"Go to sleep?"

We've gotten into a routine since I've been home this summer: we go out for a late morning run or walk or bike ride and then we come home and Elena takes a nap. Elena goes down for her nap very easily when we do this (and sometimes she is asleep by the time we get home).

I never bring along my ipod on these walks, because Elena always wants to talk. We talk at length about all the stuff she sees and our plans for the day or week. Often, there comes a point where she'll break from whatever topic we're on to say, "Go to sleep?"
"That's fine, honey."
And then she does.

She also asks to go to sleep at times in the car. On the other side of things, sometimes when we're driving home I'll say, "It's time to go to sleep, Elena." Often, she says, "Okay," and then she does!

Whole Wheat Udon Noodles

Erich really enjoys making udon noodles from scratch. The last time he made them, I convinced him to use whole wheat (actually, he normally does that) and to make a bunch so we could dry them. These are the noodles drying.

Self-regulating toddler? What?

Elena was being upset on the bed because I wouldn't let her take her open cup of iced tea onto the bed. I was minding my own business folding laundry when she said, "top creaming?"
"What was that?"
"Stop screaming?"
Huh? "You want to stop screaming?"
Big nod.
"Okay, honey, you can stop screaming whenever you want."
At that, she calmed down and moved on to another activity. Odd, eh?

New Blog Location

Due to factors related to our moving, we will no longer be hosting our own blog. So this is the new location! Welcome!