Ten things I love about my daughters right now

1. Every time I get Daisy dressed to go out, if I blink my eyes she strips and dresses up in a princess dress.

2. No matter what’s happening in the evening, when J walks into the door Lily drops everything to greet him with a hug.

3. We read chapter books regularly – Daisy gets one to two chapters before naptime from a book she and I read together (recently finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and starting Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon). Surprisingly, she is retaining some of the plot lines.

4. Lily really likes playing in water. And mud. And dirt. Really, anything messy.

5. Daisy has a couple dozen books and a seemingly limitless number of songs and rhymes memorized. She is constantly dragging a picture book of the shelf and “reading” it out loud – every word perfect.

6. After 13 months of reading daily to her, Lily is finally sitting still long enough to snuggle up and read a couple of picture books together. I love that snuggle time. Her favorite is Happy Birthday Mouse. She always claps when Mouse gets the cookie.

7. Daisy lives in a world all her own. Yesterday she told me a story that involved a polar bear, a dragon and a princess together on a lunar rover. She is particularly interested in Rapunzel and Thumbelina, so just about every story features someone named Rapunzel and/or Thumbelina as well.

8. Lily is a big believer in giving spontaneous kisses. It melts my heart every single time.

9. Lily’s one-year molars have finally cut through; along with four other teeth. After several rather painful weeks, I am happy to report that my sweet baby girl, who smiles and sleeps through the night, is back.

10. Yesterday, while at the checkout at Whole Foods, Daisy greeted the cashier with, “Hey Bebe, What’s Smokin’.” I just about died of mortification.