These last few days of summer

The temperatures are beginning to drop, and so we are enjoying more time outside. Even though Lola's spoken vocabulary is expanding each day, she is also still signing. In fact, she recently created her own sign for "outside." It involves her crossing her arms and shrieking while looking at a window. Sometimes she crosses her arms, shrieks, and then runs to the front door and pounds on it. (You know, just in case I missed the arm crossing and shrieking the first time around.)



Lola is still in love with her little house. Recently, she decided to take up indoor mowing.



Just about every day, we go for a little walk in our neighborhood. She loves these little walks.


The other day, when I was home alone with her, she signed that she wanted to go outside. I told her that we couldn't go out right then and there because I had to finish washing the dishes/ fold laundry/clean something. So then, she walks over to stroller and starts pushing it around while signing and shrieking. I explained again that we weren't going outside.

Then, she goes and finds Archie's dog leash. She places it on his back. He starts howling, jumping, and whining, excited at the prospect of a walk. She runs to her stroller, pushing it while shrieking. I just stood there, incredulous. I couldn't believe that she did that. She used Archie against me. They totally outnumbered me. I couldn't mentally handle both a shrieking signing toddler and a howling beast. Somehow they figured it out. THEY ARE ON THE SAME TEAM.

So, I caved and took them outside. I was totally manipulated by a dog and a toddler, but it was sweet and it wasn't like I fed them giant ice cream sundaes.