Could they be any cuter?

Both Cadence and Megan have gone through social growth spurts. James and I have had several moments of looking at each other in shock and then busting up laughing. And I've had several moments of wanting to call him up and tell him yet another story.

For example, today, I told the girls to get on the couch for quiet time (which is really naptime, but we call it quiet time so Cadence doesn't realized I'm tricking her into taking a nap). Cadence immediately gathered up her blanket and Megan's blanket and went to rearrange the pillows on the couch. I have one pillow for each of them that is set on either end, but James tends to pile them together once he's home. Taz was laying on one and Cadence was getting quite upset that she couldn't move it. So I suggested she move Taz. She then picked Taz up, placed her on the floor, moved the pillow and patted the couch as she told Megan "get on the couch, Megan". Then she handed Megan her blanket, grabbed hers, and moved to her side of the couch to wait for the movie to start.

Megan's learning a dozen new words a day and she's getting very vocal about what she knows. Today I heard her meowing and when I looked she had opened up one of the books to the page with the cat on it and was pointing to the picture as she meowed. Yesterday, she also showed off her knowledge of eyes, ears, nose and mouth to her Grandpa. She would also point to his when asked.

Aunt Robyn's birthday was yesterday (she's 18!). Saturday, we went to the store to pick up her birthday present and let Cadence pick most of it out. I'd pick which display we'd look at and Cadence would pick the exact item. She picked the perfect pair of earrings for Robyn, and a set of bracelets, and insisted on the purple mickey mouse socks. She even picked out the chocolate and the bag. She knew it was for Aunt Robyn. It was too cute when James asked if we should get Aunt Robyn chocolate and Cadence responded "Okay, chocolate, Robyn". When he suggested chips, she shook her head and said "no, chocolate". About ten minutes later, when James again suggested chips she looked at him and said again: "No, chocolate, Robyn" and then went to the display with the chocolate and picked out a pack of Milky Ways to add to the gift bag (that she'd also picked out). When we went to pay, she insisted the cashier "give it back" and we had to dig out the bag and all the presents to give back to Cadence so she could carry it. She refused to let Aunt Robyn's present out of her care.

Megan's just... adorable. I have no anecdotes off the top of my head. She's just so stinking cute. Even when she's mad and throwing a fit, she's so adorable it's a battle to keep from busting up laughing. She's got a temper, too. Not quite as volatile as her sister's, but she's just as stubborn. More so in some ways. She's so smart. It's scary how smart they are at this age. It seems every day she has a dozen new words to use. I was stunned when I pulled out a banana for their breakfast and she jumped up and down in her seat and said "nana!" It's not just words, either. She understands so much more and is getting so good at communicating with her gestures. I almost have to remember to encourage her to use words, because I usually understand exactly what she wants from her gestures. She's very clear in what she wants (and doesn't want).

The two of them have fought a bit more, now that they're both showing their stubborn sides and now that they both "want" something at the same time. We've been smoothing it over, mostly working on Cadence not taking things from Megan and telling Megan "no" when she decides she wants whatever Cadence has. Honestly, that problem isn't as bad as it was a few weeks ago, so I think it's working. *knock on wood*

Megan's talking

(Playing in the rain. Even though they were both ice cold, they both shrieked a protest as we dragged them back inside)

Several times I find myself overlooking Megan's milestones. It's not because I just don't notice, I just don't stop and think "hey, that's new and cool".

But she is most definitely a toddler to her fingertips. She's begun a bit of a vocabulary explosion. I forgot about this, how quickly they pick up new words. Just today she was eagerly asking for a "duh, duh" in the bath and it took me a moment to realized she had learned the word "duck" at some unknown point, undoubtedly from her sister. Shortly after that, she pointed to the spot between her mouth and her nose and said "nose", which then prompted me pointing to different body parts and saying the word. By the end of her bath she'd learned to point to her eyes, ears, mouth and nose. And as always she knows where her belly is.

She's also picked up "book", though that one took me a moment as well. And when I handed her a dried out wipe instead (since they like to take them out and scatter them), she turned it over in her hands then wiped at her mouth with it and handed it back to me. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or just sweep her up and cover her sweet face in kisses. Since it was technically bedtime, I refrained from both.

