I am truly enjoying spending time with my kids. I have always enjoyed them--for the most part--but life with a 2 and 3 year old can be...hectic.

Cameron (3 1/2) has come a long way. He is completely potty trained (except for night--still working on that one), is dressing and undressing himself and generally likes to do things for himself. He has quite the insight on situations and really says the funniest things. When he says them, I always want to write about them but it just doesn't translate over text. You really just have to be there and hear him say it.

When we first had Cameron evaluated for speech, his report said that he didn't interact with other people at daycare very much. We became quite concerned and started talking to him about school, his friends, and his teachers at night. Our bedtime routine has always included reading books in bed, but now we added a talk session. He started saying, "let's talk" at night. It has become my favorite time of day to just hear what he has to say and have some quiet moments together.

Mikaela (2) is quite the little spitfire. She certainly has a personality all her own, but she also tries to do things like her big brother. She started using the potty a couple months ago and has been pretty consistent at home. No, she's not potty trained yet, but if I keep feeding her tiny marshmallows she just might be soon. She is also learning to dress herself--of her own accord. She just needs to get the hang of putting her shirt on the top, rather than on her legs.

Kaela has always been full of song. Her first words were sung, "eeiii eeeiii ooo". She sings when she wakes up, when she is doing a task, when she is eating, and when she goes to bed. She also likes to shake her booty when she feels the time is right. The girl has got some moves. She knows how to work a crowd and can bring a 6'3" man to his knees with one cutsie face. No matter how much he tries to deny it.

When I think back to where we were in our lives a year ago, or even 6 months ago it's an amazing difference. I feel like we have a bit more freedom with our lifestyle, I can enjoy the kids in a different, more interactive way. And the kids interact with each other differently. They are very protective of each other and openly show affection. On the flip side, they openly hit, yell, and fight. But that's what learning how to work with other people is all about, right?

I miss the baby stages--I have always been a baby lover, but I'm really looking forward to this new phase of our lives.

note: I wrote this a few days ago and was trying to take some cute pics of the kids to post. There was no cooperation. They decided to stand directly in front of the camera--touching the camera--and saying "cheese". Who taught them to say that? Now every time there is any sort of electronic device in the vicinity they are "cheesing" it up. Forget the casual cute shots.