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Looking at my last post I saw I never published it (that seems to happen... so I apologize for the delay.  So now, flash forward 3 months and Camilla is crawling, standing up using the furniture, and a tooth finally pushed through her bottom gums.  She also is loving to eat yogurt puffs and Lorelei meanwhile has become quite the musical girl (even at the moment she is dancing in the living room) due to her Tiny Tunes Music Together class. We always knew she had a love of music since John would dance her around to ABBA and Madonna as a young baby. Now she has the personality and sass to jump in the middle of the circle filled with ten adults and kids at music class and dance her little heart out!  She has quite good rhythm and can clap and stomp to the beat. Even when I watch Dancing with the Stars she is tuned into what the dancers are doing and tries to copy them.  We are also all finally healthy. It was a long time where the girls would be sick then John and I would get sick. It went through that cycle two times! So I am looking forward to spring and summer and hopefully the viruses will go into hibernation.

Lorelei 3 Camilla 1

I've normally kept track of the girls ages by months, but lately with Lorelei being 3 years old counting past 36 months seems kind of crazy. But for those of you who like to keep track, Lorelei is 39 months old and Camilla is 13 months old. It was a special day today because Lorelei had a playdate at her preschool and she officially starts in a week! We are all excited, but I'm also a little nostalgic because it's like where did these last three years go?! Of course looking back through pictures and videos I remember it all so clearly, all of her firsts (steps, words, phrases, and now she even has full conversations with jokes and intelligent comparisons and connections, it truly seems like she has made leaps and bounds). Of course this happens with all kids, but seeing your first child go off to school is pretty amazing! She told me she is going to miss me and even sang me the "Who says they're coming back" song from music class, but I know she will adapt, learn a lot, and become even more independent (even though she already gets dressed, brushes her teeth, sleeps in her own bed, and goes potty all by herself, with privacy of course!). I'm thrilled (and a little sad that she doesn't need me as much) for her to grow as a person without me always by her side.  Although she will be in school a few days a week for a couple of hours, I still have my sweet baby, Camilla, to keep me company. However, besides her bald head, she is hardly a little baby anymore! She walks, climbs, dances, claps, says "baby", tries to pick up other babies (yes, real ones!), bites and pinches Lorelei when she takes her toys, hugs and kisses us, and was playing outside with Lorelei and her other preschool friends like she was one of them! I have two sweet, sassy, opinionated, smart, and kind girls and I'm greatful everyday that I get to be there for them and with them to watch them grow.

As some of you know, I'm turning 30 in a few weeks, and as I reflect on everything that my life has become, I know I've done something special... I grew two babies (with the help of John, of course), gave birth to them (which will forever be my most powerful moments in life), and raised independent, smart, funny, and joyful girls (with many more amazing years to come). With all this, I still have time for date nights with John to strengthen our marriage, so we are not just "Mommy and Daddy" (thank you to all the grandparents for babysitting!),  activities with family and friends (i.e. Girls Night Out, Fantasy Football, Zumba, and traveling), and alone time to decompress, exercise, read, or go shopping (again, thank you grandparents and John:). So if I ever feel distraught over not having a career (which I do realize is incorrect because really, what harder job is there than stay home mom) and not having enough time to develop my own interests or feeling that my identity is wrapped up in being a wife and mom, I'm going to slap myself and reread this post! I wouldn't be who I am without my family: Noel=John=Lorelei=Camilla=Family=Friends=Life