"I'm sorry, Audrey."

One of Audrey's favorite nighttime games is pulling mine and Morgan's hair. Last night she was extra excited about her little game and Morgan was, understandably, getting a bit pissy. I had turned over and was not watching what was happening when I heard Audrey cry her "I am hurt" cry. I asked Morgan if she had hurt Audrey and she said, "no." I didn't make a big deal about it and tended to Audrey. A few minutes later Audrey had fallen asleep. All was quiet until Morgan said slowly, "Mommy I didn't tell you the truth." "I did hurt Audrey and I am sorry." I explained that she may want to tell Audrey that she was sorry in the morning. She thought a moment and then wanted to know why she had to wait. I pointed out that Audrey was currently asleep. Morgan was audibly disappointed and started to whisper to Audrey, "I am so sorry I hurt you. I will tell you tomorrow." When Morgan was through talking and lay there with her arm draped over Audrey's back, I spoke. I told her I understood why she would want to hurt Audrey because it really hurts when Audrey pulls our hair. I explained that Audrey was still very young and thought pulling our hair was a game and wasn't hurting her on purpose. I then pointed out that she had hurt meant to hurt Audrey. I didn't really say much after that, just stated it. Morgan just whispered again, "I am sorry Audrey."
The entire interaction was entirely genuine. It reinforced the reasons why I do not "make" her apologize or even make a big deal when I feel like she isn't telling the truth. I really have given her the freedom to develop her own sense of empathy and critical thinking. Its awesome to watch.

Busy days with crafts, bugs, and the lake

The last days have been so busy. We have spent a lot of time at the pool despite the overcast and rain showers. Morgan has been able to play with her friend Selena and also met the neighbors and spent some time with them. We have technically met them before, but the kids have never played. They have just gotten a new puppy and Morgan is hopeful that she may get to help walk her someday.

Morgan has continued creating things. During Audrey's naps she has made books, "castles," dinosaurs from craft sticks, collages, and numerous pictures with crayons and markers. She and Mark made maracas with paper plates and dried beans. Morgan attempts to make things when Audrey is awake, but gets frustrated when Audrey wants to "help." Going into another room to work is not usually an option Morgan likes unless there is someone to keep her company. Many times the project gets abandoned until a different time.

Morgan and I have begun a bug collection. We have found 2 Cicada bugs and 2 Cicada bug shells, 1 June bug, a few Army worms, 1 Grandaddy long legs spider, and 1 bug we have yet to identify. I had to do a bug collection when I was in school and I still remember having fun looking at all the insects my father and I found. Morgan has always liked looking at different bugs and is enjoying finding new ones for our collection.

Yesterday was a long and fun day spent with the Aunts at the lake. Morgan asked if we were going to Great Grandmommy's and I said "no" and began a somewhat long description of the lake we were actually going to. When I was finished, Morgan said, "You mean Lake Allatoona?" I laughed. Damn her memory is terrific! There was hardly anyone on the water and I got to ski for a long smooth time. Diane, Margaret, Morgan, Audrey, and I all swam to a little beach and the girls got to play in the sand for a bit. As we play, the afternoon storm clouds started rolling in. We made it back for "Big Berta," aka "Big Rafta," just in time for a short ride around before the weather convinced is to pack it in. We all had a blast and both girls fell asleep in the car on the way home.

What Audrey is up to

Audrey Right Now

What she likes: playing and being with Morgan, looking at books and be read to, trying on shoes and clothes (especially Morgan's), pushing anything with wheels...especially the play grocery cart, spinning around in circles with hand in air, swimming, climbing, pulling Morgan's hair, laying on her back and violently and repeatedly kicking her legs up in the air, carrying purses and bags, copying Morgan, her own sized chairs/seats, cell phones, dancing, "driving," her "mama Diane," having lotion rubbed on her

To eat: plain yogurt (Stoneyfield is her favorite), grapes, peaches, cheese dip with tortilla chips, beans, ice cream, chocolate chips, pretzels, Cheddar Bunnies, tofu, squash, zucchini, pasta

What she's saying: mama, dada, kitty, "mote" (remote), hello, night night, go, no, "num num" (any food or drink), "ewwww" (anything she doesn't like the feel/look of), "bot bot" (we don't know what this means), "wa wa," boat, nina, "muh" (Morgan), "cracka," "uice" (juice), nose, "ooo" (shoes)

Things she doesn't like: anything she deems "ewwww," when her diaper is wet/messy, having to wear a diaper, finger paint (makes her gag), when you aren't understanding what she wants!!!

