Graham and Charlie

I've been hosting a boys' playgroup all fall once a week, we call it 'Graham's Gang'.  All of the boys, 5 in all, are 2 years old.  And they are all becoming good little friends.  But two stand out: Charlie and Graham.  These two are hilarious. They love each other I think partly because they are so much darn alike.  They both have older sisters, they both are thick little dudes who crash into everything in sight, they both love a snack, trains, cars and being silly.  They have little conversations about "cardinals" and "tractors" and "garbage trucks" which usually just involve them telling the other how much they love one of the afore mentioned. 
They make up songs, look at books together, dance to any beat around and love playing outside together. Graham will even wear a coat (which he is not always inclined to do) if I explain that "Charlie has one just like this".   So while Graham loves his other buddies, and looks forward to them coming over, Charlie is #1 for now. 

These photos were taken on a rainy day which involved us hunting for worms, splashing in puddles and catching rain drops in our mouths.  These two were soaked within minutes and took turns running into each other to see who could make a bigger splash. 

A lovely party

Harper was invited to her very first, no siblings invited, birthday party last week, and she couldn't have been any happier!  It is tough around here for Harper at times.  She has a sister who is in all sorts of clubs and sports and has sleepovers, playdates and friends around all the time.  Her little brother has made a little group of friends this fall that meet weekly and he loves to tell her that they are "Graham's friends".  In other words, no girls allowed!  And Harper, with not many 3 year old girls around, is always invited, but along with Lucy or Graham. 
So when an invite came with only her name and it was a bonafied birthday party with tons of kids and at a very fun place that only Lucy had been to before, she was over the moon.  She talked about the present she was going to get her friend.  She wanted to know all about the place that the party was going to be at. And she kept asking, just to make sure, if Lucy and Graham were going.
After a very fun party and a special lunch out with me, Harper came home happy to show off her goody bag and to tell everyone about her fun.  That night as I put her in bed she asked, "tell me again why Lucy and Graham weren't invited to the party today?"  I happily told her, "Because she is YOUR friend, not theirs and your friend only wanted you there, not them."  She smiled, inserted thumb in mouth, and was off to dream of her first birthday party.

Up a tree

#1 on Lucy's Christmas List this year?  A climbing tree.  Ahhhh, I don't think that can really happen, being that a tree takes some time to grow, but I do believe that it is what the little peanut wants more than anything in the world.  At any given time, Lucy is running outside to climb in one of our two possible climbing trees, and boy are they are poor sight!  First up is the puny dogwood with thin branches that break and no height to really get a girl anywhere.  But she climbs it, every day.
Second up, is the taller Crepe Myrtle that is maybe the worst climbing tree on record.  Its branches all grow straight up, are thin and provide no stability, strength or even a good place to sit.  But she climbs it, every day. 
Both of these trees are very possible candidates for leading my child to the ER with a broken arm or cracked head, but she simply can't resist.  All the other trees are hollies (she tries, but they simply are too prickly), ornamental shrubs (which she is taller than) or giant beasts of trees in our backyard, which if she were a giant would be a great, but since the lowest branches start at our roof, probably not her best bet.
So, no climbing tree for Christmas, but I have promised a tree house in the spring.  As for her Christmas list, A Wii was #2, she's not getting that either, I'd rather she go climb a tree!

Heard on the court....

• Graham taking off Barbie's mate, Ken's clothes until he is completely naked and then putting him on the Barbie toilet and saying, "You gotta be buns out to go potty."
• Harper saying, "My favorite part of Christmas is Christmas trees because they are so sparkly!"
• Graham saying, "Mom, I'm your son.  You are my mom.  Today you are my son and I am the mom."
• Graham telling me that he wants to "be a boy and be called Harper".
• Harper, upon hearing that I was hosting a jewelry party, "Oh!  I can't wait to try on all the jewels!"
• Lucy, to Harper while playing, "Well, Harper, that's just life."