The Brookston Family Blog
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While Sarah was out taking care of some errands, I gave the kids their bath. They had a quick bath and were just looking adorable to me, but then I’m just a little biased.

Alice at bathtime.

Porter with Henry, the green engine.

Alice brushes her teeth.

While Porter tries to eat a boat.

Alice has learned to make a raspberry and will happily spray for minutes at a time. Porter has also picked up the habit again, and often joins in on the spraying. So when an episode of Kipper today featured all the characters imitaing a boat motor sound, the kids enthusiastically joined in and ran around the room like motor boats spraying up water in their wake.

Porter and Alice perform their motor boat impression.

Alice climbs the sofa as an Evinrude.

Porter’s raspberry.

Alice’s tongue calisthenics.

Say it, don’t spray it.

While Porter or his clone put away his track, Alice watched the Wiggles and drew on her Doddle Pro. She wasn’t even looking at what she was drawing, that’s how confident her art has become.

Multi-tasking again.

At some point this morning, Porter announced that he wanted — that’s wanted mind you — to clean up his blue track layout in the living room. And he proceeded to do just that. He got out the boxes and dismantled the track. He put every bit of the track, the engines and cars, and the buildings away. He even took apart the tunnel so that it fit back in the box. It was amazing. The only remaining question is who is this child?

Opening the box for the track.

Putting away the first piece of track.

Taking it all apart to put it away.

The three of us eventually share a corn muffin this morning. First Porter nibbled a bit on it and then I gave Alice a few small bites. But that didn’t satisfy her. She wanted the whole thing. History has taught me that if I had given in the whole corn muffin would have been strewn around the room in tiny little pieces and I would have had to drag out the vacuum cleaner. So I put it on the dining table out of her reach. Or so I thought. Next thing I knew she had somehow climbed up on top of the table in order to get to the muffin. So I ate the muffin to difuse the situation.

Alice triumphant after her arduous ascent of Mt. Table, resting for the final push to reach the prize: the golden muffin.

I wish I could say this sunrise greeted us as I came downstairs with the kids this morning, but it was another grey, rainy day in Marin.

Alice and Porter at O’dark-thirty this morning.