What's up with us?

I love my kids. Some days I forget, but it's still true.

This little guy helps me remember that I love my kids.

Especially when he's like this. 

Over the past few weeks, he has acquired the best monster-style laugh. It comes from deep in his throat and it rasps up into the cutest growling "ha ha ha ha!" I can usually get him to do it if I'm tickling him or doing something he thinks is funny. It's a contagious laugh too. You can't help but laugh when he's laughing.

He's also learning to speak at a startling rate. At first it was just a couple of words: Dada, shoe, ball... I think he learns a new word just about every day now. He uses several variations of Mama, G-G (great-grandma), Papa (grandpa), hello, cool, book, more and milk sound about the same "moe", baby, diaper, down, the requisite "peepee" and "poopoo" and of course "No"... 

He loves to sit on my lap while I read stories to him and Audrey. He helps when we clean up their room at the end of the day, though is brand of help typically means that he puts away the same toy multiple times in between playing with it. He also climbed out of his crib for the first time yesterday which I only found out when he knocked on the door after he felt his nap was over. Good thing we're getting those kids a bunk bed. I don't need any more broken arms!

Audrey is such an inquisitive little "why?" girl, which, according to my mother, is hereditary. 

This is her snarly, "I'm not going to be cute for this picture" face.

One of her recent developments is the "I don't have anything, Mom." statement while holding something behind her back. Usually it's something she thinks, or knows, that I wouldn't like her to play with.

About a month ago, I started a Co-op preschool with five other mothers. We meet once a week and rotate teaching and assisting. We are focusing on the alphabet this year, teaching one letter each week. Audrey is the only girl in the group, which doesn't seem to disturb her at all. In fact, she seems to like getting all the girl attention and getting to use all the "girl" colors when they draw or write.

Just about every Friday, we head up to the Salt Lake area because Ben only has one class at the U and it seemed silly for him to drive an hour there and another hour back just for a class that is fifty minutes long. We usually spend the day with my sister-in-law and her two younger kids. Audrey and Henry like spending time with their cousins. When Ben comes back, if the kids (or the grown-ups) aren't too tired, we try to go and do something fun! We went to Harriman Beach, which is a man-made pond with sand around it, and let the kids splash around a bit.

The kids don't get to see Ben much during the week, so we're looking forward to Ben's fall break. We don't have anything specific planned, which suits me just fine!

I'm working on the outline for a new book which I will try to slam out during Nanowrimo in November. November will be a busy month for me for sure!

I have loads of pictures and stories to share, but we'll just take it one step at a time. Stay tuned for more soon!