Playing and Sleeping

Evangeline and Irene are starting to be able to play a bit together now. Still it's mostly Irene pestering Evangeline, but I think she is starting to see the potential benefits of having a little sister. It must be noted that Evangeline is mostly quite sweet to Irene, and Irene basically wants to stare at and be right beside Evangeline all the day long. Also, the big news is that IRENE IS SLEEPING! After 10 or so really, really, tiresome months, Irene--upon moving to her new room--is sleeping for about 12 hours. Of course I still have to check on her about 5 times a night, but it is very encouraging. I think Evangeline is teaching her some good sleep habits.
 Irene goes to bed at about 7.30, and Evangeline around 8.30, and even if Evangeline is talking and singing and whatever else when she goes to bed, it doesn't disturb Irene. When Irene was in our room, I could accidentally turn the page of a book too loudly, and she'd wake up and cry. So, this is good. Really good. I almost feel like a citizen of the world again.

New Evangeline activities:
-talking really loudly
-loud repeating of constant questions:
    "What's that guy doing?"
    "What's that"
    "What are you doing?"
    "Where are you going?"
    "Are you happy?"
etc etc.
-reading us stories
-spelling things. Like "subaru" on the car
-singing lots, and wanting us to take her through
singing exercises.
-"helping"

Irene is:
-crawling like mad
-balancing in lots of dangerous places
-still eating lots (breakfast = whole banana, slice of bread with
peanut butter, one egg, 10 or so blueberries, maybe some yogurt)
-testing the boundaries
-bugging Katie
-laughing a lot and seemingly joking with us

We made cupcakes for the Bible class.

Playing at the park with dad.

Finally she learns the twister.

Commerce

Nothing like a free lunch!

That'll be 6 wood chips.

Let's see, will you take 4 wood chips?

I like the way you do business.

At feed store with dad.

This is what's happening in the Castle/Fort

Major Milestones!!!!!

Okay. All within two days Irene started climbing the stairs and also got her own crib, which is now in Evangeline's room. This means that Evangeline's room is no longer hers, but theirs. So, the southernmost bedroom in the house now has not one, but two sniglars, which are the best, most economical cribs on the face of the earth.

And yes, they are getting along. Irene climbs all over Evangeline, and she gets irritated with her, but usually brushes her off with a little whine.

She found this lovely, and totally clean, chicken feather outside and thought it would be a great thing to have inside.

Climbing steps like nobody's business.

At the time of writing, Evangeline is singing/talking, so I can only imagine that they have consolidated cribs and are now sitting next to each other looking at 'There is a Monster at the End of This Book."

In other news, I had to kill this chicken today. She got hit by a hawk the other day, and I finally decided that she wasn't going to make it. She had some incisions around her neck, her eye had collapsed and she had been frail for a few days. So, I took the hatchet to her and buried her next to her mom and the ill fated Dominique. She was probably my favorite chicken. Oh well. If you want to have eggs or meat, you must be okay with animals dying.

Butterfly Lunch

 Luckily, Ms. Olive was OK with having a butterfly over for lunch.

Sweet tea? Butterfly's delight1

 I seem to remember this somewhere before.  Sisters.

colds and dogs

Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately. Since we got home, we've had a series of illnesses, a lot of unpacking to (not) do, and we're just not back in the groove yet. Lucky for us Grandma and Grandpa Mietzner are coming this weekend, so maybe some fun can be had.

On our way to a 1st birthday party in Kannapolis, NC. 

Have cold, will play in dog hair.

Poor Katie. Irene has taken to spending lots of time
by her bed, playing in her blanket, and grabbing her eyes.
Then some mutual nuzzling happens, and all is ok.

                                                                  Here's Irene.

9 (10) months!

Irene had her 9 month doctor visit today. She is 10 months old, but they still agreed to take a look at her. Besides being incredibly snotty and drooly, she was perfectly cute, got the stamp of approval from her doctor, but didn't even get a sticker at the end. She was 19lbs (55%), 29 inches (75%) and some head measurement that was I think in the 70th percentile. So, she's pretty normal. Evangeline was excited that Irene was going to the doctor and was happily awaiting us when we came home. Then we went for a walk and a little trip to the playground, which was largely deserted due to the sweltering heat.

Blurry in bath.

Look how our okra has grown. When we left in July,
it was about waist high. We actually had to discard
a lot of okra due to its hugeness. Our back yard is
like a jungle now. An okra jungle.

Evangeline was super excited to get her picture
taken with the okra.

To All Vacations...

...there must come an end. We had a wonderful time in Alaska, we already miss it and all the cousins and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. It is nice to be home, though. As for the airplane ride home, we all slept most of the time. The girls slept probably 98% of the time. Then we got home and they miraculously went to bed at the normal time. Then they both woke up at 12am and we all watched the Muppet Movie until 2am and then woke up at 11am. But things are getting back to a schedule, and of course they both have colds today.
    Here are some pictures from the last days in Alaska and getting home. Currently, Irene is sleeping with her head propped, and Evangeline is watching Finding Nemo. Again. And it is raining.

We took the girls to the beach to see some mountains and
throw some rocks.

And eat some rocks.

Dad showing Evangeline the good rocks.

Most of the big rocks were "too high", but Evangeline found this a good one to stand
and dance and bow on.

Too high!

Evangeline and Grandpop got some potatoes and peas
the last day. She helped clean them. Then some excellent
Kesäkeitto was made.

Grandma's glasses.

Evangeline took this of Irene playing the recorder.

We went to a cookout the day after we arrived. There were
lots of kids.

But Evangeline ate her cake in peace.

Irene and Matthew swapped pacifier for recorder.

Now Irene's really into the red car.