{these two}

These two.  

-very headstrong

-want their own way

-want to sit next to each other at meals

-aren't allowed to sit next to each other at meals

-can't stop touching

-can't stop bossing the other

-want to always play with the toy that the other has

Next summer?  Only time will tell.

They obviously love each other a bunch.  Really, they do. :)

{b.i.f. fifteen}

Olivia can now climb up onto our bar chairs and then up onto the kitchen counter. Overall, I find this a bit scary. Thankfully, I have 3 little pairs of eyes that help me watch for the climbing. Today, after Amelia informed me that Olivia was on the counter, I heard her say, "Livi! You can't be up there...you might fall off and break yourself!"

{cousins}

Just hangin' at the lake with Eden. :)

We had a lot of great weekends at the lake this summer.  We are so incredibly blessed!

{14 minutes vs. 13 hours}

The following conversation is completely typical of Amelia right now.  

Background info:  Almost every morning that I get up before my girls {which, at this point, is most mornings}, Amelia hears me.  It doesn't matter if I'm unloading the dishwasher, typing on the computer, or reading a book.  She hears me.  It's like she has a sixth sense that I'm awake.  

She, of course, thinks that she should be awake if I am awake.  This girl turns extremely grumpy without enough sleep.  However, if she takes a nap in the afternoon, you can bet she'll be up until 11:00 wide awake.  We avoid naps if at all possible.  

In the mornings, though, 9 times out of 10, I can convince her to go back to sleep.  I put her back in her bed, in my bed, or cozy her up on the couch for an extra hour of snooze time.

If it is before 8:00, I typically don't let her stay out of bed.  This morning, she woke up at 7:00.  I put her in my bed...no use.  I grabbed the softest blanket and snuggled her up on the couch...no use.  At this point, it was 7:46, and she was asking for breakfast.  

Me:  Just lay there for 14 more minutes, and then you may have breakfast.  

A:  But Mom...that's like 13 hours!!

Me: Not quite.

{b.i.f. fourteen}

After I changed Olivia's diaper today, I stood her up and gave her a kiss.  I said, "Livi Lu, how could I love you any more than I do?!"  

She then proceeded to pucker up her lips and give me a big kiss.  

That'll do it. :)

{b.i.f. thirteen}

As I was wiping Amelia's bottom today, I said to her, "When are you going to start wiping your own bottom?"

Answer..."Maybe when I'm 15."  

I was thinking more like next week.

{10 years}

So, last Friday, Josh and I celebrated 10 fabulous years of marriage.  I could not be more thankful to have such a loyal and loving husband.  I know I say it over and over, but we have been blessed beyond measure in this life.  

One of these days, I'm thinking I'll have to do an in-depth post about all of the things I've learned and the ways I've grown up since I was that girl in the wedding dress. :)  Can't wait to see how much we'll grow in the next 10!!

So, for our 10 year anniversary, we took an absolutely beautiful vacation to the Riviera Maya in Mexico.  We spent 6 days and 5 nights at an all-inclusive resort with some of our best friends, Dave and Deanna.  It.was.fabulous.  

We sat on the beach, read a ton, and swam by day.  And we played Settlers of Catan by night.  {Side note:  I did not win at Catan, but I did score 9 points during one game, and that in itself felt like a huge victory.}  Although the food wasn't overly impressive at our resort, we did much better with our food choices by the end of the week!  We learned that Mexicans know how to do chicken, potatoes, and guacamole. :)

Other than Deanna puking while she was para-sailing and me leaving my kindle on the beach during a rainstorm, we had a perfectly relaxing and memorable trip.  I would like to say a special thank you to the people in room 1220 who promptly returned my kindle unscathed.  {I was internally freaking out because I have no password protections on any of my Amazon, facebook, and email accounts on my kindle...yikes!!}

The weather was perfect, our traveling buddies were excellent, and our flights/customs were uneventful.  Loved it.  Loved it.  Loved it.