Well, I don't have any pictures today, but I have to keep you coming back. so here's the scoop on the kids:
Jasper's doing fairly well, growing out of clothes as quickly as we can buy (borrow or steal) them, sleeping a little better now that he doesn't have a stomach virus/enterovirus/teething/drooling/reflux. He's still very smiley and seems to have grown out of some of his separation anxiety in the past few weeks. His sounds still mostly consist of "aaaah!" and blowing raspberries, but he's obviously listening and taking in what we say (especially Josie!) Aside from walking or crawling really fast, he gets around surprisingly well, cruising around furniture, pulling up (and getting down) easily, and if there's dog food around he'll find a way to get to it :) If he's by himself and hears a voice he'll crawl around (bleating like a lamb) until he finds someone to pick him up. He and Josie are really getting to the point of being interested in each other. They still have tea parties together and have other little games they play (sorry, I have no idea what the rules are!). They're sitting next to each other in the back seat now, and Josie talks to him, telling him what a good baby he is, that she loves him, asks him how he's doing...and (for good or bad) feeds him bits of whatever she's got (I looked back there on Saturday and he was covered with banana goo). It's particularly fun to hear her talking to him the way I spoke to her when she was a baby, saying things like "not for you Jaspie!"
Speaking of Josie, she's doing a better job of listening when Josh or I ask her to do something (or not do something, as the case often is) without questioning us first. She's still really interested in letters and words, and has started sounding out words based on the sounds the consonants make. She's clearly got the idea that letters = sounds = words = ideas, she just needs to practice a little more. She's also trying to write more letters, and is drawing some really startling things. She was playing with some of her buddies last week and they got the sidewalk chalk out. Mostly the kids were scribbling big lines and circles...Josie, on the other hand, quietly drew a big lobed flower with a circle in the middle, a stem, and a leaf. Very clearly a flower (the way I usually draw it, anyway). She's great with the scissors too, but I have to keep her away from the sharp ones! She had her first trip to the dentist last week. I've been really apprehensive about the dentist myself, so I was worried that it be a fun visit for her. We found a pediatric dentist and it was great! They were great at working with Josie's shy nature, and gave her a lot of control over the procedures (holding the suction thing...oh, sorry "mr tickles" etc), and the jungle theme in the officce made it distracting enough that she wasn't worrried about a thing. The dentist was particularly sensitive to her, and had her talking to him within two minutes. I don't think I've ever seen anyone get through to her that quickly! Anyhow, her teeth were clean and cavity-free, although she's got an overbite and a little crowding that she may not grow out of. I guess we'll start saving for braces...
So, the weather's warming up, seeds are sprouting, and we can finally play outside every day. I'll have to take some pictures of Josie's garden (where she planted some peas in a bare patch the middle of the backyard) once the carrots and spinach sprout! Hopefully I'll have some more pictures soon :)