Tenderness

Linus continues to enjoy worms, beetles, bees, spiders, and pill bugs. Yesterday we were at Four Mile Historic Park and he kept spying bugs that hid before we could run over to look at them with him. There was a barn kitty ambling around the place in that way that cats do. Linus kept trying to pet it, but it walked away from him every time. Even so, the cat stayed in our vicinity much of the time and before we left he let Linus hug him. He is very gentle and loving toward living things (except for flies). He found a very small worm and when he held it out for me to see it, he whispered. Apparently loud noises would upset the baby worm. He helped me do some more planting this week and kept finding worms. After he put one back into the ground he said, "I will dig carefully so I don't frighten it."

I think Linus might have allergies. He has had a runny nose for a few days now. I had hoped he would miss out on that part of his heredity.

He is showing more signs of maturity. We went out for dinner last night and he ordered his own meal. When the server asked if he would like a booster seat he said politely, "No. No, thank you." We were so proud of him. Then he went back to being the goofy three-year-old that he is and drank his water and lemonade from two glasses at the same time. He sat on my lap to share apple pie with me and it was so nice to cuddle with him.

Matthew's Birthday

The three of us had fun celebrating Matthew's birthday on Monday. I baked a cake and Linus helped me frost it. I handed him the jar of sprinkles and told him to decorate it. I left the room so that I wouldn't hover over him and tell him how to do it. It turned out great! My favorite thing about it was the corner where there was a solid layer of sprinkles.

We treated Matthew to eating out at a sushi restaurant, which made him very happy. Linus tried his very first sushi, which had a vinegary plum center and no fish. The vinegar taste was too much for him, resulting in a funny, I-don't-like-this expression on his face. He was a good sport about it. When the server offered Matthew free dessert for his birthday, Linus told her quite excitedly, "We have cake and ice cream at home!"

I took Linus to a nursery to pick out a cactus for Matthew. When I asked him if he wanted to make Matthew a card he told me he'd already made one for him. Wow! I was surprised by that.

Bouquet

I got out Linus' little vase that he used in his room last summer. He picked Johnny Jump Ups for it and put it on the bookshelf next to his bed. I also got out my flower press and we put some in there to dry and be used in some unforeseen project.

This morning he told me, "I love you in plain sight." My mind immediately went at the words like I were analyzing a poem.

We joined friends at the zoo this afternoon. I took Linus and Chase to the bathroom and while they took turns Linus told Chase, "I love you." She put her hands on his face and said, "I love you." Then they started giggling and chanting, "I love you!"

We went to play with friends we haven't seen in a couple of weeks because we've all been sick. Linus said to them, "We had a virus. It is mostly gone, but not all gone." The kids, ages five and three, just looked at him blankly. So begins the era of him receiving blank stares when using vocabulary his peers don't have. I swear I'm not purposely turning him into a geek.

The staff at the dentist office once again praised Linus for sitting so still and accommodating their various requests to put tools in his mouth. His teeth are all healthy and he got to put a big red star on the outside of his chart to show that he had no cavities. A clean bill of health also meant that he got to choose two prizes from the basket. He picked out plastic bugs. One is a grasshopper. I think the other is an ear wig, but Linus doubts me and wants to ask Matthew his opinion.

Fast Approaching Summer

We've had very pleasant weather that is changing over to hot weather in the next day or so. Linus and I have been spending much of every day outside. He continues to have a cold, so we cancelled our play dates with friends and did things in the yard instead. Linus is a good helper with yard work. I let him use the hand trimmers to cut the edges of the lawn and that made him feel like a big kid. He's been telling people, "I was two and now I'm three. I'm growing up." He also helped me refinish the porch swing. I had someone out to work on the sprinkler system. Linus ran through the sprinklers in his swim trunks and looked like the epitome of summer.

Linus has a new cousin. Baby Evan was born to Sara and Billy on Wednesday, which means he shares a birthday with cousin Brandon. I drove Linus batty with my running to check my email for updates on the birth. Linus really likes babies and it will be fun to see him with Evan when we visit Wisconsin in a few weeks.

Sara and Billy got Linus an ant farm for his birthday. We've been having such a fun time with the ants since they arrived on Friday. After we had them settled into their new home, Linus told me, "Now I need a queen." When I asked why, he said, "Because she'll lay eggs, and then we'll have babies, and then they'll grow up." That is just like him to be thinking ahead to the next step.

