What's New with the Kids

Thomas the Tank Engine's popularity is waning in the house. There is no forerunner in the race for his replacement, but Blue's Clues and Bob the Builder are neck and neck. Blue might even have the edge. A typical day is spent watching at least one of the clue hunts with either Joe or Steve (we like Steve better.) The kids even have their own handy-dandy notebooks, even if they don't have a picture of the Thinking Chair on the cover. But they both delight in carrying around the notebooks and drawing in them. Until they draw on the fridge and I am forced to ask, why? for the 18th time that day. But I think I figured it out. Picture this: The littlest one dragging me into the kitchen all excited. He's jabbing his chubby little finger at the fridge, yapping away. My brain is ignoring him, focusing instead on the crayon mark that wasn't there a few minutes ago, because I had just washed it off. As I start to ask why he wrote on the fridge, again, I realize what he is saying to me. "A clue! A clue!" Just like his friends, Blue and Steve.