Watch her swim

Something wonderful and amazing has happened right before my very eyes this summer. My daughter has taught herself how to swim. As I watched her decide to let go of some of her last fears and reservations about "going under," tears literally fell down my face. The overwhelming feeling of excitement and joy I felt for my daughter made me want to jump up and down. I sat in my chair and watched as Morgan played with 3 other girls on 2 rafts in the center of the pool. Another mom was playing the "monster" and swam under the rafts as the girls screamed. The girls scrambled and swam between the two rafts, constantly changing positions. Morgan swam above and beneath the surface right along with them. She was in water that was over her head and she was having no trouble kicking and pulling in order to mover her body where she wanted it to be. I can't even imagine what my own face must have looked like because Morgan had not really ever swam before these moments. One of the other moms who was watching said, "Wow. Morgan isn't even aware of how great she is actually doing." After they played this way for awhile, Morgan swam to the side looking a bit tired. She turned to the mom "monster" and said, "Can we please move down where I can touch." I was overwhelmed again and tears ran down my cheeks.
The tears honestly caught me off guard. The feelings were definitely ones that I had only ever had experienced briefly. I suppose it was a combination of pride in and amazement of my child. Theories that I held about, not only her ability to teach herself to swim, but about the resulting trust in herself that teaching herself would produce were proved before me. Many times throughout the summer I wanted to tell her that she needed to put on her swimmies or floaty. I held my tongue. Several times I wanted to tell her to turn around and go back to the shallow end as she tiptoed deeper and deeper. I held my tongue. Countless times I wanted to say, "kick your feet," or "pull with your arms." I held my tongue. I was silent each time because I believed that she knew what she was capable of better than I did. I was silent because I believed that if I told her to put on her floaty that I would be undermining the trust she had built in herself. And I was silent because I wanted her to listen to her inner voice that helps keep her safe. If I spoke, I was afraid that my voice would become too important and override her own.
My tears were, in part, about the realization that my silence had given her freedom. She had developed a relationship with the water based on trust of her own body and comfortability in it. As I sat watching her swim and play with the other girls in the water, not once did she look to see if I was watching. Her ability to swim did not come about because of what anyone else wanted her to do. She was swimming because it was something she had wanted to do on her own. Learning to swim was something that was important to her and her alone. She accomplished a goal I had seen her set for herself and the reward was being able to swim.
My tears were there as well because I saw Morgan recognize her own limitations and verbalize them. For starters she asked the woman to move to the shallow end when she got tired. Then the other girls were going to jump off the diving board and the woman asked if Morgan wanted to go with them. Morgan said, "No. I can't." Both myself and the woman offered to wait in the water below the board to help her. She simply said, "Thanks, but I am too scared."
The whole evening at the pool was truly a gift. I do not sit back often enough to appreciate my children as the separate and unique people they are. Too often I am enmeshed with the girls and can't see them as clearly as I would like. I hope I am able to improve my ability to step back because I believe it will only benefit my children and our relationship for years to come. Watching Morgan become increasingly independent is the most exciting thing I have ever witnessed. I feel absolutely honored to be a part of her life.

