Lately

So I've become a rather inconsistent updater. Sorry folks. Sometimes I get so busy surviving living life, it's hard to document it on a regular basis. I'm trying not to feel too guilty about it. Updating should never feel like a chore. After all, the primary purpose of this space is to help me remember the little things we've been up to. I'm not changing the world in this little corner. Still, it's nice to look back and have a record of these crazy days as they fly by.

So in that light, here are a few things that have happened lately.

Violet took a field trip to the fire station. Next up - the pumpkin patch!

 I love that Violet gets to take so many field trips with her Pre-K class. Kindergarten and its three yearly outings is going to seem downright lame after all the excitement of the fire station, Build-a-Bear, the farm...

Why do I look so sad? Is it the hair? But Dad's high-heeled purple boots are fab!

And speaking of school, I'm amazed every day at all the new things Violet is learning. I got the best IEP progress report from her speech teacher - we are really seeing progress and it is awesome. Ks and Gs are being mastered around here! Next up, blends! Violet is also learning sight words and memorizing her address and phone number, two skills I still don't see consistently in my first graders, so yay for learning them early.

This silly crew....

For the past few days, Annie has only taken one long nap. She'll need this to transition up to the toddler room in the new year, but part of me is not ready for her to be growing up so fast! Although I was not sad to see formula or the bottles go. My kitchen counters are my own again, whew! The jury is still out on whether she has a milk allergy or not. Things have gotten stinkier since we made the switch to regular milk, let's just put it that way.

My big girl is off formula (cha-chinnnng!) and bottles (hello kitchen counters, I've missed you!)

Her toddling skills are amazing, however. I joke that we're going to dress her up like a zombie for Halloween, because she has this hilarious way of stomping around with her arms out, screeching like a, well, zombie. We've had a few spills and bumps along the way, but her thunder thighs are keeping her up for the most part. She's also still trying to climb the stairs, and today I caught her sitting on the open dishwasher lid, pulling butter knives out of the silverware basket. Awesome! She's definitely more fearless than Violet ever was, although I also had a bit more time to monitor Violet. Annie gets away with a lot more.

Sibling rivalry is already rearing its ugly head. When Annie is in my lap, Violet has the urgent need to be picked up. If Violet gets picked up, Annie cries. If they're both in my lap, someone is always shoving the other one away. Annie has discovered she can pull hair and get quite a reaction from her big sister. But they also have the best way of playing together, chasing each other around the living room. Ah, sisters...

Playdate!