Want it. Say, "I don't want it!"

Joshua got the idea in his head that when he doesn't want something, whether it be a half-eaten plum or Skarloey the train, he should hand it to someone else and say, "Want it!" He would become very frustrated when we didn't understand why he would claim to want something he clearly did not seem to want. We eventually figured out that he probably got this idea because I would often offer him a piece of fruit or whatever and say, "Want it?" Maybe he thought that every time I offered him something, it was because I didn't want it? Who knows.

We naturally corrected him each time he professed to want something he didn't want. "Want it!" Joshua would whine. "Say, 'I don't want it'" would be our rejoinder. This went on for several weeks. Now, whenever Joshua gives us something that he doesn't want, he will rehash this oft-spoken conversation, even mimicking our tone of voice when we correct him, saying, "Want it. Say, I don't want it!" And as you might imagine, we are reluctant to correct him yet again for fear that he might start saying, "No, don't say want it say I don't want it, just say I don't want it" every time he doesn't want something!

Two fans... no! One fan.

The boys are always counting things these days. In their fervor, however, they usually will either skip a few of the items they're enumerating or count more items than actually exist. For example, Joshua was in the habit of counting 2 fans when in fact we only have one. We would correct him each time, saying "No, one fan." So now, whenever Joshua feels the urge to announce the number of fans we have in our house, he always says, "Two fans... no! One fan."

Swimming

The boys love going to the pool. Caleb will often bring me a pair of his swim diapers, hold them up to his crotch, and beg "pool? pool? swimmy pool, Mommy?" Upon arrival at the pool, the boys only get so far as the through the gate and onto the deck before they hurriedly kick off their shoes and make a dash for the pool's edge. Our tradiiton is to first go in the "big pool" and then when break is called, we migrate (reluctantly, and often not without a screaming fit), to the "baby pool".

Joshua started off the Summer as the more adventurous fish-like twin, but at this point Caleb seems to have surpassed him. In fact, Caleb doesn't even like for us to hold his hand when we are in deep water. Instead, he prefers to have us help keep him afloat by grabbing the back of his swim suit, leaving his arms free to paddle and his legs free to kick. Joshua will tolerate this, too, but generally prefers to have us hold his hand while he treads water. Neither of them are yet comfortable with being fully submered, although they do love being splashed in the face.

Today we discovered that the boys are tall enough to stand in the shallow end of the big pool, making my job significantly easier, since juggling two squirmy 30-something pound toddlers in the water is not an easy task. They can climb out of the pool all by themselves, and are learning to jump in by themselves, too. When we are in the baby pool they will put their hands on the bottom of the pool and practice kicking their legs behind them, and are very proud to show off their skill. If we can only teach them to not swallow water when they put their heads under, I am optimistic that they will be swimming before the end of Summer.