Columbia

Not the country. Not the city in South Carolina. Not Ohio either, you're thinking of Columbus. It's Columbia, MO and we are headed there in a week and a half. Steve has achieved his MFA in Creative Writing and now he is going for a PhD at University of Missouri in Creative Writing and Literature. It's a five year program. I still don't understand what could possibly take five years, but then again, if I made the rules, cookies wouldn't have to be a "sometime treat." 

The crazy thing about moving is that it all comes down to the end. We've packed a little but there are only so many boxes I can tolerate in the house while we are still trying to live here. I'm choosing to spend a lot of time with kids, Steve (who has been home and free this month and I love it), and the Utahns I'll miss the most. I feel like now is the calm before the the storm, before school starts up again and I'm busy with the adventure of exploring CoMo and setting up house. I'm one of those people who actually enjoy unpacking so I'm looking forward to that part of a fresh start.

Speaking of fresh starts, Vivian has just transformed over the past three weeks. She went from figuring out how to roll over both ways to a funny face-plant caterpillar forward movement in the course of about a week; then suddenly she started army-crawling. Fast. Until this point, I had been in denial about how mobile she was, telling myself she's just a rolly-polly, not really in control of her movements. Then she started making purposeful 90 degree rotations and avoiding obstacles and using turn signals and stuff. She's really good at focusing on whatever Creedo is playing with and trying to get that into her mouth. He is tolerant in a two-year-old sort of way and mostly just yells "Vivian!" a la Ricky Ricardo and moves over a couple feet to a new spot. She pursues, and I pretend they are playing together. 

She can also sit up unsupported for a little bit, although she looks supported by her tummy and thigh girth. She's ahead of the curve in her motor development, just like Creedo was, and appears to be nowhere close to interested in giving up night-time feedings no matter how much solid food she eats (also a Creedo behavior). I guess that's the trade-off for having super skills. She also picked up this funny quirk where she quickly pumps her arms when she's excited or growing agitated, and she likes to bob her head frequently to real and imagined music. 

Both of the kids love the water. Creedo is pretty fearless, so when we go to Seven Peaks I strap on Vivian in a mesh water wrap so I have both hands free for him. He wears this adorkable floatie that goes over his chest and straps under his legs with a tube floatie across the chest. Accessorize with bright blue water shoes, red Spider-Man shades to match his Spider-Man trunks, a high-neck rash guard and a floppy hat, and now you've got a combination for some of the most bizzare tan lines you've ever seen on a toddler. Steve's skin cancer appears genetic, so I try to keep Creedence protected. Vivian loves the wrap and will splash her legs and people-watch the whole time. The best part about the whole thing is how great they sleep afterwards!