Matthew and I got to sleep in on Saturday. Linus was hungry when he woke up and got himself yogurt to eat. He did come to ask Matthew to get him a napkin. After he ate, he went back to bed. Later I saw the rubber jar opener thing and Matthew said Linus got it out to open his yogurt.

He has been very loving lately. At random times during the day he tells me, "I love you, mama."

What's Going On?

We planted some more seeds in our little garden. We got the lettuce and broccoli in and have to be vigilant at keeping the soil moist. We visited the Garden with friends and got another look at the dinosaur sculptures there for a temporary exhibit. I had fun instructing the kids in holding their hands very still in the pond to see if the koi would come over to taste them. I was most excited to check on the peonies there.

We were looking forward to the start of a music class for Linus, but the day before it began I got a call that it was cancelled because enrollment wasn't high enough. Linus cried and was very disappointed. I'm in search of another one for him. I didn't realize how interested he was in it.

Lyz painted and framed some watercolors for Linus and he was excited about receiving them. While he unwrapped them he went on with some sort of rhyming riff. Later he told me, "Such magical pictures she made for me. I love to get art in the mail!"

More pill bug conversations have occurred: He said, "Maybe they eat other creatures in the ground." Then he asked the ones in his bug jug, "What do you like? Ants? Other sow bugs? What do you like, sow bugs?" Then he told me, "The sow bugs are my new friends." The ones we have in the yard are actually pill bugs, because they do roll up. I made a mistake in telling him sow bugs and pill bugs are the same.

Thursday afternoon we were playing at the playground. While I was pushing him on the swing he asked, "Why is the sky blue?" I've thought about this moment since I was pregnant with him. I told him, "The way the light bounces off the particles in the sky makes the sky look blue." He accepted that answer. Then I wondered how right I was.

Here are some other things he has said or asked recently:

"Why does the world go from day to night?"

"We can't see our food go into our stomachs." I said, "No; would you like to?" He answered, "Yes. Why do our bodies need food?"

I can't remember what precipitated this, but I told him he was foiling my plans. His response was, "Well, kitties foil plans."

"Mama, read that book to me. I can't read it correctly."

If you ask him what his favorite color is, you'll get an answer like this: "I love yellow. I love blue. I love purple. I love black. I love pink. Green. I love orange. I love white."

He says his favorite song is "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep." He has had a thing for that since last summer when he yelled it out like a rock star.

"Dead head me. I'm a flower."

"I want my big intestine out of me. It is too big."

Vegetable Garden '09

After months of intermittent work by all of us on removing the vine from our fence, I was able to incorporate some compost into the clay and make a garden bed. My intention was to only plant peas and tomatoes, things we don't get enough of from our CSA farm. Instead, I'll be cramming in as many things as I can to accommodate Linus' demand that we plant broccoli, carrots, and green beans.

As I emptied the bags of compost onto the bed, Linus ran back and forth bringing his construction equipment to help with the work. At times we sparred over who got to work in particular areas. He wanted to be able to use the digger anywhere in the bed, including where I'd already smoothed out the soil in preparation for the peas. He let up when I went in to get the seeds. He was so excited to create the holes and drop in the seeds. Of course this activity led to new questions: Why do peas grow in pods? Why can't we plant the broccoli, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes now? Do green beans grow in pods? As expected, he soaked up all of the information and shared it with Matthew when he got home from work. It was adorable listening to Linus explain that first the root will grow down and then a leaf will grow up out of the ground. I suspect it was a proud moment for Matthew, our botanist.

Since it is too early to plant much of anything yet, Linus can still play construction site on much of the garden. This should tide him over to when he and Matthew complete building his sand box.

Sow Bug Fun

We gave Linus a Bug Jug, which is a little container to hold bugs while one examines them. In Linus' case, it meant quizzing me endlessly about sow bugs. I was clearing out a large climbing plant along our fence line so Linus and I can put in a little garden. Linus was delighted when I revealed sow bugs and ran into the house to get the Bug Jug. He had at least six in there and then started asking me questions:

"What eats sow bugs? Why don't they like the sun? How do you say sow bug in Spanish? What do they eat? What do they sound like?" The only one I could answer was that they eat things they find in the soil. This wasn't a good enough answer for him and he wanted to know exactly what they eat. So I ran into the house in search of a field guide to help. I took the book out and told Linus that sow bugs aren't insects because insects have wings and six legs. Linus promptly took the book from me and proceeded to "read" it out loud to the sow bugs. He started by telling them that they weren't insects because they couldn't fly. ( A bit later he told me that sow bugs in Wisconsin can fly.) He also "read" that we should be gentle and nice with them.

