I was just thinking today of all the quirky little things my bears do. I know everyone does them, but today - just for posterity, I guess - I wanted to list them.

Jack:
1. He rubs his baby (blankie) on his face when he drinks milk. He also is known to pull up his pant legs and shirt so that the silky side of his big blankie (father to Baby) can touch his skin.
2. He loves his blankets to be cold and likes us to shake them out so that they get cool. He is very cranky pants if his blankies get sat on and get hot. What a nut!
3. He cannot be bothered in the morning until after his jolt of morning java..aka milk. Sort of like me and not talking until after I've showered.
4. He remembers EVERYTHING. Six months after the fact, he will remember minute details of random encounters.
5. He always puts his feet under my legs or between them - even if we are under the covers.
6. He has to have his closet doors closed at night. I'm not sure if this is a fear of what lurks in their dark corners or if he is just anal like me. Both?

Charlotte:
1. She fake coughs because it gets our attention and because she gets a huge kick out of it.
2. In between bites of food, she chews on her thumb.
3. She pants when she wants me to hold her - and tries not to laugh while doing it.
4. Her yellow blankie is already her favorite to sleep with.
5. When I lay her in bed, she immediately rolls to the exact same spot every time - curled into a ball on her left side with her head touching the bumper pad.
6. She loves spatulas. A future chef?

The kiddos have been swimming and both love the water. Summer is in full swing with baseball (bat boy pics to come), heat, and house projects. We are all busy but loving life and everything that goes along with it.

The kids have been cracking me up lately. Jack can be described in many, many words and clever is just one of them. We have a game called "Animal Kisses" where he names the animal and I kiss him like I think that animal would kiss (imagine how creative I have to get on raccoon, mountain lion, turtle...). We've been doing it since he was about one, but lately he's taken it to another level. We'd probably do it for hours before bedtime, but I finally had to limit it to five animals. This way, we can count, and I don't spend an hour laying in his bed while he should be sleeping. Cut to the other night. In between each animal he asked about 40 questions (his clever little way of delaying the inevitable). After #4, I said, "Ok, now, one more. What kind of animal are you going to pick?". Jack, never with a shortage of animals on the brain says, "Hmm. A fifth animal...think, think, think," as he taps his chin thoughtfully. I almost rolled out of bed laughing...and the next day purchased him "How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight?", a fun kids' book that still has not arrived. I can't wait. Yesterday I caught him reading "I Love You Through and Through" to himself. Out loud - because we've read it so many times he has it memorized.

Our deck is being rebuilt and he watches the guys work out the window. Yesterday he told one of them, "Hey! Look at Millie! She's trying to poop." Millie = our dog. At least it wasn't him, right? Small miracles. Our floors are also getting re-done (thank heavens!!!) and he has been running around behind us, hammering nails (real and imaginary) into the floor. His baseball obsession is about to reach another level with hubby's season starting next week. I'm torn between wondering if he will last the entire game in the dugout, or about two innings, then come asking for popcorn. I wish he could play t-ball but he has to be four. However, I honestly feel that his skills are beyond t-ball. Sounds bad, but the boy does not want to hit off of a tee. He wants to be pitched to - and he can hit it over the front yard and past the driveway. If that's not an MLB home run title waiting to happen, I don't know what is. And clearly, he got my hitting skills.

And Charlotte. My sweet baby girl. All at once, she is doing everything. Crawling is now sitting and climbing. She climbs over, under, and can stand in her crib. She does a full plank (really) and is obsessed with the fireplace tiles. Outside, she can't stay on the blanket - she just wants to pull grass and eat it. She is very thoughtful but also quite a wild woman. She is constantly on the go. My money is on her walking before the summer is over. She loves to stare at the baby in the mirror and laugh - she is so pleased by everything. Her next endeavor is swimming lessons starting next month. I can't wait. Jack calls her "cutie pie" and "little girl" in his little sing song voice. "Chaaalett", he says.

My babies are growing and growing. Jack starts preschool in the fall and Charlotte will be one before I can blink. I wish I could freeze time or bottle it up to save for later when I'm longing for the days of Animal Kisses with Jack and slobbery baby love with Charlotte. Every phase seems to be a new favorite for me, but I never want any of them to end.

New cleats - he put them on immediately and slept with them next to his bed.
He is very serious here. And very tired.

Miss Charlotte...sunning herself in Dallas.

Jack - jumping off of the waterfall at our friends' house in Dallas.
Quite the daredevil!

Eating in the car = brilliant idea.
Not sure what to say here, except that I love her little arms. And her head looks giant.