Evolution of language (or at least of the pronunciation of the language): Caitlyn used to say “fan-gees” for “sandwich”. Today I discovered that her word for “sandwich” had the initial “s” sound, which made me realize that she’s been saying “fandawich” instead of “fan-gees” for a while now. For lunch, we had grilled cheese “fandawich”, some with “potatoes” (Caitlyn’s word for “tomatoes” – yes, it’s confusing), which made our fingers messy, so we needed a “napkawin”.

The garden is winding down. I dug out the last of the potatoes today and wished, again, that I’d been keeping track of how many pounds we grew. I gave today’s collection of green beans to the neighbors, since I’ve decided that 5 quarts in the freezer is enough. There are more than 2 pints of sun-dried tomatoes in the fridge, and bowls of tomatoes on the counter waiting to be converted into pasta sauce. Ian is responsible for eating the paprika and mariachi peppers – they’ve both turned out to be too hot for me. Tomorrow, I’ll check on …

Caitlyn appears to have grasped the concept of holding hands when crossing streets or parking lots… she likes to hold her own hands, leaving me hunched over at all awkward angles to grip her elbow. Even if I’m carrying her, she’ll hold her own hands, fingers interlaced, and lecture me about the importance of holding hands. All together now: “Awwwwww….”

Caitlyn is exploring doing things herself. The other day, this happened during a game of Flop. (To play Flop, first be sure you have lots of throw pillows piled just at the end of your mattress on the floor. Stand near the head of your bed and say, “Mama push me,” then wait for your parent to gently push you forward into the pile of pillows. Shriek with laughter.) After picking herself up, pushing the pillows back together, she’d come to the head of her bed and instead of asking to be pushed, she’d say, “Caitlyn push me.” Then she’d …

While this year marked Caitlyn’s second Fourth of July, this was the first year we actually attempted to notice the holiday. We spent yesterday afternoon by Lake Washington, where Caitlyn occasionally put her toes in the water when she could be pried away from the sand. She jumped in the sand, she ran in the sand, she fell down in the sand, she shoveled the sand, she carried the sand. She also asked whatever family member was handy, “I need more water, PEAS!” I’m feeling particularly pleased with myself for being aggressive about the sunscreen, even remembering to reapply it …

We have 2+ quarts of homegrown peas in the freezer. I think maybe I’ll get another quart from the plants before they call it quits. Time to start thinking of what goes in the pea-space in the garden… Caitlyn really likes the ABC song, although she has her own version of it. “Little Tiny ABCs” goes something like: “A B C D E F G, um, uh, um, Next time won’t you sing at me.” If Ian or I sing it with her, she dips in and out of it, dropping out around M N O P and coming back …