He put so much "homing" in with them (soil, mulch, leaves) that they probably felt like they were outside and free. I thought it was cute that he invented the meaning of "homing" to describe giving them things from their natural surroundings. In the middle picture he is looking at them with two magnifying glasses, one in the lid of the jug and a separate one we got him.

Later he very deliberately walked around some ants and said, "I don't want to hurt their feelings. Or them."

Easter Day

Shortly before Linus woke up on Easter morning, I got out of bed and quickly hid our dozen Easter eggs for him to find. He got up shortly after that and approached his basket with a sleepy face. He woke up quickly as he excitedly looked at the jelly beans, chocolate rabbit, and other goodies. Then he started spying eggs in various places in the living and dining rooms. He found them all quickly and joyfully. One thing that did disappoint Linus was that he thought the Easter Bunny was going to come and knock on our door for a visit.

Later we went to a friend's house for brunch with them and their family. We celebrated with a bit of Ukrainian influence in the menu of borscht, boiled eggs, sausage, special bread, and homemade donuts with a rose jelly filling. Then we relaxed and played games with the kids. We really did have a wonderful celebration of Easter this year.

Easter Eggs

We hosted an Easter Egg hunt at our house yesterday. We invited eight kids over to hunt for eggs in the back yard. At the suggestion of one of the five-year-olds, the big kids (ages four and five) hid the eggs for the little kids (ages two and three). That was a great idea because it gave the big kids a fun job to do. The six little kids did a good job of finding the eggs and when they reached their quota they stopped or helped the others find eggs. With some prompting from Matthew, Linus shared a few of his eggs with Chase. Then we all marched back inside and watched the little kids open their eggs while a couple of the dads hid eggs for the big kids. I got a kick out of watching the younger ones shoving candy into their mouths and moving on to more of their eggs. In addition to candy we put bunny barrettes, rubber lizards, paratrooper bunnies, and stickers in the eggs.

After the big kids found all of their eggs all of the kids ran around the yard digging into their baskets, playing with the paratrooper bunnies, and generally having fun. We wrangled them all together to get a group picture and then everyone packed up to go. It all went smoothly and not a single kid ended up in tears.

Later I went for a haircut and when I returned Linus gave me a gigantic hug and said, "Thank you for coming home." Then, to keep the non-stop celebrating going, we colored eggs. Linus preferred to dip each egg into at least three colors. Those eggs turned a pretty brown color. I did one egg, Matthew did two, and Linus did the rest of the dozen. He really got into the process of putting an egg into a mug, waiting and monitoring the other eggs in their dye baths, and then moving the eggs into other colors.

(The one picture shows Linus and Chase interacting very sweetly together. The parents were taking pictures of the group and I zoomed in on the two of them.)

Visit to Lexington

We woke up at 3 a.m. the following day to head to the airport for our trip to Massachusetts to see Matthew's family. Linus was a good travel companion throughout the long day and was quite the trouper through the various car and plane rides, security procedures, etc. Before our plane could take off they had to de-ice the plane. Linus soaked up every bit of information Matthew gave him about the process and the plane. Our first night there Linus got to run around outside with his cousins, Wesley and Lorrie, and open birthday presents from them.

We experienced nearly a full day of rain there and that was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I continue to miss not having rainy days now and then. We had a really fun time seeing the birds and farm animals at Drumlin Farm. I liked the lambs the best. Linus still talks about the red fox.

While at grandma's and grandpa's house Linus enjoyed playing with the pine wood derby cars from Matthew's Cub Scout days, bristle blocks, puzzles (including one from Jean's childhood), and he got a lesson in how to build a cabin with Lincoln Logs. He liked having us read Richard Scarry books to him.

Our last night there, Linus had a tantrum that lasted at least 45 minutes. Nothing would comfort him. He finally calmed down and told me he wanted to go home. That was a break through, because then I could talk to him about homesickness.

