The M&M's

The M&M's are on the move. Melissa and Marian certainly give us a run for our money, learning new tricks and discovering new ideas every day. Sometimes, when you look at them, you think to yourself "I wish I knew what they were thinking." From 7am to 8pm, the M&M's run the show (with supervision of course!).

If ever there were a child who didn't smile...it wouldn't be Marian! No matter how dull the moment, Marian's smile will light it up. And her smiles are not far in between!
Now fifteen months old, Marian is catching up with her sister. At least she's trying to! She's constantly chasing Melissa around the house, trying to do everything her big sister can. Sometimes this gets her into trouble...like when Marian tried to color with her big sister but ending up eating part of a crayon. Or when she wanted to lay in her big sisters new big bed and nearly fell of trying to get on. Then there was the time she wanted to splash like her big sister in the bath tub - except she threw the wash cloth out of the tub, in turn spraying water all over the walls! But its all about learning. Learning what she can and can't do, what she can and can't get away with :)
Learning how to speak is becoming an important part of her day too (and learning how to understand her is becoming an important part of ours!). Her favorite words are more (more food), dog (he's still outside, will you let him in), and go (lets run and be loud). And these three words describe her daily routines. She love running around the house and screaming (because she's figured out she can), trying to do everything her big sister Melissa does. Murphy, our golden retriever, is her best friend. She is constantly on the lookout for him, and always makes sure Mommy knows when he's at the back door - whether he's ready to come inside yet or not! And more food. For those of you who think she never eats...your wrong! In the 5th percentile for weight you would think she was starving, but if you've ever spent a day with her you would know she spends whatever time she's not chasing her sister and the dog or sleeping, she's eating. And man can this kid eat!
In addition to learning to talk this year, Marian is learning the different parts of her body. Her favorite thing is to show you where the yankee shot her (I grew up in the south, so the yankee shot you where your belly button is). Later this year Marian will work on learning her colors and maybe even a few shapes. And this summer I will need prayers as we tackle the ever important task of potty training.

Just like Marian, Melissa is learning new things everyday. Its so funny the things we hear coming out of her mouth sometimes. She's such a happy and inquisitive kid, sometimes we are at a loss for words around her! Melissa is now 3 years and a few months old and growing up to quickly for us! She loves playing with her sister - as long as her sister gives her everything she wants! She's learning at a young age the importance of sharing, and struggling with it all the same.
This past fall, Melissa had a very special semester with Mommy. Melissa got to attend Lil' Panthers Child Care at PNC while I was taking classes. She loved her teachers and all the kids she got to play with. Her favorite parts about day care were show and tell, playing with puzzles, and eating in the cafeteria with Mommy. Imagine a kid in a candy store and that was Melissa at PNC. Everyday she would ask if we were going to school, and on the days we would be staying home she would talk and talk and talk about all the things she does at school. Melissa will be staying home this semester since I only have one class this spring which is in the evening, but I know she will be so excited to return in the fall. And hopefully Marian will be going with her!
Just like her little sister is learning, so is Melissa. Not only is she having to learn the importance of sharing but she's having to learn the importance of being a big sister. Marian loves Melissa so much, and vice versa. We are trying to teach Melissa to be a nice, loving big sister so her little sister will be nice and loving just like her. In addition to her social skills, this year we are working on counting to 100 (so far we get to about 15 and she starts over at 6!) and learning to sing and write our ABC's. Who knows, maybe we will even be spelling small words at some point!