“Oh my gosh, look!” Those were the words that came out of Annie’s mouth the other day. Where did she get this from? Not from me (wink)! I’m even noticing Annie saying things from her favorite Disney shows. Just today she said, “Oh, pickles!” which is something that a character on Higglytown Heroes says all the time. I suppose I should stop watching some of those racy shows on VH1 such as “I Love the 80’s” in front of Annie (or maybe I shouldn’t be watching them at all) for fear that she picks up a vulgar phrase.

Mimi’s picking up on stuff, too. I noticed her saying, “What’s that?” today, something that Annie asks constantly. Mimi is also learning some of Annie’s other bad habits such as wanting to re-dress several times a day involving pulling tons of clothes from the drawers and closet. It was troublesome enough to have one child do it.

Not much is going on here other than the usual stuff. We go to the YMCA almost everyday to either take the girls to swim lessons or for me to exercise. I’m really starting to see results, too. It’s very encouraging! Mimi is also enjoying going to the nursery at the Y. The stress of leaving her screaming in there always made for sad workouts, and I would periodically check in on her. Now I feel confident to leave her the entire time and exercise worry-free. Annie is making great strides with her swim lessons. She is now able to swim with a noodle all by herself. We’re still working on her being able to swim with a backpack by herself, but she’s still nervous without someone holding onto her. Today wrapped up the this year’s set of swimming lessons for Annie! Hopefully, next year she will be swimming like a fish, underwater and all.

Mike and I gave talks at church on Sunday. My topic was on “The Blessings of Keeping a Journal”. Mike’s talk was about the 10th Article of Faith. I think I got the better deal. Both of us did well and got lots of compliments. That doesn’t mean that I want to give another talk anytime soon (ahem, or ever again).

My talk did inspire me to get back into scrapbooking as that was a point brought up. In fact, I made another page for Annie’s baby scrapbook last night. The goal is to complete Annie and Mimi’s baby scrapbooks by the end of the year. I think it’s an attainable goal since I’m more than halfway finished with Annie’s. The craft room is almost organized and makes my hobby much easier. Mike even installed an A/C unit in there to make the environment much more comfortable.

Have you ever had one of those close-call moments while driving and think afterward that you’re lucky to be alive? I’m convinced that 2/3 of the drivers here must be feeling like that every second while in their vehicles. The chaos in traffic around here never ceases to amaze me. Checking your blind spot is no longer in fashion on the streets of D.C. Even though I always strive to be a cautious driver, I still don’t feel 100% safe when driving in this place. Not to worry, there have not been any collisions yet and hopefully never.

I’m so glad to be rid of last week. It was a doozy! We drove up to Baltimore to spend the holiday with some friends that are also from Minnesota. Though the weather was stifling we still enjoyed ourselves during a parade and a barbeque. Upon driving into the town that we call home we noticed an eerie blackness all around. Police were conducting traffic at busy intersections, and darkness enveloped us. As we got closer to home we finally realized that there must have been a huge storm. There were trees down everywhere, and we even saw an electric pole leaning over a busy street with the lines on the ground. Our house was also without power. The girls knew something abnormal was happening and didn’t want to go bed right away even though it was after 9:00 p.m. We were finally able to calm them to sleep. Mike and I endured a hot night without our beloved A/C unit in our bedroom window. The next day had to go on which meant Mike went back to work, but we were still lacking electricity. With the daylight radiating I was able to assess all the damage done to our house and yard. Thankfully, nothing major happened, but there were heaps of fallen leaves, limbs, and sticks to contend with (3 garbage buckets full, in fact). So I spent the day picking up the mess while the girls “assisted”. At last, the electricity was restored at around 4:30 p.m. (just in time to cook dinner—ugh!). The next day everyone woke up with awful colds and lasted through the weekend. What a way to end such a wonderful week!

Annie is happy to report to ANYONE that she will now go #2 in the potty. She is always so proud of herself when she goes. “I went poo-poo on the potty,” has been heard by many. Another accomplishment that I’m sure Grandma Olsen will want to know about is that Annie loves to put puzzles together. We have a set of puzzles that range from 4 pieces up to 9 pieces. Annie is now able to easily put together any of the 9-piece puzzles. I suppose we should invest in some different and more complicated ones to keep her interested. Annie’s personality (almost) always keeps a smile on my face. Periodically we say “maybe” or “it’s for later” in response to some of Annie’s requests. Annie seems to accept these answers easier than just a flat out “NO”. So now Annie will sometimes answer her own questions with those replies if she senses that we will not allow her something she requests. This is cute enough to here her do that, but it’s even cuter to see the charming batting of the eyelashes that she usually gives. How can someone resist that? Annie and Mimi rode on their very first merry-go-round. They both loved it. Annie also had the added bonus of being accompanied by her favorite “uncle” Tiger.

Mimi is our garbage disposal. That child will eat just about anything (edible that is) placed before her. When Grandma Olsen was visiting, we had some fresh cherries to eat one day at lunch. The next night when I put them on the table, I thought Mimi was going to have a fit if I didn’t give her one immediately. Then just yesterday, I shoved some sauerkraut in her mouth figuring she would detest it (since Annie vomited hers back up). Mimi screamed for more when she realized I wasn’t going to give her more. She must get it from Mike because I was (and still am) the pickiest eater. Mimi still dislikes going to the YMCA babysitting room. As soon as she sees the building where the childcare is, she instantly starts to scream. I can’t understand why she becomes so distraught over it because when I go to get her an hour and a half later she is playing so happily. Swim lessons are also not her favorite thing to do. The second lesson’s activities could not please her. No matter what I did to entertain her she wanted nothing more than to just get out of the pool. What really ticks me off is that when we go swimming at home she is as happy as a clam in the water. The only difference is that her precious daddy is the one doing all the entertaining. Can you sense my irritation? I asked Mike if he would like to take her to her next lesson, but he’s just too busy. Urgh, fifty bucks down the drain!

Before you go, check out the girls’ latest pictures on their July 2006 album on the girls’ page.