How is it August?!

I'm so excited for graduation--I can almost TASTE it. Just two weeks (but only 6 days of class + a final) until I complete my bachelor's in English! Yippee!

Note: Just because I'm an English major doesn't mean I know every little grammar rule (I feel like a lot of people assume I'll know all that stuff, but I seriously don't! I enjoy editing, but I've never taken an editing class so...buyer beware!). Those people are the English language or Linguistics majors...don't get me confused with those guys. As much as I enjoy proper grammar, I've learned more and more (particularly from my current ELANG class) that there is very little you can do that is "wrong" in the English language. Most speech patterns are regional, cultural, etc. and so when you think a person is "wrong" for using some word that sounds strange, it is probably just a cultural thing.

Anyway, long side note.

I just have to make it through two presentations, a paper, an essay, (some tedious reading...), and a final exam. By this time next week, all but one of those things will be done which is pretty fantastic.

My mom flies in on August 6! Three days after her birthday and three days before mine (then 3 days after mine is Tenley's)! Woohoo! I'm feeling pretty good about 24 right now. We'll see how I feel next weekend;)

As for the rest of my life--it's been good. Crazy with school, but great.

Declan is just a little over-achiever/very active baby and is already crawling (more like army crawling, but he gets on his knees and feet a lot in between) rather fast! It's so funny and weird to watch such a little guy scurry across the floor.

He turned 6 months 2 days ago and has eaten a jar of sweet potatoes, plenty of rice cereal, and some bananas so far. I waited on the solids as long as I could with him, unlike Tenley (though I'm fairly sure he was ready even before she was)...I'm not a fan of the stinky poop that comes with starting solids (breast milk poop doesn't smell really at all). He has two cute little bottom teeth that came out at four months, and his third tooth (top front) is just poking through as of the last couple days! He's gonna be a cute little chipmunk;)

Declan loves water, swimming, toys (just all toys...which is weird because Tenley couldn't have cared less about toys at his age), gnawing on stuff, napping twice a day (Ten didn't nap!), being worn in the k'tan by mama, nursing, smiling, watching Tenley, yelling like Tenley (he seriously learned her yell...), following Tenley across the floor, getting beaten up by Tenley (jk he doesn't love that), sleeping with mama;). I put him in his bed at 8pm and he sleeps until midnight then joins us in our bed, not that I mind one bit! I miss him terribly when he isn't with me...the one night I thought I'd try to leave him in his bed, I just couldn't do it. I sleep better (and less worried) when he's by me. He also loves people. He smiles at everyone. But he totally is a mama's boy right now...seeing him light up when I get home from school is the best. Or when he hears my voice and looks for me. He's my little buddy:)

Declan hates the car seat. He gets mad every time I put him in. Once we get moving he's usually okay...until those red lights, dang it. He also hates when Tenley wakes him up with her loud voice when he's napping (who doesn't...). So far, that's pretty much all he hates. He's a pretty good baby! (though Tenley was quite a bit easier still).

As for Tenley, she's almost TWO! How can I have a two-year old?? She's the sweetest girl and I love her with all my heart. She took a long nap in the rocking chair with Dalin today (like three hours!) and I ran to another quad within Wymount to buy something and I just missed her so badly as I was walking back alone. I just thought, I wish Tenley was with me so I could show her this and chase her and teach her. She's seriously my best little friend and I'm so happy she's mine!

What else about Tenley? We don't watch Frozen much (we're a Tangled family;) but she got an Elsa nightgown from Nana with a little sheer layer that she loves to twirl in. I ask her sometimes if she wants to be called Tenley or ReNae (her middle name), and she says "ReNae." Then I ask her if she wants to be called ReNae or Elsa and she says "Elsa" (well, half the time). She's the brightest little girl. I'm studying her speech patterns for a linguistics class and she has WELL over 200 words in her vocabulary and is quite advanced according to my textbook. She also says the funniest sentences now. She cracks me up every day with her new words.

Tenley's favorite friend is Javin, our cute little neighbor who is almost 4. She talks about him all the time ("where'd Javin go? I wanna go Javin's house"). He used to act kind of annoyed by her, but now they play outside together often and if Ten goes to do something else, Javin will follow her. We're going to his birthday party tomorrow evening:). Also, if I can't find Tenley when we're outside, the first place I check is Javin's house. She runs away there every other day, I kid you not. She is very comfortable there, too...she kicks off her flip flops as soon as she's in the door and runs into Javin's room to jump on the bed (which they did under supervision one time and now she thinks it's okay every time). Javin loves it. I always have to run in and get her though, which is a pain.

Tenley is very helpful most days. She changes Declan's diaper (with and without supervision, much to my dismay), cooks and pretends to cook, washes the dishes (she says, "I wanna do wash-it!"), sweeps the floor, picks up clothes and carries them to the dirty laundry, fetches things still, loads the washer and dryer for me when we walk to the laundry building, "folds" clothes, "vacuums," and picks up toys (but only if I help her...). She thinks she is just a little lady and is the sweetest little mommy to Declan and her baby doll (which she nurses and sits up with toys and puts on the potty) and to other children when they're crying.

She is so close to being fully potty-trained, we just need to figure out an easy way for her to put her panties on herself (it's quite confusing apparently). We even wore underwear and went potty at Target today (that was interesting, but it went fine). She will still need pull-ups for night-time though, I'm sure (she drinks a LOT).

So that's our life right now. It's crazy and going to get even crazier over the next two months, but I'm so excited for all the adventures to come (including a new nephew any time in the next couple weeks)!

Happy August! And you'll see a lot more of me once I graduate hopefully. For better or worse...;)