M-I-L-K and other adventures in Independence

The echo of "I do it!" lingers around our house these days so much so that it feels like you can still hear it on the rare occasions the house is empty of kids. Our man is striving for his independence for sure. He is also learning an astonishing amount. In one very scary incident amid our hectic morning routine, I spelled out the word milk to Kieran, to inquire whether we had packed it among our things for the day. And, Callum said "I don't want milk!" We have to assume that he has started to associate M-I-L-K with milk rather than actually know how to spell it. But, we both stood stock still, parents caught at their own tricks.
The littlest elf is also working his way toward independence. He's moving in circles on his belly now and working hard to pull himself toward things he interested in. The other day in the middle of some frantic "I wanna reach it" activity he managed to fall and hit his eye on one of Callum's toys with a sharp edge. You can't really see it in this picture but he did get a cut above his right eye, poor thing. These are the kinds of things that NEVER happen to oldest children, mostly because such dangerous things would never end up within their reach. So, I suppose it is an initiation of sorts.

Us parents are bracing ourselves for the next round of 'independence adventures'...