we are all desperately sick. well, recovering from being desperately sick. basically, your garden-variety cold, but a doosy. ava has missed 2 days of school, and i am trying to see if carter can go to his first "real" day of school tomorrow. the rivers of snot might not endear me to the other parents.

despite 4 days off from school, ava has managed to wear every last item in her uniform wardrobe, much to my continued frustration. she suddenly LOVES navy and khaki, and i cannot keep her out of them. now, don't get me wrong, i am TOTALLY a uniform sort of a person, and i think she looks sharp in the outfits, but i will go nuts the morning that she has no clean navy tops because she wore all 4 of them in one day, neglecting of course to put them in the laundry pile.

ava has many strengths, but neatness has so far not emerged as one of them.

carter is cultivating a very keen interest in dinosaurs, thanks in large part to the magic treehouse series that we have on audiotape. he can identify many of them, and loves to talk about them, t-rex in particular. that and any and all manner of machine/magic machines/ magic gear (helmets, gloves, goggles, rescue packs) are a constant part of our day. he pretty much wakes up and begins a monologue that does not end until he falls asleep again, and it usually revolves around some special 'work' that he is doing. he can turn anything into a machine or tool. this usually leaves me speechless, and at a loss for initiating games with him. it is so not my frame of reference, and so i absolutely HAVE to let him take the lead.

with the exception of field guides--those little books serve as a kid magnet every time. have a question? get out the field guide. don't have one? go to the library. i know, i know, i could go to the internet, and believe me, we do, but there is something about the actual books that serves as a springboard to more discussion and more independent play--both of them will sit down with a guide and look things up. the other day we discussed rodents. on the way to school, ava asked me if a squirrel was related to something else (can't remember what), and that prompted me to discuss their grouping as rodents, and then describe rodents, and then ask "can you think of anything else that might be a rodent?" carter suggested rabbits (close, but not a rodent), and elephants. i never got a clear reason out of him for the elephant suggestion. when we got home, we researched rodents. there is a lot to learn about them. not all exactly fasinating, but it filled in the blanks.

what i really have to do is research steam engines--his favorite book is mike mulligan and the steam shovel, and he keeps asking me questions that i cannot answer with authority. educated guess, sure. but definitive confidence? nope. i see the logical path this is going to take, and no, i never would have thought i would be researching engines.

the other day, heasked me who made something, and i said that i wasn't sure. he said "maybe god?" i said, well, sure, god probably had a role. then i asked, "carter, who is god?" and he said "he's a worker. like a coach. a hockey coach."

huh. interesting.

as for me, besides being sick, i am finally out of the 'can't...stay...awake...must...close...eyes..." phase of the pregnancy--that was also the 'must eat everything in sight' phase, which contributed to a hefty weight gain. i am solidly in maternity clothes. fortunately that ravenous phase is also over, and i appear to be eating like a normal person again. my only issue is a very touchy tummy, which turns at the slightest gross-out thing. this makes taking care of pets very difficult, and i really have to brace myself. that and going to the dump is a bit rough. it is very annoying. it is a tremendous advantage to not be a squeamish person, and i have always appreciated that blessing. i hope it comes back.