How did we get here?

We are in full swing of summer and full swing of child rearing!  We love having two kiddos and we love the age spread.  God is kind in that He didn't give us a second child before we could actually handle it :-).  In truth, Charlie's sweetness to Olivia and her adoration of him is a constance source of joy and amusement to us.  He has fully incorporated her into his life and always double checks with us that she be included in family activities.  "Charlie, we're going to the grocery store."  "Can Olivia come with us?"  But while Charlie has gained more independence over the last six months, it has become even more apparent to us that he is still a young, young child.  Extra hugs and kisses and cuddles for Charlie are suddenly in high demand.  So are more creative discipline procedures.  Alongside potty trainedness come accident prevention schemes.  Breaking of the thumb-sucking habit is succeeded by drawn-out bedtime battles.  Keith and I often look at each other in bewilderment as some new (or old) challenge arises and we say "What should we do now?"  Fortunately, we find ourselves in good company.  So many people we know have gone before us and can offer so much wisdom and perspective.  God works through His people!  And we are grateful even as we are tired.
The last six months have ushered in tremendous changes in our children.  Charlie's imaginative play has grown leaps and bounds!  He connects life's dots in ways we never would have guessed.  A couple favorite recent quotes:
Charlie overheard me saying that Olivia was "clean as a whistle."  And of course he wanted to know "why clean as a whistle?"  I explained as best I could.  Suddenly, he said, "Mama, you're dirty!"  And he rushed to get his whistle so he could clean me!
One of my favorite things to do as a mom is come up with ways to let Charlie know that I love him.  It helps me keep "checked in."  In the mornings, I will "demand" that Charlie give me a good morning hug.  He usually cheerfully complies.  He recently gave Olivia a good morning hug.  Later in the day, he gave spontaneously gave her another hug.  He explained to me that it wasn't a good morning hug, but "because I love her."  Be still my heart!

And let's not forget the girl.  Are you ready for this?  She's crawling.  Not army crawling or scootchin', but full-on hands and knees (sometimes feet!) makin' her way around.  But it doesn't stop there.  Pulling up on furniture so that she can attempt to climb over it.  I have no doubt she would successfully climb up onto and over the coffee table if only she were a little taller.  And can you say busy?  I like to think of her as a fresh breeze in the house:  soft, sweet, refreshing, but always moving.  She eats lunch and dinner with us (the baby version) while simultaneously trying to escape the high chair.  She gives my arms a good work out during church such that I end up escaping to the nursing room just to be able to set her down.  She's got a tooth or two on the way.  She can't seem to stay out of Charlie's toys, mostly because they are near Charlie.  But she doesn't complain much (or sleep much!), she smiles at everyone and is often heard laughing as she sits in the middle of a bunch of toys and systematically checks each one out.  Why she finds them funny I'm not sure.  Perhaps she's laughing more at the power she has over her environment.