At long last!!!

Hooray!! After a long two weeks of demanding to hold Mom & Dad day and night for walking practice, she just up and left me today - no practice steps....eight steps in a row straight to Dad! It was so perfect because Rick has been gone long hours the past couple weeks and she must have been waiting for him. He came home early today and she nearly leaped off the couch with excitement to see him. A half hour later, she was walking! No warning. She did some steps back and forth between us.....step, step, crash...step, step, crash....and then she walked clear across the room to.......big brother! So sweet. I can't wait to see what mischief she gets into tomorrow!! (No, I can wait. I think I'll sleep in.)

4th part 2

 One of my few successful baking operations!

Couldn't resist...Happy birthday America!

Scratch that last post...

 Forget what I said about staying clean. As long as it is under his control, mess is possible! What started as an innocent pre-"quiet time" activity - sticking foam stickers on his arms and legs, quickly went wild when we found those ever enjoyable washable markers!

 And this is what happens when you allow markers to be part of closed-door quiet time.

Surprisingly, he does not draw on anything other than himself. Occasionally paper, but no walls or furniture. So, I count it a blessing.

And who couldn't love that face?

Happy 4th of July!

 There were so many fun projects on pinterest, but we stuck with one simple one. Loo was way into painting her hands...Moo was way into keeping his clean. :)

Our finished project! We're supposed to add white star stickers to the blue field, but we don't have any, and I kind of like them just as handprints. Moo was disappointed not to include his thumb...his whole hand should have been painted if it was going to be painted! :) Ah well....artists!

they're cousins...identical cousins...

And if she had been a they.....we might truly have this sneakiness to deal with.

Moo photography

I taught Moo how to take the pictures today....and this was one of his first shots. I was impressed he could even hang onto the camera and depress the shutter button....let alone get a whole face in the frame! Well done!

Paint the town Red

Here she goes...15 months tomorrow and she is getting really serious about walking. You cannot see the fatigue in my eyes in this....our 25th lap around the coffee table. If I let go, she immediately commences crying, so she's not there yet, but she wants it.....bad!