Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Friendly Creatures

We have been LOVING spending time outside these last few weeks! The weather has been lovely and it's been fun for us all to emerge from our wintertime cocoon. One day LL and SJ made friends with a ladybug. See it on LL's arm near her wrist?


This ladybug had aspirations...she was a brave little thing and was on a mission to climb straight to the top!




She made it!


LL loved this and kept saying she wanted to keep the ladybug for a pet and make it a nest to live in. SJ was watching every move! And what was AG doing during all this silliness? She was in work mode, diligently weeding the front beds (a big job!).


SJ got close to the ladybug, too!


What a reminder of what sweet days these are...


In the end we let the ladybug go with a bit of sadness. And the girls have been on the lookout for another one ever since.

5 Months

Last Tuesday, RL turned 5 months old! We all celebrated by unexpectedly sleeping in til after 8:15 that morning! (except T who had faithfully heeded his 6:00 alarm:) I was shocked when LL woke me up at 8:22...the other girls and RL were still sleeping, and he'd slept over 9 hours straight, a new record! That has not happened again since (not even close!), but even one night of sleep that good goes a loooong way these days!

Here's our little sleepyhead...


Snoozing with "Ralph".


We gave him rice cereal for the first time three days before his 5 month birthday. He was semi-interested and took a while to figure out how to swallow it, but a week and a half later he's on the way to being a great eater!


It doesn't hurt to have a cheering section for such events...


"Eating out" on the patio on his 5 month birthday




A little after dinner treat...he still loves chewing and mouthing things, but no teeth yet!


Concentrating hard in the exersaucer...


New food this week...peas. He is a fan!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

P Family Birthday Celebration

Weekend before last we celebrated three birthdays with the P family: Mimi's, cousin Andrew's, and Uncle F's. It was a beautiful day; the kids enjoyed playing outside alot and we all enjoyed a feast from the grill and a yummy cake made by Aunt E!

Mimi's camelia bushes were in full bloom, and the girls couldn't resist gathering handfuls of blossoms. This was LL's idea of what to do with one of the prettiest! Don't worry, RL, we'll try to keep bows out of your hair...


Mimi with RL4


Mimi with RL3


Our girls picked out daisies for Mimi at the garden store and helped Nana plant them.


Cousin L and LL enjoying some super chocolate birthday cake!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Where has the time gone?

Playing at the park with friends from out of town


Going to the dentist...SJ's first time and she did great!


Playing "baby" in the infant carseat


Enjoying a visit from Gran and PopPop


Loving on baby brother


Playing at the park some more...


and some more..


T and RL watching the action at the park


AG reading to her sisters

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

SJ is 2.5!

Seems like we blinked and our sweet little mohawk-sporting baby girl turned into a busy, funny, still-cuddly little girl! There are many facets of two-and-a-halfness that she is perfecting, and though some of them are a bit challenging, she is such a delight to us all. She is learning to help "cling up" by putting away toys, responds to most statements from others with a cheerful "OH!", can walk in high heels (her size) better than I can, is very committed to packing and protecting bags of random but important things she calls "my stuff", wants to know what "my sisters" are doing if she's been out of the loop at all, and loves to sing. We are so thankful for this precious gift of a girl!

The future's so bright...


Grinning and guzzling her pink lemonade at lunch last Sunday...


She called herself "Rudolph" after this marker-smelling incident...


Snuggle time at the end of the day... She loves her lovies, but we tell her all the time that she's our lovie!


Tonight, just before heading out to the real "Chickalay" for a half-birthday ice cream date with her Daddy. (She calls every fast food place Chickalay).


Happy 2.5, SJ!