It's warmish outside!

It is sort of warm outside, and I needed a good reason for Sophie to change out of her pajamas - so I had the little girls go outside to play.  They had lots of fun jumping on the trampoline together - it's been a while since they could.  They're pretty much the only bright spot in our drab winter-worn landscape!

This morning

This is how I found Alice this morning when I got her up.  Silly kid.

My Newest 2 Year Old

Alice had her 2nd birthday on February 2nd - Groundhog's Day.  She had a pretty great day - other than her chickenpox displaying themselves more prominently.  I wrapped her presents and put them on the hearth the night before.  She snuck upstairs and opened three of them without me there to stop her.  It's okay, she got so spread out the fun and she liked her presents too.

Alice and Sophie had a tea party with Alice's new tea set.  It was pretty adorable

We had a pretty normal day since I had to work, then Alice's grandparents came over for cake and ice cream after we finished dinner.  (Alice woke up late from her nap and was too cranky to eat her dinner without watching Dora at the same time.  I had to bribe her with watching a show on my laptop so she'd eat.  She was still watching when the grandparents came.)

Alice didn't quite get the candles out with her novice blowing techniques - she almost resorted to putting them out with her hands before Tom stepped in and blew them out for her.

Abby was Alice's present opening helper.  It suited both of them just fine.

Alice has been such a fun addition to our family.  She certainly has her own personality and quirks.  She is playful and fun and throws the most adorable tantrums.  (I won't think this in the coming months.)  Alice is my neediest child, she really likes her mom and likes it when I rock her before putting her to bed.  The other two didn't want any sort of cuddling until they've gotten older.  Alice likes to randomly count in Spanish - thanks Dora.  She is still a thumb sucker when she is really tired and is very attached to her blanket.  For now, she is still taking good, long naps.  I'm hoping this continues for a long time.  I think if we moved her out of her crib, she wouldn't nap anymore.  So, here's to many more nights in the crib!  I love my special little girl and I'm glad we can celebrate another year of having her in our lives.

Spots

Chickenpox!!

I have a 7 year old

Abby turned 7 on January 21st. It's hard to believe I have a 7 year old, since that makes me pretty old, but I'm happy to have her! Abby is helpful, kind, smart, funny, messy, outgoing, boisterous, independent, pretty, and lots of fun. I put a lot of responsibility on her, since she is the oldest - and she bears it well. She is a good helper with her little sisters and tends to mother them even when I don't ask. I love to see her helping our little Alice with things.

She has made so much progress this year in school. Abby is reading really well and doing her math like a champ. She tries her best in her karate class to really follow the instructor. It's cute to see her attempting to get her posture and form correct.

Abby had plenty of cake and ice cream and celebrations for her birthday this year. We celebrated on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. She loved having so many parties and being spoiled!

Abby started the day off with breakfast in bed and a present!

Tom took Abby to Trafalga, then she got pizza for dinner, and chocolate cake for dessert.

For her party, she got to play the candy bar game. Abby had the best luck ever and kept rolling doubles. She probably ate half the candy bar!

Abby had a blast with friends and cousins over for her party.

Family Pictures

We were able to nab my sister-in-law while she was in town to take a couple of family photos. We didn't do high volume - but we got a couple of good ones! (And it was really cold!)

Christmas Day!

I'm finally on my last catch up post from Christmas. Christmas morning was fun for almost everyone. Alice was NOT ready to be woken up. If you read the previous post, then you know she didn't fall asleep until about 1 AM. We woke her up at 8:30 and she was not very happy about it. Should we have just let her sleep in and miss all the Christmas morning fun? (Maybe) The girls were really excited, but didn't wake up until about 8:00, then patiently waited while Tom and I laid in bed for 30 minutes not wanting to get up.

We made our short trip down the hall and the girls pounced on their presents. It's amazing how quickly Abby can rip through everything! Everyone else took a little bit more time, but it worked out okay. The girls were happy and, of course, totally spoiled.

We went to a delicious brunch at my grandparents' house at 11:00. The best thing had to be the deep fried french toast. SO YUMMY!! I can't wait until I'm done with my diet so I can make them for my family. (Or just for me!) We went home for naptime and then over to my parents' house for dinner. It was awesome having everyone there. My brother and his family came up from Texas, so it was especially nice. The kids play together so well and just love to be together!

Christmas was a success this year, that's for sure!