Morgan and Morgan at the pool

Morgan and Nina went to visit great grandad and Pat in Trion today. Audrey hung out with Mark and I and got to take a long nap again:) When Morgan got home, we all headed off for the pool. Morgan's friend, Morgan, was there whom we haven't seen in a long time. My Morgan was so excited to see her and was confused/disappointed when she was not met with the same enthusiasm. At one point she even said, "Aren't you happy to see me?" To which her friend replied, "No." My daughter did not know what she was supposed to do. She kept on trying to talk to this girl and the girl ignored her and then said she wasn't her friend anymore. I called Morgan over and she told me what the girl had said. I told her that it was hard to hear someone say something like that and that I could understand if she felt hurt. I also told her that it seemed like Morgan needed some space and asked her what she thought she wanted to do. She said, "I am going to tell her to please be nice to me and stop saying those things." She did and the girl acted like she didn't hear her. I called Morgan back over and asked if she wanted to go into the big pool with me and try again later. She didn't take me up on it right away, but eventually went into the big pool even when her friend declined her invitation to come along. After a bit, they ended up having a snack together and playing just fine. It was a very interesting trip to the pool.
I have to say that it is getting easier as Morgan continues to get older to kind of step back and allow her to navigate her own relationships. Kids really can work it out without being forced to be "nice" to each other. If we allow them time and space, they teach each other how to have relationships, how to communicate with people, and how to respect another person's feelings/needs. It was so nice not to have Morgan's mom step in and insist that she be "nice" or insist that she "play" with my Morgan. That would have robbed both of them of the opportunity to really get to know each other and how each other wants to be treated. Having no one "make" Morgan act a different way allowed my daughter to look at how she was feeling when her friend said certain things to her. Had her mom stepped in, the focus would have been taken off hurt feelings and a desire to communicate. Both girls had to actually work at communicating their wants effectively with each other because they were left to do so. How wonderful it would be if more parents (including myself at times) could step back and allow children more freedom to have and maintain their own relationships. All the times we step in to "teach" them to be "polite" or "nice" do more harm than good; and I would argue do not teach politeness or anything pleasant at all. I think that situations like Morgan experienced this evening are what actually show children why they would want to treat someone with kindness.

A favorite "Daily Groove"

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

:: Goodness Is Inspired, Not Required ::

Situation 1:
You ask your friend what she wants for a birthday
gift, and she says, "I would treasure *any* gift
from you!"

Wouldn't you feel inspired to give her something
very special?

Situation 2:
Another friend says, "I hope you're getting me
something *good* for my birthday... I just *hate*
tacky gifts!"

Wouldn't you feel like giving this friend a pile
of fake dog poop?! :-)

The point is that you feel most inspired to please
others when you don't feel pressured or coerced --
when you don't "have to."

Children are no different. They love to please others,
especially their parents, so long as their inspiration
to share pleasure isn't confounded by implied threats
of punishment, reward, or withdrawal of approval.

Today, let go of all "required goodness" by affirming
that your child is inherently good, and is *free* to
express that goodness... and free *not* to express it.

Remember that the best way to foster children's
authentic goodness is to let them see how much *you*
enjoy expressing your own goodness.

A day at the zoo

Morgan went to the zoo with Diane and Margaret. I was actually asleep when she got home and Mark said that she kept asking when I was going to wake up. She was so excited to tell me what a great time she had had. Her favorite animals to see were the alligator, pandas, and gorillas. She came home with a big stuffed panda for herself and a smaller one for her sister. I am not sure that she has put it down for any real amount of time since she got home.
I took Morgan swimming in the evening and then we came home for dinner and bedtime. Once she laid down in the bed it wasn't long before she was snoring.

To the mall with Nina

It rained earlier today and postponed Nina's plans to play tennis. Rather than sit home, she invited me and the girls out to Costco and the mall. We had an awesome time. Morgan got some Strawberry Shortcake books and 2 workbooks that she loves. We ate lunch at the mall and though I was disappointed to find Panera had closed down, my baked ziti from Zbarro was excellent. Morgan was thrilled to go up and down the escalator over and over by herself while we waited for Nina to shop. She has enjoyed that thing since she was 2 years old. It is almost like a free amusement park ride. We couldn't leave without our favorite pretzel bites on the way out the door.
We have been reading the new books and playing VSmile (which I fixed today!) since we've been home. A quick bite with Daddy and Morgan is out the door again. This time she and Mark are having an evening swim at the pool. I expect them back soon for bedtime so Morgan can be rested enough for her trip to the zoo with Diane and Margaret tomorrow. She can't wait to see the baby panda!

"It's just a camera."

