Monkey Bean-Sprouts: Catching Up on the Kids

With two toddlers life is speeding by and I can't seem to keep track. So here's what's new (ish) from the last 2 months:

Eowyn:

She has more teeth! Two incisors up top, an new front bottom tooth, and something else on the bottom coming in.
She's talking up a storm using whole sentences and phrases, and has finally learnt both Liam's name and her own. (LeeeeAM!) She actually knows the names of most important people in her life, which includes Aunts, at least one uncle, grandparents and some friends (many of Liam's!) Favorite words and phrases these days - I don't wannit! Let GOOO! I want oussiide, numnum, I wanna go poddy, where's nanight? (her pacifier is now called nanight because she associated it with bed and going nanight), where's the witch?, witch ousside!
She's running, climbing and jumping like you wouldn't believe, thanks to her big brother who's always one step ahead.
The most recent toy obsession in the this house is puzzles. I guess everything comes and goes in waves, but after Academic Travel James came back with 2 new wooden puzzles - 36 piece ones probably good for 5 and up. Liam was mildly frustrated and needed help the first time, and now does both in a shorter time than it takes James (maybe even myself!). Eowyn, despite the fact that puzzles are really new for her and pretty challenging, insists on doing these puzzles too - except it's really me doing them, and her helping. She has figured out one technique to putting pieces together (the female end into the male seems to be the only visual cue), so if you give her the right pieces she gets some place.
With Liam is school in the mornings it has been interesting seeing her try and figure out what she wants to do when he's gone. She's not developed as many games as he has, and sometimes, especially in the first weeks, she seemed a bit unsure of what to do next. I do like that I have a bit of time just with her though, and she's definitely figuring it out more now.
Now, instead of one head poking out the bathroom window, you'll often see two, but more so, you'll hear them shouting and greeting the neighbourhood. Eowyn does a very giovial "Ciao!" when she's out at the supermarket, or peering out the window. She sometimes even says it like the locals: "ma ciao!" Or today: "Ecco! Ciao!" I've also heard a "gracie" come out of her.

Liam:
School has been an interesting transition. At first, from day one we had a very smooth transition. He started school on Sept 4th and not a tear has been shed about it. He did the first week coming home at 11:30am, and from the second on has been staying till after lunch for a 1:20pm pick up. This has in general worked out fairly well, though Eowyn had to adjust a bit to a later nap, and she's always desperate to stay at school with him, but can't!
Around 2 weeks in we had our first incident at school. Liam came home in a different shirt because he had a blood nose. The teacher wasn't clear about what exactly happened, but said she thought a boy must have pushed him. Thankfully Liam is as articulate as he is, and he told me that a boy threw a pine cone at his face. He had a blood nose and a cut above his eye. He seemed ok at pick up, but over the next 10 days it seems the same little boy was picking on him, and each day Liam told me of something the boy did that wasn't kind and made him cry. It was my first true experience with bringing out the mama bear instincts. Definitely a bit of a process for all of us in this house, but Liam needed to do quite a lot of processing about this issue of being bullied. We talked extensively about his part and what he could do to feel empowered and yet not add to the problem. I'm grateful to say that after our long weekend away he went back to school and reported to me that same day that "the mean boy was nice today!" were his exact words. And for the next few days I received the same report. it seems there are other kids that he has had little issues with, but thankfully it doesn't seem like a targeted thing anymore.
We also had our first moments of him not wanting to go to school around that same time, so we were glad to see his enthusiasm for school wasn't squashed by the experience.
He seems to enjoy the activities and games they play. He tells me of songs, and games, and lets me know when he's been painting me a picture. The teachers don't offer a lot of feedback, but for the most part it seems he listens, as best he can, and picks up what's happening based on visual cues and what others are doing. He has also begun to pick up a little Italian, though to tell you the truth, he hangs around with his old friends who all speak English. (Drake, Isla, and Stirling are all in the same class with Simona and Christina as their teachers, and Elle and Calvin are in the other class) He currently counts very well up to 12 in Italian, and uses certain words or phrases around meals. (Gracie, Prego, finito, anche io)
We are still hanging on, by a thread, to naps, but everything with Liam is a negotiation. Sometimes I find it exhausting trying to argue why for each thing! We may have a lawyer in the making!

Eowyn and Liam are getting on fairly well but are also in the phase of wanting what each other has, so we have lots of struggles and lots of shouts and tears in the house these days. It's not a quiet time, that's for sure. Despite the classic struggle over toys and sharing, I have seen some amazing big brother moments in Liam, when he has checked in to make sure Eowyn was ok, or offered her his high chair when she was in tears about where she was sitting. He has a natural tendency to protect her, even though sometimes it aggravates us as he behaves like he is a parent too. He definitely is looking out for her, and that's encouraging. And she looks up to him and wants to do what he does and be where he is, for better or worse!

Playing Dress up in Liam's winter drawer!

Baby bellies - they were pretending to be pregnant, with balls

Liam's school symbol is the pear - I had to sew it onto all the required school items, including: a painting smock, bib, towel, bag, gym shorts and t-shirt, and gym shoes (well the gym stuff I just drew it on the labels)

First day of school - Pick up time - all the kids lined up to go in after playing outside

Liam's first day of school seems to be a success!

Ready to leave the house for school (Eowyn calls it 'cool) - Day 2

A sassy little girl at the playground for friend Iona's second birthday

"Makkerrs" are popular these days, mostly for tasting though at least there were a few scribbles!

Yeeeha! They love these toy rides, even though to this day they've never been in one that's actually on!

Another dress up day for Liam - he has such an amazing imagination for games to play on his own - here it was a diving expedition and he needed all this gear to protect him from the corral!