The Inspector

I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to prepare for this cross-country trip to see the girls' Grammy and Grampie.

Am I packed and ready?  No.
When do we leave? Today.
What am I doing?  Updating the blog...  :)

Rachel has done so much changing in the past week, I just can't leave and not tell you about it.  She is a full-blast crawler now and has discovered every room in the house.  Her little knees are bruised and I have hand and slobber prints all over.  Most times, I walk into a room and can hear her little hands slapping the floor behind me.  As soon as she enters the doorway and makes eye contact, she breaks into a huge grin (or cry...depending on the mood of Miss Rachel), as if to say, "I just wanted to see what you were up to."  This has earned her the nickname of "inpector."

Looking for the dogs

Elizabeth and her crazy hair, coloring while Rachel naps.

The inspector loves to explore mommy and daddy's closet, follow her big sister into her room and bang on her piano or petition that it's time to eat from mommy.  She gets stuck under the table, inspecting the chair legs.  She wants to do anything her sister is doing.  Lately, they've been playing in the little kitchen together.  Elizabeth pulls down all the food and dishes and Rachel gnaws on them.  This morning, Elizabeth confiscated all of my bread pans (old and metallic, handed down from my Grandma) and Rachel banged on them for 10 minutes straight. 

Elizabeth saw her and told me, "Rachel stuck." 

Playing music for mommy

The inspector loves the vacuum cleaner and wants to climb it / chew on the cord every morning.  Yesterday, I was so focused in getting my house clean that I swept and then pulled out all the attachments to clean the couch and dust the window sills, TV, bookshelf...so engrossed that I turned around to find both children chewing on hose attachments...yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck!!

I just can't get enough of watching them play together.  This music table is a huge hit in our house.  It sings and lights up.  Elizabeth likes to do dances for Rachel, which she thinks are hilarious (of course!)

But yesterday was the big event - Rachel pulled up for the first time!!  She has been pulling herself up when holding onto our fingers, but never on her own.  My little baby, so big.  Her sister is never going to know what hit her when we are totally mobile!!

Mom, I just need a better look at this thing.

Attempting to follow her sister on the rocking horse.  Elizabeth had just put a new definition to the term "oatmeal bath."  That's why she's just in her diaper.

Ok, now I really have to go pack.  Pray for us on the airplane...well, maybe for the fellow passengers on our airplane!!