Alyssa had her 18-month check-up today. She did well--she wasn't afraid of the doctor. He and I were pleased. Alyssa weighs 19.5 pounds (still skinny) and is 31 inches long. I guess if she actually had whole milk fat she'd probably be fatter. It's hard to imagine . . . the girl is a carbohydrate fanatic. She eats 2 bagels a day, at least. She's even been known to bring me a loaf of bread and put it in my lap. She's not one for subtle hints.

Samantha is chomping at the bit to go camping. Just wait til she sees Yosemite--she's gonna flip.

Samantha has finally let me go just a little. She used to want only me to lay down with her at night. It got to be too difficult and sometimes I just want a "night off." So after much discussion we told her that Daddy and I would alternate nights so that Alyssa had fair share of Mommy too. Now she can't get me out fast enough . . . "Is Daddy going to lay down with me tomorrow night?" Note that "laying down" entails staring at the glowing stars and space ships on the ceiling and talking about the day for five to ten minutes. Hey, we finally got it down from thirty minutes.

Autumn blew in with a cool wind today. It was supposed to be around 80, but ended up near 70 with a crisp breeze. It was 63 at 4:30 this afternoon--yesterday it was 95!

I've got preschool work tomorrow. The kids are making banana burritos: bananas, tortillas, and peanut butter. Yuck! Al and I can't imagine that, but they'll eat it I'm sure.