Devastation

I can't stop pulling up the pictures and videos of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan.  It's like something out of a science fiction movie.  It's almost hard to believe that this is real; happening to people right now.  The devastation is incredible.  I'm sending all my prayers out to those affected.  It's just such a painful reminder of how fleeting this life is.  One minute everything you hold dear is there and the next, it is literally swept away.  It's a reminder of what's really important in this life.  The building and possessions that we think are so solid can so quickly be destroyed.  We need to seize every moment we have to love those around us and really treasure the people we have in our lives.

Housekeeping find

I'm hosting our book club meeting at our house tonight, so last night I went on a crazy cleaning rampage.  I was literally up until 1 this morning and then got to rise and shine at 5.  Good morning!  :-/  Of course it's still not where I want it to be, but it's definitely better than it was after several weeks of working, traveling, general not have enough timeishness (that's totally a word).  It's amazing how quickly the clutter can pile up.

So part of my rampage last night was mopping the floor.  As many of you know, we put in the laminate wood flooring a few months ago and with the last few days of dampness and the dogs going in and out, it was looking not so great.  So I pulled out my Bona mop and spray and away I went!  This stuff is so, so, so easy to use and I must say that the floors look fab (you can use it on real wood too)!  You just spritz some spray and use the super lightweight mop (it kind of resembles a large swiffer) and you're done.  I did the whole downstairs in probably 10-15 minutes.  I actually have to thank Cory and Sarah for introducing it to us after Cory put the floors in.  Thanks guys! 

15 months

How is it possible that my baby is 15 months? Please stop the madness! These days are just flying by. So here's a little snapshot of what the duder is doing at 15 months:

* Height: 31" - 50th percentile
* Weight22lbs - 20th percentile
* Head circ: 48.5" - 80th percentile (yes, my child has a giant noggin :-))
* Is no longer walking - he's running...everywhere. He doesn't ever slow down.
* Still loves his books. He will pull all of them out of the bin and then look at me like, "get reading woman!"
* Has the most amazing giggle. Literally.
* Now has 10 teeth - and a chewed out chunk of his crib to prove it.
* Does not enjoy teeth brushing...but we're working on it.
* Still adores the bath. He will stand at the faucet while the water is pouring out, just so he can maximize his water time.
* Loves everyone. This is one of the nice things I've noticed about having him in daycare - we've never had to deal with much of stranger anxiety.
* Is learning new signs all the time. His favorites are still "dog" and "all done" but he will bust out with another one every once in a while. He definitely knows the signs, but most of the time when I sign to him he just looks at me like, yes, that's what I want now stop waving your hands all over the place and go get it. :-)
* Is a dancing fool! He absolutely loves music and has gone from just bouncing up and down to waving his arms, shaking his hips, jumping, and turning in circles.
* Still adores the doggies - I don't actually see this ever changing :-). He will throw the ball to Elle forever and she dutifully brings it back to him. When Parker lays down in his bed, he automatically runs over to him and climbs in with him (not sure this is Parker's favorite thing, but he's a good sport about it.)
*Makes me the happiest mama in the whole wide world.

This is a great example of what he's been doing lately - in constant motion, with his sidekick never far away.  We're seriously considering an SLR just because we might actually be able to get a non-blurry picture of him.