Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. ~Robert Fulghum

Another weekend has quickly passed. It's already mid-September. How do these days keep flying by?! Brandon will be home in 4 short days, so perhaps with his helpful hands I can be a bystander and appreciate what is going on around me.

We had another familiar face in town this week! My friend Jennifer from long, long, long ago was in town for an extended weekend. It was great to see her after 6 years. Some friendships are so comfortable that you can pick right up where you left off. Although so much time had passed (including few years with no communication at all) we acted as if we had been around each other the whole time. As always, the time we spent together was too brief. Let's hope it's not another 6 years before we do that again.

Ashton has been a busy bee and is talking like crazy! She sings all the time, repeats almost everything I say to her, and remembers so much stuff that I don't even realize she's absorbing in the first place! She still loves puppies and babies ~ and now we've added "Ring Around the Rosie" to the list {we usually just jump to the "all fall down" part}. She copies every thing I do, from using pot holders on her little plastic pans, to sweeping and cleaning. Her new favorite phrase when I try to help her is, "No Mommy. Stop it." I love that she's becoming so independent, however - I do sometimes miss the snugly baby days. (They've long since been replaced by the sassy toddler.)