin unloading the dry clothes from the dryer and loading the wet ones from the washing machine.
“Wow, buddy! What a helper you are!” I said as I marveled at how big and responsible he was getting.
“Yeah, Mama! Hey, remember that time I pooped on the rug and in my underwear?”
Ah, yes. You are still three.
Griffin “Reads”
Griffin, much to our delight, absolutely loves books. While he might be a bit of a spaz (and I say that lovingly), he will almost always sit down and listen to a story. He has been loving the book Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems lately. He has asked me to read it to him three or four times in a row in one sitting! Today, he plopped down on the kitchen floor and said, “I’m going to read Leonardo to you!” I was fortunate enough to catch it on video (sorry for the poor sound quality):
http://youtu.be/M8krGoxh-XA
Decorative Trees
On the highway to Duluth, passing through a forest:Â “Mommy, Daddy, are the trees for decoration?”
Who will play with me?
After nearly four hours at the park with two playgrounds, a pool, and friends, we return home and Griffin immediately says, “Momma, will you play with me?”
“No, sweetie, I have to make lunch.”
“Well, then who will play with me???”