we leave for our second beach trip of the summer tomorrow morning! we're heading back to seaside with jon's family this time around. in the past, we've visited sarasota & captiva island with the dandurands, but jon's been insisting that they see seaside, so we're really looking forward to going back! [now that i've got the girls & their million items packed up...]

before we leave though, i have been meaning to write down some of the sweet things that the girls have been doing lately. time goes so quickly & before i know it, the things that i see & hear from them each day, will turn into new habits. 

we'll start with eloise, who took her first steps tonight! it was the cutest thing ever & she was SO proud of herself! she did it a few times, so it looks like this is the beginning of us having a little toddler on our hands! 

eloise's latest thing is to point to whatever she wants & either say "this please" or "more please" ... & really, how do you turn that down? she's learning how to be sneaky about it & ask for things that we normally wouldn't give into ;)

her newest words include "baby" & "puppy" & she makes 2 animal sounds- "woof woof" & "whoo whoo" for an owl :) she's obsessed with this book we have called peek-a-moo & would happily sit & have us read it to her 20 times in a row :)

she's been climbing the stairs faster than i can blink & i swear she's a cat with 9 lives because she's [knock on wood] never fallen & gotten hurt despite the questionable positions we've found her in- things that with one child, we were absolutely on top of :)

as for lucy- she's super into needing to sit & "just relax". she cracks me up with her since of time- everything she tells us about was either "yesterday" or "a few days ago". this morning she said "when i was a baby yesterday, i nursed from mommy!" & usually after she says something like that, jon & i will say "yep.. a few days ago" so now she'll add "when i was a baby yesterday...a few days ago..."

her imagination is HUGE & her heart is bigger. she's terrified of bugs & is way too curious about weird things like snakes, tunnels [drains] & boo-boo's [she's really just obsessed with band-aids]. she loves eloise & tells us that often. she gets a little too intense with her hugs & kisses for her sister :) 

her latest obsession is getting her hair done & doing my hair. she'll sit at her little mermaid vanity & ask me to cut her hair with her "safety scissors", blow-dry, hairspray & curl. then she'll ask me to sit in the seat & she'll get me all prettied up- this can easily go back & forth for 15 minutes. we've had some serious talks about how we don't really use real safety scissors on our hair, now do we? :)

these girls are the best- they are so much fun & at such great ages! 

we went to a funky mama concert the other day- i first met krista when i was 10 years old & she was playing maria in the sound of music. she sang in jon's & my wedding, and is a true example of someone beautiful & kind from the inside, out. she performs children's rock & roll around KC & both girls love dancing to her music! we had such a fun morning :)

& for the road... 

wishing you a sunny week!

-ivy