Yardwork Day

This isn't going to be a blog about yardwork, because Owen woke up early from his nap and is now roaming around the couch attempting to burrow under us.

This is our break, Owen. You're supposed to sleep until 4:00, and we can read and write and drowse in the living room in the peace and cool stillness of the air conditioning.

Instead he began shrieking at 2:30. He'd spilled his entire sippy cup in his crib (I haven't changed his sheets yet) and was a mess of soggy clothes, runny nose, and Smith-boy sweaty mussed hair. For a golden moment I thought he was going to fall asleep between us when I brought him downstairs.

Instead he's been climbing up the side of the couch and then taking flying leaps on top of J (who is making a determined effort to remain asleep), chattering away about Old MacDonald, and now dragging a blanket around the dining room...and now crying again because he tripped on the blanket and fell on his face.

Here's a transcript:
"Do you want to look at the animals on the blanket?"
"No!!!! AHHH!"
<Runs over to the couch sobbing and buries his face in his hands, pounds his fist.>
"NOOO!!! AHHH!!!!"
<Runs back to J, pulls imploringly on her dress>
"You're going to have to use your words. What do you want?"
"Do you want some water?"
"Nah."
"Do you want a snack?"
"Uh."
"Do you want some fruit?"
"Uh."
"Do you want a plum?"
"Nah."
"Do you want a banana?"
"Uh."
"Okay, I'm going to put the blanket back on the couch..."
"NOOO!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So anyway, I did some yardwork which was mildly interesting this morning, but I can't remember any of it over the sound of banana-deprived shrieks. I think I picked up some bits of old shredded shingles that the boys had pushed around in a dumptruck, and I definitely did some weeding and trimmed the big bushy shrub in front.

In the time that it took me to write that paragraph Owen has somehow moved from the high chair to the kitchen, where he standing on a chair wearing an apron and eating bits of raw sweet potato.

I might go back outside and work in the yard some more.