Lately

Things have been busy around here lately. Here's a bit of what's going on with all of us......

Claire is doing great. She's made a nice little group of friends, and she's all set to start school in August. She's also growing like a weed, although we can't seem to get over 31 lbs. She's up to size 5 shirts and dresses and size 4 skirts and shorts. Fashion and jewelry are big interests at the moment, with pink still being a necessity in all outfits and pants still on the "no way" list. She's finally letting me put her hair in a ponytail as long as a trip to the park or the splashpad is in the immediate future, but otherwise it must be down with some sort of huge flowery headband perfectly in place. And, thanks to the movie Tangled, she hasn't had a haircut since she turned 4. She's also reading, and it's pretty crazy how good she is. She won't admit to it if you ask her if she can read something, but then she asks a question about some detail in a book or on tv that she could have only read. Her favorite book at the moment is a reference book about the ocean, and she can't wait to go back to Cayman so she can "snorkle like H". She's also fascinated with planes and has decided she wants to be a pilot, specifically of an F16. Amazing what 5 months at an Air Force base will do to ya.

Madeleine is also doing great. Conveniently, all of Claire's friends have little brothers and sisters her age, so playgroups are fun for all. She still seems to be more interested in sitting and eating rather than playing, but that's fine with me. She doesn't seem to be gaining much, if any, weight, but she is getting so tall. She's just about outgrown her 18 months clothes length-wise, which is a huge bummer since C spent about an entire year in that size and we have tons of clothes. Her hair is bleached from the sun right now, but definitely wants to go reddish, and it is CURLY. She must have pigtails, otherwise it's one big afro mess back there. She is learning new words every day, and her pronunciation is getting better and better. She can also identify quite a few colors and C has started teaching her some letters. It's so very cute to see them sit on the couch together and read a book. M is also starting school in August, and, as long as this little Mommy-only phase we're in goes away, I think she'll do great. She's going 3 days a week, which is more than I originally wanted, but I think by December I'll be wishing it was a boarding program.

J has had quite a few big accomplishments at work lately. He's been awarded two separate grants, with one requiring research at CERN in Switzerland. We're hoping space is available for him next May so we can all tag along. He also just started his PhD program with AFIT and seems to be enjoying it so far, as much as someone can for just being 3 days into it. I have no idea was 75% of the words he uses means, but I have a feeling it won't be long until I'm back in the swing of it. It's definitely weird to hear him use words and phrases that I haven't heard him say in 8 years. And when he's not reading some weird nuclear engineering or military book, he's running. He's training to do another marathon in September, so that will be exciting. C can't wait to watch him race.

I'm doing just fine, too, just trying to rest as much as I can. For those who haven't heard yet, we're expecting Baby#3 in December! I'm 16 weeks along, which makes my due date Dec. 15, my birthday. We've had only 1 ultrasound so far, and the consensus is that this is another girl. She was lying a bit funny, though, so we'll know for sure in about a month. J is not surprised in the slightest, but my symptoms have been completely different this time around, so I was thinking boy. I have absolutely zero sweet tooth, and I could eat peaches, grapes, and raspberries all day long. I can feel her move every once in awhile, and she already has some super kicks since my shirt has already started to jump when she gets me. We haven't come up with any names yet, and if J gets his way, none of you will know until she's born, anyway. I'm working on him to tell the name earlier, but we'll see. I usually have no luck when it comes to that.