A Tad Bad

Clothilde is at the age now that everything she says is cute, even if she is also being very naughty.  Things like:

"Don't touch Firefly's butt, you'll have to wash your hands."

This inspires a quick poke with a little finger and, "I already did."  And then there is a massive hand-washing, accompanied by cries of distress.

If you tell her not to do something, the response is usually, "I gonnaaaa...." in a soft, little sing-song voice.

I think the hardest part with baby #3 is all the bad things they pick up from the older ones.  The other day I plucked her away from something destructive she was doing, and she said, "Hey!  Let me go, you big greedy goat!"

Last week Ethan stayed with her while I brought the goats back to their pasture.  The last time I had taken her with me, David tried to attack us, and it was very scary.  I keep a long stick handy by the gate to poke David as he goes by, because otherwise he tries to brush against me, and he is so stinky!  Ethan and Clo were milling about by the gate, and Clothilde was mad that I had not brought her along, too.  She picked up the stick.

"This for whacking goats," she said.  "I use it for people, too," and began hitting Ethan's shins with it.



We've been hanging out with friends a lot lately, and it's been really fun. Last year I tried breaking out of my self-induced social isolation, and have even gotten out of my fear of mom's groups enough to have joined a homeschooling group recently.

Yesterday we met my friend and her three home-schooled children at a park.  We walked back along a trail to a lovely meadow with rolling hills, and had a picnic under a giant oak tree.  The children climbed trees and Mirin and the oldest boy hauled logs out of the forest and constructed a small cabin, thatched with pine straw.  Everyone, even Clothilde, worked together on it, and at the end they all climbed inside.  It is amazing what children will come up with when they are just left to play.