She follows directions really well. Though now that she knows the word "no", she often protests a bit. But she doesn't just use the word without meaning. She knows what that word means and if we ask if she wants something or if we offer her something she doesn't want, she'll shake her head and say "no". Her yes is a grunt and a bounce, so we're still working on that word.

Every night she refuses to settle down for story time. She's either trying to get to the toys and grinning at me when I tell her to come sit back down (she has the cutest "I'm not going to listen to you, come and get me" grin ever), or she's climbing all over me wanting to point to the pictures and give me her made-up word. She meows at cats and repeats everything Cadence says during story time. However, once I say "the end", she promptly stops what she's doing and folds her arms for the bedtime prayer. Once prayer's over she runs over to her bed and waits for me to tuck her in. She rarely stays laying down, but she at least waits for me to spread her blanket over her before she starts her somersaults.

She has her little routines. For example, she's fine at dinner until I get up and walk past her, at which point she wants down and in my lap. After every meal she has to bring her cup with her, even if the thing's empty. Every night after bath, I get her out first and get her dressed, then leave the towel out while I go get Cadence, and every single time, Megan lays down in the middle of the towel and just grins like a little stinker while Cadence shrieks in protest. First thing in the morning, she demands snuggle time. It doesn't matter whether she was up early, or late, or if we just finished dropping James off. If I don't sit on the couch and cuddle with her for a few minutes she will not leave me be until I do.

I say it over and over again, but I can't believe I ever thought she'd pale in comparison to her high-spirited sister. I love this little girl so much and in so many different ways. I love her for all the things she has in common with her sister and I love her for all the many ways she's different. I thought I was blessed to have someone as sweet as Cadence, but I'm doubly blessed to have Megan thrown into the mix as well. Triple blessed, even, because watching them together, even with all the screaming and fighting, just melts my heart.

The house that dad built

A few weeks ago, James woke up so sore that he actually had to leave work after only being there an hour. I promptly sat down and ordered the memory pad that had been recommended to me when I first began looking into the idea. After two calls to customer service and 3 weeks, it finally arrived last Friday.

The girls thought the big fluffy thing on top of our bed was awesome, but they quickly lost interest once it was tucked under the sheet and our bed looked the same to them (nevermind the fact that it was now 4 inches taller...)

Their interest quickly transferred to the box that it came in. James offered to throw it out that night, but I decided we could let them keep it until it fell apart. Saturday, James flipped open the pocketknife that he pretty much always has on hand, and carved out "windows" and a door. The girls were in love and spent the rest of the evening ducking in and out of the door and peeking at us through the windows. It now has it's own place in their room and will probably remain there until it begins to fall apart.

Maybe I'll take them outside and let them fingerpaint it...

Cadence's Photo Shoot

Oh the cuteness! Last year, Cadence was such a pain in the butt to deal with (kind of like how Megan was this year, guess it was an age thing). But this year she was loving the camera and we got a ton of cheesy grins and cuteness. It's a wonder I was able to narrow it down to just one for my wall. In the end, I was only able to choose by considering which one would compliment Megan's the best.

This picture kind of sums up how the entire shoot went:

Showing off her pink boots to the photographer:

They told her to smell the flower, then they had to try to get her to stop:

She's so CUTE:

This one was a finalist, but her smile seemed off (and she looked entirely too grown up to be going up on my wall this year!):

This one was also a finalist and was very nearly the final pick:

In the end, this one won:

Megan's 2011 photo shoot

Last time I took pictures, Megan was a gem and Cadence was the one I had to fight with. This time around, it took all my effort to keep a "ready to pose" Cadence out of the camera's view and coax a few smiles from Megan, who wanted nothing more than to snuggle. We got a few pictures, but between her fussiness, the fact that I used my cell phone as a prop, and her hair and it's dozen of cowlicks that refuse to lie flat no matter how much I play with it... Still, I do have more proof that she is one of the sweetest girls alive.

Close up time:

Her cowlick is way obvious in this one, lol:

Another close up, so cute:

The one I was tempted to buy for my wall:

The one I actually ordered, cell phone and all: