Playing outside and Chandler Bing

Elias LOVES playing outside.

Any time the door opens, or if the door even looks like it is going to open, Eli will run towards it and make a break for the great outdoors.

He could stay out there forever, and now that it's a little cooler outside, we spend quite a bit of day going from backyard to front,

eating sand, playing on swings and slides, and chasing cats.

In other news, Leah kind of reminds me of Chandler Bing from friends. Let me explain.. You know that episode where Chandler can't take a picture? That's kind of how Leah is. She will have a beautiful smile, but the second she looks at the camera, and I snap the pic, it turns into something like this:

Or this:

If she is aware that a picture is being taken, she will lift her head, close her eyes, and squint. I have to catch her off guard in order to get an all-natural smile like this one:

and this one:

I guess since she is only two we will work on the smile for the camera thing a little later. I just want her to be ready for all the pageants we are going to enter her into. I have been watching Toddlers and Tiara's, and I can't think of a better way to spend our time and money.

throwing fits

It's hard to believe, but this little guy has started to get pretty verbal (but you know, not with words), when something doesn't go his way.

I know, shocking right?

He has started something new when it comes to pitching a fit, and it's pretty darn hilarious. First, he turns around and around in a circle, crying. Then, he collapses to the floor and puts his face between his legs. Then, he sits up and starts kicking. Oh, and he does all of this while crying.

I really really thought he was going to be my easygoing child. It's not looking that way though :).

Velociraptors

The other day Leah was "helping" me in the kitchen, and I made the mistake of turning my back to her. When I turned back around she was on the chair next to the counter, and had opened up the sugar container and was eating it with her fingers.

A strange, random picture raced through my mind.... You know that scene in Jurasic Park where the velociraptors are trying to break down the door, and all of a sudden you see them jiggle and eventually open the handle? And then Mr. Hammond (the old dude who made the park) said, with an ominous voice : "The're learning!" Yeah... that part has always really freaked me out for some reason.

But anyways, that's how I feel about the kids sometimes. Every day they learn something new, and do something different. It's awesome, amazing, wonderful, fun, and yes, terrifying. Leah is opening things she once couldn't open, she is reaching things she used to not be able to reach, she is picking up on things she used to be oblivious to. Same for Elias; he can climb up on pretty much everything, and does, all the time.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the fact that they are learning and changing like this. I love how everyday they surprise me. But it definitely feels like my control is slowly slipping. It's a preview of how I won't  always be able to dictate everything they eat, wear, watch, play with, etc. I have a loooonnnnng way to go in trusting God with the safety and ultimately the lives of my children.

I told Tony about these thoughts, and he said: "Yeah, they're growing, learning, adapting, mobilizing, and multiplying. Soon, they'll outnumber us!" I thought that was pretty funny :)

playing in the rain

At the end (hopefully) of a ridiculously long hot summer, sometimes a girl's just got to play in the rain.

This looked like a lot of fun. I almost joined in.... but I didn't.

I am really hoping and praying that this cooler weather we have been having lately is here to stay.