Update on Phillip

Phillip, Phillip, Phillip. He is ...uh... a terror on two feet! I mean this term in the most affectionate way. Really, I do! Maybe it is because he is a boy, or maybe it is because he is the younger sibling, or maybe it is the age, but whatever the reason, Phillip loves to destroy things. It does not matter what is in his way either. He will just plow over (or through) the obstacle and keep on going. People, toys, furniture. Nothing is a match for him. If Phillip wants to get past, he is either going over or through the person or object.

Let me paint a picture for you. During free range baby time, the living room floor is strewn with a myriad of objects in just mere seconds: books, blocks, stackers, finger puppets, cards, couch cushions, teethers, stuffed animals, the monkeys from Katie's monkeys in a barrel, puzzle pieces, and (Would you believe it?) more! Katie has given up helping me clean up after Phillip. It is a never-ending job.

You should see when Phillip starts cruising towards Katie's shelves. Katie literally flies across the room and hastily begins placing things as high as she can get them while on tip toe or asks an adult to quickly take the items in question. The other objects are quickly scooped up in her arms and she flees down to her bedroom where she hides them in the most random locations. She fears (and rightfully so) that Phillip will tear apart her beloved things. While Katie understands that some items are just Katie's, some items are just Phillip's, and other items are for sharing, Phillip is too young to understand this concept. When we remind him (by removing the items from his possession or area of reach), he screams ....loudly.

Now that I think about it, perhaps passionate is a better term for Phillip. He is quite passionate about what he does, no matter the task. Katie is too, for that matter. She wears her heart on her sleeve. Phillip is driven and analytical from what I can gather so far. But, yes, passionate is a good term. In fact, here is a photo of him so proud of himself after eating his dinner. That's it. I say Phillip is passionate! (And, one adorable terror...in the most loving sense of the word.)

Update on Katie Kate

Katie....what can I say? She is a hoot! Everyday she uses more vocabulary that makes me proud as a literacy teacher. Just the other morning she was mentioning "texture" when describing how something felt.

She recently built a fort in the living room. Here is a picture of Katie in her fort with Daddy. You will notice that she is using afghans made for her by her great grandmother, a small blankie made for her by her Aunt Ginny, pillows off our bed, and the chairs I assembled for her and Phillip so they could have their own toddler-sized book nook. Upon completion of the fort, Katie made it known that "No babies are allowed! Only Mommy, Daddy, and Katies are allowed in the fort. Not Phillips." She was very emphatic on this point.

Later, when Phillip was taken out of his play yard to roam freely among the house (I affectionately call it "free range baby time"), Katie was so worried that Phillip would enter, touch, or somehow interact with her carefully constructed fort. Well, Phillip just maneuvered around it and he had not a care in the world to be involved with the fort. Phillip just went about his normal business of tearing the house apart....everything BUT the fort. It is like he understood her previously-stated dictum and acted like the fort did not exist. Go figure.

Finally Back Up and Running...

Thank you for your patience. It has been quite some time since last I posted and for that, I apologize. It is not like I have not thought about blogging. It is just that I felt uninspired. Sure, ideas for entries came to me, but I seemed to have writer's block when it came to the actually crafting of entries. I know, I know. The only way to get through writer's block is to write. It is a cruel joke if you ask me.

So, I am back up and running. More to follow soon....