the dorable girl

olive has been pretty cute lately, i must admit. aside from all the disobedience that comes from this age and all the suffocating of personal space that comes from just being olive, there have been times recently that i've been struck with her specialness and i feel the need to dwell on it a bit.

she's really been taking the big sister role a little more seriously now lately. the other night she had her friend, gracie, from church over to play and when lucy started climbing up the ladder to the swing set fort right before i could get it out myself i heard her say, "gracie, will you make sure lucy doesn't fall?" it was small but a big moment for me. their slim age difference usually makes for more of a peer interaction than that of one where olive feels protective or responsible for lucy. and while i know i can't expect much more than that, it's so refreshing when it does happen.

before their morning school started, i began to pump them up for it. i explained that they would be in different classes since they were not the same age. olive said "no, lucy needs to be with me. i need to make sure she doesn't fall on top of anybody". now i'm not sure who she was more concerned about..lucy or the victim of these falls. but she was caring about somebody and i'm celebrating it!










here she is with jamie and tim's aubrey one night after we all had dinner together. i can hardly wait to see what she thinks of her new brother. she can't wait for him to see her hair in a ponytail. i'm not positive he's going to appreciate the effort...maybe ever.
she loves babies so much (finding them "so dorable" as she puts it) and is so helpful and good with them. well usually helpful. last week when we were changing lucy's diaper upstairs, i asked her if she could go run and get the baby wipes for me downstairs and she said "i really can't right now. i have a baby growing inside of me." and when i replied that i did too, she said "well i actually have two babies growing inside of me." we're not ready for the talk yet. i went and got them myself.

i knew it was on its way and boy has it arrived....potty humor. to be specific this is where it began.

lake lure. july. with cousin elijah. they are 2 months apart in age. pretty sure she started it. you have no idea (or maybe you do) how much fun it is apparently to yell "POO POO" when someone else finds it funny. eventually a booty shake was added to the chant and the giggles g0t uncontrollable.
when we got home, she seemed confused to learn that no one else was quite as amused with the performance. until lucy one day replied "PEE PEE" to olive's "POO POO" and its all been over since then. this...cracks...them...up. and while i don't exactly get it, i do love to see them crack each other up.

but that's all. just wanted to share a little about olive. there will be more to come. she's hilarious. like this morning at 7am i here boots stomping towards me. before i can even see her i hear her "i've dressed myself". there she stands in a silk snowman pajama top, panda bear pajama bottoms, lucy's winter hat barely on her large noggin, her scarf wrapped around her neck, her winter coat on, and yes...snow boots. my camera battery was dead. oh well.

8 month pregnant slacking

things i haven't done lately. let's just go ahead and make a numbered list.

1. documented our lives in any fashion (blogging, baby book updating, journaling)
2. brushed my hair (i actually can't remember the last time i did this)
3. returned most phone calls (sorry, but i do love you anyway and please keep loving me)
4. gone more than an hour without dropping something
5. consistently picked up things that i drop (i do however try to kick them all into a pile at the end of the day for robbie - love you too, babe)
6. slept through the entire night
7. made it through a whole day without crying
8. gone half a day without complaining
9. remained reasonable
10. maintained control over my children
11. rolled over in bed without grunting and panting or needing a push in the desired direction
12. shopped with the girls without bribing them with candy or gum (i rock)



13. worked a normal work week at open hearts.
(thank you ladies for picking up my slack. i promise you it won't always be this way!)





14. gone a few days without changing in utero here's name...today it is finn. and robbie and i did stack hands over it and say "100%"...our way of saying, "let's stop talking about this and make up our freaking minds" sorry mom and nat if you hate this one too, but it really does feel like that's his name. middle name is charles FOR CERTAIN after you grandpa, a most inspiring man that we hope *finn* will aspire to be like.
15. keep scissors out of my 3 year old's room during nap time. (i aim to inspire mothers everywhere) wish i had a picture of the bangs that she cut herself. they are actually really cute on her. i haven't even had to touch them up.

and i will leave you with pictures of some beautiful girls that i have once again been too slack to photograph. 'up, add it to the list up there. thank you, sonia, for loving my girls enough to capture their funny little spirits.