go with the flow

Hey there! Yes, we are still alive (as evident by the new Flickr photos you occassionally see). I've been working a lot more with a push to do at least 20 hours/week. My free 2-hour time slot around lunch time has gotten eaten up by paperwork. So, no crafting around here either. I still have a beautiful quilt for myself that I haven't even started the quilting on. It just sits on my chair downstairs...waiting.

My girls...here's an update...

Charlotte
Certainly a grown-up 4-year-old. She seems to have sprouted a new vocabulary and attitude. She's a Miss Know-It-All and tries to correct me constantly during the day. I've instituted a "Yes, Mom" policy around here and she's doing quite well with it. Now that she's a little older, she's easier to reason with and explain things too. Charlotte is growing up too fast! Every day I look at her and she seems a little older. Not to mention her pants keep getting shorter each day too. I turned some pants/leggings into capris. Can't waste pants here!! She knows all her letters and the sounds that go with them. Besides wriring her letters, we are working on sounding out simple words like cat, dog, boat, help, etc. She is so smart it blows my mind. Big things in store for this girl. Charlotte rode her bike 2 miles the other night. She didn't even cry after falling during a turn on her bike. Hot stuff!!

Gretchen
Oh. My. Goodness. Gretchen's really lucky she's the cutest of them all. I think Terrible Two's has entered this house. Pair that with a poor vocabulary and we have major tantrums!! She's a light switch. One second she's sweet and cuddly and the second she hears NO, she's on the floor screaming bloody murder and just being horrible!! And this goes on all day long! Inside, outside, upstairs, downstairs...it doesn't end! Poor Elsa just wants to sleep where it's quiet! Speech is going great, we are down to one day/week. She continues to make good progress but that's just it, it's progress.

Gretchen got a big kid bike a few weeks back and is working on trying to move the pedals. I know she'll master it before the summer is over. This little girl wants to do everything on her own. She picks out clothes, gets dressed, shoes, socks, everything! You try to help and she screams at you! Yikes!

Elsa
My sweet little baby. She's just about 5 months and I can't believe how fast time is going. Elsa is a rolling machine. You lay her on the ground and she rolls over. The other morning I found her on her belly in the crib. I guess we're approaching belly sleeping! Elsa coos at people and smiles, giggles. The day care ladies fight over who gets to hold her, telling me she's the best baby ever. I just smile and say, "Yes, she is the best baby ever." Elsa sleeps well and naps well. After a walk to get ice cream the other night, Elsa slept from 8:15pm to 6:15am. Amazing!! Most nights I wake up once to feed her. Hard to think that in one more month we'll be starting solid foods. Where did my baby go?!

Kevin and I are doing good. The warm weather we had last week was much needed. Can't wait for summer to be here!