the hurricane

I always complain to J-P that all I do is clean. All day long. Everyday. Which wouldn't be a big deal, except that our house is never clean. At least not for long. I always feel like I'm sinking in quicksand when it comes to keeping the house clean. J-P's response to my grumbling is always the same. "You can't clean during a hurricane."

The Max and Ian hurricane is a powerful one. They can rearrange the entire contents of a room while I unload the dishwasher. And by rearrange I mean plunder and pillage. Destroy. Dump out every toy they own. More along those lines. I usually send them outside so they can release their creative energy without causing too much damage. But if you have seen our backyard lately, you would probably agree that it looks as though it has been hit by a hurricane.

Despite the messy house, I love the toddler stage. Really. The sweet hugs, the funny things they say, the innocence, the excitement. These two busybodies energize me and make my heart swell. Hopefully one day I will be able to let go of the mess that comes with them.

14 months

Ava is becoming less of a baby and more of a little girl by the day. She is picking up new words and becoming more adventurous too. She is definitely not scared of heights. She loves to climb. Up the slide, up the bunk bed ladder, onto the couch, onto the bottom bunk. And she squeals with delight when she summits her climb.

She is very happy girl, yet very dramatic when things don't go her way. She has the throw-her-head-back, stomp-her-feet, throw-herself-onto-the-ground (although she is quite careful that her head doesn't hit the floor) routine down pat. I have always heard girls were more dramatic than boys, but now I can say that it's definitely true! Aside from the drama, she is incredibly sweet. She loves to smoother her brothers with hugs (and kisses if they let her). She still loves to snuggle. She squeals, screams, and runs to the front door to give her daddy a hug when she hears him open it.

Her new favorite word is "baby". She loves babies. And that includes her dolls (she finally has some!) and anybody under the age of two. She says "baby! baby!" whenever she sees a baby, a doll, or a picture of a baby or doll. She has has also added "poop" and "ouch" to her repertoire. And tonight she called Ian "beanie bee" (his nickname is "eanie bean").