It's Raining!!

This afternoon after lunch we all went together to walk Amelie in the woods down the street. The trees were so beautiful, and the air was crisp and fresh. I wish I could paint, because I really want to paint the trees. About halfway through our walk it started raining a little bit, and by the time we were done it was raining pretty good (a torrential downpour in SoCal terms). It was so nice to be outside and feel the rain, and even better since we were in the woods. When we got home the bread that Esther was making was almost done, so it smelled inviting and homey when we walked through the door. Now I'm just sitting in my room (Amelie is right next to me in her little bed) with the blinds open, watching and listening to the rain. It's fantastic. The only thing that makes me sad is that I know by the time it's done raining (it's supposed to rain all week) a lot of the trees will be almost naked. It's ok, though. I've got a lot of pictures, and leaves, and I know that in winter it will still be beautiful.

I think Gustav is starting to pick up on English a little more, at least in terms of understanding what I'm saying. He's reluctant, though. Basically what he can understand is what he needs to understand in order to realize he can't have something until he does something else. For example, tonight he threw a book at me while I was cleaning up the kitchen. I grabbed the book and walked away with it, and he started crying and pulling on my pants and trying to scratch me. After I smacked him in the arm with the book (don't worry, it only weighed about as much as a mouse turd) he stopped trying to scratch me and demanded that I give the book back. I asked if he was going to throw it at me, and he said yes. So I told him no, I won't give it back if he's going to throw it at me. He stopped crying and said "Ok, ich mache dass nicht mehr." I asked him if he was sure he wasn't going to throw it at me, and he was, so I gave it back and he walked away. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Usually when he's angry and I try to say something to him he just gets more pissed off because he doesn't understand me and doesn't want to. But he seems to be realizing that there are some benefits to listening to me. I'm still waiting for the kids to start using English words regularly, but as I well know, it's a lot easier to understand than it is to speak a new language.