This Week....

Things have been slow but steady in the Petrini home this week. Besides the usually bumps and bruises the kids sustain from falling down, playing too hard and just not paying attention to the table you just walked into, things are going well...accept it seems that every week, my kids are changing. They are growing up, and it is amazing the things they learn in just one week:

Last week, Bella did not know how to point to her nose, head, ears, eyes and tummy when you ask her where they are. She also didn't use any of the baby signs I have been teaching her until the last few days. It seems it has finally clicked in her head when she uses the sign for "more" she gets more food, or "please" when she wants something else or "milk" when she is thirsty. She also didn't know that she could be such a stinker when she decided to throw all her food on the floor...at every meal now. She thinks she is so funny and doesn't realize yet that I don't appreciate it. Have you every tried to clean up mashed banana's from the floor before...not fun.

Last week, Ben didn't know who Sponge Bob Square Pants is, (and I still haven't figured out how he knows what that show is anyway because I have never let him watch it.) He also didn't know how to make his bed properly and how to fold a blanket...the fun way (now he wants to fold the blanket 10 times before we can actually put it away.) He also didn't know until now the power of money and what you can do with it. I've been letting Ben earn money by helping me around the house, and by being a good boy on special occasions. We have a goal chart on the fridge, and every time he does something to help me or Bella, without being asked, I let him fill-in a square on his goal chart. Each square is worth some money, and since we've been working on it for a month or so now, he finally finished the chart and earned $4. He also had some other money saved up and so on Thursday, John's Aunt took us to a thrift shop and all Ben could do was talk about what he wanted to buy with his money. I told him, he could buy whatever he wanted as long as he paid for it. We found lots of great stuff, along with more Thomas trains and tracks. It was a great teaching experience for me to show him that he couldn't have everything he wanted because he only had a few dollars. So he carefully picked out the things he didn't really want or need and put them back himself, and he picked the toy he really wanted. When we approached the counter, he was so pleased with himself as he gave his money to the cashier. He even counted the dollars as he gave it to her. I wish i had my camera..it was so sweet. When John got home, Ben didn't waste time showing him what he bought and how cool it was and that he bought it with his own money.

What a differnce a week can make!