This Moment

Ainsley May - 40 months

Dear Sweet Ainsley Girl,
  You are still our peanut of peanuts.  I often wonder how so much vim and vigor can come from such a small frame.  But vigor you have, for play, for friends, for life in general.  Every day continues to be such an adventure with you and as much as you (STILL) wear me out on a daily basis when you are finally asleep  I can't resist slipping into your room to tuck your covers around you tight, kiss that sweet smooth brow and whisper "I love you Ainsley girl" because I do I do, every minute.

This moment you are SUCH a good big sister and I can officially say that you and Louise are best buds.  You watch out for her when we're out and about.  You let me know when she's getting into mischief and you love explaining our household rules to her.  I couldn't have hoped for the two of you to get along better.

making mischief together

sharing popcorn snack

This moment you are hilarious.  You have learned sarcasm and use it all the time.  you love to tell us "jokes".  Your current favorite is, said in a tiny whipser voice, "hey mama, when I wake up I'm gonna go POOP in the backyard".  Ahh fecal humor.  We're there in full force.  You also LOVE to make Louise laugh, you always have, but now you get how to play along, how to dramatize to get the full effect.  It's so great to watch.

heading to comicon with daddy

This moment you are so incredibly creative.  Our free play time in the mornings and at the end of the day are almost always filled with elaborate Ainsley concocted wonderment.  Yesterday you and Louise and lamby were playing Goldilocks and the three bears.  You dressed up, moved things around to mimic the bears house, told the whole story, the whole shebang if you will.  You could play dress up ALL the time.  The other day Louise woke up fussy from her nap and I hear you stirring as well so we both came in to get you.  To our surprise we found you dressed in your toddler sized zebra costume and both Louise and I burst out in giggles.  You wanted me to call you Zebra baby for the rest of the afternoon and crawled on all fours until dinner.  You also love playing fairy and princess, birds making nests, doctor and chef.  You are such a good player!

This moment you are learning so quickly.  Since reading your first book a few weeks back your interest for words and numbers has erupted.  You take such care with each book we read to point out sounds you know, to count EVERYTHING, to notice similarities and differences.  In one of our favorite books you noticed in one of the illustrations that the perspective was off and that the little boy up in his bunk bed wouldn't have been able to climb down his ladder because a lamp was in his way.  You were right!  So we talked about artist choices (and sometimes mistakes!) and had fun learning about perspective.  You are so observant.  It's so wonderful to see this zeal come all from you.

at the botanic gardens with daddy, louise and auntie sonya

I love you THIS moment, funny and sweet, cantankerous and active.  I can't wait to see what the next months will bring!


Louise Adele - 20 months

Dear Louise-e-bean,
  Oh goodness girl, how you are growing.  You are still as sweet as ever, comply with most anything we ask you to do and are such a cuddly snuggly girl. However you are full on in toddler mode, saying NO MAMA! more than ever, running in the opposite direction that I ask to you go quite often and fighting back with your sister when prompted.  You are still the sweetest toddler I've ever known but you are definitely testing the waters!

This moment you are talking so much.  We went from single words to two and three word sentences all day long!  It is so exciting and fun to be able to communicate with you so well.  For instance, I now know that your favorite animal is an elephant, that you prefer to be naked over being dressed (although give you a fancry dress and party shoes and you'll strut you stuff ALL day long).  You love being outside and playing withe water and crayons are your favorites.  You also love you babies and feeding them and caring for them is a daily routine.  You really love ANY and ALL animals and squeal with delight whenever you see a cat or dog out and about, oh and the bunnies at the park!  Yesterday at the park you stood proudly at the top of the big fast slide and said "Mama!  I comin!" and zoomed down to me.  I loved that.

This moment you absolutely adore books and I am amazed at your focus and concentration while we read.  You and Ainsley and I read together every day and you can sit through her longer books like a champ and point and count objects right along with her.  You can now count to 10 and sing your ABCs (not to mention just about any other song, you are quite the singer).  If you're not playing pretend with Ainsley you can most likely be found sitting in your big blue chair in your room paging through a full length children's book.  Today when I took you up for your nap your crib was filled with books.  When I asked who put them there you smiled proudly and said "Me mama!  Book books!"

proudly sitting on your potty!

This moment you are one big mess.  We've entered that delightful toddler stage when I feel like you're NEVER clean.  If it's not food all over it's crayon or marker, watercolor paint or dirt from outside.  I love that your little grubby fingers and toes alert the world to all the exploring you do.  I just wish it didn't' make for so many loads of laundry!

This moment you are such a big girl.  My baby is all but gone (except for those early morning and late evening hours when you still want nothing but your mama's lap and you nana's (blankies)).  You eat big kid food, drink out of big girl cups, are starting to pick out your own clothes and dress yourself.  You have such opinions and personality and I absolutely love you to bits!

gnoshing on jimmy johns

I love you this moment, growing and changing, learning and sweet, my big Louise girl.