Summer changes...

You know that the kids are growing up when they trade in their made up vernacular for real words, the pronunciation of "r's" and "s's" is mastered and they start speaking in complete sentences. All of which are reminders that they are growing up whether you want them to or not.
I was watching Nathan run around the living room last night and had a fleeting glimpse of what he will look like at 8 years old...panic ensued! It reminds me to enjoy them now, not just because it will go away soon, but because it's fun and worth experiencing life together.

Anne has traded her cherished word "tapu" in for the real word, "pasu" (pacifier)... yes she still has one. Her garbled, pretend conversations are becoming more understandable. Yesterday she asked to go play, "Go play?" and always asks, "A do mommy/daddy/annie (she calls Nathan Annie)?" Translation: What are you doing?. She is a master at cleaning up, more agile now and tries to do just about everything Nathan does, some things even a little better! She is still cuddly and more than ever Little Miss Independent. Her favorite activity is crawling under the table ("In the tunnel," she says) and scavenging for uneaten treasures. She has become a master at distracting Nathan in order to be able to watch TV (he makes a better "door than a window"), or play with specific toys. She is such a character and so funny!

Nathan has traded 3 and 4 word sentences for completely thought out sentences. "Come on mommy, let's go outside! Get your shoes on!" He and Anne both love the PBS program "Word World" and he's always 'building a word' which usually is "E-O-E, blankie!" or "E-O-E, car!" or "E-O-E, 'fill in the blank because in Nathan world EVERYthing is spelled E-O-E'." We got him the 'Leapfrog Word Whammer' today, maybe he'll pick up some more letters to spell with! He is asserting some independence as well and is a lock for putting things in the garbage. If you think it's lost, look in the trash first. Nathan may have thrown it away! One of his favorite daily activities is waking Anne up from her nap and yelling, "Surprise!" after which "Happy Birthday" usually follows. HA!

The weather here has finally turned WARM!!! We are excited to have some SUN in the forecast. Not that the rain has been imposing, it's just nice to see some sun in June! I am still adjusting to the climate here and still wear jeans, long sleeves, and flip flops on warm days. I think everyone else has already acclimated. Our friends have a pool in their neighborhood with a kiddie pool that the kids love. No huge summer plans yet, just to enjoy our new environment!

Thanks for checking in on us! I will post some pictures soon!
Love the kidletts, Joy & Mark