Where to start?
It would be stating the obvious to say a lot has happened in the past YEAR. So here's where we all are as of summer 2014.
Little Lindley is quickly approaching 2, and is something else, I tell ya. For one thing, she's stinkin' adorable. Her hair is amazing, with its long bouncing curls and natural reddish blonde highlights that gleam in the sun. Her facial expressions crack us up on a daily basis. She is such a picky eater - I wonder how long a child can actually exist solely on peanut butter sandwiches. (Okay, and milk, granola, and the occasional applesauce, yogurt, Cheerios or meatballs.) She clings to me like its her job (but does fine without me if I'm not around), and has started screaming, hitting or kicking when she doesn't get her way. Her language is probably hard to understand for the most part for those who aren't with her every day like I am, but she actually communicates better than Caden did at this age. I would say he knew more vocabulary & animals, colors, shapes, etc. at this age though. She likes to jump (off of things) and has enjoyed the pool thus far this summer. She often pushes dolls around in her baby strollers, but also likes Caden's trucks just as well.
Caden is just about 3.5 and that might just say it all about him. He potty trained back at the beginning of December, shortly before he turned 3. After failed attempts previously, he actually caught on quite quickly on that try and never looked back. He even moved to underwear at night within a month or so of day training. He is ALL BOY. Trucks, cars, trains, and more trucks are his thing. He grew a significant defiant streak a few months ago, so I am really grappling with how to discipline effectively, and am worn out from that daily. We're trying to get him to learn to do more things for himself (he's very reluctant to learn new things - he gets frustrated at the drop of a hat). But he can now, at least sometimes, put on his own underwear, shorts & shoes, go potty by himself, clear his plate from the table, get a cup of water from the fridge, etc. He has mostly dropped his nap, although it's not uncommon for him to fall asleep on the floor somewhere during the afternoon. He is a little better with the pool this summer, but still likes to stay with what's easy & comfortable & not be challenged (hmm, sadly he might have gotten that from me).
Together, the kids are probably like many young siblings. They can be goofy & silly & egg each other on to do all sorts of wild things. They copy each other and race strollers and apparently hold hands on the playground at daycare. They also fight & steal toys from each other, and Caden pushes Lindley down or sits on her. She calls him "Cay-yen" and he calls her "Ninley." They're both going to a daycare 2 full days a week right now, but in the fall will switch to a preschool, which is 5 mornings a week.
As for Wade and me... Wade just finished his second year as assistant principal & varsity basketball coach at Covenant Day. In many ways it was easier than the first year (hello, not trying to finish grad school & have a newborn & 18 month old at the same time), but it was still very busy. This coming school year will be intense as they are getting a new principal and will be trying to adjust & fill the gaps after the current principal (who's been there 19 years) leaves to become a headmaster at another school. A lot of extra work will fall on Wade (as well as the other - very few - administrative staff), so we'll just take things as they come! The amount of time invested in coaching never ceases to amaze me, but he does a great job of caring for his players and building the best basketball program he can at CDS.
I am working part time at Christ Covenant again, as of January. Right now, I work 2 full days a week, but when the kids switch to preschool, I will switch to 4 half days in September. It has been a good reprieve from stay-at-home-mom-hood 24/7. It gives me a little time away from the kids, using a different skill set, some adult interaction, etc.
So that's us in a large nutshell at the moment!
