My, what big teeth you have!

My toddler looks like a preschooler. I know it's not a huge difference to most of the world but from the Mama perspective, it's gargantuan. Our girls are doing a bunch of growing up this summer, as little girls are want to do.

Puddin' is in a big girl bed and had her first trip to the dentist. She's counting, using big words and bigger sentences. She's talking to new people (including giving a kiss to a waitress at a Thai restaurant. She really enjoyed the food.)

While down South, Peanut rode her first roller coaster. I didn't get to see it but heard the stories. Verdict - it was awesome! She's learning to embrace unfamiliar things and leave childish fears behind, just as long as the adults around her push a little. She's on the cusp of independence that comes with the tween years. She's been away from us for a few weeks and barely misses us, which is good, even when it doesn't feel so delightful.

Monkey has discovered that she's good at the breast stroke. She's delighted to find an unexpected skill and is feeling pretty good about herself. She's finding her voice - phone conversations are a barrage of sound from start to finish - which is a big change from the shy girl we had just a few months ago. She's also learning how to tell humorous stories without belittling people and adding snarky attitude. Conversations are oh-so-much more pleasant now. I think she'll come out of tween-dom a rather lovely human being.

After a year of hard life lessons, we're all finally finding joy and rest. If this summer is any indication, I think it's going to be a good year at our house. 

[The astronaut picture is at the dentist office - the same pediatric dentist I went to around Monkey's age. Back then it was an aquarium but still uber-cool.]