Milestones and Cuteness

• Yesterday, Evan clapped for the first time. He's trying to do Patty Cake by himself now.
  
• Today, Evan signed "milk" for the first time -- his first sign!
• Today Jeff made us another raised bed. We're extremely excited about this. We bought two big heirloom tomato plants because we really missed the window for planting seeds or transplants. Here's hoping they stay happy!
• I went out to a coffee shop for a bit to work on something and while I was gone Lilia was "helping" Jeff fill in the bed. He was using a shovel, she was using a trowel. When I got there she gave me the trowel and said, "Mama help!" like it was a huge treat. I started to shovel with the trowel and she said, "Good job! Good job! Thank you helping me!" Precious. :)
  

Today

• Evan ate (and loved!) a whole jar of carrots! He hasn't been that into "big boy food" until last week. I was excited. So was he.
• We played outside for hours. It was wonderful. Lilia loves our new water table and Evan just likes being out there and watching everything. I also gave Lilia her own "garden" (a big pot full of dirt) and a spoon. She was a happy camper.
• This is yesterday but I must commemorate: During a bath, Lilia spontaneously stood up, turned around, pointed and said, "Look at my tukis!" She will kill me for posting this in about 11 years.
• Lilia was extremely excited to see that Evan was still awake when we went in their bedroom to put her to bed. She went right up to his crib and hugged and kissed him through the rails. "Mama look! Evan's awake!" He smiled at her adoringly and she said, "I love you too."
  

Life Moves Pretty Fast.

So many things are rattling. I hate it when I get behind on my blog!

• Motherhood is pushing me to the end of myself again. Some days I feel so overwhelmed. Jeff and I are trying hard to work out a way for me not to feel so exhausted so often. It always comes at the end of our week of 4 10-hour days, so the schedule is probably part of it. Sometimes it gets exhausting to keep looking for solutions.
• We are starting to really put effort into our backyard. Largely because I will soon share my days with two toddlers. Our first raised bed has 23 little sprouts in it (beans, squash, sunflowers, spinach, radishes, nasturtium) and we're planting our second bed tomorrow.
• Evan has two teeth! Poor guy got them right in the middle of RSV on March 25! Bottom middle two.
• Lilia grew up overnight again. She is so much older. Tonight she requested "All Creatures of Our God and King" as our hymn before bed. She put her little heart and soul into the "Alleluia" parts. I cried.
• Jeff has been selected for a wonderful internship-sort-of-position at his work and we are both really excited. It's his chance to move into the networking department (where he wants to be) and also he will have weekends off and get a paid lunch so that he can come home an hour earlier. I am so proud of him!