It’s harder to call them babies when they start asking things like, “Carmen go Jerilyn house, play outside?” It’s harder to call them babies when they start ordering you around. “Daddy sweep more [because I don't want to go to bed yet]!” It’s harder to call them babies when they suggest today’s agenda, “Dah-men, go potty. Then brush teeth. Then we go gro-cer-ry shopping. We buy chicken! Come on!” But those feelings are fleeting. Pretty soon, they’re acting like my babies all over again . . .

My Babies Go Shopping for Vegetables (then eat, and eat, and eat)

Asking to go to the co-op. David thought the kitty needed to go, too.

One day, after shopping at the co-op, Carmen and David decided the Gundermann peaches couldn’t wait until we got home. So we ate two at the co-op while we paid for our share, two in the car, and five more at home. David was full, but Carmen was not, so she found and ate apple.

While Carmen was eating her apple, David decided to use his tractor to deliver some fresh vegetables
and brought her an onion.
She began right away to eat it, although she liked it more after I removed the dry skin.
While she was eating, David swept up after the three of us
with pretty good aim toward the dustpan.

Another co-op day, loading up on broccoli:
Enjoying fresh corn from Joan Gundermann’s farm at Houston Farmer’s Market at Rice.

My Babies Clean Up (after colossal messes)
My babies like to clean, especially after a mess. For instance, a few weeks ago we received from packages via UPS (which C&D loves even more than USPS with the patriotic truck). As I sorted through the contents, C&D did some sorting of their own, dumping hundreds of styrofoam peanuts all over the foyer floor and then trying to sweep the mess up. (They’re not wearing pants because they took a potty break and then were too busy to get dressed. I figured I could always use these pictures as bribe material in the next decade.)
Not long later, C&D decided they needed to clean their side of the upstairs

threw all the toys over the gate to the “quiet” side of the upstairs while Matt and I watched with a mix of agony and amusement. I needed to reorganize their toys, anyway.

My Babies Look Out the Window (and spy)

When I am busy downstairs, I open the front door and let C&D look our the storm door. If they’re lucky they see some of a variety of trash trucks, delivery trucks, people on bicycles, dogs out for a walk, and if they’re really, really lucky, the guy with a pink mohawk and sherbet-green Vespa.
The rest of the time C&D play upstairs, with a view of the neighborhood from a fixed window that we left unfrosted.

My Babies Run (around and around)

The lawn between the Water Wall and the Williams Tower (can I still call it the Transco Tower?) is a perfect place to run, but sometimes you need a breather,

or a chance to admire your shirt.

The Water Wall to the south, of course:

My Babies Go to the Playground (and play, of course!)

My Babies Discover New Ways of Getting Wet (and tattle on who’s wet)

Discovering a puddle after a nice walk through an Urban Harvest nearby, and then
pointing out who is wet, and where.

My Babies Discover the Buffalo Bayou (and make their parents feel silly)
Carmen is wearing a cape from the Blue Moon Festival, hosted by the BBP. I’m sure she doesn’t know what a cape is, but she liked wearing it. She also decided that, as we walked to our car, every time a jogger passed us on the trail she would yell “Run run run run run run RUN!” We hope they were amused; they certainly heard her. David, to ensure Matt and I felt suitably goofy, walked alongside me calling the squirrels. “Skwirls, time to eat DINNER! Come on! Time to eaaaaaaaaat!”

My Babies Like Trains (but cry when we ride one)
The horn was too loud, and we found the train at the Galveston Railroad Museum too big!
The model trains were just right, so we cried again . . . because we didn’t want to go home.

While I’m showing pictures . . .
So you have it, this is the house with the new paint color over the Western red cedar (the bottom half). Removing the vinyl and replacing the teardrop siding beneath it is next. Then we’ll work on the landscaping, in time for fall planting. Shortly after we painted, this sign across the street went up. There goes the neighborhood!