Morgan constantly amazes me with the way she looks at things and with the way she exists in the world. She shares everything with her sister from food to toys she has just gotten as a gift. As wonderful as it is that she shares, I don't want her to think that there is anything wrong having special items that you just don't want to share. I also don't want her to think that she "has" to share with Audrey because she whines or cries for something. Just as it is ok for her to not want to share certain items, it is ok for Audrey to feel upset and express that upset....So, this morning she decided to get her camera out and take some pictures. As soon as she got it out of its case, Audrey wanted it. Audrey whined and screeched her disappointment in not being able to have the camera. I was telling her I knew she wanted the camera but that Morgan was using it at the moment. I said, "It is Morgan's special camera and she may not want to share it. Maybe we can find you something else to play with." A few seconds later Morgan handed Audrey the camera. I pointed out that she didn't have to share her special camera if she didn't really want to. She immediately replied, "It's not special. It's just a camera."

Don't Drink the Water

Today I went to the first part of a two part class to be certified as a CPR instructor. I had a great time and am actually quite excited about teaching in the near future.

When I got home, Audrey was asleep on the couch and Morgan was doing crafts with Nina. They were having a great time and Morgan liked all of the things she had made. I love that they enjoy each other's company as much as they do.

The girls and I went out shortly after I got home. We went to the "castle park" and stayed for almost 2 hours. We hadn't been there for a few months and though Morgan had really wanted to go to the pool, we had a lot of fun. It was almost 90 degrees out and we spent a substantial amount of time by the water mister. Audrey was continuously attempting to "drink" the water that sprayed out and it eventually made her puke. I don't know if she had too much or if something was wrong with the water. Hopefully the former.
Audrey was befriended by an almost 2 year old little girls who constantly wanted to hug her and kiss her. Audrey had no problem with it but the child's parents were almost unbearable with their continuous stream of carefuls and don'ts. I kept insisting that Audrey was clearly not objecting and therefore their daughter was not doing anything that was a problem. I guess that did not set them at ease because they couldn't just let her "get to know" Audrey in that under 2 kind of way...The little girl's older sister hit it off with Morgan and they ran all over the place together. Interestingly the parents seemed more at ease with the hugging the older girls were doing. Oh well, just another day at the park.

Feeling messy

Morgan and I decided to make another peanut butter, banana, chocolate chip bread today. We were having a great time putting it together when...CRASH...the dry mixture we had waiting on the wet was knocked to the floor. It was wonderful! Not one part of me cringed, flinched, or tensed. In fact, I hardly batted an eye as I said, "Oops we need a broom." Morgan quickly ran to the garage for the broom without me even suggesting it. No big deal. I successfully flowed right through the moment without wishing it to be any different.

A mound of flour, oatmeal, and baking soda laying in the middle of the floor is something that would usually be an absolutely HUGE deal to me. However ridiculous it may sound, I have unresolved emotional crap surrounding being clean and making a mess. Even if it is hard to pinpoint exactly where it comes from, it is evidenced by the immediate bodily tension and emotional irritation I feel whenever any amount of food finds its way out of the mixing bowl while baking. These feelings are not ever felt "at" myself or Morgan who is often my baking companion. However, I know without a doubt that my daughter, at times, has interpreted my reaction as directed at her. The fact that my 4 year old finds herself in a position to ever have to wonder if she is the cause for my anger, or any other feeling, is unacceptable to me. My love for her is absolutely unconditional, unwavering and constant. Any feeling that may pass through my body is just that, a feeling. It is there to help me navigate my interior landscape and to let me know when something isn't "right" with me and needs further investigation. So, obviously these irrational angry feelings over messes made in the kitchen are telling me to pay them some attention.

After really examining myself I have come to the conclusion that I am almost obsessed with having a clean kitchen at all times. I think the reason is actually quite simple. I bake in a kitchen that I share with my mother. For as long as I can remember she has had a need to have clean spaces. Though she is much more relaxed about it than when I was growing up, I am constantly aware of her desire for a clean kitchen. I intellectually know now that she is not as physically uncomfortable with messes now as she was when I was younger. The reality is that she wouldn't give a damn if we were messily baking in the kitchen. However, my body still reacts as if I am 4, my mom is mad, and I think I have caused it by making a mess.

