growing up, up, up

I think kids have comparable growing habits to plants, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.  The more sunshine, fresh produce and exercise they get the more they grow.  This explains why when we got home from Hawaii both my children seemed to have outgrown everything they owned.  It happens--the only thing I shed a tear for is the handmade-sweaters & gifts.  and the shoes---hard to be thrifty when your kid goes through 3 shoe sizes a year, and you can't really cheat by getting their shoes way to big because then they trip all over the place, not that I've...um... tried that or anything.
   I love my little hobbits.

This little guy is now crawling all over the place, teething like crazy, and needing a lot of "mama re-charging" in his not-crawling time.  I guess I am a docking station for my kids. And this girl...

So sweet, and sassy, and silly. 

Sometimes I look at these two and it's like a part of my most secret heart has grown a life of it's own, walking around outside me and becoming something more beautiful, more complex and vulnerable than I could have ever imagined.

And the things this girl says. 

oh, my.

When trying to open a sealed freezer ice pack with a wooden spoon: "Mom, we need a different tool for this job.  I know, let's get dad's chainsaw!" {eek!}

At bedtime when we snuggle she pets my hair and tells me that I'm her "most special mom in the whole world." 

When she gets a time out she says, "weeeeel, mom...I'm frustrarated about this."
The other day she told me she was lonely, and that I needed to grow a sister in my tummy so she can have someone to play with...

and when a sister comes out we can put Eli back in there. 

And the final verdict, after much deliberation on her part is that we should keep Eli--which is good, because there is no way he would fit back in my tummy now.

Just sayin.'
besides, I think he will make a pretty darned good friend.  He just needs a few months to learn to walk, and talk, and keep up with the girls, right?