"it's kinda like..."

I've been hearing that phrase lately from Miss Elyse.  She's into comparing LOTS of things around here.

On chewing her dinner: "It's kinda like gum, but it's pasta."

On a picture of Grandma Tildy in her But No Elephants book: "It's kinda like Miss Judy {our neighbor}, but it's really Grandma Tildy."

On my eye shadow this morning: "It's kinda like Shiloh {her cousin}, but it's eye shadow."

On chewing her grapes: "It's kinda like gum, but it's really grapes."

On my face cream: "It's kinda like lip gloss, but it's Mommy's cream."

On the occasion of her bath tonight: "It's kinda like swimming, but it's a bath!"

On just about any cracker she has: "It's kinda like a cookie, but it's a cracker."

On chewing her biscuit: "It's kinda like gum, but it's a biscuit!"

As you can see, she's the eternal optimist.

Someday she'll be allowed to have gum!

1 til 1!

ELEVEN months old!  Emily Mae, stop it.  My little string bean has been fattening up nicely these days, and I am enjoying seeing a few rolls here and there.  I can probably credit her love for avocados & bread for that.  Em has been learning so much; I will probably forget to jot down all of the things I've noticed recently.  She is very spunky.  Still.  Not changing one bit, and I guess I should get used to that.  She is now crawling, which is fun for all of us, and it is really fun to watch, I must say.  I don't mind chasing her or teaching her all the fun new boundaries (YET), since she's got this perpetual look of determination & joy on her little face as she explores.  I am always amazed at what babies must think as they crawl around for the first time.  Emily's most recent adventure was a week at Grandma's and Grandpa's house, and she didn't seem to notice that her daddy and I disappeared for a few days!  She loved chasing around their dog, Daisy, and I'm sure Daisy is missing her benefactress.  Emily was ALWAYS willing to share her food.  She's as mischievous as ever, and I wish I had her energy.  All of it.

Em's sleeping less during the day (FINALLY!), which is nice.  If she takes a long morning nap, she'll take a shorter afternoon nap, and vice versa.  She's still a little piggy and loves to eat.  Her current favorites are bread, broccoli, avocado, potatoes, cheese, and ANYTHING we're eating.  She's the messiest little eater, but she sure is happy while she's eating.  She is learning a few "signs" here and there, but she has yet to talk to me :)  We've been having some battles with Emily keeping her bib on, and she must be so used to the "no-no" phrase already... when I saw her little hand reaching up to her bib tonight, I gave her the stern: "Emily..." ... and she said "na-na!"  She's really into crinkling up her little nose when she's being silly, and typically she'll pull that face on me as I scold her over something.  *sigh*  Just have to laugh.  She LOVES to pull Elyse's hair and grab at her glasses still, and she is also into guzzling her bath water.  Seriously gross.  

Emily's trying to mimic Elyse by shaking her head "no" (I like to pretend she has no idea what she's doing, and I think I'm right), and it's quite funny.  She has a ways to go.  She's still using her voice a LOT, and she's such a busy baby.  Short tempered at times, but fun :)  Here are some of my current fun's and not-so-fun's:

fun's:

* I am LOVING her new scrunchy-nose-goofy face!!!

* I love that her feet are MAYBE three inches from tip of heel to tip of toe.  She might not ever be able to walk on those things, but they're sure cute!

* Summery clothes.  Bring 'em on!

* I love hearing her play in her crib.  Sometimes it's within seconds of screaming her head off, but it sure is funny.  She'll squeal and explore all four corners.

* Emily loves getting Elyse's attention.  Elyse is the FIRST and ONLY person she wants to see.  

* Her "all done" sign looks like a little wave :)

* When she does wave, it looks like she's testing the strength of her wrist!

* I love seeing her crawling around in her crib; when she spots us, she'll just light up and start flopping around on her stomach like a fish.

* She is definitely figuring out boundaries, and she will often go right towards trouble with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her face.  I'm in trouble.

* She does this little game with us where she'll blow raspberries.. we'll mimic her, and we go back and forth.

* She still cuddles with me.. briefly :)

not-so-fun's:

* Emily's strong bond with toys she shouldn't have.  'Nuf said.

* Outdoors... Unless she's constrained or in a swing, she's eating whatever's on the ground.

* She is a very impatient child when it comes to food.  Still.

* She is spitting more often than she should... with or without food in her mouth.  That could be a result of the above listed game :) 

* She can work up a mean diaper!

* I'm NOT cutting her hair, but what do you do with a girl who keeps trying to eat her clips?  

* Emily's going to hit a year old and just get all toddler on me.  I know it's coming, and it makes me sad in many ways.  I'm going to enjoy this last month to its fullest!!

Emily Mae, I'm wondering where my docile baby went, but I LOVE who you are!  I can't wait to see how you channel all of that spunk into life!  You're welcome to cuddle with me anytime.

Spring

i feel like i can actually say it: spring.

i'm loving it.

the girls are loving it.

and, no, they're not this intense about it.

it's exciting enough to blow raspberries about.

and, spring makes me remember the days when the most beautiful flowers

in the world grew in our backyard...

and, before you start mocking my matchie-matchie taste, may i submit that those precious shirts for $1 at target last fall were worth the trip down memory lane into 1985.

i'm sure some of you remember wearing those exact colors in stripes?

you know, that age when the biggest concern of your life was wind in your hair or dirt in between your toes... or that mommy wouldn't let you eat the grass... the tough things in life.

but most of the time, spring just meant sunshine, some rain, green grass & happiness. 

happy springtime!

Little bit of love

Good old sister love.  Pictures like this do remind me of the reason parents fail to remember horrible behavior of their little ones years later.  I mean, who in their right mind could ever imagine these two NOT being this sweet to each other?  And, I've decided that I do not want to take pictures of my children being mean to each other (within reason), so this is how it will be for me: glossy pictures.  

(p.s.  I'm loving their bare arms!!)