Talk Talk Talk

Kate's language has exploded. She probably has close to 100 words now and is speaking in 2-3 word sentences. Her first sentence was "my name daddy (as she patted her chest)." Clearly she doesn't have all the details down, but she is trying. We're thinking that her skills have something to do with constantly being around a certain older brother with the nickname "motormouth."

Speaking of Grant, we seem to have crossed a major hurdle with potty training. I can't wait for the day when I can take the extra pair of pants and underwear out of my purse! We're not there yet, but he's definitely improving. Trips to the toy store with dad have helped.

Finger Painting and Swimming

Sick Sick Sick

Cindy's introduction to our family has been a bit rough (although she's handling it quite well). The day after she got here both kids got sick. As is typical, my kids are totally different when they are sick. Mostly crying and whining all the time. Jim and I kept trying to assure her that they really are better behaved than they appear. Then, on Wednesday, I got really, really sick. I have more or less been in bed for 3 days. As a result Cindy had to take care of the kids full time while Jim was at work without really knowing the ins and outs of our routine. Thankfully, Grant is pretty opinionated and told her what to do much of the time. :) Yesterday I tried to get up with Kate to let Cindy get some sleep because she wasn't feeling well either. After about 15 minutes I realized I was super weak and not doing well so I put Kate in her pack and play with some books and laid down on the couch. About 15 minutes later I heard a loud "thump" and then screaming. Kate had climbed out of her pack and play! Thankfully she landed on carpet and there are no battle wounds.

Good-bye and Hello

This week we said good-bye to our beloved Derme as she headed back to South Africa. We will be forever grateful that God chose to send her to us.


We also welcomed, Cindy, our new au pair. Cindy is also from South Africa and is Xhosa. (This is the name of her language and her people group.) She's had a lot of firsts this week including flying on a airplane, eating chicken noodle soup and using a dishwasher. She is eager to learn about Americans and about our family. We think she will fit in perfectly. Please pray for a smooth transition for her.

Jumping on the bed

Yogi Pokey

This morning I took Kate to "baby yoga." She didn't get it. I'm not sure if any of the babies did, but it was something to do at the library nearby. Kate mostly went around pointing in each child's face saying, "baby. baby. baby." Some moms didn't mind while others thought she was a little too direct. Kate's favorite part of the morning is when we did the "yogi pokey."

Grant started a new class this year called "Toddler Boot Camp." I was a little nervous because of the name (I'm sure you are too) but he ended up having a blast. It is 2 1/2 hours long at our local YMCA and includes gym and swim. The best part is that I don't have to be there to change him in and out of wet clothes. He really had a blast and keeps talking about his teacher, "Coach Kyle."

The Guys

I just came across this picture on my camera from Christmas. Grant continues to talk about his uncle Bry and Uncle Hal even though he doesn't see them very often. They play rough and do only things that guys can do.

Still Mopping

Yes, Grant is still into cleaning. He probably mops the floor over an hour a day. The great thing about it is that he's really getting pretty good so our floors have never looked better. He loves to do art projects so most days while Kate is still napping we get to do a project or two. He's in a really fun phase and is doing a great job being obedient so he is a joy to be around. We're in week 4 of potty training. Ugg! We're down to one accident a day.

Kate continues to mimic what she sees her older brother doing. Several times a day she'll run to the potty and yell, "potty!" She's yet to actually go on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did one day soon. She is all girl and sleeps at night with her doll which she can see burping often throughout the day.

Nicknames

I thought it would be fun to record the nicknames we have for the kids:

Kate: Katerator (we're not sure how she got this, but we've called her it from birth), Rator (short for Katerator, pronounced raytor), potato, monkey, cutie (called this by Grant)

Grant: Grant Samuel (when he's not listening), sockman (when he puts his socks on his hands, treseur (called this by Jim when he jumps off high platforms)