I can’t even begin to explain how busy we are around here. The closing on our house is finally over. Now we are just renting the house back from the new owners until it’s time to blow this popsicle stand. Our move is less than 2 weeks away. I have a feeling it’s not going to be the smoothest 2 weeks in our history. Mike is pretty stressed out about making sure that he exits Camp LeJeune properly. I’m stressed about trying to get as much work done now so that I can take a break from Snappy Chic and web design until we get settled into our new house. See below for Mike’s current obsession. He acquired the lady slipper orchid during our last visit to DC.

During all this craziness, we have been enjoying life. We’ve been to the beach twice in the past couple of weeks. The first trip was a tutu photo shoot on the beach. The girls had a blast splashing around and ruining their homemade tutus. The second trip to the beach was a quick one to get some family pictures. We managed to fit a little fun in that time, too. Daddy and Annie flew a kite together. It only got caught in a tree once (of course, I got yelled at for that one). On Saturday we went to Raliegh for a youth temple trip. That was an enjoyable experience. I’m glad we got to do it before we moved from North Carolina. Hopefully, we will be able to visit the DC temple while living there. We’ve already seen it while driving on the beltway.

The girls’ May 2006 album has been added to the girls’ page–check it out! The girls are really growing up and becoming great friends (ahem, sometimes). I was almost brought to tears the other day when Annie set up a tea party for her and Mimi. Despite not having my contacts in yet that morning, I quickly snapped a bunch of pictures for fear that I would not witness such an event for a long time. Annie cracks us up each day with the things she says. For instance, the girls were cuddled up on their care-bear chair the other day. Annie sensed that I was in awe of the moment, so she said, “Mommy, get your camera!” Of course, I obeyed (see the May 2006 picture on the Girls’ Page). Her new favorite phrase to respond to Mommy and Daddy’s demands is, “Ok, ok!” The cute part about Annie’s phrases is that when I chuckle at her, she always chuckles, too. We’re still working on the potty training with not much luck. Annie is fascinated by public restrooms. Hence, she ALWAYS needs to go potty when we’re out. The end result is that Annie just wants the opportunity to sit on the toilet, wipe, flush, and wash her hands without ever going to potty. Urgh! Annie’s desire to help is ever-present. We can usually get Annie in happy-mode when we invite her to assist with the daily duties such as setting the table, helping with dishes, putting laundry away, pushing the buttons on the microwave, etc. I wonder if her ambition to be a good helper will continue all her life (hmmm?).

Mimi is quite the toddler. Having a big sister around really is a blessing for her. Those girls will keep each other busy for what seems like hours. Unfortunately, if I’m not paying attention at all times, then their “work” can turn into the demolition of my home. Now that Mimi can climb on chairs and such, I will catch the girls many times together up on a chair getting into mischief. Mimi’s vocabulary is expanding. Some of her recent new words include: baby, night-night, dog, cat, hot dog (well, it sounded like she said when we were eating hot dogs today). Then the other day while we were in the van, I heard her saying, “ashes, ashes, dah!” every few seconds. I’m assuming that she was trying to sing “Ring around the Rosy” which we do almost daily. She’s almost adept at climbing down the stairs unassisted, but she still needs more practice before I’ll leave the gate unlocked. I get the feeling that Mimi has a passion for dancing (more than Annie did at this age). She’s always the first to be wiggling her little body when a catchy tune is playing. Mimi also continues to be a WONDERFUL eater!! Her 15-month doctor’s visit revealed that she is 21.8 pounds and about 30 inches long. Mimi’s starting to get molars, too!

I have to be honest and admit that I may not get a chance to update again before we move. I will certainly try to at least one more time. Have a great week!

I know it’s a little late, but I updated the girls’ April album with Easter pics and some more recent ones. They were all taken in April, so I thought it appropriate to put them in there. However, some are repeats from below. Notice the girls’ new aprons. I couldn’t resist getting them. Annie got to use her’s for real last night when she helped Daddy make home-made ice-cream. Enjoy!