I've been quite delinquent in writing lately. Unpacking - or at times, avoiding unpacking - keeps me busy. We also took a trip to New York to visit my sister. And, I've started back babysitting for Walker and Bean. So, life goes on...
Natalie and Abby are doing great. They love their new playroom, despite the chaos it stays in, and spend a great deal of time making food in their kitchen. They are also really into their babies (especially Abby) and spend time rocking them, feeding them, and carrying them around. They have also discovered legos - much to Ben's delight. We have the little bitty ones (the traditional "real" legos) and they are great exercises in fine motor for their little fingers.
Since our house is so much bigger with more rooms than before, we still have a few empty rooms that are awaiting new furniture. The family room is nearly completely empty and the girls love running around in circles and chasing each other. The living room is mostly empty with some boxes piled in a corner near a window. The girls have decided to use them as a personal jungle gym and climb all over them.
The stairs are also a favorite play spot. I remember spending hours playing on stairs when I was a kid too. We did some brilliant things like take blankets and ride them down the stairs like a sled. The girls haven't figured that out yet. If they do, at least our stairs are the split kind so there's a shorter distance to go before hitting a wall. They just sit and play on the stairs with toys or babies quite a bit. They also "help" each other up and down. One will reach up and call "help me, Abby/Nanny, help me". The other takes her hand and "pulls" her up. They also enjoy figuring out new ways to get down the stairs: walking, sliding on their bums, sliding on their tummies feet first...Sliding head first is just around the corner and I'm just hoping I can intervene before they get started.
The back yard isn't quite where I want it yet, but the girls still have fun meandering around just playing in the dirt and looking at ants. They are fascinated by insect life. They'll squat and watch the ants going to and fro. They love when I find worms in the garden. Two days ago, I (joyfully) found a little snake. (I love snakes and never seem to find them. It was just a little harmless thing. Abby was all about holding and touching it. It was a bit of a surprise actually, since it's usually Natalie who wants to hold things and Abby who backs off. But, Abby went right for it and Natalie refused to touch it. (Fear not: we did the whole song and dance about never picking up a snake unless mommy or daddy say it's ok. They are actually really good at asking if they can touch things and know ants and spiders give ouchies.)
I've gotten a lot of cute pictures lately -especially of a photo shoot we did on the beach in New York. I'll post them asap. I just wanted to check in and let everyone know we are still out here:-)
