Joseph can read just about anything he wants these days. It's truly astounding, seeing as he's not even four yet. The only words he couldn't figure out reading this book were "discovered", "slithering", and "shimmering". Not too shabby! This is Rosalie's favorite book that we got from the library last week, because of the pop-up butterfly at the end, or maybe I should say in spite of it. The first time she flipped that page and the butterfly popped out at her, she was about as frightened as I've ever seen her! It took her some time to work through her anxiety about it, and even as Joseph gets closer to the end of the book here she starts to vocalize her wariness. She thinks it's so pretty and clever, though, and once the page is open, she loves to say "buuuuuu" for "butterfly"!

Joseph and Rosalie have been working together on sorting these blocks into the bucket top sorter for a while this morning...

and here's Rosalie still working away at it this afternoon. It sure is fun just watching them play!

Rosalie isn't allowed to play with the crayons when she's not in her highchair, but she doesn't seem to be aware of that fact. It's a good thing Grandma Cindy bought us these washable crayons!

What a couple of silly kiddos we have around here!

Joseph has been working so hard lately learning to write numbers and letters, and it's really paying off. We're so proud of our smart, industrious little boy!

Three and a half months after finishing my first set of cloth diapers for Rosalie, and subsequently realizing they were too small, I've finally finished her second set of fitteds. I've got some covers to make now, and may experiment with a few other things here and there, but this represents the majority of the work. Whew!

Actually, I do have one cover done already, but I really need at least two for her to really start wearing them. That won't take long, though!





I can't resist trying a few on to see how they fit and look, though, and I'm pleased with the results! I've learned just as much about sewing this second go-round as I did the first. I love how these projects help me feel inspired to learn and create!

Holy guacamole, this girl can dance! Here's Rosalie rocking out to a couple of her favorite tunes (a smattering of which are now featured over in my blog sidebar) this morning. In reply to the question "What makes me so different than you?" in this first song, Rosalie loves to join in as the kids yell out "Everything!" She did get a bit distracted by Joseph cruising by with the stroller, but I thought that was kind of fun to watch, too!

I love how seriously she takes her jamming during this second song. It's all about popcorn, and she gets a kick out of waiting for the big finale at the end. She really has some great moves going on!

This shot of Rosalie is pretty self-explanatory. She sure was pleased with her silly self!

Our little fashionista's newest obsession is shoes! As soon as she realizes it's time to go somewhere, she'll immediately run off to round up appropriate footwear for all four of us, and she often gets shoes out at other times just for fun. Lately, she's been focusing on big, open shoes she can get her feet into easily, like these little slip-ons of mine. She's been spending some time practicing walking in them this afternoon, and sure is getting good at it!

One thing we love best about Rosalie's kisses is the loud "mmwaaaa!" sound she often adds for emphasis. We've been trying to catch her doing it on video for a while now, and finally succeeded! She's more likely to do it when she's the one giving the kiss, so that's why I'm kind of hanging back a bit. What a lovey-dovey little girl!

Here are just a few cute shots I took of Rosalie wearing her cute new dress from Grandma Gedlaman after church today. I love how long it is compared to most other toddler dresses!

She's working on a peg puzzle with marine animals pieces and is practicing saying the word "fish" here. Even though she has the crab piece in her hands, I'm pretty sure she knows which one the fish is.

Just look at those pretty curls!

What a snuggly, adorable little girl! We sure do love our Rosalie bug!

Rosalie has really gotten the hang of riding Joseph's little trike around lately. The main thing that held her up was steering, but she seems to have that pretty well under control now!





Here are just a few cute closeups of both kids...



and a couple of Rosalie twirling on the little trampoline. I love how she checks herself out in the mirror as she turns around!

We were so excited to find out this last weekend that my cousin Casey's wife Charly is expecting a baby! Since they live right here in San Antonio, we decided to take them some gingerbread cookies in celebration, and since they do contain real ginger, maybe even to help stave off that pesky morning sickness.



These face can be mixed and matched, and while we initially intended to make cute baby faces, this is what came out. We assured Casey and Charly that they are in no way indicative of what we think their child will look like. No doubt this baby will be as cute as their other two darling daughters!

Here's Rosalie hiding and playing peekaboo in the bathroom this morning...

and Joseph run-run-run-run-running through the kitchen this afternoon. It's not always thrilling or glamorous, but the fun we have here together at home is definitely the fullest and the sweetest!

Rosalie has always had a keen interest in natural things. She can say "bird" and "squirrel", will excitedly point them out when she sees them in the back yard, and tells them "bye-bye" when they leave. Last week we saw a young possum wandering across our porch, and when I took the kids out for a closer look, Rosalie could hardly contain her frustration at not being able to run over and snuggle it! This morning, she noticed a lovely new bud on her rosebush, which a few minutes later looked like this!

Back inside, here she is with an incriminating petal in hand! Luckily, the rosebush will suffer no lasting effects from her curiosity and actually has several more buds on the way for us to enjoy. The truth is that I'm quite happy to see her fascination with the plants and animals around her, as those things have always been a source of inspiration and joy for me as well. How we love both our children for their unique interests and talents!