Growing up....

Just a quick note on how my wee-little ones are absorbing life.

Violet:
Violet is loving Pre-K.  She rides the bus everyday.  She informed us she sits on the bus with "the little peanut."  Which it turns out is Eva that goes to the same daycare as Kolt.  I once mistakened Eva for Jess's (daycare owner) daughter who is 2 1/2!  Eva is a very petite little thing.  Vi also gleaned a new phrase from a little boy on the bus.  She says he tells her, "you are going down!"  Vi has no idea what it means and just laughs and repeats it over and over with a dramatic finger pointing down and a big smile on her face.  Violet just got done with fire prevention week at school.  They had Fighter-fighters (as Vi calls them) & a fire truck, a police woman, and EMT's with an amublance come to the school.  Mike and I followed it up with a few fire drills at home.  She thought they were pretty fun so no clue what she will do in actual emergency.
She is still doing gymnastics every Wednesday thanks to Grandma and Grandpa.  It is very cool to watch her learn a new skill and be confindent in it. She never wants to go upside down on the uneven bars, but does it every time and you can see her very proud grin when she finishes.  You can also tell when Coach has bribed her with a freeze pop :)  She is still taking swim classes at the Y.  She has put her head underwater a couple of times which is a BIG accomplishment for her.  When we started last year, she was firmly attached to her Dad and would have climbed on top of his head if she could.  Now she is swimming (very) short distances without a bubble! 
She has learned to zip up her coat all by herself. I am really trying to stop doing so much for, it is not easy for me, but I know in long run it is what is best for her.  I want her to be independent and take initiative!
She and I went rollar skating for the first time this past week.  Once she got past not being afraid to fall and pouting at me for trying to help her, we had a lot of fun and now she asks to go all the time! She wants to take her friend Lily next time.
 We still read every night. We often talk about she is going to dream, lately it has been bunnies AT the Great Escape.....

Kolt:
This will be super quick. Imagine a pitching machine that never stops combined with a nocturnal animal like a screech owl that is our son. HA!
Our 12 month well-baby stats: 27lbs and 31in.
Kolt has started at an in-home day care a mile away from our house.  He goes 1 1/2 days every week.  I work from home and him being home pretty much prevented ANY work from getting done.  He has struggled a little bit getting used to being somewhere else besides home (or Grandma & Grandpa's) and with someone else besides me, but he likes Jess and their little dog Bella and seems happy every time I pick him up. I wish he could have gone to Lori's (Vi's old daycare), but her daycare is full:(
He is ALL boy, never stops moving, never stops trying to touch everything and is not interested in sitting to play with anything.  He is at a full sprint if the gate is left open on the stairs, the bathroom door is open, or the dog's water dish is unattended! He LOVES to be outside that is where he is the happiest, kicking or throwing a ball or doing both at the same time, digging in the sand, and going up and down the dog's ramp on the deck over and over.
He is starting to use baby sign language on a more regular basis.  He has started nodding his head yes and no.  If you ask him if he is ready for bed, he will do the sign and cuddle up to you.  He saw a baby with a bottle at the library today and started doing the sign for more over and over, poor kid, I didn't have anything for him. 
He and I have started swim classes at the Y.  He has been to the pool many times to watch Violet, but he was very uncertain his first time IN the pool.  Now he seems to love it, but is easily distracted, by pretty much everything. He is the youngest baby in the class and by far the cutest:)
He loves hair.  He will play with my hair EVERY time I am holding him.  My ponytails end up looking very 80's when he gets done playing.  He plays with Mike's eyebrows, a good indication of his grooming :) He plays with his own eyelashes when he is going to sleep, awww....

Vi & Kolt:
He and Violet are beyond adorable.  I set up a little play tent in the living room (thanks GranMary) and they ran in and out of it screaming and laughing like loonatics!!!  Kolt is starting to grab Vi's stuff, but she is pretty patient and tolerant so far...
The only trait I see in both he and Violet on a reagular basis is how sweet they both are.  Kolt is exceptionally gentle with our dog and the dog at daycare.  He is very gentle with other babies.  He often walks up to Violet and just lays his head on her as if to hug her. Violet is constantly telling us she loves us, loves family hugs, and is generous with her affection (not always, but most of the time)  And Maybe silliness is a shared trait.....other than that they are nothing alike. It is going to be an experience raising these opposites....