It's About Time!

I have been slacking. But I'm not really going to offer any apologies because I've been busy...busy grocery shopping. And cooking. And cleaning, cooking some more and then loving on my babies. But don't ask about the laundry. The horror!

Anyway, the girls are now officially 4 months and 22 months old. That means my little Dragon is almost a two-year old! How did this happen? I remember going to the hospital and then bringing her home, but this all seems so sudden. It really is surreal, even though hearing Audrey bark orders at everyone in the house (including the dog) should remind me that she's growing up. And man, oh, man do I have my work cut out for me. I can already see the little seed of teenage rebellion planted in that kid's head. She is constantly testing every adult figure she comes into contact with to see what she can get away with. And here I thought I had gotten off the hook with a kid who doesn't leap into parking lots without a thought or try to climb the drapes. I've always found joy in how advanced Audrey has been cognitively and verbally, but now I'm starting to see the challenges of having a smart kid who can talk. John and I joke about it, but she has already mastered the art of diversion.

Mama: "Audrey, we need to go get ready for bed."
Audrey: "Mama, I need to go potty bad!"
Mama: "Ok, let's go to the potty."
Audrey: " I see Caba!"
Mama: "We're going to the potty."
Audrey: "But I see phone!!"

It's not working kid. Mama's impervious to shiny objects.

In addition to trying to distract us to get her way, she just outright orders people around. I can't tell you how many times I heard her yell "Seth, come here!!" this past weekend. We're working on manners.

Little A is also experimenting with temper tantrums, especially when she's tired or hungry or needs to go to the bathroom. It's loud and emotionally draining (for all of us) , but we're working on nipping those emotional breakdowns in the bud. Sometimes I forget how difficult it is for kids to figure out emotions. Heck, I feel justified biting anyone's head off who looks at me funny before I've had my coffee in the morning. I figure not being able to work out what intense emotion you're experiencing is much more frustrating than just being a sleep-deprived crank.

In the mean time, Bailey is still my super chill baby. We went in for her four month appointment and she now weighs 16 lbs. 6 oz. and is 25 inches long. That means she's made the jump to the top of the charts in both height and weight; there's no way she's gonna let her sister out-do her just because she's younger.

The Gunni is really just a happy kid; she loves lots of attention and will reward you with the world's cutest shy smile if you give it to her. She's also showing much more interest in moving than her big sis did as a baby; she's already rolling over, almost able to sit independently and she loves to pull up on my thumbs to stand. She's ready! Even Dr. D said she'll probably be an early crawler/walker. I know most parents shudder at the thought of another mobile child, but I like the idea of taking a step toward independence for both of us.

Life at the Ranch has been busy as usual; we had the Moore kids over for the long weekend and we had a fantastic time. The women-folk had a ladies tea (complete with scones and cucumber sandwiches) on Saturday and the boys barbecued and camped out in the back yard. Sunday was the Indy-500 (an institution in the Schweighardt house) and I was so busy cooking and *cough* shopping *cough* that I didn't get to see it. shame.

Marlene is staying with the kids in Vancouver for the next few weeks and we somehow convinced her to let Hannah stay with us until the 11th when we'll drive over to see D'Arcy debut on pointe. I'm so excited to see Duck dance again and I cannot wait until Audrey is old enough to don her own little tutu and flit about stage. The tippy toes don't lie; that girl's going to be a dancer.

The same weekend we're going to see D'Arcy dance, Steve and Julie are going to be in Portland for a conference. Joe has decided to fly out too and then they're all driving over to spend the rest of the week with us in the Tri-Cities. Having company that loves food really is dangerous; I'll probably be about 10 pounds heavier by the end of this visit.

The rest of the summer is going to go by in a blur of travel, celebration and food. Coming attractions include: Father's Day, my birthday, Marlene's 70th birthday!, the Schweighardt's annual 4th of July crazy extravaganza, a visit from my best buddy Jessica, a trip back to the Midwest with the girls, my parents flying back to the Tri-Cities with me, Audrey's birthday and a camping trip to Mt. Adams. somewhere in there I have to convince my sister to come to the Benton-Franklin County Fair; it just feels wrong to go without her now.

I'm exhausted just writing that out. I think I'll take a nap now while I can.