How can I put it other than I’ve just been plain lazy about updating the site. Sorry for that. To make up for it I have lots of pictures. Some from Christmas and the others are just goofing off around here. Our lives are pretty much back to normal with Mike home, but now we have to prepare to move again. Ugh!

Coming up at the end of this month we are traveling to Bethesda. Mike has a week-long course to attend, so I thought I would take that time to start looking at housing and getting to know the area. We decided we will probably just rent a house instead of going broke with buying a half-million dollar home. I’ve been doing a little internet research and have found many rentals that fit our needs. I’m actually kind of excited about it. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it will be a really fun place to live. We’ll be very close to D.C. and Bethesda has a ton of stuff to do, too. I think the girls and I will have a blast. We will certainly have to make the most of it since Mike will be super busy once school starts.

Christmas was spent at home this year. No visitors, just the four of us. Mike got a 4-day weekend off from work and another one during the New Year’s holiday. It was so nice to have him for so many days. This was the first year that Annie understood the idea behind presents. She was even opening presents before the special day. The girls received lots of gifts from grandparents Hauer and Olsen such as a Barbie laptop, Legos, Cabbage Patch Kid, blocks, Leap Frog Stories, and much more. Annie received several clothing items as well and immediately wanted to make sure that each garment fit properly. Mimi’s favorite gift was the Mary Jo Beth Sue from Raccoon Ridge doll. That’s not her official name, but after losing one of her pigtails (courtesy of Mimi’s love) she looked like she was wearing a raccoon-skin hat. Upon losing her 2nd pigtail she looked quite androgynous, and that’s being polite. My mom has a new hobby of decoupaging, so she made both girls a lamp to match their rooms and a clock to match my living room. We had loads of fun even if it was a small group this year. Pictures from our “magical” day are posted on the memories page under “Christmas 2005”. There is also a link from the girls’ January album. Have a look-see!

Annie NEVER stops! Enough said. But seriously, you would think she could run marathons with as much energy that’s within her. Come 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. there is hardly a moment’s rest. Thankfully, she does still take her afternoon nap that can last up to 2 hours. And even more thankfully, Mimi usually sleeps at the same time. My mom says I was the same way at Annie’s age, but I just don’t see how. Oh well, I just need to get used to it. Annie loves to sing. She expects her c.d.’s be played in the car at all times so that she can sing along. Mike and I are amazed at how many songs she already knows. Her favorite is still “The ABC’s”. Mike has been cracking me up with his obsession with a song called “The ABC Song” where a word is said for each letter of the alphabet and it’s sung to the same tune as “ABC’s”. I’ll hear him sometimes (when he thinks nobody is around) practicing. Shh! Don’t tell anyone. Annie is taking on disciplinarian with Mimi and Lucy. She loves to tell Lucy to “go bed” or to “stop it”. Annie is discovering the good things in life and asks for them frequently. I gave her a Hershey Kiss one time from the cupboard. Now she asks daily for “choc-it” whenever I’m close to that same cuboard. I also think Annie may have OCD. Anytime something new is changed in her routine, she adopts that habit. For instance, the other night her bed was wet from naptime sippy, so we put a blanket under her. The next night when I went to put her to bed she asked for that blanket to be put under her again. Now we have to do that every night. And she also remembers every lovey that stays in bed with her. If one is missed during roll call, she notices. She also has a habit of trying to repeat EVERYTHING that people say. We had some friends over the other night, and they even commented on this. So watch what you say around her, eh.

Mimi is so close to walking. She will take 2 to 3 steps at a time. I think she thinks that crawling can get her to her destination much faster. I can’t blame her; she’s the fastest crawler we’ve ever seen. Her first tooth is finally starting to grow in on the bottom. I’m not worried about the delay since Annie’s teeth came in at about the same time. Mimi babbles all time. She really likes saying “th-th-th”. I don’t know where that came from. She will also say “bye, bye” on command. More finger foods are being given to Mimi now such as spaghetti, beans, cooked carrots, peas, bananas, mac’n’cheese, and much more. Basically, anything soft goes. I’m starting to ween Mimi from nursing. Well, guess what! She hates milk. I’ve tried everything to get her to drink it, but she always spits it right out. We never had this problem with Annie; she took right to it. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I suppose it’s a common problem that can be easily remedied. I will just need to do the research. Mimi remains a Mommy’s girl. She’s not much for strangers and sometimes Dad holding her. Mimi is starting to figure out how to get Annie in trouble, too. She has this cry that always worries me. Well, I’ve caught her using it when Annie takes something from her or if Annie won’t share. What a drama queen! There is now a January album of pictures posted on the girls’ page. Enjoy!

Below are some pictures of Mike shucking some local oysters. We had them on the grill the other night. They weren’t as good as eating them raw, but they were still yummy. He, of course, got lots of fishing time while on break. Sadly, the girls and I were not able to join him at all during the break. Oh, darn!

Have a great week! We’ve got a busy planned for us.