Two

Baby Grant has officially become a two-year-old, but he's still very much Baby Grant. Because of all the chaos that's come with funerals and the immediate panic/travel that goes along with learning that a parent has a terminal disease, I completely dropped the ball with Grant's birthday. He turned two on Sunday; we sort of celebrated by taking him to his first college hockey game Friday night, which we all LOVED. Then we played at home (inside and outside) all day Saturday. I baked up a fantastic, gigantic chocolate cake that night, and then we had a very low-key birthday that involved church, naps, taco dinner and tasty cake.

But have no fear, we're going to do a real party this weekend. Not that it will be anything much higher-key, but it should be fun, nonetheless. At least it won't be just our immediate family who didn't have time to shop for presents. My folks and cousin and a few family friends will be stopping by for a casual turkey dinner and some cake and ice cream, and perhaps a few presents or two to open. Which reminds me... I still need to shop for a few presents from us, too. What to buy a two-year-old who still snuggles but thinks he's at least 10... Where does the time go?

Got Gum?

Our Grant has become a gum-chewing machine, and over and over again, he walks up to anyone he sees and asks, "Got gum?" We've wised up and resorted to giving him a quarter piece at a time because he sometimes forgets to keep chewing it and down it goes. It's hard to believe he's going to be two this weekend.  He seems so much older at times, and yet, he still carries his blanket everywhere and wants to snuggle whenever he gets sleepy. How can you not love it?

Miss Breanna has become a bit funnier, as well. In the past month, she has really found her expressiveness. She is constantly raising and narrowing her eyebrows, winking with her whole face, and showing exactly how she feels without having to say a word. Not that she's often silent. But she's finding ways to enhance her communication skills and it's hilarious to watch how extremely animated she is becoming. She has also started to remember her dreams. Just this morning she told me - very nonchalantly - that there was a green whale under her arm in bed this morning. It was tickling her and she got a little scared, so she hid under her polka dot blanket. She doesn't quite understand what dreaming is, so it's still a reality to her.

Our Lillian is keeping us mighty entertained these days, as well. The more excited she gets about anything, the higher her little voice squeaks and the longer her sentences go with no breaks for air. She's very observant about everything around her. If you asked her right this second how many airplanes are the sky, she'd be able to rattle off the number without glancing up - she's just aware all the time. That means the questions come from all over the place about things we have no idea how to answer. Nothing like being humbled by a three-year-old who is already smarter than her parents.

Looking for the Silver Lining

This has been quite the downer of a winter so far. I've been to two funerals in the past two weeks and have another one to attend sometime in the next few days. All people I've liked.

My brother-in-law's grandma is in the hospital and not looking so good. My friend just had brain surgery and is having lots of complications, still hospitalized, and we learned this week that my father-in-law has terminal lung cancer.

As DH sometimes says, "when it rains, it poops."

I've always been a pretty huggy wife and mother, but this past month, I feel like I've rarely spent time alone without some physical touch. I've even found myself picking up the kids in the middle of the night and just holding them. I am so very grateful to have such beautiful innocence at my fingertips. I'm looking for more of the good out there, so if you have any extra positive stuff, please send it our way.