A no-pictures post

'Cuz I'm too lazy to get the camera out. But here's an update, oh, faithful reader!

Big sister lost that 4th tooth up top. Big ol' gap up there! One adult tooth is coming in now. I'm curious to see how this adult teeth thing goes. I'd love for her to not have to do braces, but we'll have to see! We are seriously considering letting her get contacts. She's been asking for awhile, and I've done some research about what age is good for contacts. General consensus is that it's not age, it's ability to be responsible. And apparently they've found that some 8-year-olds do better than adults at wearing them properly. So we'll talk to the eye doctor next week and see what he says. Big sister is quite the responsible girl, after all!

Little sister just had kindergarten orientation. It's so hard to believe she's old enough for that, but then again she's been doing preschool for 2 years now so it also feels like FINALLY! I went to meet with her old special needs teacher when we did big brother's meeting, and she informed me that some of the kids were crying when they found out little sister wasn't coming back. She was everybody's good friend! I am starting to notice she's got that middle child thing going on. Big sister gets attention, big brother is such a mama's boy that he's always right by me, and the baby demands a lot of attention. Little sister is easy going and just plays pretend or makes up songs. I have to remind myself that she needs one-on-one time, too. Even if it's just to the grocery store or cuddling on the couch. She is one sweet little girl!

Big brother's meeting for preschool went well. They are excited to have him, and he even shouted "I love you!" as we were leaving. I must admit I'm more nervous with him than I was with little sister. Little sister wanted to take on the world and leave me behind, and I think she was a little more advanced in her ability to understand what was going on. Big brother is such a mama's boy! I'm really not sure how much he grasps about this whole preschool thing. I know he'll adjust and love it after a few times, but those first few times could be a little rough for him. I'm excited to watch his progress!

Little brother can stand all by himself. He doesn't like to, and if I trick him into it and he realizes it, he plops down onto his little bum and glares at me. But I have also caught him trying to take a step or two. I'm in no rush -he's barely 9 months old for heaven's sake! He is super fast at crawling, anyway. And he gets into everything. Absolutely everything. He is my 4th, so I'm no novice when it comes to keeping the floors clear of choking hazards. But this kids is more fascinated than all the others were with putting things in his mouth. If it gets in his hand, it goes in his mouth. I am amazed at what he gets in his hand. I have to vacuum pretty much daily. He is going to be more trouble than big brother, I'm afraid. He's quite the curious little guy.

Husband has been working with my dad on rebuilding our decks with a composite material that we won't have to paint/stain. YAY! I love the new decks already, and I'm excited for the railings to go in next week. We're getting excited about gardening this year! We did bare minimums last year since I was so pregnant, and I'm itching to attack a few spots that have been neglected a bit. My raspberries are sending up lots of little sprouts, which makes my heart happy. In other heart-happy news, we enjoyed both sessions of conference today! I can't remember the last time we got to watch together on a Saturday. Husband has worked the last several times. But he was off today, so we hung out on the couch and soaked it all in. Here's the miraculous part - the kids pretty much stayed with us. They were content to just sit and cuddle with us and watch and listen. Even big brother! Big sister asked questions about some of the things that were said, and little sister was thrilled when she spotted President Monson. We didn't ask them to, or tell them they had to, they just wanted to all be together as a family, I think. A beautiful day. I love beautiful days!