it's the little things...

Buddy Bear! Happy birthday! I can't believe my baby is two. I'm not sure how that happened. We've all been very busy; I guess life just sneaks up on you. So what are you like at 2? Pretty awesome. You still have strawberry blonde hair but it seems very blonde underneath. We're letting you keep it a little long these days. Daddy shockingly said it suits you. I thought he'd want to give you a business haircut as soon as possible. I am taking you and your sister for a trim on Saturday so maybe we'll go slightly more dramatic then. You're still a skinny minny. I think you're going to take after me in build except that you'll have your daddy's long torso. My big head, though. And my long fingers and toes. You wear size 7 shoes and still fit best into 18-month clothes. Your well visit isn't until next week so we'll see how you're doing then. (Yep, you're a little thing--34" (48%) and 25 lb 9 oz (20%). But you se...

Oh, little girl. I can't believe time just keeps flying by. You're 3 1/2. As we're planning your brother's birthday party, you tell me that you want a princess party yourself. That is not at all shocking but we'll see what happens over the next six months. I'm also excited because there is a very high probability of a new baby being born today and he'll be exactly 3 1/2 years younger than you. I can't wait for him to get here! What to say about you? You're a pretty awesome kid. You're so smart and verbal. And very, very chatty. You have such empathy and are really kind to the younger kids. You're going to make a great momma one day since you mother your brother. Sometimes too much but we're working on that. You're really well-behaved and people seem to enjoy you. You do whine more than I'd like and pitch a few fits but those are way down. You are still not the most athletic but you're really enjoying the pool ...

My kids get along pretty well. She looks out for him, and he's sometimes helpful. They're really interacting a lot more these days as he's a legitimate toddler and no longer a baby. On the weekends, they have started napping together. First, let me say that this is awesome because they nap AT THE SAME TIME. When he was still taking two naps, he'd wake up as she was going down and she'd wake up as he was going down again. Now? Family nap time! Or we sometimes are productive. Whatever. But now they nap at the same time, in the same room. He sleeps in his toddler bed and she has a pallet on his floor. Works out well. Sure, they're chatty sometimes before they fall asleep but not too bad. I found out that when they nap at the grandparents' he will usually wake up first. He gets out of his bed and goes into the room she sleeps in and crawls up on the bed. Yesterday he was sick but she was not. She went to school and he went to the grandparents...

Hubby had a work meeting in Vegas this week and we decided to capitalize on that. We went out on Saturday for a few days of kid-free leisure. We stayed at the Encore, which was just as nice as the Wynn. There was some napping, some tv watching, some reading by the pool. We also stuffed ourselves with good food and wandered around the strip. Went to the wax museum. Saw David Spade--Kevin Farley was one of his opening acts. All three guys were quite funny. And saw the phenomenal Elton John. So, so good. And we squeezed in a gondola ride at the Venetian. Yea! We had a real Italian scoot us around and sing lovely songs to us. It appears I'm on a Life List roll. Who would have thought?

Y'all. I'm studen loan free. I could have paid them off awhile ago but the interst is so low my financially-brained husband convinced me to let them linger. But they got low enough that I thought, "That's it. I'm paying them off this year." Weee! And it's well before I start paying for college for the next generation. Next up? The house. Just kidding.

One thing I never really expected out of this whole motherhood gig is how my amount of empathy would increase exponentially. It's crazy. Someone gets bad medical news? I immediately think of her kids. And how she must be feeling (also probably thinking about her kids). And I think of my kids and how much the whole situation just sucks. I cry at Olympics commercials. When that girl coasts over to her mom and hugs her? And they put their foreheads together? Gah. And I go to school plays and see those kids up there? And I'm just so. freakin'. proud. And I don't know a single one of them. But they're amazing and they're someone's kid and I think what they're doing is just awesome. Everyone is suddenly just a person. Who was once a baby. Who still is someone's baby. I hope people look at my kids that way. Honestly, we should look at everyone like this--it lets you cut people more slack and be happier for them and realize that we're a...

Buns! A year and a half! You are my favorite son ever. I'm surprised I haven't suffocated you with snuggles. I'm not sure if it's because you let me more than your sister did at this age or because you're a boy or because you're the baby. Whatever. I'm taking full advantage. So other than super cuddly, what are you like at 18 months? You still have a really deep voice but you say words now! Some are pretty clear to others but some only I understand. Off the top of my head: Mommy, Daddy, doggie, plane, nudie, no, bye bye, cheese, all done, help, armie (for arm), book, Maggie (garbled), Daisy, Tessa, milk, mummy (for gummy), and Scarlett (it varies but kind of like "Carleh"). I know I'm forgetting some. You can tell me what sounds most animals make. You know what we're saying now and respond to commands. You know some body parts. You still love water and baths. You really love reading these days. You were a little slower t...