Two and a Half

I cannot believe how much my girls have changed in the last 6 months so instead of waiting until they are 3 you get a half yearly update!

Since March they have progressed to speaking many more words and more clearly, particularly since about the first of August. They will now speak in complete sentences when they can although at this point Hope is more easily understood and has more of the sentences down. But they both can accurately communicate what they want and their concept of various ideas amazes me every day.

They remember people and things and places and will tell you about what they did this afternoon if you ask a good enough prompt. They love to go to church and play with "Mr. Evan".  They will finally tell you their names when asked - if they are in the mood for it - and their brother's names too.

This week we finally upgraded to booster seats at the table with everyone else and it's so fun to have them all at the table now rather than in their high chairs kind of off to the side and behind me.  This means they get plates now instead of only occasionally and hopefully it also means less food on the floor!

At least they are generally very polite girls, so cute to hear them say thank you when I give them their food or water cups.

Sisters will be sisters and they do fight over things, but for the most part they each have a few things that are "theirs" and they share the other toys fairly well.  They are still banned from the brother's room for the most part, but occasionally get in and are starting to want to play with the little Legos without putting them in their mouths.  I wish we had more Duplos for them to play with, but at this point I don't think I'm going to invest in those. (The ones we have came home with us on a plane from friends in Arizona!)

Hope in particular will point out "mine" color anytime she sees pink in a book or someone's shirt.  But it doesn't bother them too much to both wear pink or purple.  However if there is one pink shirt and one purple shirt and you get them backwards, woe and bad tidings to you!  Funny how their little brains work!

The trains are a very big point of interest.  We often will "catch" a train while going into town and as we pass the train yard they have to say "bye bye trains" as we go up the hill and can't see them anymore.  Sometimes they are "too loud" when we have the windows open in the evening and they whistle at our crossing just down the street.

We watch more cartoons in the morning now and the girls love Daniel Tiger.  It's an animated spin-off from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and it's actually quite adorable.  There are cute little lessons in each story complete with a song and I will hear the girls singing the songs days later.  Things like "you take a turn, then I get one too".  I hope it helps!

They also like Strawberry Shortcake, Clifford, and just discovered Curious George.  They love Blues Clues too, but unfortunately we don't really have access to it other than at Grandma's house.  They almost know how to work the whole Wii by themselves... a scary thought!

Speaking of singing songs, they very much love music and Hope will stop everything and dance if she hears any music anywhere.  They will sing along with me at bedtime as I'm singing to them and ask for particular songs.  The Elephant Song (not a bedtime song) is adorable if you ever get to witness it.  As is I'm a Little Tea Pot.

We went to a birthday party tonight and the girls thought we were going to a tea party.  They would not be convinced otherwise.  That's where the photos came from in this post.  I hope it lived up to their expectations.  They did at least get ice cream!

These girls are still kind of little, they've grown 2 1/2 inches since March, but only put on 3 pounds!  Around 35 inches and 30 pounds each.  Guess I shouldn't complain too much since they still both want to be held at the same time.  Moving into 3T clothing in all except pants, which still fall off half the time.

Shoes are a very big deal and have to be kept in the cedar chest or there would be a shoe hunt every day we needed to go out somewhere. (They have dress up shoes for wearing in the house.) Unfortunately they also like to take their shoes off the instant they get in their car seats so I spend way too much time putting shoes and socks back on every time we stop to go somewhere.

And that I believe is your head to toe update!