Gualby Nation : October 2017

Just peacefully painting
Hello Frank in the background!

Me: Tohi, are you eating the paint?!?
Tohi: Noooo?

Me: Tohi, your mouth is totally blue. Are you licking the paintbrush??
Tohi: NO!!

Tohi admitting that maybe she was licking the paintbrush

Tohi noticed I was taking her picture while we were discussing paint etiquette and this is her "cheeeese" face

Frankie getting a taste of Friday Night
As Tohi calls it "Pizzie and a Movie!"

Woody reading to his sweet sister. So, most of this book is being "read" by memorization but Woody is totally reading shorter books with me and we are moments away from him actually reading to his sister. My heart is full of pride and at the same time I want to slow him down! He is such a big boy in our house.

And this little personality is getting to be such a big girl!
6 months!

No, not tired at all. Stop putting me in my crib. I. Am. NOT. tired.

Poor Tohi. Yes, poor Tohi but also a little poor Mom. Tohi has exhausted herself from crying. She is crying because she rubbed a hot pepper all over her hands, in between her fingers, and on her face and lips. She, apparently, stopped rubbing the hot pepper on her body when she placed it on her tongue and it burned. Here's why poor mom. I have told her EVERY time we walk by this bush of brightly colored, perfectly sized mini peppers for a toddler to be able to hold multiple ones of different colors at the same time in her grubby hand that these are "hot, don't touch." She repeats back "those hot. noooo touching." And we walk pass without incident. Well, I guess the temptation was too much and one afternoon, we are walking past and I have a squirming, over tired baby in my arms. Tohi is walking as slow as possible down the steps to our house. She is refusing to be carried. She has a scowl on her pretty face. And she is yelling at me to "JUST GO! Just GO, Mom!" Well, ya know what? I did just go. And I heard the screams of burning peppers from the house. I ran up to get my beautiful, independent, curious, brave, disobedient little girl (while still holding a not light, crabby baby in my arms). So yes, poor Tohi and her red, pepper burned, cried out face. Yes.
But a little bit poor mom.

There is not a task in my life, that I do not have a helper. Frankie Fern? Vacuum hose holder.

Pepper Face slowly recovering

Sweet Woody.
He requested "A picnic with a blanket so Frankie can sit next to him."

Two buds out fishing

Girls collecting sea glass and boys
catching dinner

Tohi has started swim lessons with the amazing Elena. It is incredibly adorable. Conor stays home with Woody and Frances while Tohi and I go to class. She knows it's a big deal and that she is a big girl doing a big girl activity. She knows "I go to swim class on Wednesdays. Just Mom and Tohi go. Der's no crying and I get a juice." We walk up the steps of the property and down through chalet and she tells every tree and flower and butterfly and person "I going to swim class!" It is heart meltingly adorable. And we are seeing some swim improvements. Elena provides a wonderful balance of providing a safe, fun environment to learn in mixed with her ability to read each child and push them past their comfort zone just enough.

Vine snake in our shower area

Plastic Crap from China=FREEDOM for Frances!

the only yogini to show up for class

To help Frances sleep a bit better, we are trying pumping and giving a bottle. It's not really showing any signs of sleep improvement but she sure looks like a big kid holding her own milk!