This is Lex as we ran errands today. I
picked the clothes and he accessorized :) The little radio
plays short little songs when you push one of the buttons, so
Lex kept stopping every few feet, putting the radio down,
pushing a button (to keep the music playing), picking it back
up and walking some more. We got to one place and he decided he
wanted to bring his water with him. So I got him out and had
Eve in my other arm and we’re in a parking so I’m holding on to
his arm (his hands being full of stuff) and he’s shuffling
along. I said “c’mon Lex, what’s wrong??” and looked back to
find him with a radio in one hand, water cup in the other and
rubix cube (he calls it his block) between his knees!! He’s
shuffling because he’s trying not to drop the block :) He
cracks me up.

We went to a playgroup today that
ended up being very busy. There was another woman there with a
toddler and baby and they had with them the same toy that we
had with us, a little Lamaze brand sun/moon thing with toys
hanging off of it. At one point another kid was carrying the
other toy and Lex went up and tried to take it away, saying,
“that’s Eve’s, that’s Eve’s” :) I had to explain that there
were two and only when I showed him that Eve still had hers was
he happy to let go of the other one and move on. He sure loves
his sister!

At bathtime tonight I put Eve in her
jumper for the 3rd time and this time she really got it! She
was jumping up and down and laughing and cooing and gurgling.
So cute. She really laughed when Lex was
“helping” her jump. He was a little rough for my preference,
but she was loving it :) A bit later she settled down and was
holding on the the front straps and leaning her head back to
watch the spring as she bounced. She was just bouncing along,
lounging back (I was reading stories to Lex) when suddenly she
hit her poor head into the edge of the door frame! Her eyes got
huge and she let out an enormous wail! Poor baby! I pulled her
out of the jumper and Lex was right there saying “wanna kiss it
and feel make it better.” :) So he gave her lots of kisses.

Speaking of kisses… we were putting
them both to bed and Lex asked for a “family hug.” He’s no
longer content with “a hug for mommy and a hug for daddy,” he
now requests “family hugs” and “Lex sandwiches” :) So we had a
big family hug and then he said “want to have kisses” and he
gave each of us a kiss. He kissed Alan and I on the lips and
tried to get Eve’s mouth but she was bopping her head around so
he settled for several kisses on the head instead :)

I love my little family!

It’s a beautiful day, the kids are
sleeping (at the same time, can you believe it!!!), and the
house is moderately clean, so I figured I’d ramble at you all
for a bit.

Things are going pretty well
these days. I found out that I need to be registered to do
daycare around here, so I’m working on the paperwork for that.
Nothing too hard, just paperwork. I had a 19mo old here two
days last week and a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old for 1/2 day last
week. All in all not too painful :) Once I get the registration
I’ll be able to advertise and get a few regulars. Eve was
pretty indifferent to the whole thing, but Lex was a little put
out on the day we had all three extra kids. Twice he took the
toy he was playing with and went into the office and closed the
door :) I’m ok with that though.

Lately
the subject of introvert and extrovert came up and I find
myself thinking about it a lot. My mom showed me an article
that basically says the difference is in how you recharge.
Introverts need alone time to recharge while extroverts
recharge by being with other people. I’m definitely an
extrovert and get a little crazy with too much alone time :)
Lately I’ve been thinking Lex might be an introvert though. His
personality is mellowing a lot as he grows up (2 whole years
now!) and after a busy day doing whatever he is very happy to
sit in the corner and read books. Even when we go to
playgroups, he’ll play with others for a bit then take off to
do his own thing for awhile. It’s neat to watch as all the kids
grow into their personalities. The wild, uber social Lex from
last year is now a more mellow kid. Still has is wild moments,
don’t get me wrong, but definitely mellowing :)

It has also been neat to see his imagination
start to come out. Lots of other kids now play games with
dollies, build houses and put people in them, etc. but Lex
hasn’t shown much of that imagination until recently. The other
day he put a book on the Noah’s Ark toy we have and “sailed” it
across the hearth to a picture of him and Eve. “Book is on the
boat. The boat sails to the picture,” he said as he did it. He
has also started “wearing” his blanket and pretending it’s
other things. Sometimes it’s a “warm coat” or “nice hat” or
“big scarf.” Hmmm… I had a few other examples, but can’t
think of them at the moment. Oh well.

Ok, Lex is awake now so I’m outt here. More
later.

These were taken at a playgroup the other
day (by someone else). I think they are great. He looks like
such a little guy and she has a great expression. My kids crack
me up!

I keep thinking of lots of fun
things to blog about, but when I finally get a chance (10:45pm)
I’m just tired and can’t remember any of them. Sorry!! I’ll try
to get better. In the meantime, hopefully the photos will keep
you all entertained for awhile.

I’ve been camera happy lately :) No complaints,
right?? Last night, coincidently, they both slept in white
onsies and pj pants and this morning they both ended up in just
the onsies. Lex took his pants off (he does that sometimes) and
I forgot to put Eve’s on after a diaper change. They were
playing on the couch and I noticed that they matched, so I
whipped out the camera :)

Now if only “voluptuous” would come back
into vogue!

FDA Approves Seconds

WASHINGTON, DC—Once
restricted to only those who had been extra good, seconds will
now be made available to the general public in
over-the-kitchen-counter form.

“Stuff.” Lex’s new favorite word. Lying in
our bed he says, “That’s a lamp. That’s the air conditioner.
That’s the closet. That’s the radio. That’s the… sky
(ceiling). What a lot of stuff in mommy and daddy’s room.”
Tonight, getting ready for bed he says, “gotta get your stuff”
(blankets, doggy, and snoopy dog) “Look at all the stuff!” he
likes to say, his hand making a broad sweeping gesture around
the room.

We are having a really intense
thunderstorm right now! Keep your fingers crossed we don’t
loose power.

As most of you know, we have come to the end of
my lovely SAHM lifestyle and I now need to star earning some
money. I’m pretty bummed about this, but I’m more bummed about
our current financial situation, so additional earnings will be
good. Anyway, for the last bunch of weeks I’ve been pursuing
different ideas and trying to figure out what would be the best
plan for me, the family, and the bank account. None of the
options are thrilling (mostly because I’m pretty happy with
life as it is, finances aside) and I’ve mostly narrowed it down
to childcare or a possible web developer position at a local
company. All last week I was saying, “I wish someone would just
give me a sign! Tell me what to do!” All last week I was
waiting on the hiring lady for the web dev position to get back
from vacation. She got back on Wednesday and I didn’t hear from
her, so I called her on Friday. She called me back later in the
day and said they just hired a new Director of IT and that
person would be starting next week (wow!!! the
thunder is scary!!!) and that person would be in
charge of filling the web dev position. She then said they
would be in touch in a week to 10 days. (the sky just
opened up with a huge burst of lightening and now it’s
downpouring. hope Alan gets home soon!) So, knowing
what I know about the corporate world, there is no way someone
is going to be making hiring decisions a week or two after
starting. Highly unlikely anyway. ARG!! So now I’m torn. Should
I wait a few more weeks (the indecision is killing me!) for an
offer I may or may not get for a job that probably will pay
well, but will result in my babies in someone else’s care
full-time? Or should I just go the childcare route with ok pay
and the potential to go insane from all the kids (including
mine, of course) and minimal grownup interactions?? I’m
probably going to go the childcare route because we need $$
sooner rather than later and because I’m just tired of thinking
about it. I’m ready to move on. Wish me luck and saneness! :)

Still have power, though I’ve
lost my Internet connection so you’ll see this message when I’m
back online :)