Memories from my childhood are part of what cause me to parent the way I do. I think it is important to communicate with my kids about how we aren't are behaviors or feelings. Instead, I try and explain that we are beings who are capable of using our feelings as tools to learn about ourselves. I aim to show them that we are able to try out different behaviors, looking to their consequences to judge for ourselves if we believe it was an action we would choose again. As a parent, I am trying very hard to really look at what I am doing and how I am communicating with my children. I know I will never be close to perfect, but at least I can try to work on myself for the sake of my babies.
"When we have children we are either woken to our own childhood pain and work on healing it or we inflict it on our children." - JAW

Spa days and early morning diaper change

Mark has been off for two days and Morgan and I have gotten to spend some special time together. Yesterday we went to Natalie and Lexi's house for a spa day. Stephanie was there and Morgan and Hannah got to play for awhile. We all got soaked our feet and gave ourselves pedicures. Morgan and I chose the same nail polish and she did her own manicure. We ended up staying almost 3 hours and didn't really want to leave except that we wanted to spend the rest of the day with Audrey and Daddy.

When we got home, we waited out the thunderstorms and headed to the pool. It was sprinkling a little, but that didn't stop us. Morgan had been asking to go to the pool for days. We weren't able to stay too long, but it felt good to get in the water.

I thought Audrey would be completely zonked out all night due to her trip to the pool. However, as it turned out she woke up full of energy at 4:30AM. She was pulling at her diaper so I brought her upstairs for a change. As soon as the new one was on, she looked at me and said with relief, "Ank you." After that she couldn't go back to sleep for about 1 1/2 hours. Around 5:45AM or so she started crying quite loudly. Morgan woke up, helped pat her, and sang a song to her about how much she loves her. Morgan waited until Audrey was able to go back to sleep and then got up.

Morgan and I had time alone again today as well. Audrey was napping and so we hurried out to get Morgan a haircut. On the way, we saw a hawk having a bite to eat about 2 feet from the road. I stopped the car and got out in order to try to get a picture with my phone. (Later I said to Morgan, "I sure would like a camera for my birthday." Immediately my precious daughter said, "OK Mommy. I will get you one.") The picture was absolutely horrible and did nothing to capture the beauty of this bird. It appeared that it had just killed something as it was munching and feathers were flying all around. We stayed a few minutes and just watched it. It was amazing that it didn't even move and we were able to be that close to it.

The rest of the time Mark has been off we have just been hanging around the house. We played on the deck quite a bit and even enjoyed a few showers out there. It was a nice 2 days and I wish Mark could be home again tomorrow.

Morgan LOVES clothes!

My oldest daughter LOVES clothes. She changes clothes so many times each day that I can't keep track. Her favorite pieces of clothing are "dancing skirts and dresses." She has been a flower girls 3 times in her short life and every dress was worth every penny spent. Flower girl dresses are as common in this house as shorts and shirts are in most. The fancier the dress, the better Morgan tends to like it. Most days she wakes up talking about what she is going to wear. When she is choosing an outfit, a lot of thought goes into it. Morgan often spends upwards of 10 minutes downstairs choosing the best shirt to go with a skirt or pair of pants. The outfits she chooses are usually not created from articles that were bought to go together. She mixes and matches from her entire wardrobe, coming up with colorful and often unique ensembles. Long gone are the days when I have chosen her clothing. There is a lot of time and care on her part put into purchasing and picking clothes for any particular occasion or outing. I am honored to watch this process on a daily basis as it is something that is extremely important to my child.

Now...you may wonder about shoes. The issue of shoes with Morgan is one I find fascinating. She actually does care about whether or not a pair of shoes is appropriate for an outfit. She enjoys shopping for and trying shoes on. However, she does not like to wear them at all. Leaving the house without thinking to put shoes on happens on a regular basis. I have taken to keeping a pair of flip flops in my bag. Too many times have I gone to buckle her in and found 2 naked feet dangling in the backseat. If she has actually remembered them, the moment we are in the car, in a restaurant, or anywhere she can take a seat, off come the shoes. You will be hard pressed to find her with a pair of shoes on in a place that does not require them as part of store policy. She is more times than not the only child on the playground with dirty bare feet and no idea where her shoes have been left. The bottom line is that Morgan seems to acknowledge that shoes have their place in fashion; they just have no place on Morgan's feet.

