Updates on EVERYTHING!

Things are calming down a little bit around here, and also still crazy. The repairs are moving right along, and thankfully things are cleaner and quieter. We're back to taking naps at our house, and there's less painting and nail gunning in the hallway, though Adam does still love greeting the workers in the morning and running outside with them whenever he gets a chance.

Our bathroom is almost done, minus the installation of the mirror. Marco has been tiling like a mad man, and the kids bathroom is coming together really quickly.

The whole wall on the toilet side is the glass mosaic tile, which I love. The medicine cabinet is going to be set directly into the wall.

This is the granite for the kids bathroom, which I love.

Also in the hallway, in the new linen cabinet, which I ALSO love! It's really happening!

So that's about it for the house. Onto my sweet children.

I realized this morning than in exactly one month, Adam turns two. It seems like it's gone by so fast, and it hit me today, I no longer am in the "baby" stage of my child rearing years. Adam walks, talks, runs, and is turning more and more into a little boy every day. All of the baby toys have left our house (except for Sophie, I'll never get rid of her! I intend to save her and show adult Ellie how she licked off all of the spots) and all of the baby gear is long gone. Adam has even started climbing up into his own car seat, and as he does it, he calls himself a big boy.

His language has really exploded lately. He can count to ten, and loves yelling at the end of his count down (like he's playing hide and seek.) He's starting to identify colors. He'll tell you exactly what he wants to eat, though he continues to call milk "noot." Also helpfully, once he learned that he could climb out of the fun cage at Gigi's, he figured he was big enough to climb out of his crib at home.

I shut that right down, as you can see. Took out the drawer from underneath his crib and turned it into a straight up cage. While the renovations are going on, I need a place where I can put him to shower and get dressed because otherwise, he will escape the house the second he gets the chance and if Ellie's home, she just lets him. Fixing it up has definitely saved my bacon, though it was sort of cute the morning that both he and Ellie came into bed to snuggle with us in the morning. In a few months, we can revisit that idea.

And then my Ellie Bellie Beanser girl. I cannot believe how big she is getting too, my beautiful grown up girl. She's getting really brave and fast on her roller skates, the little nut. She loves telling jokes and being silly, and when you ask her will say "oh, I'm just kidding!" I like to tell her that Tim is teasing me, and she'll go over and tell him to stop it RIGHT NOW. Or if she catches Grizz teasing Gigi. We're definitely going to be challenged with her, skirting the line between being funny and being sassy (I personally wouldn't know anything about what it feels like to be a child who doesn't know when to quit, obviously.) She's still only doing preschool twice a week, but loves going to MOPS every other Friday. And next year she's eligible for junior kindergarten through the public schools - I can't believe it! Adam is going to be so sad - he's always bummed when we drop her off.

She had a wonderful time sleeping over at Mimi and Pa's house this past Monday night - she packed her bag the second she got out of bed. And of course, told me that it would be okay and she'd see me tomorrow. They went and saw a movie, they had some pancakes and a tea party, and Adam got some good snuggling from Mimi when she picked Ellie up and dropped her off.

Both kids have really enjoyed having all of our family in town (photos to follow soon.) And I'd like to think their great grandparents (and great Lisa/Gigi Lisa) have enjoyed them too!