The Many Faces of Stella

Stella's vocabulary amazes us every day, her words are becoming so much clearer. Her favorite thing to say is "I'll do that" or "I'll try that," because of course she wants to do everything herself. Stella has always had this funny little shuffle when she walks and she swings her shoulders and arms, it's so cute. She must be going through a growth spurt lately, because I swear she eats more than me, I have no idea where it all goes. She loves to sing and is quite good at it, loves to dance and "go crazy!" She just runs around in circles, shakes her butt, falls down to the floor and rolls around, repeat, repeat, repeat! It is hilarious to watch. Stella can throw a temper tantrum with the best of them, but also gives the best hugs and kisses. The fights have been on the rise around our house as Stella has gotten older discovered how to hold her ground with Jack, sharing is a work in progress. Pictures of Stella are pretty hard to come by lately - she has no interest in holding still to get her picture taken, she's far too busy playing dolls, kitchen or coloring.

Afternoon Picnic

Jack has been taking shorter and less frequent naps as of late, which means I have a little one on one time with him many afternoons while Stella is napping. The other day Jack said he was making us a picnic and not to come into the room until he called for me. After several minutes said it was ready and called for me to join him, I was very impressed with the spread he had laid out :) He has always been such a sweet boy! Unfortunately, it looks as though Jack already struggles with timeliness, he has to be the most poky child to get ready and out the door in the morning. Jack still thoroughly enjoys his mornings at preschool and has made so many new friends. It's funny listening to him talk about his day and telling me all about his friends, and he has recently declared "I don't like girls because they stink!" Jack has a great sense of humor and loves to be silly. His favorite color is green and he likes practicing writing his name and doing his cutting homework with his green safety scissors.

Enjoy the Moment

Stella is know 20 months old, and I feel like 2 is just around the corner, which means 4 is just around the corner for Mr. Jack......wow that went fast! Ironically enough, I sometimes catch myself worrying about how quickly they are growing up and that I am taking as many opportunities to enjoy this time as I can, that I'm probably missing out on the present moment with them. Although there are sicknesses, sleep interruptions, and the exhaustion from waiting on two little people to deal with, I wouldn't trade it for a thing, I know I will miss it all someday. I recently read an article in one of my parenting magazines about savoring the moments with your children and how difficult it can be with our busy, hectic lives. There were a few words that really resonated with me, that I have been trying to keep in the back of my mind during the more challenging days of parenting a 1 & 3 year old. "Picture your children's messy bedrooms clean and empty. Picture the backseat of your car vacuumed and without a car seat or crumbs. Playroom shelves neatly stacked with dusty toys. Laundry under control." So as I look at the mound of unfolded laundry and toys scattered about the house, I will now try to find some comfort in this, knowing it is a sign of a busy happy young family.