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This winter's snow fort a couple weeks ago. Complete with built in "kitchen". Now a puddle and a distant memory.

This winter's snow fort a couple weeks ago. Complete with built in "kitchen". Now a puddle and a distant memory.

Playing with Duplo.

Playing with Duplo.

This is a pretty sweet photo set.

This is a pretty sweet photo set.
http://www.retronaut.co/2012/02/skateboarding-new-york-1960s/

Nate, "My pink crayon broke"

Nate, "My pink crayon broke"
(a couple seconds later)
"Mum, this crayon needs to go to heaven."

Sara, "No Nate, crayons don't go to heaven."

Nate is not convinced.

I try to help, "Nate, crayons don't have a spirit."

Nate tries to argue that perhaps this particular crayon had a spirit..

6:00 My alarm goes off.

6:00 My alarm goes off.
6:01 Nate wakes up.
6:06 We both go downstairs. Nate sees the Valentine's Day stuff I have out for Sara and asks about it.
6:07 I explain Valentine's Day to Nate.
6:10 Nate announces he's tired of Valentine's Day.

This morning as I was crouched on the floor trying to get my boots on to go to work, James was happily climbing all...

This morning as I was crouched on the floor trying to get my boots on to go to work, James was happily climbing all over me. Nate, wanting some attention too, grabbed the boot I hadn't put on yet, and ran away with it laughing. I joked around with Nate briefly pretending to be upset and then asked him to bring the boot back, which he did promptly, tossing it to the floor at my feet and on it's side. James, who had been standing holding on to me the whole time jabbering happily, sees the boot, drops quickly down onto all fours, rights the boot so it's standing properly, looks at Nate and gives him a series of deep growls. I have my own body guard!

Last week:

Last week:
Me, "Sara, I love you."
Sara, "I love you, Jon."
Nate excitedly, "I love pizza!"

Last night, Nate wanted to drink from the tap in the bathroom.

Last night, Nate wanted to drink from the tap in the bathroom. He was already tucked in bed and had a full sippy cup, so Sara said no. When she came out of the room and explained the situation (he was quite devastated and still complaining). I let her know that I had promised to let him drink from the tap after he went on the potty, so I went back into his room and let him go get a drink. As we're walking to the tap, Nate says very solemnly, "I don't know why Mom is so mean to me." Oh the indiscernible and systematic injustice that poor child receives...

Taking advantage of the +5 degree weather in February.

Taking advantage of the +5 degree weather in February.

Nate gives himself a haircut.

Nate gives himself a haircut.

Nate drew a picture of himself (without any guidance), but (mistakenly?) made the hair really long. He wanted to give himself a haircut. So, I cut out the picture and let him cut "his" hair.

James makes a discovery.

James makes a discovery.

James has figured out how to use chairs on our hardwood floors as makeshift walkers for sometime now. (Nate at this same age discovered that with enough momentum they worked as battering rams to breach our makeshift barrier to the living room. Incidentally, we now have a proper barrier which is securely fixed to the walls.) James' latest discovery is that if he puts enough force behind it (to gain proper leverage his body needs to be at about a 45 degree angle to the floor) he can actually push Nate around when he's on the chair trying to do crafts or finish up his meal at the table. This brings him much joy. Nate still isn't quite sure what to make of it.

Nate the deal maker.

Nate the deal maker.

Yesterday, Nate wanted to take a book out of the church library and have a snack from the table set up for our pastor's retirement.
Sara, "No, Nate, it's very late, we don't have time to do both. You need to pick one. Which will it be?"
Without skipping a beat, "I'll pick out a snack, you pick out a book for me."
Sara and I both look at each other. Well that does make sense. (Sara was going to return a book to the library anyways.)

Nate the poison tester.

Nate the poison tester.

This morning I was having breakfast with Nate and just before I could reach for my regular morning orange juice, Nate goes, "I should taste that. Make sure it okay. It might taste bad."
Alright, I give the glass to Nate.
Nate takes a sip, "It tastes good. You can have it."
"Thanks, Nate."
I go to drink the juice.
Nate, "If it bad, I have to drink it all up."

Glad the neighbors weren't up early this morning.

Glad the neighbors weren't up early this morning. I went out to the car. It was covered with snow. So, as per normal, I went to start it while I brushed the snow off. Rather than fully get in the car, I step partially in, put my foot on the clutch, and turn the key in the ignition. Normally this work flawlessly, but normally Sara hasn't used the car the night before. She likes to leave the car in gear. So as soon as I lifted my foot off the clutch to step back out, the car began lurching forwards, fighting the parking brake, heading straight for our fence. I couldn't see because the windshield was covered with snow and I'm hanging halfway out of the car madly trying to find the clutch again. I thankfully managed to stop the car in time. We'll see how today goes.

Nate sometimes likes to pretend that James is his dog.

Nate sometimes likes to pretend that James is his dog. He calls him "Brutus" after our friends' big and rambunctious bull mastiff rottweiler cross. One of the things he likes to do is take him for "walks". Nate holds James' soother, and pretends it's a leash (we clip James' soother on with a ribbon so he doesn't lose it) and walks behind James while he crawls about the house. James loves it because his brother follows him around everywhere and babbles happily while leading Nate about the house.

Nate - "Brothers take care of brothers. "

Yesterday, Sara was admonishing Nate for taking something out of James' hand, and was trying to be very clear about...

Yesterday, Sara was admonishing Nate for taking something out of James' hand, and was trying to be very clear about it.
"Nate, we don't take things out of James' hands, ever, under any conditions. There is no reason why you should be taking something out of James' hand..."
Mid-lecture James clearly tries to hand something to Nate.
"...um, thank you, James, for finding the one exception to what I was just talking about."
Please be a coincidence. Please be a coincidence.

Nate sometimes asks me to do shadow puppets for him.

Nate sometimes asks me to do shadow puppets for him. He takes great joy in trying to confound me with his requests. Just now he asked me to do "light"...

Nate has taken to claiming that, "my 'x' is bigger than your 'x'.

Nate has taken to claiming that, "my 'x' is bigger than your 'x'. " For example that his boots are bigger than mine. Sara had to break it up with, "now honey, it's not the size that counts... " And just now Nate's puzzle versus mum's (his pieces are bigger).