Third Birthday Part 2, The Party

The next day we held Linus' party with his friends. We invited Chase, Barrett, and Lena, whose brother, Gabriel, came too. The kids were playing nicely in Linus' room with Matthew overseeing it all while the moms hung out in the dining room drinking coffee and chatting. When I felt the kids get restless I got them started on an egg and spoon game. I didn't want it to be a competitive race, so the kids were told to show us how well they could balance the eggs on spoons. I had them take the eggs from one basket to another. It turned out quite well. It was just the right amount of challenge for them. Then Gabriel suggested that he hide the plastic eggs for the other ones to find. Great idea! After a couple of rounds of that, I gathered everyone around to watch as we marked Linus' height on his growth chart. From there we transitioned over to the cake.

Linus requested a raspberry cake. I put together a lemon cake with a raspberry filling. I iced it with a lemon cream cheese frosting. I colored some of the frosting blue and made my first attempt at using decorator tips to make a pretty border around the cake. I knew I had to get some sprinkles on there because Linus LOVES sprinkles. I put a red sprinkle dot on every other blue blob shape in the border. After doing all of this I then had to figure out how to cover it up so it wouldn't dry out before the party the next day. Matthew helped me create a plastic tent over it using cans of tomatoes, a cutting board, and plastic wrap. Before we closed it up he put in two small dishes of water to provide some moisture. What crazy things we do to deal with the dryness here!

The second we all sang the last word of Happy Birthday, he blew out his candles. We couldn't have timed it better if we'd rehearsed it! Until he understands how to make a wish, I've been making his birthday wishes for him each year. I hope it still works if I didn't form the wish in my mind until after the candles were out, since he moved so fast!

While they were eating their cake and raspberry sherbet, Linus and Chase kept saying, "Mmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmm." Everyone was silly and happy. To myself I proclaimed the party a success.

Third Birthday

This year Linus' birthday celebration lasted over a week. The fun hasn't quite stopped yet. I heard evidence of this when Linus asked me today where his growth chart was. I told him I had put it away until next year. He said, "But it is still part of my celebration birthday this year."

On his actual birthday Matthew took the day off from work so we could celebrate together. Linus has been on a raspberry kick so I baked a special breakfast of Lemon Raspberry French Toast Strata. It was so easy to make, but looked gorgeous and tasted lovely.

As he opened gifts I tried to keep up taking notes of what he said about things, but it was hard to do. He first opened up a Magic Garden kit from Star, John, and Junie and exclaimed, "They're beautiful! Yay! Oooooooooh!" His comment when he opened a present from Stephanie, Brian, and Brandon was, "A book! A book! Look Matthew, a book!" He was hilarious as he tried to figure out what the present was as he opened the one from us that was Curious George pajamas: "It's this! It's that!" As he opened up each gift he'd run to his room to put them away. (I'm all for that kind of behavior.) He received an ant farm and ant book from Sara and Billy and he wanted to get the ants immediately. He asked to go outside and catch some. While he started playing with his gifts I started cleaning up and he told me, "You're the best birthday mama." What a sweet compliment that was to receive.

He loves all of his gifts and they are all perfect for him. Thank you everyone for your thoughtful gifts.

(He has been cracking us up as he gallops around the house on the stick horse we got him. He chose to wear his plaid shirt that day, which he calls his "handsome shirt.")

Three New Skills

In the space of five days Linus developed three new skills: riding his tricycle, dressing himself, and completing 25-piece puzzles. Last Thursday he was starting to get the hang of pedaling his tricycle in the backyard, so I suggested going out front and riding it on the sidewalk. He pedaled backwards quite a bit when trying to go forward after a stop, but he was so focused on the task. The next day Matthew stayed home with him while I volunteered for the Denver Public Schools' Shakespeare Festival and when I pulled up in front of the house that evening I saw Linus pedaling like a pro down the block. Now when we go for a walk I actually get a bit of exercise because he keeps pedaling and doesn't mosey along examining every little thing he sees. He does stop for ant hills and gets down on his knees to watch the ants. He's my sweet, little pacifist and takes great care to make sure he doesn't run over any of the ants.

Some fun things he has said to me recently:
"When we go to the library I want a book about monkeys drinking something. Water or juice."

Referring to a baby at the playground, "She is cute to my eyes."

