pace is working hard, too

that day i spent moving gravel, pace was outside with me all day, carrying bucket after bucket of gravel...somewhere.  i had no idea until the end of the day, and i came in the garage and found a huge plastic bin filled with gravel, and about 5 smaller buckets lined up in front, also full.  i came out to take a photo a few days later, but pace had already busily moved things around, and started filling another bucket with pea gravel.

i came up one afternoon to find max in the closet and x's and the boy's names drawn all over the closet doors, x's on the boy's bedroom door, and even the wall outside their bedroom.  this was the first time this had happened--our boys are really, really good boys and have never drawn on anything other than paper, have never ripped up books, etc.  i asked pace what in the world he was thinking, and he said he told max to go in the closet and drew x's so he wouldn't come out.  i told him i was very disappointed, especially that he knew what was right and wrong.  i told him to sit in his room and think about why he did what he did.  a little while later i heard him moving around, and asked what he was doing (i.e.., i haven't told you you can move, what's going on?!), and he said he was getting the magic sponge (a magic eraser--the boys love to use these to clean smudges off the walls on cleaning days) out of the bathroom to clean up.  i was impressed he thought of that on his own!  "great idea!  what would have been a better solution to draw x's somewhere?"  "ummm, i think i could get paper and draw on that and maybe tape it where i want it."  as long as he was thinking of solutions, and cleaning up his messes, i didn't see it worth a further punishment.

it took way longer to clean up than draw.  pace kept telling me he would get tired, and it was boring cleaning up.  i told him too bad, he made the mess, and he had to clean it up.  and nothing fun until it was clean.  max decided he would help, too, so they could get the cleaning out of the way and start having fun again.

i also spent that monday polysanding the cobblestone landing and stairs and the first walkway.  we still had to finish building, flagstoning, and polysanding the stairs.  by tuesday.  yeah, that didn't happen.