Chickadee Manor

Cardboard box fun

We got a big box in the mail the other day from Ikea.  The kids claimed it for their own and ever since someone or other has been occupying the box or its lid during daylight hours.  Judah even asked to bring his "sub" to his room to nap in yesterday!  

Two sisters

While our middle daughter has been off on a vacation with my parents, our eldest and youngest daughters have been playing together a lot.  They found all sorts of fun out in the woods last weekend and Riley even built a makeshift playground for her little siblings out of logs and scraps of lumber that we had at the cabin.  There was lots of running around, making up of games, walking in the woods, and scoping out potential Christmas trees. 

Imagination at large!

 

I'm reminded again of how the lines between reality and imagination are blurred in the mind of a three year old.  I made a comment the other day about Judah being delicious and Emma was quite alarmed and said, "He's a baby, he's not food.  You CAN'T eat him!"  

Yesterday I pretended to eat the Play-Dough donut she brought to me and she was similarly alarmed that I might consume something that was not food.  I had to explain and demonstrate that I was just pretending to eat it.  Since then I've had a steady stream of "food" brought to me - donuts, cheese burgers (with a bean in the middle - apparently extra delicious), "special" meat, and assorted other delicacies.

Then there are the monsters in her room which she alternates loving and fearing.  The other day at nap time we read "Harold and the Purple Crayon".  She actually shrieked at the dragon Harold had drawn under the apple tree.  After that Emma told me that she wished that Harold could be in her room beside her in his little purple bed.  The best we could do was a picture of Harold in his little purple bed, taped to the wall beside her.  It did the trick!

     

 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

The older girls set up a lovely tea party in the kitchen all on their own, complete with name cards.  They used TV trays for the table, a flannel sheet from the linen closet for a table cloth, and even got out fancy gloves.  It was an exercise in patience for them as their little sister kept rearranging things or not abiding by official tea party etiquette.  They took it down before bed and plan to reassemble it in time for lunch tomorrow so that the whole family can join in together.  (And what is a tea party without one or two favourite stuffed animals?)

 

{happy}

Do you see this?  No. Winter. Gear.  It's all been taken down to the laundry room to be washed and dried so it can be stored for next winter.  It is always such a freeing sensation not to have to put on all those layers and locate missing mittens.  We can just put on shoes and walk out the door!  LOVE IT!

 

{funny}

Hobbes.  He is not a night owl at all.  If you happen to turn on a light near him once he is in bed for the night or make too much noise in the kitchen or suggest that he go outside after 10p.m. you are met with looks of disdain and disbelief.  Then there are the sounds of disgust.  A big exhale or a creaky groan.  It's quite funny!  I happen to be a night owl.  My dog both adores me and is annoyed by me.  Ha!  I'd take a picture of him sleeping but I'd have to turn on the light and then there would be the looks and the sounds... This is daytime doggie!

 

{real}

A teething baby boy.  Judah has had three new teeth in/poking through in the last two weeks.  This has meant a lot of interupted sleep for both of us and a little bit of stomach upset for him.  He is such a happy baby even when teething though, it's remarkable.  These are photos of him from just after he's had an upset tummy.  Happy as a clam!

 

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Head on over to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more glimpses of everyday contentment. :)