When I went running out the back door to put out the recycling and I was freaking out that I might have remembered too late, he told me, "That's okay. Accidents happen sometimes."

Sliding Quickly Into Three

So, yeah. I'm worn out. Keeping up with Linus requires a lot of energy. We've been busy with the usual stuff: laundry, playing trains, pretending we're snakes, reading about meerkats, baking bread, playing in the yard, etc. The biggest thing to happen since my last post is that Linus is in bink recovery. After telling him for several months now that he is nearly three and needs to give up bink, we pulled the plug (pun intended) on March 1. The picture here is the one I took before I hid away his two binks. I didn't just throw them away because I wanted to honestly say that they were put away in a safe place. He cried the first night and I teared up a bit too. I think this is the first time we were pushing him to grow up. He has gotten over it quite quickly and I shouldn't have underestimated him. He asked about it each night at bedtime for about a week, but now it is as though he never used a bink.

One person advised me to cut the tip off of the pacifier and tell him it was falling apart. Then over a couple of weeks cut it smaller and smaller until it isn't satisfying for him any more. Neither Matthew nor I felt comfortable with deceiving Linus, so we went the cold turkey route.

Some things Linus has said recently:

He asked me what grape starts with. After I told him he paused for a bit and then asked, "Do all grapes start with G?"

Matthew worked late one night and Linus offered to help me do the dishes. When we let the water out of the sink he asked if the water was going into the recycling. (We keep our recycling under there.) I couldn't believe we hadn't addressed this yet because he asked about the bathroom plumbing a while ago and seems to understand that. We crawled under the sink together and I showed him how one sink drains into the garbage disposal and then joins the water from the other drain to go down through the basement, etc. When we finished he said, "That's fascinating! I'm so happy you showed me. "

While putting honey on his bread he said, "The honey smells like the bees that made it."

While eating lunch together he said, "I'm so proud of you and Matthew for things you do for me. Like drive the car and go places with me. And plant things with me. I love you." Okay, that earned him a few points back that he lost for throwing some tantrums lately.

(Other pictures are of Linus insisting that his stuffed animals get to have cookies with us and of Matthew and I as we got ready to go on a date to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.)

Favorites

Linus' favorite undies, the Thomas ones, photographed because as I folded the laundry I was musing over how cute little kid underwear is.




Linus has been telling me that a number of things are his favorite. When he tells me this he says "favorite" in that intense, drawn-out way that is mostly used by kids. I must admit that I still use it now and then.

Tonight he came into my office* and heard the Wisconsin Public Radio classical station streaming on my computer. He said that the music was lovely. I told him it was piano music and he said, "Pianos are my favorite." "They are?" I asked. "Yes. And bass drums, horns, and fifes."

Over breakfast we were discussing what to buy his friend Lena for her birthday and he thought she would like Thomas trains. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he said, "Morning glories. I like morning glories best."

He also said, "Candles are my favorite part of a birthday cake."

*As a stay-at-home mom who has always had a craft room, I'm finding that I need to clearly define whether I'm going downstairs to craft or to do work on my business. I'm trying out referring to the room as my office when I'm doing work. I showed Linus the logo concepts I got back from the designer and his favorite was the one everyone I've showed it to liked least. It has a lighthouse in it. It is pleasant to look at but has nothing to do with the business.

Sunshine and Clouds

It was a rough week in some ways. Linus threw so many tantrums this week. I think it is just a developmental phase coming with turning three soon.

We had a few really warm days and we played outside a lot. Linus found the first ladybug of the year and one day he played with a friend. They stacked rocks and grass in his wagon to make a giraffe habitat. He also had fun helping me water bushes and trees. He played a lot with the garden hose. He usually pretends he is watering zoo animals.

We were out in the car and drove by a CBS affiliate. He saw the logo and told me, "They sell eyes." When I asked, "They do?" He said, "Yes, to put on your face. And eyebrows to put above your eyes."

Over breakfast this morning we talked with Linus about giving up his pacifier. I told him that sometimes when a kid outgrows their bink, they give it to a baby. He quickly came back with, "The baby would tell me to keep it, its yours." The dentist told me he can see where sucking on the pacifier is starting to impact Linus' mouth. Linus won't hear any of it.

