so in love....

So, I'm having a hard time believing how fast time flies. Ruby is 7 1/2 months old and Natalie will be 2 (too) soon. I never knew I could love my girls so much and I wish time would just stand still! But that's as mushy as I'm gonna let this post get because I could go on and on....

Natalie is talking ALL the time now. I guess she has been for about the last year but now we both know what each other is saying. She's been a really good girl lately and I'm hoping that she'll be in that very small percentage of kids that don't get affected by those terrible twos! She has recently discovered how to crawl out of her crib and does so repeatedly during nap time! I'm going to have to learn to keep a straight face real soon! This afternoon, I was in the basement and I heard her jump out of her crib and walk to the stairs. She stood at the top for a while before tip-toeing down and when she got to the point where we could see each other she said, "No, Nay-Nay not naughty!" like she was trying to convince both of us! And then she giggles and runs over to me and says "Hug?" and gives me hugs and kisses! I would really like to get her potty-trained soon. About 15 times a day, she's taking off her pants and diaper right after she pees and then sits on the toilet. Anyone got any potty training tips?

And then there's my Ruby! I love this new stage. She's got the cutest laugh to go with her ever-smiling face! She can melt my heart just by looking at me - her eyes are so full of love. This girl loves to eat and she's been feeding her addiction with cheerios. Or I guess, more accurately, I feed her addiction! The other night, mom and dad Barkel came over and mom says, 'what's this under her chin?!' It's a cheerio stuck way under her double chin! And a couple nights after that, I put the girls in the tub and before I even realized what Natalie was doing, she had pryed a cheerio out from a fat fold under Ruby's belly and ATE it!! Ruby has been sleeping through the night for about 3 weeks now and it is WONDERFUL!! Not to complain, but I had gone so long without getting a good night's sleep. All of a sudden, Ruby has 3 more teeth (for a total of 5 now).
I just feel so blessed to have wonderful, healthy girls. This love I feel for them overflows into my everyday life and I am a better person because of them and Jordan, too.

Oops! I got mushy again!