More Milestones

Last week we hit 2 big-time milestones, one for each kid.

Zachary is officially swimming!! For 2 months, he's been "flailing without drowning..." but we finally got him swimming correctly over the weekend. I was talking to him before bed the night he accomplished the goal and he said to me, "Mommy, I'm like Michael Phelps now." He sure is.

Allie is officially potty trained!! She's been wearing undies since June 1, but has been consistently accident-free only this past week. Zachary was a big help and a good influence on her. She really listened to him explain how it works and even "how to hold it..."! I love to hear her say "big girl undies" and "I have pee..." and "num nums!" and "tinkerbell undies."

I can't believe how big my kids are now.

Cuties

2 rare things happened today. 1)We were ready for church a little early, 2)The kids wanted their pictures taken (they even had suggestions for me)! So, here are some cute pictures of my sweet little ones, some of the poses/looks are inspired by their little minds:

Confessions

I debated posting these photos because they reveal my inability to keep up with laundry for only four people. But the real truth is, I don't (keep up with the laundry).
Hi, I'm Rebecca and I am an unfit housekeeper.
In the minutes of my daily productivity, there is a constant war between motherhood and a clean house. A war in which there can only be 1 victor. There are two specific battlefields where this war gets bloody - the kitchen floor and the guest bed.
The kitchen floor contains remains of 3 (yes, 3) meals EVERY (yes, every) day, hand-prepared by me alone (yes, just me). For whatever reason, Allie is still extremely messy when she eats and I'm extremely messy when I cook. I wear shoes in the kitchen because it really bothers me.
The guest bed is rarely visible due to what Todd calls "the staging area" for laundry. I'm pretty good at keeping the laundry washing and drying, but once it's clean, it finds its home on the guest bed. In a heap. A heap that continues to grow with each clean warm load tossed on top.
I'm not asking for sympathy or advice. I've had plenty of co-workers make fun of my tedious work habits and plenty of family make fun of my thorough itineraries & folders. So I don't struggle with organization or methodology. It's really about priorities. I know what it takes to be a good housekeeper. I'll even admit I think I have what it takes to be a good housekeeper.
But I am an unfit housekeeper.

You might also classify yourself as an unfit housekeeper if you were faced with this dilemma:

Enjoy this cuteness or fold laundry?

About a cake

Zachary & I made a cake for Todd (because we love him) the other day during Allie's nap time. While we were working on it, we talked a little bit about Daddy here & there. I didn't realize how much Zachary actually took in until I heard this conversation later in the day.

Zachary: "Allie, look, we made a cake for Daddy."

Allie: "My cake!"

Zachary: "No, Allie it is not for you. It's for Daddy."

Allie: "My cake!" (she now knows she can irritate him with this...)

Zachary: "Allie, we did not make the cake for you. We made it for Daddy."

Allie: "MY cake!"

Zachary: "Allie, it's Daddy's cake. We made it for Daddy because he works really hard and takes good care of us."

Allie: "MY cake!"

Zachary: "Allie, NO! It's for Daddy because he goes to work every day. You don't go to work. All you do is play."

A week of beaches, part two

We finished up our vacation today, coming home from Hilton Head Island. Here are some pictures from the past few days.
Zachary, on the road, somewhere in the state of Florida.

We spent a lot of time in our undies ("we" being the kids...!) for a couple reasons. First, Allie is about 90% potty trained, so we were finishing up some of that routine. Second, when you swim, eat & sleep for 6 straight days, who needs clothes?

My favorite part of our time at Hilton Head was the bike ride. We went all over the plantation where we stayed and even rode on the beach for awhile. It was wonderful. The kids loved it and I was very relaxed, enjoying the breeze and the flat & easy ride. I LOVE LOVE bike rides.

A week of beaches

We are on vacation! So far, this week, we've hit 2 awesome beaches and we're headed to 1 more tomorrow. Monday we were at Aunt Shell's house and we spent the day at Caladesi Island in the gulf coast. It was beautiful. The kids took their first boat ride and Grandpa buried them in the sand.
We've also spent time at Grammy's house with Aunt Jen & cousin Ari.
We told Zachary he's not allowed to wear swimmies in the pool and he's done really well. Yesterday he & I were diving for weights under water. I wouldn't call what he does "swimming" yet, but he's definitely almost there.

The neighborhood Sand Hill Cranes (Tera & Dactyl) have had two cute little babies!

Here's Grandpa in "Hog Heaven" (his words).

Everyone learns at some point...

Zachary: "Mommy, do you know what 'na-na-na-na-boo-boo' is?"

Mommy: "I've heard of it, what does it mean?"

Zachary: "It's what you say when someone is chasing you and you tease them."

Mommy: "Oh, ok. Good to know."

Zachary: "Yea, I learned that today on the playground."

Improvise

I love to ride my bike and I want to be able to take Allie along. I have been trying to find a suitable seat for Allie to attach to the front of my bike. The baby seat I want to get is really expensive and I don't want to settle and get a different one. So I decided to try the Baby Bjorn. She is 3 lbs too big for the Baby Bjorn, but I figured we'd be alright. Minus the back pain I'm still feeling, it was a huge success. It was so relaxing for both of us to feel the wind and just ride. I loved her little curls blowing in my face. She just sat quietly and enjoyed the view. We passed 3 huge Crepe Myrtle trees (in bloom) and it smelled really good. She said, "Mommy, 'mells good! Pretty flowers." I loved every minute of it.

Under Grammy's [non]Watch

Grammy was here a couple of weeks ago to help me keep my sanity. She was babysitting the kids one morning while I was teaching and the three of them had quite an adventure.
Being a Floridian, Grammy has a habit of leaving doors open all over the house. (In fact, I think I recall a story my dad told me about a time when he was sitting in his office at their house and a neighbor's cat strolled in.)
Our back porch has several bird feeders and three resident squirrels. So, inevitably, the risk of a non-domesticated animal coming into our house is fairly high when Grammy visits.
When I got home, Allie ran towards me yelling in her excited (loud) story-telling voice. She was gesturing and beside herself with excitement. I was laughing just listening to her tell the story, even though I could not understand but 2 words - "BIRD! HOUSE!"
Yes. A sweet little bird found himself trapped in our house. An adventure I am certainly disappointed I missed.
When it was all over, a tiny titmouse was disheveled and out of breath...2 small children were delightfully entertained...and 1 exhausted Grammy was sore from the acrobatic moves it took to "guide" the bird back outside.