Helping?

I really am having trouble keeping up with the blog. You would think it would be easy since I am home all day now...Gracie loves Mommy's computer and even makes the cutest clicking sounds when she pretends her book is a laptop computer. If I leave it unattended for a second, she has typed strings of letters. I only seem to be able to work on it if she is in bed, but I'm always tired, too.

Grace loves music, but especially the Wiggles. I had never heard of them until I picked up a CD at the library. They are funny and I find myself humming their crazy songs lyrics like "Fruit salad, yummy, yummy" and "Mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes..." I even heard Adam complaining that he was humming one of their songs and couldn't get it out of his head. Grace especially likes to pretend that her little broom is a guitar (she calls it a guitara) and always talks about Vince (who let her play his guitar when he was home). She also asks to watch the "monkeys" who dance around in costumes on the Kid Songs VCR tape that the boys watched when they were her age.

Grace is getting better with books, but she still wants to turn the pages and talk more than listening. Every day she says, "Mommy Daddy, listen" and grabs the book out of our hands. I guess she has heard us say that a few times to her, too. Her favorite book is Go, Dog, Go which was also one of the boys' favorites. She loves to say, "Hello. Hello. Do you like my hat? Good-bye." She also says, "Good-bye" to every character on the pages and points to all of the dogs in the cars and says that they are members of the family..."Twonah (we think that means, "this one is") Daddy, twonah Gracie, twonah Adam, twonah Grandpa, twonah Aunt Terri, twonah Uncle Larry, twonah Paige, twonah Grandma...Some of the pages have 15 dogs on them and she will name every dog on the page.

We realized that Grace is doing more charades and pointing than learning English right now, so we have really been working on getting her to use useful phrases. It is pretty funny to watch her pretend to wash herself with a wash cloth and point to the linen closet; grunt uh-uh, puno, puno (full), and point when she wants a full glass of juice; and make swishing noises and arm circles when she wants to wash dishes, but this isn't going to help her to communicate in English. Right now we are trying the "repeat after me" modeling approach. Any time she wants something we make her say it. So we have been using these phrases a lot:

I want to...(go outside, go potty, water, etc.)
Help me, please.
Please give me...(more juice, a spoon, gloves, etc.)
Come here, please.
I don't want...

She loves to help with everything and wants to do everything that we do, so I'll let the pictures tell the rest of this story... 

Notice how I did such a nice neat job with the blueberry muffins! They were fun to stir but I like plain wheat bread and butter best.

I beg to do laundry every day, so that I can fold it. I folded this whole pile all by myself. She will even tell Mommy, "Vees (look) good job" when she is done.

I help Daddy feed the squirrels, I mean birds. One day we had five squirrels at the feeders at one time. I count them and call everyone to the window to look. Usually all of the yelling and excitement scares them away.  I even ask if the squirrels are sleeping when it gets dark and they aren't there.

I love any kind of eggs...Hey, that party egg is supposed to be on the plate, not in your mouth. Be careful,

that's Mommy's finger...

At least once every day (even Sundays) I beg to go to the mailbox with Daddy while Mommy stands at the front window so that I can wave at her from the driveway. Going outside is always fun and each time I say, "Oooo, it's cold outside!"

I like to shave with Daddy. (No, there is no blade in the razor...) I also like to take a shower instead of a bath just like Mommy and want to read a magazine while I sit on the toilet...Too funny.