A few milestones...

Well, once again its been a long time since I last picked up the blogging pen...or keyboard. Life is moving too fast for me these days. It is getting harder and harder to log on and share the wonders of our days. But we have had a few milestones...or mishaps...or miracles in the past few weeks.

• Patrick turned one. Wow. What a big boy. Could it only have been a year? It feels like he has been with us much longer. But he still seems so new. I must be on motherhood time. Its either warpspeed or slow motion. I remember when Helen turned one, she felt so old. She drank milk. She ate peanut butter. She could walk. Patrick does all those things too, but he still seems like my baby. Perhaps it is because I know all there is to come.

• Helen figured out how to break out of her room. That's right. I am a bad mom. I lock that kid in there. If you knew Helen, you would too. She will NEVER go to sleep if given the opportunity. If she can come out of her room, then she will. As I learned one afternoon when after a few minutes she came running out of her room yelling, "Mommy! I wake up!" Sunday morning I woke up to her heavy breathing at our bedroom door. That is a heart attack moment when it is 6:15 and your 2 1/2 year old is standing at your door. Now strangely enough, I told her today not to come out of her room until I came back to get her. Unbelievably, she obeyed. That is a milestone.

• Today Helen and Patrick realized that the sum is greater than each of its parts. Helen broke into the pantry. She got out the box of Rice Krispies. She gave it to Patrick. And she watched him turn it upside down on the floor. Hmmmm. If you have not cleaned up Rice Krispies spread all over, crunched down into the tile and carpet, then you haven't lived. I will once again plug the benefit of my Dyson.

• Patrick said Chase. That's right. Our dog. Both of my kids said Chase before many other words. Luckily Patrick said "mama" first. I will use that against Helen in the future.

• Today when I put Helen down for her nap, she asked if Patrick could sleep in her bed with her. I laid him down next to her. She snuggled up to him and said "I love you so much, buddy." Melt your heart. That was before the Rice Krispies incident.

• Patrick is wild. Today alone, he climbed into Helen's bed, into the bathtub, into his dresser, into the kitchen cabinets, outside the backdoor, and somehow, he too managed to stand up and pull the child proofing off of the pantry door. He also bit me twice. That is unnerving. I thought I was going to avoid the plague of the biter.

• Helen has started to put a blanket over her head and say she is getting married. When I ask her who she is marrying she says "daddy." Or she says "you, Mommy." Or, of course, "Uncle Brad."

• Helen likes to stop in the middle of something and say a prayer. Totally unprompted. I'm not that good of a mom. She is clearly an angel. God is amazing. I should remember this during the next Rice Krispies incident.

• Patrick has been saying "NeNe." I am starting to think this means Helen.

• Helen rode a pony at the rodeo. My little Helen. Timid, shy, afraid of new things. That child practically jumped up on the pony herself. I swear, she is going to be a veterinarian. A veterinarian Supreme Court Justice.

• We finally found a babysitter. And she is wonderful. What is bizarre is that I have known her since she was Helen's age! That makes me feel old. But it makes me so happy to have her in our life! So far she is the only babysitter who follows my instructions exactly. Grandparents and Aunt Me-Mes have a tendency to bend the rules. Ahhhh...not in my tight ship.

• Patrick is a beefcake. He is huge. And strong. And blond. Why are my children blond? How do a brunette and a ginger make two blond babies?

Once again, I'll attempt to be more regular in my blogging. Otherwise, look for another milestone update sooner rather than later.