Writing

16 Months

My precious girls turned 16 months old today.   I’m not sure where the last two months disappeared to.  We’ve been sick a ton: ear infections, colds, bronchialitis (nasty stuff), and more ear infections.  I seem to be functioning on just the bare minimum of sleep most weeks 🙂  But despite all our health struggles, my little babies have fully evolved into sweet little toddler girls.

Aeralind Grace

I can’t get over how much this little girls loves to be dirty.  Within moments of exciting our home, she will have dirt all around her mouth from chewing on rocks or sticks or whatever interested her at that moment. Ironically, Aeralind is the more traditionally girly of the two.  She love her dolls and carries them around with her.  She helps me sweep.  She comes near to ask for snuggles.  So the dirt just cracks us up! We’ve taken to calling her “Mud Princess.” 

Aeralind still love to manipulate objects.  She can use her spoon and actually get the food in her mouth.  She can both pull outlet covers out of the electrical outlet and put them back in.  When I forget that the basement bathroom door is open, I will always find her in that bathroom meticulously lifting cat food piece by piece into a separate dish.  She’s giddy with excitement that she’s figured out how to close the reused-as-a-bath-toy margarine container.

Aeralind weathers sickness pretty well.  She sleeps extra long.  However, when she’s hurting she’ll let you know with some of the most heart rending shrieks possible.  Then she snuggles right up to you until the pain passes and lets you place her happily back upon her pillow where she drifts off to sleep.

Bronwyn Hope

Bronwyn Hope is a determine scrappy little thing.  She will climb anything.  She has no fear.  She wants to be able to do what she is thinking about in her head as soon as possible.  When she sets her heart on doing something, just about nothing will stop her.  Not even if she falls.  After a good cuddle, she’ll go right back to try it again. 

Bronwyn doesn’t stay still for more than 5 minutes unless she’s playing with the piano or being forced to receive a nebulizer treatment.  In less than 10 minutes she’ll climb onto the trunk, then the couch and repeat 10 times, push a Cozy Coup across the room with her sister riding in it, empty three drawers, climb on top of the computer desk, and call China on my cell phone (well the last part is hypothetical…but believe me, she’d attempt it!).  This girls is busy!  But her laughter and her enthusiasm for life is so infectious.

Bronwyn does not deal with being sick well.  My stubborn non-stop ball of motion becomes a mopy clingy whiny stubborn girl.  She wants one thing and one thing only: to be near mommy and daddy.  She has whined 2+ hours on two different occasions in the middle of the night, just because she wanted to sleep with us.

I love you my sweet toddler girls! 

Birthday Cake

My Birthday Cake
My Birthday Cake: Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling and Stabilized Whip Cream Frosting.

The cover image cake from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, except that I used whipped cream instead of Lemon Buttercream to frost it.  If you like to bake and you like whole grains, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.  No one would guess this cake is 2/3 whole grains 😉

Another Quick Week

I’m not sure when life is going to slow down again.  I can hardly believe another week has passed.  But this week has been full of gifts from the Father. 
#1192

  • Becca hanging out with Aeralind while I took Bronwyn to the Dr. Alone
  • A Good Lung Re-Check
  • Playing with Bronwyn alone in the office
  • Finding Aerie asleep in a hammock swing when I returned!
  • Bronwyn finally sleeping through the Night again!
  • Little girls refusing to eat a cut up strawberry.  Only a whole one (leaves and all!) will do!
  • Strawberries on sale
  • Bronwyn wave-she’s such a flirt
  • Aeralind hug-flying fast and with big squeezes
  • Talking with Julia
  • Finally binding the quilt I’ve been working on forever.
  • Babies blowing kisses at me
  • A day warm enough to play in the yard (or maybe I’m jsut getting used to the coldness)
  • Little girls lifting shirts and babbling “Baba Bab Ba!” (Belly Button)
  • Runny noses lessening
  • Playing in the yard with the girls
  • Grilled Cheese
  • 2 consecutive nights of sleep
  • Baby hugs
  • Jump in my arms off the waffle tower game
  • Baby Dragon noises as the playfully challenge Derek and I to chase them
  • Laughter–oh, sweet laughter!– squealy laughter, upside down laughter, baby laughter.
  • My emotionally strong husband
  • Moving Quiet Graces Photography to WordPress
  • Walking hand in had up the street with two girls
  • Free Chick-fil-a Spice Breakfast bisquit day
  • A half sleepless night to discipline me in love
  • Being able to attend volunteer training for six hours without the babies
  • Making friends with Joanna at the training
  • Inviting Joanna over to sew costumes for her and her babies and my family
  • Derek watching the girls so I could go
  • The time period of Roper Mountain’s Living History Fram being 1810– That means new costumes for me and Derek!
  • Already owning a suitable print for one of the girls’ dresses
  • a slow and quiet birthday
  • stuffed mushrooms
  • lemon cake with raspberry filling and stablized whip cream frosting
  • Playing jump off the mega waffle blocks with the girls
  • Birthday snow!
  • 8 inches of accumulation!
  • Bundling wiggly girls up to play in snow– including their Ziploc and Rubberband boots 🙂
  • Little girls sitting on our laps as we go through snow photos
  • A rare 1.5 hour nap after their snow adventures
  • unseasonably inexpensive apricots
  • A local CSA to join with Heirloom tomatoes
  • A snow day with Daddy
  • 3 consecutive nights sleep
  • chili on a cold day

holy experience

Snow?!

Why, yes, I do live in South Carolina…. and this is my yard today.

Soot

That fireplace might be the death of me yet.
Anyone know how to clean soot out of an unused fireplace without getting soot all over the house?