Some randomness...

• I suck at remembering to blog and I know it.
• It's already nearly the middle of July. WHERE is the summer going?
• I took a one-year cumulative, 3 hour test today...and passed! What a relief.
• My best friend ever in the world just told me she's pregnant yesterday!!!
• I just discovered Facebook and it's addicting. I officially wasted hours of my life on it tonight.
• I'm not excited about turning 28 this month. In fact, I'm close to being depressed by it.
• I want to lose 10 pounds...and I think I've lost my competition that keeps me motivated (thanks Hayley..or should I say, Kris!)
• My clinical round this quarter is at Children's Hospital. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I don't like seeing sick children.
• I want to be a very organized person, but the reality is, I'm very disorganized...and I hate it.
• I love my children more than anything in this world. They completely melt my heart.
• The 4th of July, my favorite holiday, was somewhat spoiled by rain. We went to the parade in pouring rain, that was gross. But the kids had fun. Thankfully the weather cleared for fireworks!

Madison

• The dog days of summer are kicking her butt. She doesn't want to stop moving or playing for even 5 minutes. She is SO tired at the end of every day, and she's becoming a difficult little girl to handle sometimes.
• She learned how to ride her bike without training wheels last month! I gave some really good attempts at teaching her by breaking my back while running hunched over, holding onto her bike. That is, until a neighbor came by and told me to let her teach herself. Best advice ever! She was riding like a pro within a day or two. Now we go on great big bike rides frequently. We even rode all the way to Scott's work a couple weeks ago! So proud of her.
• She has taken two week-long "summer camps" this summer through the rec center. They are entirely too short because she is never ready for them to end when the time comes!
• When she's getting overtired, she starts asking for hugs...that's how I know she's had enough.
• When I look at Madison, I'm in awe. She's gone from a toddler to a beautiful little girl in a blink of my eye. I feel like I don't remember an inbetween. She doesn't look little to me anymore. She looks like a kid...not a baby, not a toddler...a KID.
• She loves calling her friends on the phone by herself. She needs to dial the number, talk, and even leave messages if they aren't home. She always ends with, "Have a nice day! Bye!"
• We went to Kings Island theme park a couple weeks ago and Madison rode her first rollercoaster. She was so brave and rode, what I think anyways, were pretty big coasters/rides! She had a blast and wants to go back.
• Madison wants to take tap, jazz, cheerleading, soccer and gymnastics this fall. Any ideas how I can break the news to her that she has to pick ONE??

Nathan

• The boy LOVES trucks. It's fascinating to me because we haven't pushed trucks or "boy toys" on him by any means. In fact, he is often found playing with the kitchen set, complete with a bow in his hair and a babydoll in his arms. However, if he hears a truck outside, he bolts to the window yelling "tuck?? tuck??"
• He loves swinging and gets the biggest, sweetest, most genuine smile on his face when you push him on the swing.
• He only needs to hear the sound of the camera turning on, and he is already saying "Cheese!!!!" with a big toothy grin.
• He is talking a lot. Some words a part of his vocabulary are... Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Maddy, Nanna, Poppy, Andy, Di-di (Julie), Harow (Harold), Non (Sean), Doggie, Quack quack (for duck), Meow (for cat), Tuck (truck), Heen (hand-when he wants to hold your hand), Ussss (nurse), Abby, Emmy (Emily), Sing (swing), Yeah, No, Hi, Bye, See you, I know (his response to 'you're cute!'), teddy, shoes, ew (as in, gross!), baw (ball), mok (milk), cheese, boobury (blueberry), chip, ouch, uh-oh, boo-boo, ta-da. And I know there's more, but my brain is tired.
• The other day I walked away from Nathan in the playroom for 35 seconds (seriously) and heard him say "Taa-daa!" I know from experience that this means he has managed to climb up onto something. I came quickly around the corner and he was completely standing up on a chair, snapping SCISSORS open and closed, saying taa-daa over and over again!! In 35 seconds!
• My baby is going to be 18 months old next month. How????
• Second to trucks, Nathan loves balls. He can spot one out a mile away. He especially loves playing his basketball in the bathtub.
• He finally started sleeping through the night about a month ago. Yay! I was getting ready to use some tough love, but I didn't have to...phew! I have a lot more energy these days!

Speaking of sleep...I need to get some!