My girls

Avery..

gives perfect "closed-mouth" kisses when she's in the mood

loves to point at the pictures in books, after she's unloaded the whole bookshelf on the floor

drinks her bottles in record time

utilized a unique rendition of crawling to get places quickly (her right leg is extended to the side and she uses her foot instead of her knee, it's kind of hard to explain)

says "uh-oh" every time she or someone else drops something

pushes cars on the floor while making a "vrrrroooom" sound effect

always has her hair in her face, unless mom has succeeded in putting a clip or rubber band in, which isn't very often

would crawl around all day on the pavement in the cul-de-sac (ouch!) if I'd let her

needs more sleep than her sister

understands and usually obeys when I say "sit on your bottom" (in the bathtub)

throws her bink back in her crib when she wakes up


Presley...

always has a bruise somewhere on her forehead (she doesn't understand "sit on your bottom" yet)

gives sweet, open-mouth kisses like Caleb used to do

loves to take her time drinking her bottle

shakes her head back and forth and smiles when I tell her "no"

is an early riser, takes forever to fall asleep for her naps, and is always the second one to bed at night

enjoys cuddling, especially before I put her in her crib

crawls well, but is pretty slow and methodical (her dad thinks she resembles a robot)

almost has both her two front teeth

is a daddy's girl

has begun to follow her sister as she walks around furniture

They both...

love to dance to the sound of just about anything

adore their big brother

have begun to play together and entertain each other, giggle together and kiss each other

let me know when they've had enough of each other and want mom to come rescue them

aren't content to just sit in the jogger stroller anymore, and if I give them a toy to hold it better be the same toy for each of them or a battle for the best toy will begin

understand the words "be soft" (something I have to remind them when they start tackling one another)

know and can point to where mom's or Caleb's eyes are

terrorize Jack

can scream in a very high-pitched tone, especially during mealtimes

are going to be ONE year old in a week!

My 3 1/2 year old

For the last two weeks, Caleb's been going to preschool and oh, how I wish I could be a fly on the wall during those three hours. He gets in the car after his day, smiles and tells me it was "good" and then no matter how many questions I ask on the way home, he doesn't have much more to say...until he decides he's ready. Brushing teeth before bed the other night he told me they say "different prayers" at school, "A B C prayers". On another random occasion he said, "Mom, Joshua was wearing a Handy Manny shirt at school!" Or, "Mom, I did my first painting at school today." If he's in the right mood, I can usually get a few more tidbits of information out of him like how he used purple, not yellow paint. One time it was "Mom, did you tell Mrs. Dunston AND Mrs. Johnson that I could go to the bathroom by myself?" He hadn't said his teacher's names until then, and it caught me off guard!
It makes me so happy that he is having a new experience with different people that he is beginning to trust. My heart overflows with emotion when he kisses me goodbye and jumps out of the car, holding on to his teacher's hand and not even looking back. I am proud of the 3 1/2 year old he's become and yet, wow, is he already old enough to be walking away from me like that? We saw one of his teachers in the hardware store and he was a little shy as she talked to us, but I could also tell he was so pleased that we saw HIS teacher. My Caleb is growing up so fast!

It was Caleb's request last spring that we grow a watermelon plant along with our tomato plants. The plant ended up taking over our small garden area, but produced only one good sized melon. It was pretty sweet, very juice and extremely fun to watch him eat what we grew!

Is it already time to eat again?

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, this is just a journal entry for myself so I can look back on it and be grateful I am past this stage (although I think this activity lasts for years...) It seems like I get both girls cleaned up (which includes hands, faces, ears, necks and hair) after they eat, along with their trays, their chairs, and the floor and I turn around and it's time to do it all over again! Also, other than the fact they are adorable and great eaters, the actual activity we do 3 times a day isn't all that enjoyable for me either. I haven't figured out how to feed three kids and myself all at the same time. Usually Caleb is whining, both girls are screaming for more and I'm running around the kitchen like a maniac. So, does anyone have any helpful suggestions?

A Mover and a Sitter!

A mover and a sitter! It's a good thing it's not two movers because I have really needed the refresher course on what a mobile baby means - and I'm glad I'm relearning before I have TWO eating dog food, going for the staircase, hanging onto my ankles and getting caught under the furniture!

Good purchase!

Because I can't realistically take all three kids to the swimming pool, I thought it would be fun to purchase this water playmat I saw in a catalog...I think it's going to be the best $19.95 I'll spend all summer! And yes, I bought the fun water thing before I bought bathing suits for the girls! When the hose is hooked up to it and turned on, water sprays up everywhere. That was Caleb's favorite part of course but the girls couldn't decide. They loved just hanging out in the little pool of water after the spray was gone, kicking and splashing. We all had a great time!

Our neighbors have a great swing set that they let us use whenever we want and in the late afternoon the trees in their yard provide some shade. So we braved the humidity and the mosquitos (yes, it's only the first week of June!) and had some fun taking pictures. The girls love to swing, especially when Caleb pushes them!

Here are "during" and "after" bathtime shots of Avery. Don't you just want to squeeze her? (I do all the time!) Now that the girls are sitting on their own I think I'll be able to give them baths more often (I think). The poor girls hardly know what it's like to be in the water cause I don't get them in the bathtub more than once a week! I still can't bathe them together though and I didn't feel comfortable taking my hands off Presley yet to get a good picture of her.