Kiddo Update

Jill

• I think we've made progress in helping Jill to scale back on her screeching when she wants something.  Instead, she's getting better about making the "please" sign and saying "Pez."  It is enough to convince me to give her whatever she wants.
• Her vocabulary is growing rapidly.  Right now, her repertoire includes: Dada, Mama, Iwannit, Anotherone, please ("pez"), stop ("top"), water ("wawa"), baby, hi, bye, poopy (thanks to her brother), blueberry, ice, stick, up, down, see, uh oh, aarf (when she sees a dog), this, kitty, Aaron, round, ball, balloon ("boon"), belly, pee pee, truck, chest, cheers, and dolly.  I'm sure I'm missing a few, but I think that's pretty impressive!
• She continues to have an overwhelming fascination/obsession with hair.  I bought her a soft-bodied doll with pigtails in the hopes that she might transfer some of her "affection" to the doll instead of always grabbing my hair and yanking it with all her might.  I'd say we've achieved about 60% success at diversion.  I'll take it.
• I can't stress enough how strong-willed this child is.  She will stare straight at me, do something naughty (like throw food on the floor), and then run away screaming.  Oh how we love that little stinker!

Aaron

• Aaron moved to a big boy bed!  Maybe it was all the chaos of sleeping in different beds when we were in North Carolina.  Our first night back he said, "Mommy, I'm too big to sleep in my crib."  And it's been the big boy bed ever since.
• He is a master of stalling before bedtime.  It's hilarious, and he is getting pretty good at tricking me into falling for it.  After books have been read, prayers have been said, lullabies have been sung, and lights are out, he'll suddenly get very chatty and ask a lot of questions about random things, like laundry or the sun or his toys.  And suddenly I'll realize what he's doing and ask, "Wait, are you stalling?"  He starts giggling and I can't help but tickle him and before I know it he's waxing poetic about his blankie and I realize he's done it again...
• We constantly hear ourselves reflected in the things Aaron says.  He scolds Jill in the same way that I do ("Jill, no screaming sweetie!"), encourages me the same way that I encourage him ("Mommy it's ok that the truck is broken, we will fix it later ok?  It will be alright!"), and -- my favorite -- tells us he loves us all the time.  But sometimes he's an echo of our less-than-perfect moments.  One time I overheard him playing with his fisher price little people and the mommy figure kept telling the baby figure, "I'll be right back ok?  You just play with your toys and I'll be right back."  Broke my heart.  I know I tell him that a lot since I'm constantly interrupting our play so I can chase Jill down.  

6/13: "I'm big and I love pulling wagons!" (actual quote)

6/15: Hangin' with Dad at the Old Town Art Fair

6/16: Pretty girl

6/28: All dressed up for Claire and Henry's birthday party

6/28: It's hard to look tough when you're this cute...and holding a balloon.

7/30: We haven't made much progress on potty training, in case you were wondering.  But at least we're collecting good blackmail material.

7/3: My oh my, a lot has changed in two years!

7/6: Future Picasso

7/12: Petting turtles at Adelaide's birthday party

7/12: Butterflies have ticklish bellies

7/16: Big blue eyes

7/16: Cheese!

7/27: Bouncing around the Taste of Lincoln festival

7/27: Throwing some shade

7/27: Driving the dino-train!

7/27: Too little to ride the train.  Also, Jill probably did not meet the dress code.

7/28: Those cheeks!

QUOTE WALL/MEMORABLE MOMENTS

-Aaron: "If the lightning hits you it will burn you and you'll get an owie and have to put a bandaid on your finger!"

-At a birthday party, Jill was confronted by another little boy her age who came up to her and gently raised his hand, probably in greeting.  Poor kid didn't know who he was dealing with.  Jill glared at him, raised her finger, and said very clearly, "Top." (stop)  We'll give you one guess who she learned that from.

-Aaron: "Sometimes I find boogies in my nose and I eat them."

-Me: "Ew yuck!  That's yucky!"

-Aaron: "It's not yucky!  I put them in my mouth and they're good!"

-Aaron (handing me a flower): "Mommy, do you know why I gave it to you?"

-Me: "Why?"

-Aaron: "Because I love you!"