Sunny Day

It was a sunny day today, so John and I went down the driveway for a walk. Its been raining for the better part of two weeks. The driveway is sodden, and a little stream crosses it, leaking out of the hills and heading toward the stream running on the property line. John likes to go out and play in the muddy stream while I go get the mail. I don't mind, because the doggie leash has been in the car, and I don't want to fight with him about the street. He likes to go up hill and pick the leaves off plants, play with sticks, and collect as many driveway rocks as he can fit in his hands. We did this on Monday as well (I think, maybe it was yesterday?) On Tuesday it was raining (or was it Monday?)
John has been playing with his toy kitchen. I've been straightening up the spare room so it can be a playroom. We spent the dry part of Saturday moving useless things from the spare room to the downstairs storage room.
John has been babbling a lot lately. I think he said "kitty" once instead of "hiiissss!" at a picture of a kitty. Mr. Rogers was holding up baby chicks and John was slapping at them on the TV. I said, those are baby chickies, and he said "chickies". He won't repeat any of these words.

Disaster! John has learned to unlatch the baby gates! We were all in a habit of only setting the bottom hook into the eyelet to close the gate, to make it easier on Nana's hands. He has learned to lift the gate and open it. Now we have to close it properly, by using the stiff squeeze lock.

John hates getting his face and hands washed after dinner, so Nana has him washing his own face, hands, and tray with a damp washcloth.

He can sometimes clean up his toys, by putting the little people back in their box or his baby legos back in their own box.