In her little yellow dress

I've become seriously lacking in my blogging efforts. Sheesh. Not that I think YOU care, but I care (extra capitalization of the I). There are so many things to say I almost feel a little overwhelmed even starting. However.

We are in Star, Idaho right now. If you've never been there just imagine a large corn field. Are you doing that? Now add a few horses (not too many cows in these parts, praise heaven), some wild road-side sunflowers, and a little stench and you're here with us. Yay! It's so fun. We're staying with Lance and Melissa, my brother-in-law and his wife, and their three boys. Oh, and John and Carrie, another brother-in-law and his wife, and their little boy. It makes for some crazy days, but it's so much fun. Especially at night after all the kids are in bed. :)

Chiara doesn't know what to think being surrounded by all these little boys. She hasn't picked up too many of their habits yet - no wrestling or jumping off furniture - but her wheels are turning. She practically makes a whirring sound. :) I think her brain has been on stimulation overload. So sometimes I take her upstairs to our room and we play together just the two of us. She loves to take her plastic necklaces* and bracelets and make piles, first on her right side then on her left. And then she takes those piles and moves them. That's our game, and we play it for long, long periods of time. :) She's such a girl.

* There is a neighbor child I want to whack with a small hammer who decided that her yellow necklace, with all its plastic beaded glory, needed to be his (yes, he's a BOY) for the duration of time. He made one of Melissa's boys cry because they were trying to protect Chiara's honor and get her necklace back and this kid told him he was "going to keep it forever!" What a brat. Seriously. I have no tolerance for yucky kids who just try to make trouble for the fun of it. Not that Chiara cared (if she did this would be a VERY different story) but the fact that her cousins cared was kind of cute. Melissa got the necklace back, but it was all very dramatic. :) I couldn't help but laugh.

Chiara is changing so fast. She's becoming a toddler before my eyes. I swear she looks different every morning when she wakes up. I hate it. :) The other night we went to Melissa's mom's house for dinner and the kids went out back to play in the yard. Chiara did her best to keep up, and I took pictures.

She loves cats. She loves all living creatures, but especially cats. Ha ha. Sometimes they like her too. She got all chummy with a stray kitten the other day - long story - and I've been checking her for ring worm ever since. :)

Woah, kinda freaked her out when the cat started flinging itself around.

"Wait for me, Keaton!" Chiara says.

"Wait for me, Chiara! Daddy says. :)

There she goes ... little Miss Independent. Didn't know that was genetic. :)