A day of creation

I awoke this morning (after another night of Audrey screaming and crying) to the sound of many crashes and thuds coming from upstairs. I heard no screams or cries of "Mommy!" So, I could just see toys and objects thrown all over the room in my mind's eye. I lay there and chose to smile at what I could only imagine Morgan was doing, making, or creating upstairs. Audrey and I slowly climbed the stairs as I consciously relaxed my body and smiled from the inside out. There she sat at her table with six or seven bins she had emptied of toys. In each bin was a folded blanket and these were "cakes" she was making for me. She had all of the stacking cups she could find and had placed a small toy in each one for the "drinks." I was absolutely thrilled she was having such a great time creating things all by herself.

After an unusually cranky lunch (due to Audrey's lack of sleep) with Diane, Morgan continued her day of creation. She and I made a chocolate chip banana bread that is absolutely wonderful. And while the bread was in the oven, Morgan took a bag of bows and ribbons downstairs in search of a pair of scissors. Audrey and I took advantage of a few minutes alone and danced around the living room. A bit later when we found Morgan, she was engrossed in a project she was making for Nina. She was very proud of the finished product and asked me to take a picture of it.

Though Audrey has been a little "off" today, she still seems to have had a good day overall. While Morgan and I made our bread, Audrey climbed her stool to her favorite space on the counter. She eventually got bored with sticking her feet in the sink and started exploring the contents of the container behind her. The pad and pencil that she discovered provided incentive to lay down on the counter and start drawing. Morgan thought this was too cute and insisted I get the camera.

Audrey's new favorite thing to do is to shut herself in the closet and play. There is nothing in there that could hurt her and so I usually do not think much of it. Today she had been in there for awhile and so I went to check on her. She was very selectively picking clothes out of the drawer she had opened. Several pieces of clothing had found their way over head and a few were hanging off her arms. And there was yet another one that she was trying to try on. The look on her face when she saw me there was priceless. There was a smile that I cannot describe but I will never forget.

Hudson comes over

The girls and I ran this morning and stopped at the monkey bars on the way home. Audrey got to climb until she was so tired that she didn't even care when we left. Morgan enjoyed herself as well and helped Audrey stay safe when she climbed the ladder to the platform.
We were very happy to have my cousin, Rory, and her so, Hudson, come over for a visit. The pictures I got of them are excellent. They loved being with one another. Morgan, of course, was delighted to be able to hold him! At one point she put a pair of sunglasses on him and he waved his head all around as if he couldn't see. We laughed hysterically; it was so funny.

Morgan and Audrey filled the pool and "bathtub" we have on the deck when Hudson left. They played outside with the water until they were both ready for a rest/nap. We watched The Secret of Nimh while Audrey slept. When the movie was over, Morgan and I decided we wanted to make the Butter Bean Hummus recipe that we got from Noel last week. Noel wasn't joking when she said it was easy! It hardly took any time at all to put together and it tasted delicious. During the last minutes of Audrey's nap, Morgan and I had a date at the kitchen table with a bowl of homemade hummus, carrots, and crackers. It was quite special.

I want a hippopotamus for X-mas

On a dark and rainy morning, Morgan woke up with the most wonderful feeling in her voice. "Mommy, I just had the best dream. I had a pet hippopotamus and I kept it in my pocket." She got up shortly a few minutes later and went upstairs by herself. Not too much time went by before she was at the top of the stairs whispering down to me, "Mommy, Can I please get a pet." I told her we would talk about when I got up. She couldn't wait that long and whispered down to me a few more times before I was completely conscious. Finally, she came down and we "discussed" having a pet. She wants either "a bird, a doggy, or a hippopotamus." In her attempts to convince Mark and I that her pet would be no problem she said the pet could live in a cage. I asked her if that would really be ok with the animal and "Would you want to live in a cage?" She thought a moment and then said, "OK then I will sleep and live outside with the pet all the time." We talked about the pros and cons of this option as well. Then she said she wanted a horse and that she had "hundred's of coins in her piggy bank to buy it." I replied that a horse would cost much more than that and that you would also have to pay for a stable, food, vet, etc... In the end, Morgan is not excited about the fact that we are not going to be getting a pet. I am sure this will not be the last conversation we have about it, though. She obviously loves to be around animals. One day I hope she is able to have as many pets as she wants. For now, I guess, she can always ask for her hippopotamus for X-mas!

