Cleopatra

We have a ground hog (we think) that really likes the nuts in our yard.  And more than our yard, he likes our neighbor's yard even better.  I don't know if it's a girl or a boy but our neighbors had a discussion one day and gave her about seven names, one of them being, "Cleopatra."

We have deer too and the like our neighbor's yard as well and the great thing about that is that their back yard is visible from our bedroom windows and bathroom.  So we watch them in the morning and our children come to see what they're foraging for and it makes everyone excited to see wild animals so close.

One morning we saw a fawn, or a very young deer more likely because there were almost no spots left, curled up at the base of a tree next door.  He (or she) was quite close to our windows.  We all looked at him and he watched us as we moved from one window to the other, but he wasn't alarmed.   In a while, he got up and walked back down the hill into the woods calmly.

The Big Boy Update:  Playroom sneaker.  Tonight, just now in fact, my husband was waiting in the children's room for them to calm down and go to sleep.  He told me that he sensed my son only waiting for him to leave so that he could get out of bed and go to the playroom.  Sure enough, when daddy got up and left, he made a break for it.  After two attempts, my husband decided if he wasn't tired, he could play quietly in the room.  Usually, when this happens, he brings in his blanket and pillow and falls asleep later on the floor.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Stool pusher.  There is a small stool my daughter pushes all around the house so she can climb up on it and see what you're doing at this counter or that counter or bookshelf.  Tonight, she helped (or tried to help) daddy and me make our adult beverages for Halloween tomorrow.  She mostly "stirred" water in a cup.  But she was happy.