We had a good week!

Well, the days are starting to meld together as we start to develop a semi-routine. We did have a couple of interesting events this week, though.

First, was Thursday morning Moms' breakfast/kids' play group at the Cornelius' house. It was the first time Beth and Jack went, and I wasn't sure how they would do just playing on their own at another house. It was fun to watch them as their curiosity got the best of them and they stretched their comfort zone a little bit wider. They started by crawling up the stairs and then sliding back down a few times, always looking to see if Mommy was still there and watching them. Pretty soon, however, they disappeared into the kids' bedrooms where all the cool toys were. Every once in a while one of them would come back down just to check on me and then climb back up to play some more. When Brooklyn N. arrived after kindergarten, she did a great job of playing with Beth and being her friend. It was a positive step for them to interact with the other kids and feel comfortable enough to play without Mommy in sight!

The great thing was that later that evening, when we returned for our weekly Bible study, Beth and Jack had no problem going upstairs and playing while we had our study. It's great to see them becoming more and more comfortable with our friends!

Yesterday, Daddy had the day off, so we decided to go visit Great Grandpa Ed (G-G-Pa), Mitch's Grandpa. Beth and Jack both brought their backpacks with a few toys and coloring books to keep them entertained. G-G-Pa seemed to really enjoy watching them play and especially loved to hear them laugh. Jack had to show him his Matchbox car and Beth showed him a picture she had colored. We stayed for a while and the kids seemed to feel very comfortable there.

Today was another home football game, so Mitch decided to invite our friend Aric Marshall to go with him. The problem was that Aric's wife, Trina, was out of town and Aric was in charge of their two children. So, I volunteered to babysit so the guys could both go to the game. 6-year-old Evan and his 1-year-old brother Ethan were a lot of fun. Evan led the way outside and the three older kids explored the backyard and vegetable garden, discovering cherry tomatoes and summer squash while I rocked the baby to sleep. After lunch, we all walked down to the school playground for a little fun and exercise. The kids enjoyed taking turns pushing the stroller and they all did a great job of walking on the side of the street (as opposed to the middle ;)) and looking for cars before crossing the street. Beth and Jack pointed out every dog we passed on the way, using their English.

At the playground, they both seemed much more confident climbing and sliding and swinging than their first playground experience. It helped to have Evan there to be a good example. Back home again, we had naptime for Jack and Ethan and quiet playtime for Beth and Evan. Before we knew it, the daddies returned home and it was dinnertime! It was a great day of play!

Speaking of English, they are both picking up things every day. And when they do, they repeat it often! Today, they learned "Uh oh." So I heard "Uh oh" all day long. It's okay though, because I think they enjoy learning new words and always want the affirmation from us that they are doing a good job. They also have learned to say "Excuse me" when they burp or pass gas. It's very cute to hear their little voices saying, "'cuse me." We worked with them on the difference between GrandMA and GrandPA. They are getting it slowly but surely!

They seem to be becoming more and more comfortable with affection. They both love to hug and cuddle and now they initiate kisses on the cheek. Jack has the cutest giggle when he kisses me and it just melts my heart!