Over 18

The kids are over 18 months old.

It's so weird to think that in 5 months, we'll have 2 year old monsters running around the house!

Josiah is SUCH a big kid. For some reason, he's been waking up before 6 am. Although it makes for long mornings, he usually snuggles with Steve for awhile before running into the kitchen telling us that he needs Orajel for his teeth, a drink because he's thirsty, and his Munchie Mug with Alpha-Bit cereal (Did you guys know that's still around? We were excited to unexpectedly find it at Target.)

His newest tricks are:

• Climbing on the dining room chairs, onto the table, into his highchair, and over onto the kitchen counter. Gave me a heart attach the first time I saw him smiling at me in the kitchen!
• Climbing out of his crib, opening the door and sneaking out into the house (usually in our room where he scares us to death).
• Climbing out of the bathtub, dripping wet, running wildly around until I catch him.
• Vacuuming the living room (all by himself) with our mini-sweeper.
• Unplugging all the cords from the outlets
• Doing the "happy dance" whenever he's really excited about something. It's usually like, "would you like a snack?" - happy dance- "would you like to go outside?" -happy dance- Sometimes we think we're raising pets.
• Learning to count to five with his fingers
• Eating fruit snacks for the first time
• Sitting through an entire book without getting up
• Sneaking up to pounce on you (and being very please with himself when you're "startled")

We love you, little man!

The things Lilly's able to pick up on are amazing. While Josiah is very "hands on" in figuring things out, (buttons, cords, hinges, switches, etc.) Lilly very deliberately watches everything around her, mimicking and imitating until she's figured it out. It's fascinating to watch.

Lilly loooooves to snuggle. She'll sit and read book after book after book, pointing out the animals, the flowers, the people. Whenever she gets really excited she giggles and screams in her high pitched voice. I can't say enough how sweet and precious she is. Just being around her makes me happy.

Her newest tricks are:

• Counting to five on her fingers
• Pointing out hair, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, belly button, feet and toes on everyone
• Imitating various animal sounds
• Snuggling and giving kisses to her teddy bears and dolls
• Dancing and singing with her hands in the air
• Pointing out trees and grass whenever we take a walk (she's fascinated by nature)
• Recognizing relatives in pictures
• Peeling apart the bread in her sandwich and eating the "insides" first and then the bread
• Waving hello and goodbye at everyone
• Laying on the floor petting and talking to Jack

You are so precious to us, Lillybel!

Listen to how different their laughs are!