Gardening with Angie

Chas and I are probably too much the control freaks to garden with a nearly four year old. There is a lot of "No dig here, not there." "Angie don't put the shovel there." "Can you water these plants sweetie? No these plants."

Of course some of it is for her own good: "Don't run with the shovel Angie." "Don't dig in the bucket when Daddy is mixing with the pitchfork."

She is a pretty good helper though when given instructions. She just has it in her head that when gardening, you always dig things up. Every day.

She is very excited about the Zinnias. She and I put seeds in little peat pellets today. With any luck, in a few months, we'll have some marigolds, zinnias and flox grown from seed.

Today she and I also put out a bell covered in seeds for the birds. She picked the location (on the fence in the backyard) and I tied it to the fence. When I was done (actually as I was tying on the bell and for most of the afternoon thereafter), Angie started calling out to the birds in a sing-song voice, "Oh little birds! Come see what Mommy has brought you! She brought you a snack little birds." Then Angie built a nest for the birds by placing a few twigs and a leaf where a low branch emerges from the tree trunk. "Oh little birds! I built a nest for you.!"

I convinced her briefly to step away from the bell and sit on the back steps with me to see if the birds would start feeding. She decided that wasn't working so well. Upon her instruction, she and I started flapping around the back yard while tweet-tweeting to encourage the birds to drop by for a snack.

It was a very busy afternoon as you can see.

Little Reader

I just wanted to tell everyone that Angie can read a few words on sight.

Her first word was " .com "

Welcome to the modern era.

But she also recognizes the words cat and dog.

For me the topper was at the bookstore tonight. I think she read the words off the trash can. She turned to me while munching on her sugar cookie, pointed at the trash bin door and told me, "That says "Thank You.'"

It really did.

Current Phrase:

"Yes-a-rooni pos-i-tooni!"

It means: absolutely.

She says it with great authority and enthusiasm.

Brief visit

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Don came up for a very brief visit. They should be arriving home as I post this.

Angie had a great time with them today. She played with them while Chas gave blood and did some work.

When I arrived home, I heard her saying something about a concert.

They took us to dinner (thanks!) and then left for Zanesville. They are the traveling grandparents and have another big trip coming up at the end of the month.

To distract Angie, we took her to the bookstore after dinner. But the distraction didn't work.

As we left the bookstore Angie started talking about going to find Grandma and Grandpa. When we pulled in the driveway she was chattering about where they could be and how there would be a concert inside once we found Grandma and Grandpa.

She has been running through the house for a few hours talking about how terrible it is that her family is gone and now there will be no concert.

See what you started Grandma and Grandpa!

Because I won't give her a BBC America Birthday Party...

It looks like this year's theme will be the Backyardigans.

She really has been asking for a BBC America Birthday party.

Yes, she is a unique child.