Rye, 22m

Summertime, Summertime, sum- sum- summertime.... Yogurt pop.

Stirring pumpkin muffin dough.

With Rose and Auden (photo by Kate).

Butterfly redux

Auntie Gisela, Mommy and Rye went back to the living butterfly exhibit and it was even better than the first time we went. Rye seemed a little more comfortable with a familiar place, and there were tons more butterflies!

We started a Waldorf art class this week, and guess what the theme was? Butterflies!

After some drawing and rubbings of butterfly shapes, Rye painted a wet-on-wet watercolor featuring the blue sky and tissue paper butterflies. He loved painting and liked choosing the colors of his butterflies.

Then Miss Molly asked the students whether they'd like to go out to the garden to look for some butterflies! Rye was very excited about this. It was so fun to do on Sunday!

And here is where the educational paths of the Waldorf magical storytelling and Montessori realism diverge. Rye went looking around for those delicate butterflies fluttering by, like the gentle ones he saw on Sunday. The other kids joyfully grabbed the colorful craft butterflies perched stock still on wire jammed into the garden's dirt.

FAKES!

His utter confusion seemed to reveal a sense of betrayal. And by the time he figured it out, most of the butterflies had been snatched up, and Miss Molly was collecting them and singing the transition song to lead everyone back inside to the glue pots and treasure baskets, to create his own (fake) butterfly.

Rye mostly preferred to play with the little pieces, but he did get some glued down. And he very much liked the snack of apples and oranges to recharge him after all of his hard art work. He also was completely riveted when Miss Molly told a story about gnome friends and Old Mr. Frost, and Duck and the Kitty family, and he got to listen to the huge seashell that Duck found in the ocean.

He didn't want to leave when the class was over!

Reading, and eating

When Mommy asked Rye whether he wanted scrambled eggs, he said, "Basil." So he shook some in, along with oregano and dill, salt and pepper.

Grilled chicken and roasted vegetables during lunch with Mommy at Louise's.

The grandkid reading hour.

Books can be funny.

Happy Feet game

Rye and Daddy play a game Rye calls "Happy Feet, Hiding." This is when Rye prances his happy feet all over the house with Daddy chasing him, and hiding. It's pretty hilarious.

Happy Father's Day!

Celebrating Daddy and everything he does with me!

Blimp!

Rye's eternal blimp quest was rewarded with a recent fly-by. Some nights he won't go to sleep without seeing the blimp—which is a pretty tall order to fill.

Big boy briefs

Rye spied the cars and trucks on the training pants Mommy got and he had to try them out. He even enjoyed them soaking wet, standing in the puddle he made shortly after. There is only ONE pair with cars and trucks in the whole set, so it could be an interesting process!

Walking Tall

Cousin Paula and cousin Alana help Rye walk on stilts!

Rye, 21m

Squirrel in search of Os in Yosemite.

With pal Jakob in Korlandia.

Rye is getting to be more "boy" than "baby!" His dexterity is increasing. He can open the tent zipper and get out. He can use tongs and he can jump using two feet. He's almost ready for the tricycle. He can stand on a scooter with someone pushing him. Rye likes climbing up to his seat in the high chair on his own, and has showed an interest in climbing in all kinds of places Mommy isn't so excited about. He loves to spin, especially in the tent with the padded floor. He even did a somersault on his own last week from a no-hands-downward-dog position, which we suspect has something to do with Grandma.

He knows the names of a lot of the colors and especially likes to say "geen," "yeh-woah" and "boo," though they don't always match with the actual color. We're not sure yet whether he's still getting it or he has inherited the color blindness from the boys on Mommy's side. He still can count quickly to six: "Un, two, SIX!" He also knows that "six" is the one that comes after "five."

He began toilet learning a couple of months ago and we have many successes through the week, and even had some success while on a car trip. He likes to read model airplane magazines while sitting on the "potty."

