Sweet SJ

I've been taking lots of pictures of SJ lately...I can't resist. I also can't resist posting them for those of you who love this precious little girl as much as we do! With AG and LL seeming so much more like "bigger sisters" and growing up in so many ways, I don't want to take these round-cheeked, hug-around-the-legs days for granted. They pass so quickly!

Smoothie face, smoothie smiles





Loving her baby brother


Lots of people say RL looks like SJ...hmmmmm...


Developing her fence-walking skills



Sacked out after a fun morning at a friend's birthday party last Saturday. (The tatoos did come off:)


Just-woke-up-pink-pillow-face


I also want to remember the cute things she says because I know they'll gradually get filtered out and be gone and forgotten if I don't write them down. Here a few:

-She calls us "y'all" alot, as in "Wait for me, y'all!" and "I'm right here, y'all!" I definitely don't question where she got this :) but it's unique to hear because AG and LL didn't use it like that...still don't.

-"I can't able to go to sleep." She went through a phase of getting out of bed a minute after we left the room and telling us she couldn't sleep. Hopefully we're past that, but I must admit it was cute!

-She calls jeans "jings", green "greeng" and likes to help "cling up" any messes.

-She refers to AG and LL as "my sisters."

-Yesterday morning when I asked what cereal she'd like for breakfast, she told me, "I would like some ring popses." (she meant corn pops)

-While she's not really obstinate, she sometimes flips into "contradict mode". For example, sometimes if I say, "Yes, you do" she'll say "Yes, I don't" or she'll say things like "I'm not a treasure from God!" in response to me if I tell her she is!
She went through a phase where if I called her any nickname or silly name, she'd say, "I'm not ____, I'm SJ!!!"

-She just told me it was "thirty o'clock".

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!

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!

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

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!

Fun Times with Nana & Grandpa

We enjoyed having a visit from Nana in the middle of last week and then a bonus weekend visit with her and Grandpa! We had fun hanging out at home reading, playing games, doing puzzles, and watching a few movies, and also had outings to the zoo, church, and lunch afterward. I'll let the pictures tell the story!




Mother Goose sitting on her eggs!













It was great to have you here with us, Grandpa and Nana!