Today was a day. It was a day like any other day. He pretended nothing was wrong. Acted like we were happy. Tried to come on to me. Got shot down. My kids are angels, of course, sent from heaven by God to me. They love me unconditionally, I know. Charlette gives me hugs and she'll even rub my back if she thinks I'm upset, and she always knows when I'm upset. Kallista gives good hugs too, as well as Owen, but each child is different with different personalities and strengths, and Charlette's is compassion. She knows how to make me fell better. She'll let me hug her for much longer than she wants, because she understands that I need it. She'll lay down with me and cuddle me even though she would rather be playing. Owen can really make me laugh. He is so goofy and fun. It's so cute to see him flip over, hands and feet on the ground, butt in the air, trying to do a flip. He usually nails it, too. He likes to put toys in his mouth, shake his head and growl. He likes to yell out, "Awesome!" as loud as he can. Kallista loves to sing. She can sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" like nobody's business. She even likes to add runs in the song. And she loves to sing the alphabet as well, adding runs and changing pitch and tone and it is so freaking cute. Our dog Jack is HER dog. She tells us. She cuddles him the most. She'll see him lying on the floor or bed, and she'll go over to him and give him a kiss right on the top of his doggy head. She loves to give him scratchies as well, and loves to tell us, "Jack loves scratchies. Jack loves kisses." She even lets him lick her face and stuff. She pets him the most. She also loves giraffes and zebras and penguins. Charlette loves elephants. Owen loves bears and sharks and fish. They all love dinosaurs, Dinosaur Train, Elmo and Blue's Clues. They love to dance, and love it when I hold them and dance. The girls have been gaining our trust, and sometimes we let them walk around in the store instead of sitting in a cart or a stroller. That's a big step. The other day, the girls helped make cookies by dumping the measured ingredients into the bowls, and testing for taste. It was amazing to see the looks on their faces when we showed them the different steps and then put it in the oven to take out a cooked cookie. We told them that the flour, butter and sugar made it. They were impressed.

Every day, I try to teach them something and reinforce what they've already learned. These days, that means counting objects. The girls can count as high as they feel like it, past 100 if the mood strikes. But relating that to objects is different. That's a huge cognitive leap. The girls know all their colors, shapes, they can recognize all the letters and numbers 0-9, a lot of animals and some other objects, too. They like to point out what they know, as well. They can follow simple commands and usually do as they're asked, as much as can be expected for 3-year-olds. They speak in complete sentences most of the time, although Kallista's reverting back to whining noises again for some reason, and Charlette needs to be prompted to speak every time or she'll just shout my name.

Owen is learning sentences, too and he's got his almost down pat. He can say most of the letters and numbers, too, and he's getting really good at identifying colors. He knows most animals already, and can even do some sounds. He's still little, though. It doesn't really bother me much, but I do worry a little. This Summer, he still fit in shorts from last Summer. And he still fits into 9-month-old-sized clothing. He'll be 2 in December. So, he's still small. He'll be my baby for a while.

I can't wait to teach them more and more. I've already got some ideas down on paper, about different subjects and sub-topics. They'll learn so much more than if they went to traditional school. And this way, I'll be learning right along with them.

I just want to give them everything; I want to give them the world.

2:02 A.M. - 09.27.11