Boston

Austin has learned what rhyming means and has fun throughout the day trying out words that rhyme. First I taught him some examples of words that rhyme and then he slowly started getting it. He doesn't always get it right...he is also learning opposites and sometimes confuses them. So he will say "tall and short rhyme." And I will say no, and then he says "They are opposites". A lot of time he makes up a word to rhyme with a real word, and he especially loves saying words with "m". For example, he will say "mommy, munderwear rhymes with underwear", "med rhymes with bed" etc. The other day he said "mommy, chinese rhymes with my knees". I thought that one was pretty good. Lately it has gone from a fun game to correction time. I will say something like "Austin, please take your bowl to the sink" and he will respond with "no, mommy mink!". He will replace a word with a "rhyming word" (usually that starts with m) and "correct" me.

Lately he has developed this even further into an alter ego. One of the first rhyming pairs he learned was Austin and Boston ( one of the few things we could think of that rhymed with Austin). But now whenever he is not obeying or I correct him for something, I usually say "Austin!...whatever he needs to correct" and he will respond "Boston!" or "no, sorry mommy it's Boston". At first it was funny, but sometimes it comes with quite a sassy attitude, which has needed discipline. But he is only Boston when he is in trouble, so I think it is some way of trying to shuffle the blame off of himself. It pretty clever I guess, but not keeping him out of time out :).

Here are a few more snow pictures. I let Bennett venture a little bit into the snow. He liked it, but would cry after a few minutes when he got too cold. Then a few minutes later would want to be right back out there.