Great idea!

Blogging is new to me... but this is a terrific idea, especially with everyone so spread out and busy!

News from our neck of the plains:

We've been pushing ourselves like crazy to try to get the house under control, and it's S-L-O-W-L-Y starting to happen. We've found a "Mother's Helper" (basically a babysitter who watches Harry while we're home) - we've been having her come over on Sunday afternoons for several hours. That means that we're both available *at the same time* (a novelty in our household) and can make noise... so we're able to do things like hang towel bars in the now almost-finished bathroom, etc. We've still got way more to do/organize/clean/get rid of than either of us wants to think about, but at least we're making headway.

We've picked out an engagement ring, after investing far more time/energy/etc. in the whole decision-making process than most people could even imagine! (But that's what happens when you've got a jewelry nut with definite likes and dislikes, and two people who over-analyze everything to the nth degree.) It's an antique platinum and diamond ring, gorgeous but completely impossible to describe, so I'll have to post a pic one of these days. It needs some work before I can wear it, though, so I'm still wearing the big ol' honkin' CZ that Harry and I picked out at Target. :)

Harry turns two in less than three weeks - he's really starting to talk and sing, and runs around saying the alphabet (most of it, anyway) and counting. Sometimes he gets all the numbers in series, but often it's "one, two, three, nine, ten, eleven, twelve!" Reminds me of something Oliver and Bailey say: "one, two, skip a few, 99, 100!" We're planning to get Harry a no-pedal bike (it's a surprise, so don't spill the beans!) for his birthday - he's been crazy about bikes ever since we spent time at John's parents' house this summer. They've got a bunch of bikes in a range of sizes, since four of John's neices (ages seven to 19) are currently living with them, so Harry had a chance to mess around on a tricycle and get steered around the yard on a bike that was only a little too big for him. He still asks to ride bikes, so we're excited about getting this one for him - you can see it at www.stridersports.com

Once he turns two, Harry will be eligible to move up to the next room in his daycare - it's basically the potty-training room. Harry's one of the oldest kids in his classroom right now, and one of his best friends is about to move up to the next room, so we're excited about him moving up soon. We think he's not getting enough stimulation in his current room (they are wonderful people but he's just outgrowing the activities) and he's starting to be a bit aggressive - biting, hitting, etc. We think activities geared for older kids will help with the aggression, and getting rid of diapers will just be icing on the cake!

And we're planning a trip to San Francisco in 10 days - my first trip out there in several years, and our last trip before we have to start paying for a seat for Harry. John's only been to SF once, and it was only for a few hours, and Harry's never been, so we're really looking forward to the trip.