Firsts

When I had the girls, I thought of all the firsts I would experience with them... first steps, first words, first days of school. I forgot that there were many, many other things that I would re-experience for the first time through the eyes of my children...

This weekend, Katherine used a porta potty for the first time. Perhaps because she is so newly potty trained, her powers of observation were highly tuned. We stood in the stinky cubicle for much longer than I had ever been in confines of a portable toilet as she looked around noticing the differences between this toilet and others.

My favorites include:

"Look Mommy! My pee turns blue in a porta potty!"

Katherine's favorite color is yellow so I am called in to look at her pee each time before she flushes. She often comments on how pretty her pee is, 'because it is yellow.' As she watched her yellow pee touch the blue disinfectant of the porta potty I think she felt some sadness.

And...

"Mommy, where is the flusher?"

Where indeed!?

Where I've Been...

*Celebrating the Fourth of July...

*Learning that Katherine is not ready for a five hour camp day...

*Realizing that when you switch your three year old from a 5 hour camp day that is three minutes from home to a three hour camp day that is twenty minutes from home, you don't have much time anymore...

*Celebrating Caroline's sixth birthday. The cliche, time flies, couldn't be more true...

*Celebrating my mom's 70th birthday...

*Hosting a tie dye and pizza party birthday party for Caroline and her friends....

*Finally enjoying summer days outside...

Loud

Yesterday Katherine and I were discussing our plans for the Fourth of July. I told her all about the parade not sure that she would remember much of it from last year. I often forget how smart our baby girl is getting. And I am often shocked by how much she picks up of what goes on around her. She gave me a big reminder during this conversation.

As we talked about all the different things we might see and hear in the parade, she looked thoughtful and then said, "Caroline might have to stay with a babysitter because she doesn't like loud."

It is funny when the baby starts to understand the personalities that surround her in the family but I would say, Katherine is starting to understand...