Twinkie, Twinkie, Candy Bar

I've started a couple posts the last few days, but haven't actually finished one. I also wanted to post some pictures, but I got a new camera and I can't figure out where my pictures are being saved to after I upload them. My old camera just saved things automatically in "My Documents," but the software program with my new camera is trickier. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to sit down and figure it out.

We've been having a pretty good summer. I'm still working at Teleperformance, which I'm not crazy about, but it's nice to have some backup income in case David gets laid off from the Railroad again. The thing that bugs me the most is that I feel like I'm missing out on a lot. On days that I'm working and David is home, he gets to spend more time with the kids, which is good, but on days we're both gone, the babysitter gets to witness all the fun things they do and say. (She also gets to witness the tantrums, which is not something I feel at all wistful about. On the other hand, the kids are a lot better behaved for other people than they are for David and me.)

Samantha is learning at such a fast rate. She says new words every day. She doesn't enunciate very clearly, but I can generally get the jist of what she's saying. She has learned to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," and it's very cute because most of the words don't even sound like words, but she's got the tune right on. I'll try to get a video of that one of these days.

Drew and Owen are learning like crazy, too. Their imaginations are getting pretty wild. They're getting good at rhyming things, playing with language and making up silly words. Owen likes to repeat things I say with different letters at the front of the word. For example, if I say something like, "Please bring me that cup," he'll say, "Ming mou mat mup?"

They also enjoy changing words to common songs. The other day Drew started singing, "Twinkie, Twinkie, candy bar! How I wonder where you are!" Then he laughed and said, "My dad taught me that."

And my boys often surprise me by saying things like, "I'm just teasing you." (Then in the next breath Drew will ask, "Mom? What's teasing?")

And there are always lots of questions. One day we got a little key chain for SafePlace--letting kids know where they can go if they need help--from the ladies at Lunch in the Park. It brought about the following conversation which is a prime example of what a question/answer session with Drew might sound like:

Drew: Mom? What does this say?

Me: It says "Safe Place."

Drew: What's a safe place?

Me: It's somewhere kids can go if they need help.

Drew: What's if they need help?

Me: Well, a kid might go there if someone is trying to hurt them.

Drew: Like a bad person?

Me: Yes.

Drew: What's a bad person?

Me: Someone who tries to hurt other people.

Drew: What's hurt other people?

Owen: [looking at the key chain] Is this bad person giving the kid a hug?

Me: Go ask your dad. [to self:] Where do we keep the liquor? Oh, yeah. We don't drink... Dang.