Rye likes to try new foods, especially asking for snack foods, wine or soda that nobody should be eating anyway. He still loves yogurt, Os, "sauce," (apple, pear or spinach puree), peanut butter toast and "Geese" toast (using pear-ginger jelly from Auntie Gisela), "taht-ters" (crackers).

Some new or favorite words and phrases: "Sirwoll" (squirrel), "'Eeed it?" (read it?), "take (me) down," "Cholula," "unbaba" (umbrella), "Yay!" "sponge," "sneeze," "eyedropper," "kazoo," "turn ups down" (upside down), "dishwasher," "amb-a-sance" (ambulance), "game," "Aunt Ce-ya-ya" (Cecilia), "Aunt Magnet" (Margaret), "Zeeeee-na," "Untle Mite" (Uncle Mike), "Tooo-la," (Tallula). He calls for Mommy or Daddy by name. When he wants you to open something impenetrable (blister packaging, a childproof lock, your jacket, anything in the store you are NOT going to buy for him), he asks, "Zip it?" to try to get you to open it. If he can't see something or find it, it's "hiding."

He also likes to say: "Ha-TOT-ter" (helicopter), "tittoe" (tickle), "tamari" (a soy sauce), "animals," "zoom zoom." He asks, "Daddy barf?" when he wants to spin around and around to the point that Daddy is ready to hurl. Daddy thinks it's curious that Rye can say "barf" with perfect clarity, but "fish" comes out as "shish."

If you're trying to sleep and Rye wants you to wake up, he may or may not poke you in the eye, while demanding: "Eyes. On?" As in: Turn them on, like the lights. When it's time to brush his teeth or change a soiled diaper, he often trots to the furthest point in the house he can think of and waits expectantly with loud giggles as he "hides" from you.

Rye likes to help clean up when it's his idea. He's not always as helpful when it's Mommy's idea or when he sees something more interesting.

Rye still enjoys drawing with crayons, painting and doing anything with his hands. He likes playing kazoo and singing Happy Birthday to You at random times. (Since Rye sometimes thinks his name is "You," Daddy figures he likes Happy Birthday because we always sing about...him.) He still is enjoying his music class with the friends we have made there. He likes to wear necklaces, especially the wooden heart from Valentine's Day.

Rye is wild for the Goodyear Blimp; he imitates the sound it makes in the sky. He also likes to track the helicopters that pass overhead and often shake the house. He's excited by trains, trucks, dump trucks, trash trucks, mini loaders, Jeeps, Beetles, "antique cars," and Hummers. He knows that Tallula rides in a Subaru wagon and Mommy drives an Xterra. He also likes squirrels, bunnies, dogs and cats.

Camping in Joshua Tree.

High five in Joshua Tree with Auntie Ranger Christie.

Story and snack time with pals Noah and Jakob and their teacher mommy in Korlandia.

Some casual shopping, old school style, on the road.

Using tongs.

Hiding in the pantry.

The Bounce House

We stopped at a local park while on vacation to give Rye a chance to stretch his legs. The park has a great toddler slide! The fall at the end is brutal — he bit his tongue — but he recovered quickly to try the swings. We're still working on holding the handrail while climbing.

Vacation! *

We had a great trip with family and friends at Yosemite. The weather mostly cooperated, and the kids had a ball. Rye loves being outdoors, playing with the "big kids," riding in the bike trailer, and now riding on a 3-wheeled scooter!

A few of the new words and phrases Rye picked up while traveling:

"pine needles," "campsite," "shuttle bus," "parking lot," "mocking bird" ("mopping bird"—and anyway it was a Stellars Jay), "connected."

He told Mommy, "Bird. On. Fire!" Mommy thought that was quite silly, but knowing Rye generally calls 'em as he sees 'em, she turned in the direction he was pointing to see a beautiful bird perched on the grill of the fire pit.

"Rye. Riding. Scoooter."

"Bye, Scotts, driving trailer."

"Stay out of street. Car coming."

*Updated with video!