Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easter 2010
HAPPY EASTER!
We celebrated Easter this year by first attending Good Friday services at Grace Community Church and then going to Easter services Saturday night. We had never done a Saturday night service but our pastor encouraged us regulars to go Saturday night so that those not familiar with GCC would have room on Sunday. Well, the church was packed Saturday night! The service was absolutely amazing and left us feeling renewed and excited. Laney was quick to tell us that she sang a song called "He is Risen" during worship time. She even knew the "he" was Jesus :)
My favorite moment from Friday and Saturday services was communion. Ella sat with us during the Good Friday services and took her first official communion with Jason and myself right beside her. Although she didn't get exactly what she was doing, she knew that the bread and the grape juice were taken because Jesus loves her. It was precious!
Since we did go to two church services in two days, luckily we had two Easter dresses for the girls. The Willetts got the girls dresses and so did the Popes. The girls decided when they were going to wear each dress; I personally think they looked adorable in both :)
Laney heading off to Good Friday services
Me and my little man--he was rockin' the argyle vest :)
We made an Easter bunny cake but we quickly realized that none of us like coconut.
So we put coconut on the ears and the bowtie only (next year we will omit the coconut).
Betty found these great stampers to decorate eggs. I had never seen them before but boy they were fun!
Enough of these pictures, Mom!
And to think this was the best one I got of Matthew.
With his constant crawling and pulling up, getting a picture is just too tiring.
But if he is strapped in his high chair, he will smile all day long :)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Laney's report card
We had the girls' parent teacher conferences this past week and although I wasn't able to be there in person (Jason was out of town, and I couldn't find a sitter), Laney's teacher and I had a nice phone discussion about her classroom performance.
Ms. Kelley said that Laney is a delight in her class. She shares, takes turns, listens and enjoys being in school. I mentioned to Kelley that she can be very feisty and stubborn and Kelley said in all the months Laney has been in her classroom, Laney has only thrown one fit. Kelley had asked the class to pick up the toys; Laney just crossed her arms and said no. Kelley had her sit down and a minute later asked Laney what would be a good choice. Laney decided to change her mood and then helped pick up the toys. Ok, really? This was the worst fit Laney has had at school? Although I am glad she is good at school, I sometimes wish that good behavior would be consistent at home too :)
Here is her report card. The first assessment was from September 2009. As you can see she didn't recognize many letters. The (x) by the shapes shows that she could pick them out when placed in a group of 3 (when 3 shapes were out and Laney was asked which one was a circle, she could pick it out). She was "very close" to getting the pencil hold down.
Here is her latest report card.
We are still working on letter recognition but she got all of the shapes and all of the colors right.
This time, Kelley didn't group the shapes in 3 but rather held up a shape and asked her what it was. That was the more advanced version :) And she mastered the pencil hold!
Kelly also asked her where she lives and Laney replied "in a house with my baby brother."
This was the cutest Preschool Progression Report Card.
She got good on everything
The only areas she needs to work on was galloping, using scissors, manipulating zippers and buttons. Laney loves using scissors at home but must have frozen under pressure. She was the only one in her class who knew her elbow and her knee
(a sign of a genius, right?)
Ms. Kelley said that Laney is a delight in her class. She shares, takes turns, listens and enjoys being in school. I mentioned to Kelley that she can be very feisty and stubborn and Kelley said in all the months Laney has been in her classroom, Laney has only thrown one fit. Kelley had asked the class to pick up the toys; Laney just crossed her arms and said no. Kelley had her sit down and a minute later asked Laney what would be a good choice. Laney decided to change her mood and then helped pick up the toys. Ok, really? This was the worst fit Laney has had at school? Although I am glad she is good at school, I sometimes wish that good behavior would be consistent at home too :)
Here is her report card. The first assessment was from September 2009. As you can see she didn't recognize many letters. The (x) by the shapes shows that she could pick them out when placed in a group of 3 (when 3 shapes were out and Laney was asked which one was a circle, she could pick it out). She was "very close" to getting the pencil hold down.
Here is her latest report card.
