Mommy

This is the word that plagues me these days. I've decided that on average (waking hours) I hear this word at least once every 30 seconds, maybe more often. I now have two darling voices chanting at me, mom-mie, mom-mie, all of the time. It's making me a wee bit insane. Yesterday Jason reminded me that there was a time that I longed for this, and that made me think that there will probably be a day when I miss it, but today is not that day, and I don't think tomorrow will be either.
I've come up with different responses, sometimes I'm chipper, sometimes loving, sometimes helpful, sometimes not. When it's not, Payton responds with "I love you" in her sugary sweet voice, just right to make me feel terrible. And then she says again, mom-mie? Really kid?

Catching Up

Here is Parker playing in the pool last night.


Payton has developed some awesome softball skills! She kept Grandpa Jim busy for 30 minutes last night throwing balls to her to whack. Needless to say, these skills did not come from Mommy.

I've been slacking in the blogging lately, and really don't have an excuse. You girls just keep me too busy? Everything you do is cute, so to put them all down is too exhausting? I'm a lazy slacker mom? What ever.

So, here's what you're up to.

Payton, you love to tell us what letters you see in the world. From the TV screen to signs on the street, you'll point them all out as if you've just discovered a buried treasure. I suppose if you thing about it the alphabet really is that, a treasure. You can spell your name, and do over and over and over. We've tried to work on O-H-I-O, but it tends to come out O-H-O. When I try to tell you how to spell Parker you get so hung up on the fact that there is a "P" and an "A" that we can't get any farther than that. You crack me up because you tell me that every letter "starts with" your name, as in "A", MOMMY, "A" STARTS MY NAME! And you have such enthusiasm for it I have a hard time correcting you. It's only October, and you are already planning your birthday party. You're also starting to plan for Santa's arrival, which is serving me well. I can always remind you that Santa doesn't like whining and that seems to slow you down a bit with it. You love Baby Jack, but always remind us that he's too little and you can't touch him yet. I'm glad that you got that message early in the game and don't really even bother with him. You are LOVING that Grandma Jackie returned last week, and are anxious to sleep at her condo in YOUR room. I think it's going to kill you when you realize that you have to go to school three days a week while Parker is with Grandma all day.

As for Parker, well, you're usually up to being a daredevil. Today you have three bruises on your face. I have no idea where they came from. You love to climb up on the sofa, stand up and fall over backwards. Usually you land on the sofa, but sometimes you'll just fall right off the end, and you don't seem to care. You run around the house yelling like a mad woman on a mission, but you're not going anywhere. Sometimes you run into things, sometime you don't but you just keep going, and giggling. We love to just watch you. You're still speaking 99% Chinese, but you jabber and jabber. On a rare occasion we think we hear a word, but when asked to repeat you tend to come up with something else. You use MA-MEE for everything and everyone. You have one other word you're using a lot right now, tickle-tickle-tickle, and you wiggle your fingers like you're going to tickle someone - or scratch their eyes out! You love to drag the "Brown Bear" book around the house and are constantly demanding it be read to you. You will sometimes even sit still long enough for us to read it, if we read REALLY fast.

Together you girls are a ball! You are the best of friends, chasing and running and tugging and pulling on each other. I catch both of you trying to steal toys and of course hitting each other, either trying to thieve or trying to defend, I'm never certain who's doing which. You run around and giggle forever.