Ellie is 20 months old!!

On May 29th Ellie turned 20 months old. Words I have to describe her at this age are "independent," "sassy," "happy," and "sweet." She refuses to hold our hands or be held because she wants to explore at her leisure. It makes for some power struggles in places where she needs to hold our hands for safety reasons. Ellie also throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way, either in screaming protests or by throwing herself down face-first on the floor and laying still and quiet. I call it the "peaceful protest." She only really says a handful of words at the moment (for whatever reason) but she communicates very well with pointing and making affirmative/negative head nods. Ellie also loves her brother and misses him when he's not around. She will look at me with he palms up and make a questioning sound and then I know she is looking for James. They like to tickle each other, chase each other, and play footsie. It's quite cute. :-)

James is saying all kinds of funny things. Yesterday he saw some ants in a cobweb and said, "Mommy, those ants are BROKEN!" :-) He also calls it the TV scream and can't figure out why we call the three meals something different... To him they are all Dinner. And sleeping is always "my nap" or "quiet time" no matter if it is during the day or not. James also likes to give his and kisses a lot, and he loves our snuggle time.

Ellie has learned to give "big hugs" where she will run to you with open arms. But she doesn't want to sit on my lap anymore for story time and she also wants to walk to her bed herself instead of being carried. Miss independent indeed.

I feel incredibly blessed to be a mommy to two such amazing kiddos. My heart is full. <3

Last day of "preschool"!

We have begun a summer unit study of Alaska with the kids in preparation for our Disney cruise to Alaska, so I declared today to be the last day of preschool for James. He is moving into Kindergarten level activities next year, but no rush... what he need more time on we will take our time. The beauty of homeschooling is he always goes at his pace and I can tailor his education to what he is interested in. Right now he is very excited about Alaska. We have a countdown chain looped around the living room and he keeps talking about the bald eagles and Mickey's boat! He is growing up too quickly. Last night Eliot and I found a baby band sticker from the hospital the day he was born under our bed (we got a new one and were doing some deep cleaning). It's hard to believe that little bundle we brought home from the hospital is joking back and forth with me about being a pinecone or a pickle pie and building amazing LEGO creations. Watching him and his sister discover the world is the most amazing blessing I've been given.

Ellie is 19 months old!!

Ellie is 19 months old (as of April 29th... we've all been sick so it's taken me awhile to get around to posting about it)! She is turning into a little girl rather than a baby, which makes me so very sad while still excited to see how much she's grown. She is very communicative, and tries to say any word we throw at her (sometimes even correctly!). I can give her instructions and she will (usually) follow them, such as "find your shoes," "go to James's room) etc. Along with this new communication has come a LOT of tantrums... the girl knows what she wants and is not afraid to let you know if she is displeased! Ellie is also a climber, which gives me a few grey hairs at times when I see what she is climbing on and what she's been able to access because of it. James has started having a whole imaginary life that he is very vocal about. Apparently he drives a blue mini cooper with yellow stripes, lives in a red house in California (with lots of stairs), and also has about 3 planes and a purple helicopter. He likes to tell me about how he is going to drive me to his house in his car or take his helicopter and go to daddy's work and pick up his truck with the helicopter and bring it back to our house. It's quite funny and it's been going on for about a month now. He had a very vivid imagination! We've been busy getting the backyard ready for our summer garden. James helped by moving some rocks and digging, and Ellie pretty much just practiced going up and down the stairs on the porch (which she sits down to do, even if it is a small step haha!). We are putting in a big garden this year, complete with potatoes and onions (new for us), and I am taking some classes on Urban Homesteading this summer including foraging, canning, and preserving. Today Eliot played at a local nursery for their open house, and I visited with the kids. Both of them took turns playing with daddy... James loved it as he's been asking forever to "play music on the stage!"

A big change in mindset for me is being grateful for what I've been given instead of always wishing for something more. So we've been fixing the house to accomodate our family of 4 instead of complaining about not having enough space. We got a new pantry that has provided enough space for our food in the kitchen, freeing up our kitchen counters. I'm moving the kids (in September) into the same room so we can free up the other room, and I am making the kid's room also into a playroom so we have a place for them to play besides the loving room. I'm also decluttering the house and getting rid of anything that isn't necessary, and also finishing part of our attic so we can store more things up high rather than in the house. The Lord has blessed us with two wonderful children and a house to raise them in. I can't guarantee we will stay here for a long time, but for now I choose to see it as a blessing instead of complaining about the lack of space. Many people in the world would view us as rich with all that we have... I'm choosing to see us as rich as well. And now, for pics!