tough Cake

Cake, the stuffed pug, put on his tough guy look for the princess party today.
Other than that, here is what's happening at our house.
Arabella is jumping into big girl status quicker than I had imagined. She's potty training herself (she's 20 months) and I'm pretty proud of her. She's going number 1 and 2 on the potty. We have plenty of accidents when she's in panties but the other night she stood up in the bath, asked to sit on the potty, and went tinkle. Pretty impressive. I wish I could claim to have a miracle plan that is working on my second child but I don't. I think having a big sister to watch and being a different kind of kid is her claim to early potty using success. (I'm also thinking maybe the universe is giving me my due break with my second child since she hasn't been known to be easy). I'm now wishing I wouldn't have purchased so many diapers but pull-ups instead.

Bella is currently obsessed with airplanes, ketchup, Elmo books, and running. This weekend Justin calmed a tantrum by replaying a YouTube video of a 747 taking off and landing over and over.

Both girls are packing on a few pre-growth spurt pounds. I am guessing they will both grown an inch in the next month or so.

Adelaide is sounding out and writing short words. I love that the world of words and reading is opening up to her. She notices words and letters on everything. Yesterday on the ride home from school she saw letters in every one of her broken pretzels she was eating. There were a lot of Js.
We are gearing up for our departure from the Philippines. It feels good to get organized. I am currently obsessed with plastic bins. If something is in a bin, it makes me feel better about myself. While going through our paperwork I was surprised to find my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage-the small shipment we are allowed prior to the arrival of our HHE or our Household Effects) list for our move to Manila back in April of 2008. I am holding on to it so I can plan our UAB back to the States this June. I love lists and love it even more when I can look back over old lists I've made. I'm pretty impressed with my insight to what we needed back in 2008 not ever having moved overseas.

I also found the paperwork from the moving company who packed up our house in Virginia. Looking through the list of items we put in long term storage I had to laugh that we actually saved the old 20 inch Sanyo glass bubble screen TV. That will be useful in 2013 when we see it again.

We are starting to feel wistful about our last few months in the Philippines. We will miss so much about this country and our life here (especially the people in our life here; namely Cora and Garry). We are also so very excited to spend a few months back in the States introducing our children to life in America (not just vacation life). The idea that Americans live in America is foreign to Adelaide. She doesn't understand why America ultimately is our home. She truly lives in a global community.
Lots of good conversations are being had with Addie about the transitions we will experience in the coming months. She knows we are leaving our home here and has on a number of occasions made Yaya's eyes misty with big hugs and exclamations of how much she will miss her. The sentiment is definitely mutual. Addie is excited that her Daddy will be coming on our adventure back to American this summer as many of our months in the States the past few years has been sans Dad.

When we ask her where we are going after America she says "Africa". I think we've convinced her that a new school in a new place will be exciting and there might even be more little girls for her to play with. She asked me if "we'll be all done" after Africa. By "done" I'm pretty sure she means done with our time away from the Philippines. Since this is the only place she has known as home, I'm certain she doesn't understand that we will not be returning. My heart breaks a little for her every time I think about it.