Garrett turned all grown-up overnight.

One day, probably a week or two ago, I said to Paul, "When did Garrett become all big and grown-up?"  Paul said, "I know! I was thinking the same thing!"  It literally felt like an overnight, or maybe two nights at the most, change.  He's communicating better, constantly repeating what we say, 'reading' books alone, (pointing out colors, identifying different objects, and counting things on the pages).  And he just looks older.  For 2 and a half years now, every time my mom sees him, after going a month or two without, she says, "Oh good!  I was afraid he'd be all grown up by the time I saw him next, I'm so glad he hasn't changed."  I tease her because she started saying that when he looked like this:

  And now he looks like this:

Just a little different...

He loves collecting flowers on our walks. (I make sure they're weeds, or already fallen flowers.)

 He tells me who each one is for, but they usually don't make it out of our stroller after the walk.

Garrett White- making senior citizens smile since 2010.

And Addie likes just being along for the ride.

We have this new fun game where the kids love spinning on our swivel stools.  They give each other high-five as they spin past each other.  Then they climb down and try to walk all dizzied up.

We've (Addie) only had one small accident. Or as I explained it to Paul, 'The Bonk Heard Around the World.'  But look, she's fine.

Garrett had 'clo-lope and dip' for dinner.  (Cantaloupe dipped in refried beans.)  Kid comes up with some interesting food combos.

Pre-bed snuggles don't happen often enough around here with our anti-snuggly kids, but when they do, we savor them.

Speaking of bed-time, Garrett's not loving it these days.  In order to make it more peaceful, we've been letting him take a toy to bed with him.  Some nights it gets a little crazy up in there.

We've almost switched him to his toddler bed several times over the past few months, but we've decided to take the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach.  He WILL NOT climb out of his crib.  He could, but he won't.  I even really tried to encourage him one day to do it, just to start the transition process, but he told me he'd do a 'big plop' if he tried to climb out.  Fine with me!

And little Lulu...

Everything is an accessory in her eyes.

She has no concept of personal space and loves being right by her brother.  All the time.

 What a cool brother.  Taking calls at Target with no hands.

 Egg dying with the kids.

Addie would only leave Garrett alone, and the eggs in the colors, if we gave her a homemade popsicle distraction.

 And we got an Easter package in the mail from our Utah grandparents!

Easter festivities coming later this week!

a brother, a sister.

There can be no companion better than a brother, and no friend better than a sister.

Once in a while I wonder if these two will make it to their teens without killing each other.  But most days?  I wonder what one would do without the other.

They do everything together.  If Addie's playing with dolls?  They both play with dolls.  If Garrett's playing with dinosaurs?  Addie's playing with dinosaurs.  They drive cars together.  They 'cook' together.  They color together.  They dance together...

If you throw one in a pile of pillows, they want the other one in there with them.

Addie doesn't like getting her picture taken...unless Garrett's getting his taken.  Then she tries to sneak in.

They read together...

They try new things and imagine together... They get into trouble together...

They both love to be outside... picking fruit, kicking a ball back and forth, playing in the dirt, throwing rocks.

They're finally learning how to take turns.

They both get excited when they hear dad coming up the stairs after work...

They're both curious and excitable...

Addie does a fine job at keeping up with Garrett and fighting back... They chase each other, they laugh together, they tickle each other, they see who can scream the loudest, they race.

They snuggle...

They push the limit together, taking turns being the first one to dare doing something they know they shouldn't, and the other one always follows.  Think- climbing on the table, inching away from the shopping cart, sneaking marshmallows before dinner, throwing balls in the living room, pounding on tables at restaurants...  It's almost like they already communicate through looks, like a, "Follow my lead on this one, I'll take one for the team." expression.

They amaze me everyday.  They make me laugh.  They surprise me.  They entertain me. They teach me to be patient.  They teach me how to love better.  It's nearly a nightly occurrence that Paul and I look at each other as we're all hanging out and playing, like we're both thinking, how did we get this lucky?

I'm so happy they're mine.

And I'm so happy they have each other.