In the first picture, if you look closely, you'll see the very first letter Linus has ever written. He wrote an L. It is hard to see because he continued writing around it and the train shows through from the other side. Look near the train's eyes. Linus was using my mechanical pencil and he told me he wrote a letter. When I asked which one, he said an L. I went to look and was amazed that he had, indeed, written an L. Sure, it is backwards. It is still very exciting, especially since I haven't tried to teach him how to write yet.

In the second picture he is eating candy with the birthday girl. Barrett turned three and had a princess/knight-themed party. The kids all got dress up clothes to wear. Linus didn't know what a knight was. I said that knights protect the realm, help people in need, and get to ride horses.

The third picture shows him playing with sidewalk chalk on our patio.

All Sorts of Stuff

One of the limos


Linus waiting patiently for a look at Obama


Being super cute


If you watched any of the news about Obama being in Denver to sign the Recovery Act, well we were there! In the morning leading up to heading the one block to the Museum of Nature and Science to welcome our fine president, Linus kept bringing up the topic. Some of what he said included:
"Yay! Barack Obama will be happy to meet us."
"We'll clap and smile."
"Did the girls come? I really like them."
While smoothing down his shirt he said, "We are neat and tidy for Obama."
After saying that Obama might visit our house he said, "Maybe he'll want to use my crayons and draw a picture in my notebook. A picture of himself."
"What will he wear?" I said, "A suit and either a red or blue tie. Probably red today." (He did.)

As we walked to the museum we joined up with some neighbors and people who parked on our street for the big event. As a group we expressed our giddiness and debated from which way the motorcade would come and where should we stand. We stood very near the corner where the motorcade came from the north and then turned into the Museum drive. For it just being the motorcade and our not getting an actual Obama sighting, I was surprised by how emotional I was about it. It was hard to snap pictures, cheer, and wave all at the same time. There were three limos in the motorcade and I couldn't tell which one he was in. After the police let us cross the street to go back to City Park, we went and stood near the police tape that kept the people back from the Museum. We waited for a long time for an Obama sighting because we'd been told that Obama and Biden were going to see the solar panels on the roof. After waiting for over an hour I was finally able to convince Linus to go home.

The wind was terribly gusty and blowing dirt in our eyes. It was also rather cold. I thought the police standing guard there probably thought I was the one making Linus stay there in the cold, but instead it was he who had the courage or craziness to tough it out. He was sad about not seeing Obama. I knelt down to his level and talked with him about our both being disappointed, but wasn't it fun to welcome Obama to our Museum? He felt better then and we walked home.

Today at the bank Linus told the banker that Obama had been on tv and she was amazed that he knew who the president was. I just shrugged and said, "We talk about Obama a lot at home."

He and I have been running a number of errands to government and bank offices as I get my business started. I'm so proud of his behavior. At the Department of Revenue today he sat in a chair and read his magazine while I conducted my business. He behaves like a polite and well-mannered kid.

Preschool update: Linus didn't get in to either of the preschools to which we applied. Both schools require parents to commit early in March, so we'll see how far the schools get in their waiting lists. The especially bad news is that Linus is dead last on the waiting list at the Denver Cooperative Preschool, so odds aren't in his favor.

Preschool Disappointment

We received a letter today telling us Linus didn't get into Montview. I'm very disappointed. If I'm going to part with Linus, that was the place I'd want him to be. His friend Chase got in. I'm sure his other two friends got in because they both have older brothers already attending there. Life isn't always fair. One sweet thing on this topic: two of the moms had told me recently that they really hoped Linus would be in class with their daughters. I'm pleased that they feel that way about him.

I signed Linus up for a program at the Denver Firefighters Museum. We attended for the first time today. There were five boys attending. They started by playing on a rug with toy fire trucks. Then the teacher, Miss Bree, read a story about rhinos being fire fighters. She talked to them about what things have fire (matches, candles, stoves) and to stay away from them. Then they watched a little video about what to do if fire gets on their clothing. They did a fun activity to practice the stop, drop, and roll procedure. She stuck flames on them made of felt and then they took turns rolling around on a mat to get the fire off. For a craft they colored a picture of Sparky, the teaching character that fire stations use, glued a colored flame on him, glued him to a rolled up piece of construction paper, and they each can practice stop, drop, and roll with Sparky.

On the way home I complimented Linus on his courteous behavior. He listened to the teacher and did what she asked. A couple of the other kids played with the toys when they weren't supposed to and talked instead of paying attention.