Odds and Ends

Today the sky is overcast and it is gray and hazy out. I always feel a little down on days like this. We ate the last of the cinnamon streusel muffins this morning that Troy had made me for breakfast yesterday along with a generous helping of fruit salad. Peyton asked for seconds and Troy and I laughed as he tried to eat the pineapple since it was so juicy. The juice kept overflowing out of his mouth and down his fingers and chin.

As for Chloe, she didn't want to finish her bottle; there was just too much to see and do already! We let her out of her high chair and she took off like a bat out of Hades. 

Here's an update on "little face'":

She has mastered going up the stairs now and is crawling very fast. She's taken to cruising around the living room and along the walls but will not let go for anything. When you try to hold her hands so you can help her walk, she just tries to sit down. That walking bit is still a little too scary! She's also growing her two front teeth so when she laughs or smiles you see two thick white lines protruding from her gums. Like Peyton, she has latched onto a special blanket and it is the only blanket she will sleep with. Of course, she fell in love with the only blanket that was not a store bought purchase, instead going for the finer things {think homemade}in her layette. So we asked the lady who made her first blanket to make another and we keep that one on hand for emergencies {like riding in the car when Chloe is exhausted. When she has her blanket, all is well in the world}. She likes to put anything and everything in her mouth (which is totally opposite how Peyton was) and much to our dismay, this includes the felt chair leg stickers that prevents the chairs from shrieking when you pull them out and which for some unknown reason she is especially attracted to.

Now back to today... After breakfast, the whole family files into the bathroom to watch Troy brush his teeth and to play with the shoes and laundry baskets in the closet. Chloe's favorite shoes are a pair of patent leather ballet flats of Mama's that are adorned with leather flowers and little sparkly silver bits in the center of each flower. Those shiny shoes are magic! Peyton likes to pretend that his toothbrush is like Daddy's Oral B electric toothbrush and makes loud noises while brushing, even making the same sounds the toothbrush makes when it's time to move to another quadrant of the mouth. Chloe likes to kiss the shower {or should I say lick it} and slap her reflection with happy hands. Peyton wants to spray his head with the water bottle, comb his hair and put hair gel in it all. by. himself. He's amused at Troy's suit bag and says, "Wow!" when Troy takes it out of the closet. After touching the suit bag softly, he shouts with glee, "Keys to black car, please!"

Peyton loves to carry around Daddy's keys in his pocket and it's his special job to open the garage door when we go anywhere as well as close it by the remote that we keep in the front compartment of the truck. When he's not doing those things, he's dragging his toy sea horse up and down the stairs {"I love you Seacourse!"} and begging to watch Cars, Elmo, Super Why or Mickey Mouse.  He still loves yogurt, bananas and cheese but also devours brownies and ice cream (on Daddy's lap is his favorite place to enjoy a treat because you get more ice cream and brownie when you sit with Daddy plus you get to hang out with your best buddy ever).

The kids are steadily growing and doing new things daily and generally becoming great friends. Their new thing is to hole up in Peyton's room for long stretches of time and play with toys, look out the window, tug on the curtains and giggle hysterically at who knows what. Peyton also likes to play peek-a-boo with his favorite blanket which he tosses on Chloe's head (to her delight).

Troy's teeth now brushed, he gathers up a few last items; hugs Peyton, kisses me and tickles Chloe. Then Peyton unlocks 'black car' with Troy's set of keys, relinquishes them to Troy and says, "Bye, bye Daddy" after which he all but slams the door in Troy's face. Then it's a mad rush to the office window so he can wave and talk to "Daddy!" through the glass as Troy turns the car around and waves one last time before he shoots down the road.

Now at 10 o' clock, Chloe is upstairs talking to herself in her crib when she should be napping and Peyton is watching me intently in a chair to the side of me. When I ask him what he's up to, he tells me, "Need use the computer." Guess I'd better get going because it's Peyton's turn now... according to him!