Wow, I've been a really lazy blogger lately. I'm going to blame it on Scott being in China last week--clearly it wasn't his fault I wasn't blogging, but I was running around like a crazy woman while he was gone. The girls and I went to the gym almost every day (they FINALLY like being in the nursery there), and I got a lot of cleaning done.

Speaking of cleaning.......seriously, somebody should just surgically attach the vaccuum cleaner to my arm because I feel like that's all I ever do. We have a newish vaccuum that I HATE--it's bulky, extremely loud, and really annoying. Now, I do know that vaccuum cleaners aren't meant to be fun, but ours really sucks (pun intended). It doesn't matter what setting I put it on, it never seems to want to eat anything off of our hardwood floors. Every time I vaccuum, which is at least twice a day, I have to alternate between our regular vac and our mini to get our living room floors fully cleaned. It's infuriating and I spent a lot of time last week contemplating just taking a hammer to the damn thing. Since I couldn't think of a logical way to justify such destruction to Scott, I refrained. Barely.

The girls are doing so well and were really good while Scott was gone. Kate had a harder time coping and by the end of the week, you could tell she just wanted her daddy back. Scott came home Saturday morning, and right before his car pulled up, I asked Kate if she knew who was coming to see her today. Without missing a beat, she looked at me and said "Da da." About two minutes later, Scott walked in the door (as I was carrying the girls downstairs for breakfast), and Kate practically jumped out of my arms into Scott's. She spent the majority of the weekend following her daddy around, randomly giving him hugs, and just beaming at him every time he looked at her or opened his mouth.

On Friday, Julia decided that she was going to work on pronunciation--she spent a lot of time this weekend cracking us up as she practiced saying "noooo", "hiiiiii", and "byyyye." Previously, those three words were pronounced "nah", "hah", and "ba ba", so it was really precious to watch Julia figure out how to talk like a big girl. She was very pleased with herself, as evidenced by her squeals of laughter and the rounds of applause she gave herself. She also got a kick out of walking around and pointing to the outlets while saying "noooooo, mama, noooooo." That child makes me fall in love with her about a million times over every day.

We leave for Ohio on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with my family. My grandmother is turning 90 the day before Turkey Day, and she doesn't know we're coming to see her. I am so excited. There's nothing more that I love than being with my family and I can't wait to see the look on my grandma's face when she sees us. I'm sure I'll burst into tears!

Nothing more to report--I need to start packing before our mini-vacay!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Heart hug,
Karen

Letters to My Girls......

Kate: Oh boy, my sweet and wild little carb-addict--what are we going to do with you? Meal times have truly become a tug-of-war as your list of acceptable foods grows shorter each day. You would be perfectly happy if I were to feed you nothing but chicken nuggets and goldfish. You used to be such a good eater--veggies, fruits, you'd pretty much eat anything put in front of you. I don't know what happened, but I have a feeling this may be payback, as I was a horribly picky eater for a long time (until, like, 5 years ago).

You're such a funny girl--you're so active and mischievous at home, but the minute we get to music class, you attach yourself to my lap..........I have to admit, as much as I want you to enjoy our music outings, I do love getting to snuggle with you--you're growing up so fast and I know that my time to cuddle with my sweetpeas is limited. It won't be long before you're telling me how much you dislike me because I won't let you wear makeup to school, so, I'm going to enjoy every single second that you want to be with me.

Your daddy and I are really getting a kick out of what a chatterbox you are (hmmm, wonder which side of the family that comes from?)! You are constantly talking and you're vocabulary is getting pretty impressive. You can't talk about going "bye-bye" without mentioning your shoes--good thing I have you to remind me that, yes, we should always wear shoes when leaving the house. You're still on your mooing kick--you know that cats meow, dogs bark, and Mommy and Daddy talk, but you still insist on mooing everytime we come to get you from your room. Are you trying to tell us, perhaps, that we look like cows? Hmmmm......

You are such a daddy's girl through and through. Lately, you haven't been able to settle down for the night until seeing your beloved "Dada." Needless to say, your bedtimes have been getting later and later as we wait for Daddy to return home. It's quite amusing, and certainly heart-melting, to see your face light up with such pure joy when you see your number one guy. You follow him around like a lil' pup, and cannot get enough of him. The feeling is mutual--you have your father wrapped around your tiny little fingers!

I love you so much, Taties, I wish I could freeze these moments as I know they are all too fleeting! You are such a drama-queen and I wish I could gobble you up with those delicious cheeks!

Julia: You sweet little bug--what a delightful child you are!! You're so quick to laugh and smile and I am constantly amazed by your curiosity for the world around you. You want to know the names of everything, and you are always turning over your toys to see how they work. Daddy and I are convinced that you have a future in engineering--especially since we've seen how adept and skilled you are at constructing block towers!

Unlike Kate, you are really getting a kick out of music class. I wish I could get some video of your performances--especially this past week's, during water time. I knew you were going to go nuts as soon as Ms. K brought out the pan filled with bubble water. I didn't, however, know that you would proceed to pick up the pan, hold it over your head, and dump the entire thing over your body. What a vision you were--I thought for sure you would burst into tears, especially since your clothes were DRENCHED! As always, you surprised me by bursting into peals of uncontrollable laughter (not before giving the smuggest of smug smiles). Your classmates were thrilled with your display, and rewarded you with a mixture of giggles and applause. Talk about a priceless moment.

You had us a bit worried last week--we thought you were going to break up with Lovey. You know how filthy Lovey gets, and I thought I was being a conscientious mommy by washing Lovey (which I try to do on a weekly basis, even though it's next to impossible to get him out of your clutches). I tried to give Lovey back to you after his bath, but you went into crisis mode and not only rejected your most-favorite item in the world, you proceeded to cry. For almost 8 hours straight. Until almost 2.in.the.morning. AAAGGGHHHH! I know your heart was hurting, but buggy-baby, it was incredibly tough on us. You were inconsolable, and it took around three days for you to resume your normal love affair with Lovey. I am TERRIFIED to wash him again--God help us!

You love being outside, and are particularly interested in leaves. You cannot be in our yard without finding a leave to carry around with you (much like you carry Lovey) as you explore the other leaves on the ground. You're still fairly interested in the mulch, but at least you have learned to refrain from eating it (maybe you could convince Kate that it isn't such a good idea?). You find such pleasure in the simplest of things and it's a thrill to watch you explore the world around you.

My beautiful smiley girl, I cannot get enough of you, and you tug on my heartstrings every time you say "Mama" in your sweet little girly-girl voice. I couldn't love you more if I tried!

I AM the luckiest person in the world.

Heart hug.