so, i received an email from the lead test kit people. apparently, there is a risk of a false positive with some materials, particularly wood. soooooo, i need to not do the "quick" method of testing, and instead do the laborious but far more accurate test. so, that is on the to do list.

we had playgroup at the playground today, and ava had so much fun--one of the other little girls that she has known for ages really engaged her, and ava dove right into all of the games. her reluctance to take part has finally worn off--she was very outgoing last summer, and then school took a bit of the wind out of her sail, and now she is back to wanting to be with friends--but in a different way--she wants to play with them--she was not really sure how to play with them last year. and that tended to get her in a jam--she would approach them, but then it would turn out that she could not figure out how to communicate. for as verbal as she is, it took her a while to understand kid-speak. part of it is that she and cater play now, and it seems to have finally occured to her that she does not have to play alone. and part of it is simply having an interest in the types of games that kids normally play. chase, tag, etc. these have suddenly become intriguing. which is terrific.

it was odd--on sunday ava and dad went off on their own, and carter and i were left here in the house on a grey cold day, and for a little while we had no idea what to do without ava. obviously both he and i rely on her to direct our play. and clearly i rely on her to exhaust carter, because i could not believe how much jumping he wanted me to do. (they like to hold the end of a piece of string and play wakeboarder). i want alone time with each of the kids, but it was not until sunday that i realized what a little unit the 3 of us actually are...

but carter and i did enjoy lots of toys that are usually part of the forbidden stash. he thought that was pretty neat. he would hold something up--something that he has been eyeing and coveting for months, and would say "ava?" and i would say, oh, that's ok. go ahead. and then he would run off with it saying "avA! ava! ava! aVA!" like "HA! i have it!"

we went to fish creek today and did the usual--swim, playground, bike. ava chatted with the lifeguards, and pretty much told them her life story. they politely nodded the whole time, but glazed over a bit when ava went into great scientific detail regarding monarch caterpillar eggs.

but it was entertaining to watch her try to master the correct body language. her speech said "i am confident" but her body screamed "i am SO not sure of myself..." -- arms folded, head tilted, one knee bent and hips shifted to the right and then the left and then the right. she looked like someone at a party that has not yet managed to find a drink or food to occupy their hands.

and then she invited them to come watch her ride her bike. because, to her, there is nothing more exciting to see than ava conquering her fear of scraping an elbow.