Sequences

Emma likes to discuss the sequence of anything...it could be what is going to happen today, i.e, Emma was asleep, mommy woke up, mommy showered, Emma woke up and now we eat breakfast.  The other day, Emma wanted to walk on some landscaping rocks, but I wouldn't let her because she had flip-flops on, so she decided since I was wearing gym shoes, I should walk on them.  I said I would probably fall too and Emma came up with quite the sequence of what would happen if I walked the rocks..."mommy walk on the rocks, you fall and hurt your knee and there be blood all over your shoes".  Blood all over my shoes?! 

We have been working on the days of the week, what days I go to work and when her birthday is, so I'm sure the love of sequence stems from these conversations and the fact that we always tell Emma what we are going to do on a given day so she knows what to expect to  lessen meltdowns during transitions.  Emma can now tell you her exact birthday and her Daddy's, plus her address, our names, family associations etc.  When I asked Emma a few months ago what she wanted for her birthday she would only reply "a gift", but yesterday, she replied, "a dinosaur".  Caillou has a dinosaur, so I think that's where she came up with that idea.  I'm not sure what she is getting for her birthday...she has plenty to keep her busy and we are popping at the seams with "stuff", so we are thinking about a "big girl bed" for her birthday. 

The last few weeks have been hot, hot, hot but we still manage to get outside for a little everyday...our temps have been hovering at 100 degrees!  Emma is a pro on her tricycle now and the other night she rode almost a mile in our neighborhood while I walked along, trying to keep her from darting into cars.  About 3 houses from home, Emma gave up, and said she was hot...it was hot...about 90 degrees and 70% humidity.  Now that she can ride her bike, Emma is rebelling against the bike trailer and gets squirrelly at the idea of being strapped in, even with the bribery of snacks and ipods.

Since it's been so hot, I created an indoor sandbox for Emma.  The "sandbox" is a plastic tub filled with "squirrel food", a mixture of corn, peanuts and bird seed.  I bought a bunch of measuring cups, spatulas, and spoons from the Dollar Store, for Emma to dig with and fill up other items.  We also used some of her beach toys and a dump truck to add to the fun.  The sandbox has been great, we bring it indoors on hot days and evenings when it cools down, we take it outside in the shade.  One day, we left the box unattended to water flowers in the backyard and when we returned, a squirrel was on the edge of the box, chowing down, which Emma got quite a kick out of.