Eli loves playing with the Fredricks’ lock puzzle. He drifted off while Donné was visiting, and when she went to find him he was having some fun with the locks.

I said to Grace, “Gracie, we need to practise the “th” sounds tonight,” and she said no, she is not going to practice them. So I say to her, “Grace, we’re not going to read stories until we’ve practised out sounds.” She thinks this is very unreasonable and frustrated says, “Dad, you’re a brick.”

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be cross, but given her behaviour leading up to it she didn’t get the benefit of the doubt and there were no stories at all tonight, and a lesson on how calling people names is rude. I’m not sure where she picked up the “brick” from, but she did think it was very funny and hearing her say it was rather funny.

I smiled when I was watching Eli yesterday. He picked up one of the plastic eggs, gave it a good whack, whack on the counter and then tried to crack it into a bowl. It is just not as satisfying with a plastic egg. He didn’t get to crack real eggs, but he did get to peel a hard boiled one today.

Grace ate her supper really well and Donné said she could have some dessert when Eli was finished his supper. Eli was taking his time and cruising around and Donné said, “Just one more piece of pasta.” Grace picks up the pasta, grabs Eli by the head and tries to feed it to him saying, “Do it for Gracie!”

Eli and Liam took the pink scooter for a ride together and had a cuddle

Everyone having some fun building together (when they were not moaning about who had the tool/truck/wheel/etc.)

Father’s day’s have come and gone without too much fanfare, but today was different. It is just not a day that I’m fussed about, so I’m not really worried if anyone else makes a fuss about it or not. Yet, for some reason when I got out of bed this morning, and the first thing Grace said to me was, “Happy Father’s day, daddy,” and then later she said, “Today I really love you,” and then she brought out all the cards she and Donné had made, and gave me the gift Donné got for me, I just felt really loved, and special, and cared for. I love my family and I am blessed to have them. Thank you for making today special.

And thank you dad, for loving me. I love you dad.

Eli, the smooth operator

We had the lovely opportunity to go and meet Emma Bradshaw today. Grace says, “She’s so cute!” and “Look at her thumb, it’s so small.”

Thomas made a paper plane for Grace at school today and when she took it out into the garden she was worried it was going to fly over the wall. Donné says to her, “Grace, it won’t fly over the wall, there is no way that it will go over.”

Grace, in the wisdom of a 5 year old, says, “Yes it will go over,” marches up to the wall and throws it over….and then has a meltdown that the paper plane has gone over the wall and is lost forever. Sigh.

Fortunately it was pretty easy to get back. Unfortunately I’m unsure if life lesson sank in, even though we did try to emphasise how she decided to do something silly and hurt her own feelings. My words to her were, “Don’t be stubborn to the point of hurting yourself.”