LONG overdue update

Well, what can I say? The more that happens with the kids, the more I think that I need to blog about them so i don't forget, which makes me avoid blogging altogether because there's just so much time to cover! So I'm just going to write. Penelope is talking so much now, and for the most part we can determine what she is trying to say. Most frequently it's "what's this?" or "that!" and she has even tried to say "bath" and "splash" and tonight, even repeated "la, la, la" as I was reading a Boynton book to her. It sounds super cute in her high-pitched little squeal voice. She loves to walk while holding my hands, and is constantly grabbing my hands as if to say "We're going walking now!" Clever little thing, if she needs to take something with her, she just holds it in her mouth since her hands are occupied. It's quite funny! Also, she now can stand all by herself although she prefers not to. Yesterday, though, she did put on quite a performance at a group play date by standing unassisted for what seemed like about 30 seconds. Normally she just gets upset, screams at me and sits down but today she seemed quite pleased with herself. We are also in for a load of trouble as she seems to want to climb EVERYTHING. Toys, furniture, you name it, she's climbing it. She just recently made it onto Noah's bed which, for a while, was her Everest. It is definitely conquered now! I just can't believe how much love I have for this little girl. I am utterly, completely smitten.

Noah's latest thing is acting like a cat. Or a dog. Or a shark. At least once or twice a day, the only word in his vocabulary is "Meow." As if it weren't hard enough for me to interpret what he's trying to tell me! He is such a sweet and loving little boy. While hugging him yesterday, I caught his reflection in the mirror and almost cried for the expression on his face. It was one of complete and sheer joy, as if he could just live in my arms forever. I don't know what I did to deserve that kind of affection, but I am grateful. It's hard to imagine that there will come a day when my children won't want to be around me constantly, but I just hope that when that day comes, I'll be able to take it with a grain of salt. For now, I will just cherish these days while we (Mommy and Daddy) are the center of their worlds. What a blessed (and yes, sometimes overwhelming) place to be.