The Kiddos

(This is us, ready to go out for some errands, BEFORE noon! Oh heavens. Now THAT was a miracle.)

In the past 3 1/2 weeks, I have come to the conclusion that we have 2 of the absolute best children that have ever been sent to earth (in our humble opinion). This is not to say that there haven't been times when I couldn't tell if I was going insane, or had already gotten there - but at the end of every day, I can't help but smile as I fall asleep.

Let me tell you why.


Charlie is now 20 months old. In the past few weeks, his speech has taken off. While he still doesn't have many words in his vocab, he has gotten much braver in trying to say new words, as well as using the words he knows without prompting - he has even shocked us by combining them to make phrases! His words include dada, mama, this, is, baby, bye, and hmmmm (with his finger pressed to his lips) as well as phrases like "this is...," "oh no!," "where is dada?" and "where is mama?" (from hide and seek). Please, don't even get me started on his emerging animal sound skills. He still likes to "say prayers," but now he can do more than "mumble mumble, amen." These days, its more like "mumble mumble mama, mumble mumble dada, mumble mumble this (he calls himself "this"), mumble mumble baby, AMEN!" Oh, it is too cute.
He is also picking up signs pretty quickly these days. He can now sign help, baby, milk, drink, eat, more, thank you, puppy, and monkey.
Thanks to the magnetic letters on the fridge, Charlie is also learning to read....one letter at a time, that is:) He recognizes and can pick from the group "C is for Charlie," "D is for Dada," "M is for mama," "B is for Baby Lucy" (we've lost the L), "G is for Grandma," "F is for family," "N is for nursery," "A is for Ames," "P is for prayer," and "Y is for cougars" (we'll reteach that one eventually...maybe).
He loves to take his toys and hide them in funny places, then look at me and say "hmmmmm (finger included), where is ____?" If you could hear his inflection, it would crack you up. I promise.
His little run has really picked up speed lately - (and ps, if you're ever in need of a smile, I'll post a video of him running -- it is hilariously and adorably bouncy) and he is also learning how to jump - he can even get both feet off the ground from time to time!
He is really starting to warm up to little Lucy; he never disliked her, but it wasn't until this week that he has shown much interest in her. He gets very excited to see her in the morning and is always worried when he sees her binky fall out. What a great big brother he is.

And speaking of our little lady...

(our California girl - kiss that jaundice goodbye!)

Lucy is going to be 1 month on Friday (AGHHH!!! How is that even POSSIBLE?!) and is as beautiful, sweet, and loving as ever. This girl loves her snuggle time and will wrap her arm around yours and hold on so tightly -- I LOVE IT!
She is growing like crazy: at 8 days she had passed her birth weight and at 2 weeks, was a full pound up from her birth weight. What a champion eater this girl is! She gets that from me:)
She loves sleeping, baths (especially having her hair washed -- she's a true girl), and just being held. But what really makes Lucy so amazing is the love that she shares, just by looking at you. She will gaze into your eyes in a way that says, so peacefully, "I love you, so much." And trust me, there is no avoiding feeling her love when she looks at you that way.
She is more than a treasure to us; she is an angel.

And there you have it - our kiddos in a nutshell.

Practically perfect in every way.

(And that is, of course, a completely unbiased opinion.)