Whistlin' Dixie

Bree has been learning to whistle for several months now, and she can get a nice consistent whistle when sucking air in. But to produce any decent sound, the poor girl sounds like she's hyperventilating because she has to pull in so much air so fast. This week though, she finally figured out how to whistle when blowing out. It's much less exhausting to both whistler and listener alike. :)

The girls are both getting so big. Tonight I noticed that Bree didn't even have to stretch to reach the handles on the bathroom sink. And Eve has changed in some ways, but stayed frustratingly but adorably the same in others. She's talking a lot, and using such grown up phrasing and inflection. And you can see in those mischievious blue eyes that she understands everything she's telling you -- she's not just parroting what she hears. And those blonde curls continue to be her get out of jail free card. They're irresistible! It's so difficult to get on to her because she just too cute, man!

Evy's been potty training over the last fee weeks. She's got it down with the training potty, but she's still not comfortable climbing up on the real toilet yet. She's a little old for potty training, but Andrea wanted to wait until summertime so the trainee could run around the house naked without getting cold. And we had some road trips planned earlier in the season that would have proven too challenging for the fledgling toileteer.

Also Andrea started homeschooling the girls last week. Really, it's just Bree, but Evy has to be in the middle of everything, so she's hitting the books along with her older sister.

Good times with the three women and a daddy.

The Artist Formerly Known as Bree

So Bree has recently displayed some pretty amazing artistic talent. On our trip to DC last month, she started blending crayon colors and drawing with such detail. It was really cool to see the development. Now she's moved on to other media. (See the pictures below.) Bree sees something cool and decides that she wants to do it, and from that moment on, she is locked on to the target. For example, I'm pretty sure that she's only seen a balloon artist one time in her life, but like a little Amadeus, she learned how to do it at a single viewing, and now she's off to the races -- Bree made these balloon creations completely on her own. We really need to take this girl to the OKC Art Museum so she can see the blown glass tower. We may create a monster yet.

The funky cowboy is just a really cool bit of original Bree art. It's made from some 5 different sheets of paper and lots of Scotch tape. And like so many other pieces of Bree art, this cowpoke was inspired by a video game -- this one comes from Red Dead Redemption (yes, I'm sorry, it is a Mature-rated game, I just try to limit her exposure to the less mature portions).


The Daddy

Stories that have to be told...

I just need to write these things down so they don't get lost in the windmills of my mind. These stories are not necessarily in chronological order, but rather I'll just jot them down as they come to me.

Evyisms

-(On a recent road trip to DC and back, as Andrea read aloud while I drove) "Mommy, why are you talking to that book?"

- "Can I cut?"

- "Can I cut with scissors?"

- "Can I cut with scissors at Addy and Kier's house?"

- (After watching "The Mouseketeers" Tom & Jerry cartoon, echoing the French accent of Jerry's nephew mouse) "Bon jour, BOO-see cat!"

- (Almost every morning, as soon as she wakes up) "I want COFFEE and WATER!"


Episodes

- A recent conversation with Bree.
Bree: "Dad, I think it's so cool how you have a little bit of gray hair there on the sides of you head."
Me: "What?!? Where?"
Bree: "Right there by those kitty-ear things above your forehead."

- Andrea's involuntary outburst when a car nearly swerved into our lane: "S---, people!" Evy's immediate echo: "S---, people!"

- Again, Andrea's involuntary outburst upon dropping a plate in the sink: "S---!" Bree: "Did Mommy just say 's---'?"

More to come...