Updates...up-to-date?

February brought a fun, last-minute trip to DisneyWorld. Daddy & I decided to take the girls out of school for a few days and fly down (booked a great trip through Costco Travel). Skipped the Spring Break madness and it was awesome. I wasn't sure the girls were the "right" age but it really is the "happiest place on Earth" and "magical." They loved it, didn't complain about the long days/nights, great behavior. And Nana flew up to spend the week with us. It was really nice.

March brought Spring Break. We didn't go anywhere, but the girls & I managed to have some fun while Daddy worked. We went to paint one day with friends. Another day we went to the movies with J & N (saw the Muppet Movie).

April has been quiet (mommy wrapped up in tax time). Easter was later this year, too. Libby participated in the school Peeps diorama contest. Her book that she based it on is "Sleeping Beauty." She called it "Sleeping Peep." She sketched out the scene, came up with characters and materials. It was fun working on it over a few days.

The girls have spring colds now. I kept Sabrina home on Thurs as she had a low-grade fever, but everyone seems better.

Libby is growing up so fast. It's bittersweet some days. She's been reading to herself a lot more. We talk about responsibility and integrity as there have been some incidents of fibbing. Hoping we can nip it in the bud. That said, she's a fantastic big sister and a fun kid.

Little sis is following in her foot steps, too. It's hard to remember that she's not even 4 yet. She pretends to read books, her drawings have become more detailed, and her lettering is really clear.  Still going through some Jekyll & Hyde moments but the hugs and kisses can't be beat.

Oh and Libby has about 3 loose teeth at the moment - top 2 front teeth, and another 1 on the top. I hope the Tooth Fairy is saving her pennies.

Back to "work"

Back to school today! Spring Break went by too fast. We did get to have lunch w/Daddy one day and go to the Air & Space Museum up in Denver w/Daddy Friday. Having a 3-day weekend w/Daddy was nice. The weather was so warm that we spent the majority of our time outside. Olivia played w/neighbors, Evie and Brooke. We had almost an entire week of "good" days.

Olivia started using her ACT anti-cavity rinse after brushing at night. She doesn't enjoy it but I'm not giving her a choice. She has to get used to it to keep those teeth strong.

I bought Olivia some new flip-flops just in time for the nice weather. Those big puppy feet need a 12/13 in flip/flops.

Sabrina is going through some early terrible-2s behavior. Everything is "NO!" and she's very particular about what she does or does NOT want. It's good that she can express it but frustrating that she chooses to be so aggressive and loud.

Welcome, Spring

Springtime! Well, Spring Break time...No school again until April. That sounds frightening. lol.

We had parent/teacher conference this morning. Olivia is doing really well and seems to be ready for Kindergarten. I know the teacher doesn't have much for us to discuss, but it's good to go in and be reassured. Getting Daddy in the habit of coming with us is good, too.

Mid-March, already!

Book of the week: Olivia chose not to get a new book b/c she didn't return last week's book. We didn't get a chance to read it and she wanted to keep it.

Word of the week: volcano

Gorgeous weather this week has made it possible to walk to and from school every day. We also got lots of time to play outside.

We had Addysen & Jack over for dinner and a playdate on Monday. The kids had spaghetti and peas and got to play in the backyard. A nice way to end the day.

Olivia has started eating pizza rolls again. It's a nice surprise. She requested that I buy them on a trip to Walmart. I got a small bag since I wasn't sure that she'd really eat them, but it's been going well as a lunch time option.

Little sis is climbing the stairs completely on her own now. It's scary to watch at times but she's very independent. She's even climbing around outside on the rocks, resisting help from anyone who tries to lend a hand. Sabrina is also combining words more now, 'Daddy work' "Ee-yah school' 'Elmer food'

We had some friends over to help celebrate Daddy's birthday w/us last weekend. I think we surprised Daddy. Do you like his cake? hahah.

March 2012

Word of the week: goat (Billy Goats Gruff is part of their lesson this week)
Book of the week: "Slippers goes to School"

Making new friends always seems to take a lot of effort, but we're trying. We went to the open gym at the local gymnastics place w/one of O's new friends from school last week. Addysen, her little brother, Jack and her mom met us to play. It was nice to see the kids play outside of school. After the gym, we grabbed lunch and came to the house to eat before school. It made for a bit of a hectic day, but it was fun.

The weather is changing and we've had some really warm days recently. So, we have been walking to/from school. Olivia rides her scooter sometimes.

Daddy & Olivia went to see "The Lorax" movie this past weekend. Sounds like they had a better experience this time (no arguing).

Spring Break

Spring is here! We had a parent-teacher conference last week. Not much to say, which is good. Her teacher recommended the 4 half-day preK program for next year. So, I sent out the application.

Lil sis has been trying new foods (Pear Blueberry Oat) and some yogurt blends (pear). We're also moving up to size 4 diapers.

We tried a new babysitter over the weekend. Olivia seemed to really like Ms. Christine. She asked if she was coming over again the next morning. A good sign.

We've had some really nice weather lately, so we're spending more time at parks. I love this time of year.

Last week:
Book (from 2 weeks ago, there was no school for President's Day): "Almost Late to School: And More School Poems" by Carol Diggory Shields
word of the week: gingerbread







This week:
Book: "Watch Me Grow Kitten" by Lisa Magloff
word: jump







On the advice of her pediatrician, we took O in for a referral w/an ENT. Her tonsils are swollen, but thankfully, he did not recommend surgery. Hopefully, it's something she'll grow out of/in to as she gets older. She is working through the end of another cold.

Lil Sis is tearing through foods. She tried carrots, prunes and applesauce in the past few weeks. She has her 2nd cold right now. A little more snot & congestion this time. I know she's getting tired of seeing the aspirator.

Mommy booked tix to fly home with the girls for Spring Break. It will be nice to see some family again.

Scooters away!

Olivia got a 3-wheeled scooter for her bday. She's finally getting the hang of it and can push herself about 10 ft or so (maybe 3 small pushes). I'm so proud of her. It's still fun to watch her learn new things :)

We went to a "dance" class yesterday. It was a lot of fun, but more about learning to wait, listen & follow directions. She did learn to do a "v-sit," "bridge," and a handstand. Of course, all need improvement, but I was thoroughly impressed for the 1st try.

Today we played w/Adelaide, Sage & Zachary at Ms. Sarah's house. Beautiful day, so the kids were inside & out. :)

Climbing confidence

I'm noticing an increase in confidence in Olivia's climbing abilities. In the past few days, she's taken a few steps up stairs without holding on to anything.

In other news, there's more singing. She's nearly gotten the entire theme songs of both Wonderpets & Backyardigans down. Also, I got a cute video of her singing, "This Old Man." The other day, she was singing the ABC's w/a friend's 4yo daughter. That was really cute. And she sings this little thing from Ni Hao, Kai Lan, "I got it, I got it. It's really true." Or something along those lines.

She remembers stuff so well, it's scary sometimes. I guess she forms associations. When we go to Wal-mart, it's the "pop" place (they have lollipops at the front door if you make a donation to MS or something). When we go to Costco, it's the "carp" place (she likes to sit in the cart & ride around). When we go to the grocery store, it's the "car" place (they have those crazy shopping carts w/the kiddie car on the front). She also remembers stuff even after falling asleep & napping for 3 hrs. It's the first thing she asks for when she wakes up.

Oh, today was the bday party of her BFFs - twins, Victoria & Evan. They are turning 3 on Friday. We had a lot of fun at their Dora & Diego themed party. It was in the 70s here, so the kids got to play outside.