Virginian Rhapsody: Updates

Cedar:

Is learning to talk. Cedar can now repeat most things when asked, and is otherwise just a jabber-box, although only God knows what she is saying most of the time.
Has a new interest in "colors". This love is close to my heart, as I am a big fan of "colors", too. Even as an adult, I can spend hours painting, drawing, cutting and gluing and it makes me happy. She does not have the mental capacity to handle crafts yet, so I will wait patiently, but for now she settles on scribbling her colors onto her paper. (We use color wonder markers/books - they are wonderful!)
Is making friends. Sometimes I feel guilty that Cedar gets dragged around left and right to babysit for multiple families, but she is loving it. She gets to play with new toys, learn new names and giggle with new friends. Bless her heart, she has no problem walking up to just anyone, anywhere and giving them a "Hi!" and a kiss.
is 18 months old, and I fear her two's are going to be rough. She isn't often a boundary pusher, and she knows right from wrong, but her tantrums are enough to make me crazy. I have a limited tolerance for grunting and whining, but I am working on tending to her punishments appropriately, and keeping my cool.
Is all-girl. She adores looking at herself in the mirror, wearing "pretties", (Great Christmas gift idea, people :) ) and singing and dancing. I love her pink little heart.

Jody:

Will be starting school this winter! I am so excited (and maybe a little envious!) that he is starting a new adventure, and I'm prepping myself for a an exhausting semester. He will continue working full time at MRL and will be taking classes full time when he is not at work. I think we can make this happen without both of us having multiple mental breakdowns, but only with Jesus' help. :)
Loves his home. He works hard at maintaining and taking care of this place, and I love seeing his pride in our house.
Has been making coffee for me when he gets off work (which happens to be, often, right about the time I am waking up for my day) so it's all brewed and available to me, simply by rolling out of bed and getting it my mug, ahhh - a luxery! So, if he ever happens to read this, he should know that I appreciate it so much I NEVER WANT THAT TO STOP. :) Please keep doing this, Jody.

Kayla

Is tired. I cant get enough sleep, and I cant figure out why. I sleep great at night, but I feel exhausted all day long. Starting to wonder if I don't have some sort of vitamin/nutrient deficiencies or something.
Got a membership at Granite Fitness and I'm FINALLY hoping to get back into the swing of things (once my schedule regulates itself a bit more). I have dropped off Cedar in the kids facility twice now, and she has done great! I just need to be vigilant about getting up early in the morning for classes two times a week, per my goal. Otherwise, on my days off, Cedar and I can go to the gym together for an hour or two of "alone" time. Yay!
Loves. this house. But its so much harder to keep a large house clean! Maybe that's why I'm tired!
Has been getting back into drawing/painting/crafting. I've been enjoying quiet evenings while Cedar is in bed and Jody is at work so I can just listen to music and draw. I've painted several canvases and am hoping to make some fun holiday decorations here in the next month. I am a giant nerd.

And, that's it! Here are some quick photos.