We are still working on letter recognition but she got all of the shapes and all of the colors right.
This time, Kelley didn't group the shapes in 3 but rather held up a shape and asked her what it was. That was the more advanced version :) And she mastered the pencil hold!
Kelly also asked her where she lives and Laney replied "in a house with my baby brother."
This was the cutest Preschool Progression Report Card.
She got good on everything
The only areas she needs to work on was galloping, using scissors, manipulating zippers and buttons. Laney loves using scissors at home but must have frozen under pressure. She was the only one in her class who knew her elbow and her knee
(a sign of a genius, right?)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
One on one time
Laney has been a little out of sorts the past week or so (aka very grumpy and rather whiny). Ella and Laney have been picking at each other constantly, making the days drag on. I thought maybe Laney was in need of some good ol' one-on-one time to help get her out of her funk. I know I personally needed to spend time with just her in order to regroup and focus on the many personality traits I love about her.
Connor Prairie was the ticket! Although we have lived here 7 1/2 years, we had never been to CP until this past winter when the Willetts were nice enough to buy us a membership. We have used the indoor play area a few times and although we have enjoyed that area, I couldn't wait for the outdoor exhibits to open. Since it was raining today, I figured we would just play inside but when it stopped raining for a few minutes, we were able to go exploring outside. We only visited the barn and the old Connor House but it was nice to see some of the outside exhibits. I know this summer we will have many great outings there.
Laney and the sheep
Every girl needs to carry her purse, right?
Two day old, Polly
We were the only ones outside so any animal Laney wanted to pet or hold she was allowed to. Of course she said she wanted to see a puppy but alas, just good ol' farm animals were around. The CP staff were so energetic and excited to have the outside facilities open for the season.
The two week old baby chic
They had an exhibit outside where Laney could turn the wheel and make all kinds of things move (the train, balloon, ship, wagon). It was great!
Laney asked me to pose by the fake dog.
Anything for you Lane!
You know how we love the hot air balloons around here so Laney was excited to see the Connor Prairie balloon up close. Since we live across the street from CP seeing the balloon is an almost daily occurrence; I am thinking we will need to take a ride in it this summer.
This is the look she gave the guy we bought the cookies from.
Laney decided it was nap time
She was making silly snoring faces.
Connor Prairie was the ticket! Although we have lived here 7 1/2 years, we had never been to CP until this past winter when the Willetts were nice enough to buy us a membership. We have used the indoor play area a few times and although we have enjoyed that area, I couldn't wait for the outdoor exhibits to open. Since it was raining today, I figured we would just play inside but when it stopped raining for a few minutes, we were able to go exploring outside. We only visited the barn and the old Connor House but it was nice to see some of the outside exhibits. I know this summer we will have many great outings there.
Laney and the sheep
Every girl needs to carry her purse, right?
Two day old, Polly
We were the only ones outside so any animal Laney wanted to pet or hold she was allowed to. Of course she said she wanted to see a puppy but alas, just good ol' farm animals were around. The CP staff were so energetic and excited to have the outside facilities open for the season.
The two week old baby chic
They had an exhibit outside where Laney could turn the wheel and make all kinds of things move (the train, balloon, ship, wagon). It was great!
Laney asked me to pose by the fake dog.
Anything for you Lane!
You know how we love the hot air balloons around here so Laney was excited to see the Connor Prairie balloon up close. Since we live across the street from CP seeing the balloon is an almost daily occurrence; I am thinking we will need to take a ride in it this summer.
This is the look she gave the guy we bought the cookies from.
Laney decided it was nap time
She was making silly snoring faces.
Thanks for a great time, Laney! Although it was rainy, it did not rain on our parade.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Matthew is 9 months
On Monday Matthew turned 9 months and on Wednesday, we saw the pediatrician. His weight is 18# 6 oz (20th percentile) and height is 28 1/4 "(50th percentile). Although I have loved the girls being bigger babies and in general our country wants larger babies, I truly love having a smaller guy (he is so much easier to carry and my back thanks Matthew). Because he is thinner, I feel it has led him to be more mobile than some of the bigger babies (aka Ella and Laney). He sat up at 5 1/2 months, crawled at 6 months and pulls up like crazy these days.