Free Lunch, Asian Culture, and some Flowers

Audrey and Morgan ended their long and eventful day with a bath together. Morgan checked Audrey out to make sure she was clean. She happily checked her feet, ears, and neck and I was lucky enough to get it on camera.

The bath was the perfect ending to a perfect day. After the girls spent the morning playing at home with Daddy, we all went to La Paz for lunch. It was absolutely delicious as usual. I only had about 2 bites left on my plate when I found a hair in it. I usually wouldn't have said anything, but the busboy was standing there and saw me find it. We ended up getting the entire meal for free!

We were going to wait until late afternoon to head downtown to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This weekend is the Asian Cultural Celebration and Mark and I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. We decided just to go ahead and go right after we ate. Whenever we go to something like this (museum, aquarium, etc...) Morgan has to have about an hour to speed through and give everything a glance over. There is no slowing her down. Any "Hey, Morgan look at this," is answered with a short "Yeah cool. Let's go." But, after she has had her time to go at warp speed, she figures out what she likes best and spend more time exploring her favorites. As it turned out, she says her favorite thing about the day was "everything." She really seemed to like the music, the Aikido demonstration, the vegetable dumplings, and the sprinklers. In true Morgan fashion, she ran off to the water feature and came back looking as if she jumped in a pool with her clothes on. I absolutely love how free my children are in most situations. The look on their faces when they are doing what they desire is priceless.

Audrey enjoyed exploring at the garden as well. She walked among the plants but didn't even attempt to touch any of them. She also didn't get wet in the sprinklers which was a big surprise to me. There was a slide in the kid's garden that she spent quite a bit of time on. The kid's garden was my favorite section and Audrey and I sat in a rocking chair and nursed. It was very relaxing and I felt as if I could have sat there all day.

Mark's favorite parts were the Aikido demonstration and the bees. We all looked for the queen but never spotted her.

After some food and a bath, Morgan chose to start an art project that involved A LOT of glue. We moved it inside to dry for the night and were off to bed...It was a wonderful day!

Playgroup and a day with Daddy

Daddy has been off today! We were all excited about Daddy being home today and Audrey asked for him over and over during our morning run. She also said "boat" many times on the run. I kept insisting that "those are cars." She repeated "car" a few times, but then on the way back she kept on with "boat," "boat." And I'll be damned if I didn't see a boat out of the corner of my eye that was sitting in someone' s driveway. Obviously her "boat" wasn't a "car" after all.

All of us went to Noel's house for playgroup. It was so much fun. There were lots of really nice wooden toys in many corners of the house, art supplies and paint outside, a huge backyard to play in, and 2 awesome sandboxes. Morgan played dress-up with Loveday and the two of them went off together and found their own groove. They played outside together and Morgan helped her get onto the swing and pushed her.

Audrey found a doll stroller that she pushed around Noel's house. She is usually quite independent at these things and today was no exception. She would check in every once in awhile, but mainly she was content to explore on her own. Since before she could crawl, she has seemed to enjoy playgroup. No matter how tired she may be when we arrive, she comes alive as soon as we get there.

After a busy afternoon we all rested and watched half of one of Morgan's favorite movies, Edward Scissorhands. Mark and Morgan then decided to go to the library and Home Depot. Morgan has been interested in mummies lately and she checked put several more books on the subject. We all had dinner together, played some computer games, read two books, and now it is time for bed.

Going on "vacation"

Morgan and Audrey disappeared into Stephanie's room for awhile and emerged announcing they were "going on vacation." They were going on an airplane to the beach. They only came out of the room for a few minutes to tell me "goodbye."

Sleeping soundly

The is the first night my girls actually snuggled to sleep.

Sitting in the sink

AudreyLOVES to put her feet in the sink!!!!!

She pushes the stool from wherever it is in the kitchen to the dishwasher and climbs right up. It is actually quite amazing to see how determined she is. She gets REALLY ticked off if her stool gets stuck on the rug. (Meema would have a heart attack watching her tiny grandchild doing this.)

Learning about each other

Today we are getting some much needed rain. We are playing inside again and Morgan's friend, Abby, came over for a short visit. Abby, Morgan, and Audrey played with playdough for most of her visit and I got to catch up with Rebecca (Abby's mom). Abby's little sister, Lucy, slept comfortably in her sling until right before they walked out the door. None of us
were ready for the visit to be over and the girls didn't have enough time to share their newest favorite snack "swimming grapes." Oh well, there is always next time.

