Annie

Hope had her last performance this weekend as her debut as Annie came to a close.  She has done such a fantastic job and it has been so fun to see her on stage.  Even from the first show to the last, she has grown so much as an actress and a singer.  She has a wonderful stage presence and amazing confidence.  It is great for her to have a place where her exuberance and loud voice are such an asset.  We are very proud of our little girl!  Here are a couple video clips that Nana took at one of her shows last weekend, it wouldn't let me load some of them. . . 



A Catch-Up in Pictures

With my lack of blogging, there have been a lot of things I should have posted on, but never got around to.  I will attempt to play catch-up, once again, with some pictures.  All unrelated parties may close this window now without having to feel any guilt. 





  



 We've played in the snow.

We've had a little time to just "hang out".

Hope got her hair "whacked" (as she put it).

And then wore some of her hair as a "beard".



Beck has decided he LOVES to eat his toes . . .

. . . or anything else he can get his hands on.

Hope has been performing in Annie.  Her last performances will be next weekend.  I'll do an Annie post with video when she finishes up!

She also performed in Jr. Poetry Jamm at school.

She performed a poem "Bad Hair Day" with her friend Kaylee and one that she wrote herself called "Flip Flops"

Mimi came to visit from Austin.  Unfortunately EJ got pneumonia and Beck got bronchiolitis and an ear infection while she was here, so this is really the only picture we got.  It was very nice to have an extra set of hands with such sick kiddos!

These two are so stinkin' cute together!

The shirt says it all!

"3" has proven to be a very ornery age around here!



I went to the Arvada Arts Center with Hope's class to see The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley

Beck has started eating solids - so far he's had rice cereal, peas, and carrots.  Despite the picture, he really isn't a fan of the whole experience.  He's usually pretty mad the whole time except when the spoon is in his mouth.

Hope had her first soccer tournament of the year.

It was very cold!

That's Spring soccer for you!

Luckily Beck had his Bear suit to keep him warm!

Beck FINALLY went swimming for the first time.  He kind of liked it. :)

I <3 these kiddos!

Sleeping Beauty

EJ takes forever to fall asleep at night.  But once she does, it appears she can sleep in any position.  Here are a few we have found her in lately.

Not too comfortable, but not too abnormal



At some point after we tucked her in, she climbed into Beck's crib to sleep.

Just kickin' back!



Where's EJ?
(If you click on it to make it bigger, you can see her little face in the middle)



This is the one that inspired this post, taken last night.



Best Sound Ever

Most of the best sounds I have ever heard have come from my kids - that very first newborn cry, a toddler just starting to string words together, enthusiastic details about a school day, overheard "conversations" with toys, singing in the shower, rhythmic breathing as they sleep.  But, there is no better sound than the throaty, nasally joy of a baby giggle.

I'll refrain from listing all of the kid sounds that I don't like so much Lord knows there are plenty of those! The good ones, like the baby giggle, make the not so good ones all worthwhile!

Party of Five

Beck is not eating any food yet, but he's big enough for his high chair so he can join us at meals!

Obviouly, I am taking the picture, so not ALL 5 of us are in it.  That comes with being the Mom!

High Chairs are great! :)

Stats

Since this blog is my virtual baby book, I need to go ahead and post the kiddo's heights and weights.  Last week EJ had her 3 year check-up and Beck had hid 4 month check-up.

Beck:

*14 lbs. 11 oz. - 50th %ile.  He was down from a little over 15 pounds after his bout with influenza!  After several nights of reverting back to middle of the night feedings, I'm certain he's gained it all back!

*27 inches - 97th%ile

EJ:
*30 pounds - 30th %ile
*38 1/2 inches - 80th%ile

Hope doesn't have a check-up until May, but by our measurements, she's 4'9" and 70 lbs.  I don't know where that puts her on the chart, but just looking at her, she's definitely tall and skinny!  She's still the tallest kid in her class. 

Happy Birthday EJ!

Ellis turned 3 years old a couple of weeks ago.  Three. Years. Old.  That happened way too fast.  Turning 3, she leaves behind the pudgy, wobbly toddler years and enters the big girl, preschool years.  Just typing that brings a tear to my eye.

We celebrated on her birthday with a lunch at 3 Margaritas and a dinner at home with just the 5 of us.  We had her "Dora Party" just this past weekend to wrap up the festivities.

 

At 3, EJ . . .

*is kind.

   -she is genuinely concerned with how others are feeling and always provides a hug and an "aww, are you

    okay?" anytime she thinks someone is upset.  That is, unless she caused the upset, by pushing or pulling or taking. :)

* loves to help.
   - she always wants to get things for people.  She's almost always willing to head to the kitchen, up the
      stairs, or wherever something is that somebody needs.  She's also getting really good at helping set the
       table and taking her dishes to the sink.
* knows what she wants! or doesn't want.
   - Her signature phrase(s) these days - "I don't WANT to talk" or "I don't WANT you to talk" or "I don't
     want ANYBODY to talk".  If things are not going her way, all should be silent!
* loves to snuggle on the couch and sit on mommy's or daddy's lap when she's eating breakfast or a snack.  
   At bedtime, however, she wants no snuggling.  She wants us to "lay with her", but that means she is in her
   bed and we are on the floor.  Mainly, there's just no room for us with all of the babies and animals she must
   have with her.
* is smart.
   - she knows all of her letters and sounds (she still doesn't have all of the lowercase letters) and counts past
     20 (though she often skips13 or 14) and backwards from 10.  She's learning to write her name - she has
     the "E" and "L"s mastered, but doesn't really put them beside each other yet.  She knows all her shapes
     and colors.  She likes to show what she knows, but usually only when it's her idea.  She's not always big
     into answering questions.
*loves to talk and sing and color and draw. 
  - she sings songs all. the. time.  Many of them are "EJ originals" and many of them are songs from Hope's

     shows.  She also sings lots of kids songs too,  She still loves Dora, so she sings lots of her songs too.

    One of my favorites to hear her sing is "A, you're Adorable".
  -her coloring is still mostly all of over the page, but I've seen more attempts at trying to color specific parts

    of pictures.  Her "drawings" are lots of squiggles and lines and she loves when they end up looking like

    something!
*STILL loves balls, babies, and books
-The only thing she wanted for Christmas was a ball.  She takes after her daddy!  She loves being a mama to all of her babies and taking them grocery shopping and putting them to bed.  Many times stuffed animals are her "babies" too.  She loves to look at books and have books read to her.

*is a WONDERFUL big sister.

   - I was a little worried about how she would handle not being the baby anymore when Beck came along.

     She has shown such patience and kindness and I just love watching her with Beck.  She loves him so

     much and he loves her too! and I know they are going to be great buddies.

*is hilarious!

-she makes us laugh all the time with the things she says.  Her smile and laugh are contagious.

I can't wait for all the years to come with this amazing little girl!



"Birth"day



1st Birthday



2nd Birthday



3rd Birthday

Yes, I do realize I have yet to post about Christmas.  I will play "catch up" soon!