On the Menu!

This little girl cracks.me.up.  The other day, we had the following conversation:

Me:  Kari, good job at finishing your french toast!  Would you like some applesauce or blueberries?
Kari:  No, I want some chocolate and butter.

She's going to love Easter!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

More pictures of everybody's favorite baby!  She's just growing and learning at such a fast rate, it's so wonderful and unbelievable all at the same time.  

Little Miss J is BUSY.  If there's something she can get in to, she WILL.  Thankfully, most of our home is kid-friendly!  We finally got a baby gate up at the top of the stairs and we move our coffee table in front of the TV.  Then, we just let her roam!

 Juliana has also decided that big-people food is DEFINITELY for her.  So far, she likes lasagna, taco casserole, turkey meatballs, avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas, and, yes, my yummy chocolate chip cookies!  (But even Kari likes those so of course Juliana would!)

Cruising is the name of the game in our house...with walking in the not-so-distant future.  (We're up to 4-5 wobbly steps!)  One curious little baby--look out, here she comes!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My four little Valentine's!

 My sweet neighbor, Marcia, came over during the little girls' nap time so I could go up to the big kids' school and attend their Valentine's Day parties.  It was great to be apart of their little celebrations.

First up, was Emily's class!  Each week I've been coming up to Christian's class to help during reading time, but I haven't been able to get to Em's class.  I was so glad I got the chance!  First off, they are MUCH quieter than kindergartners!  They are also much more independent in their crafting!  But, both kindergartners and 2nd graders both like to have fun playing games!

Emily and her friend, Leena

Very focused on their Valentine's Day cards!

Doing a relay race with balloons--hilarious!

Trying to keep track of the balloons :-)

Not to be outdone, the kindergartners also did their own relay race--and were also full of giggles!

Christian and his WONDERFUL teacher, Mrs. Busch

A crazy kindergarten room!

Again, it was such a treat to be able to celebrate with my big kids and their classes!  So fun to see them in their school environment (read:  where they behave like model citizens!).

"New" Shoes

Maybe the title of this post should be "first shoes" since as the third girl, her shoes at this age won't be "new."  But, to Juliana, they are new, and she loves them!  I makes it much easier to be outside when her feet won't get wet from the softy-soled shoes that she has been wearing.  Teeny shoes are so cute, especially pink ones!

2nd Graders Love to Sing!

Emily had her music program last week--very cute, indeed.  They're still young enough to enjoy music class and singing (not too cool for school yet!). 

 Em's favorite song was about roasting marshmallows (that's what they're pretending is on the ends of their sticks below).

 She took her roll as marshmallow roaster very seriously :-).

 She also had a small dancing part...very cute, Emily was (of course) lovely.

Just a quick little glimpse into what Em's learning in music class!

She Crawls!

Juliana is officially mobile!  Hurray!  She finally put all of the pieces together and figured out how to crawl.  We are so excited that she's into this next stage in her life!

 Juliana was so very proud that she gave herself a round of applause.  Yay!!!

(Kari also shared in her excitement.)

Juliana is also very close to walking.  Yup, my kiddos never crawl for long.  She's actually been cruising around the coffee table and other furniture for a couple of weeks.  She's even been able to take a step or two on her own.  However, crawling is still a big milestone because even if it's only for a short amount of time, I still think it's important developmentally.

Anyhow, congratulations, Juliana!

Hoop it Up!

 For the last month or so, Christian has been hooping it up and learning the secrets of a good jump shot.  He and his besties, Henry and Andy, are the only kindergartners on a team of mostly 2nd graders!  However, they certainly haven't let that hold them back.  And, while their teammates definitely have had more time to hone in on their ball-handling skills, all three boys have had a ton of fun and have each really improved in a short amount of time.

 Before each little game, they have a 20-30 minute practice.  (Perfect for us since that means we don't have to drive anywhere extra during the week for a separate practice!)

The team has 10 children and they all take turns getting subbed in and out every 5 min or so.  Christian's coach is a very nice woman who not only knows the game, but is very good at getting through to each child.  She also makes sure everyone gets equal playing time in the different positions.

 Here are some fun shots of the boys...they sure do make me laugh!

Andy, being himself!

Water break after playing hard!

Christian, open on the wing (his coach is in the white tee behind him)

Big grin

And here's Henry, taking his break!

Birthday Girl

We held Kari's bday party on the Saturday before her birthday.  Now, to her, she was convinced that it had already been her birthday.  So much so, that the night before her actual birthday, she wouldn't go to bed even when we told her that we needed to decorate and wrap her gifts.  Kari just told us, "I already had my birthday!  We went skating!"  Thankfully, we finally got her to bed.  And, the next morning, I think Kari was happy that it really was her birthday!

 She patiently waited aaaalllllll day until Daddy came home from work and we had dinner before opening her gifts.  (Honestly, I think it was tougher for her siblings to wait; Kari was still happy to play with all of her gifts from her party!)

 She enjoyed getting some Bitty Baby doll clothes...

 Some more Princess Lego Duplos...

 A new robe that Grandma Karen made...

 And even a ballerina Barbie.

 Her favorite gift was a new scooter!  (And a pink princess scooter at that!)

 Just the right size for our Kari-belle.  Get this, it even has a place to put your bracelets, hair clips, and rings.  Just in case you may need them while out riding.

Since we'd had cake on Saturday, Kari requested "Birthday Brownies."  The girl LOVES her brownies.

We're so happy that Kari had such a nice time celebrating turning THREE!

Skating Party

When we asked Kari what kind of birthday party she'd like to have, we thought she'd answer, "Princess" or "Dora" or "A Pink Party."  Something along those lines.  Well, she surprised us by telling us she wanted an ice-skating party!  And, it worked out perfectly that the skating rink we like to go to was having an open skate the Saturday before her birthday.  

Kari, with her besties Campbell and Alexa ("Lexi")

How did skating with 3 and 4 year olds go?  Well, it was kind of like I thought it would go.  Some of the kids loved it and wanted to keep trying; others were out for a couple of minutes and decided that the bounce house that the rink had up for the day looked a lot more appealing :-).  Kari loved all aspects of her party so I'll chalk it up as a winning day. 

Campbell and her beautiful mom, Mandi, keeping it real (and upright),
Grandma-style

Out on the ice

Speedy Christian

Jeff got VERY brave and put skates on for the FIRST.TIME.EVER.
Christian kept saying, "C'mon, Jeff...you're too big for me to pull!"

The cheering section--Cubby, Harvey, and Juliana

 After skating (and bouncing) for a bit, the kids had worked up an appetite and it was time for cake!

 Kari had requested a pink princess cake.  Grandma and Emily made it and Kari loved it!  (Her favorite princess is Sleeping Beauty, or, as Kari calls her, "I Know You."

Great-Grandma came and was, naturally, put on baby-duty .
(I don't think she minded too much :-).)

Auntie Erin came out for the fun too and she and I took turns with Kari out on the ice.  Apparently, Kari enjoyed her time out with Erin more b/c when I asked her what her favorite part of her party was, she responded, "Skating with Auntie Erin."  Awww....

Always up for something a little bit different, we sure are happy Kari wanted to go skating!