Morgan and I made lunch and put away dishes. A dish got broken and Audrey was getting quite tired. Our tempers were a bit short and in an attempt to hurry things along, I took over Morgan's "job" and put away a bowl rather than hand it to her. Morgan was hurt and said, "You don't know anything about me. I can put that away on my own." Her comment spun a wonderful conversation between the two of us. We went back and forth telling each other things about ourselves we wanted the other to know. With her permission, here are some of the things she said...she likes splashing in puddles, climbing trees with Daddy holding his hands under her in case she falls, going under water, doing yoga, flowers, and clothes. She wants to snorkle and be in a road race. She doesn't like Sesame Street the show...It was interesting to see what the first things that came to her mind about herself. It was a great conversation and I look forward to learning more about her every day.

Date night at the Fox

Morgan and I were lucky enough to get free tickets to see the Wizard of Oz at the Fox! We had to walk about a block from where we parked and Morgan enjoyed crossing at the crosswalk without holding my hand, ie all by herself. We didn't have much time to look around before the show. We jumped in line for some popcorn and went to the bathroom before it started. Morgan was excited to see that I had brought along some M&Ms and we added them to the popcorn. She thought it was "delicious!" The seats we chose were under some stained glass with different colored triangles. Morgan immediately told me that it looked like a star. I was honored to have my daughter chose to sit in my lap the entire show. People clapped and made sound effects during the show. We particularly liked to make a hissing sound at the "bad witch." After the show we looked around a bit. There were several "comfortable" plush regal looking chairs that sit in the concessions area that Morgan was especially drawn to. I was completely bummed that we did not bring along a camera to capture some of the sights we both liked so much. As we walked to our car after the movie, a man gave Morgan a tiny rose. She held it a few moments and then turned to me and said, "I got this rose for you Mommy." We held hands all the way to our car and jumped over every crack we saw on the way. It was a night I will never forget!

Fun at home

The girls and I went on our morning run and Morgan walked through the neighborhood when we returned. She straightened the bow on the neighbor's mailbox (she does this on every walk) and picked up nuts that had fallen from a tree.

We made homemade playdough when we got home. Morgan chose to make it blue and we have plans to make more colors later. Amy and her friend stopped by for a surprise visit and Morgan was excited to have more people to make playdough "food" with.

Audrey had a great day. She is talking more and more and today she added "thank you" to her vocab. She repeated them continuously throughout the day. Morgan loved it and kept asking her to say it again.

4th of July Lake Party

We got home yesterday from spending some time at the lake in Alabama. We all got to spend the holiday weekend with Diane, Margaret, Peepaw Butch, Cathy, Meridith, and Mikiel. The girls had a wonderful time and are absolutely exhausted. We are spending today recuperating and catching up on some sleep.

Morgan hardly sat down the entire time we were gone. Some of her activities included fishing with uncle Mikiel, riding "Big Bertha," watching mommy ski, playing many games with Cathy, making biscuits with Meeno, helping make homemade ice cream, playing with clay, having long talks with aunt Diane, watching fireworks and sparklers, helping aunt Margaret and her brother grill out, and many many others.

Audrey ran around naked most of the trip. It started before we even left when she absolutely did NOT want to wear a shirt. It was nice to spend so much time outside so she could be bum free for awhile. She really doesn't like her diaper too much and so it was a real treat.

We set up the pool and Audrey was in it every chance she got. She seems to live for the water. She stayed off the boat until the last day. She seemed content to stay at the house with Diane or Daddy while everyone else went skiing and boating until Sunday. When everyone left to go down to the boat, we could hear her screaming at the door. I went back to get her and put her life jacket on. She didn't even touch it/pull at it once. She was ready to be on the water! She sat contentedly with Diane the entire time. Morgan rode "Big Bertha" with me and I skied. Morgan and I also swam for a bit while everyone relaxed on the boat.

The girls were so exhausted by the time we got everything together to leave. They had a good time pushing their babies up and down the driveway in strollers while Mark and I packed the car. Morgan was on the verge of melting down though and we hurried as fast as we could. We weren't very far down the road when both of our girls were fast asleep.