all ava wants to do is cut, staple, tape, fold and tie the most intricate paper/thread/yarn/sticker creations. she has very little interest in drawing or collaging per se, but she sets about cutting and folding and adhereing paper into little envelopes and 'letters' and 'books' -- it is really very interesting. and today she wrapped yarn around 2 popsicle sticks for the first time, and you would have thought i had given her The World's Most Amazing Toy. she sat and wound yarn around popsicle sticks forever. and when she paints, she wants to put paint on the paper and then fold it so that she has the classic ink-blot effect. i am not sure what all this means, but it is very very curious to me. she gets SO absorbed in it.

i have been trying to do yoga these days, figuring the kids are old enough to wander around me while i bend and twist, but for some reason, carter cannot bear to have my head upside down. whenever i am in some sort of forward bend with my head near the floor and my bottom near the sky, he grabs the hair on the back of my head with 2 fists and yanks my head up as hard as he can. funny, but not so pleasant, and certainly not really very yoga-like. so, i stick to standing poses when he is about.

he is such a little boy now. it is hard to put into words, but it is as if he just gets the ins and outs of everyday life thoroughly. and he has figured out how to pull my pant leg to his desired destination. no words necessary, just yank on mom's pants.

fortunately, he still is using the potty, though certainly not exclusively.

and he LOVES beans and rice. which gives us ample opportunity to practice on the potty. bonus.