There were no health concerns from the MDs point of view and was happy with Matthew's continued growth and development.
The next few pictures I entitled, "where oh where is the food hiding?" Sometimes my back up camera works great (like at the water park) and sometimes it disappoints (these pictures case and point). I need to walk the 5 extra steps and get the better camera out for these funny moments.
Loving cereal
Almost in my hair
My personal favorite: notice the Cheerio on his head?
Happy 9 months, Matthew!!!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Our second annual trip to the Great Wolf Lodge
This past weekend was our second trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati with our neighbors, the Powells. Last year, the girls had a blast but I was excited to see what an extra year of growth would do for their excitement level. The girls did not disappoint. We got there Saturday morning and Ella and Jason hit the big slides right away. Ella did every single slide other than the one she was too short for. She road the ones requiring inner tubes, ones where you went down on your back, others on your bottom and the large family inner tube water slide. Laney did just as much and other than the big splash at the bottom of the water slides, enjoyed them all.
Ella and Carly were inseparable. They went on every ride together and enjoyed shifting their time from the Powells to us (and honestly, it was great when they were with the Powells. Having one kid was a piece of cake) :) Thanks for being Ella's adoptive parents (she loves you guys!).
The girls were off!
My dream house will have a lazy river around it.
Wouldn't that be divine?
Lilly pad time
While talking to Jen, I had turned my back to Laney and the lilly pads. She was standing in line with all the bigger kids "demanding" she was big enough to go on it. I didn't think she could as she couldn't even reach the rope but in true Laney fashion, she proved me wrong. She crawled from slippery thing to slippery thing and smiled the whole time.
Told you so, Mom!
My best friend from high school, Karen, was able to join us with her husband and two boys. They live about 5 minutes down the road from the Lodge but had not been there yet so I was incredibly excited when she said they could come.
Jack wasn't much for the water (ok, he wouldn't even get in) but here he was helping the girls out with there inner tubes.
Time for a towel break: Carly, Laney & Ella
During one of Laney's snits. What was this one for?
Well, she had just finished an inner tube ride with Jason, and we were waiting for Ella and the Powells to come down the family water slide (where up to 5 people can sit in one large inner tube--one of my favorite rides). As they came down the slide, you could see Jack was crying. As he got out of the inner tube, Laney started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said "I don't like Jack anymore. He cried!" Wow, I guess real men don't cry, right Laney? She is feisty!
Troy, Carly and Ella
Betty, Jason, Laney & Stan
Brennan going down the slide. For just turning 2, he was rockin' the slides. He did a great job.
The blogger and JP
Carly looking ever so cute in her life vest.
This is the last picture I got of her top tooth
as she lost it 2 days later.
Love the tongue, Laney :)
Smiles with Nana
Scott, Karen, Brennan, and Hayden Pirk
Thanks for joining us and hopefully the Pirks can join us next year!
She always wanted to make sure that daddy was at the end of the water slide to catch her.
Ella coming down the slide
I love this picture! Jen took the three girls up to the top of the slide but she obviously had to get down. So she took the water slide but when sitting up she didn't get enough speed and actually got stuck. It was hysterical seeing Jen just
run down the water slide.
Although I had to twist their arms (HA!), my mom and dad watched Matthew so we could take just the girls to the water park. Although he woke up once in the middle of the night for a bottle (what's that all about MJ?), all in all he did a great job.
He is into everything, which my mom quickly found out :)
Thanks, Mom and Dad, for watching Matthew! What a relief to not have to worry about him at the water park. Also thanks to Stan and Bettye for joining us at the water park and getting us a great deal on the room!
Can't wait until next year.
Ella and Carly were inseparable. They went on every ride together and enjoyed shifting their time from the Powells to us (and honestly, it was great when they were with the Powells. Having one kid was a piece of cake) :) Thanks for being Ella's adoptive parents (she loves you guys!).
The girls were off!
My dream house will have a lazy river around it.
Wouldn't that be divine?
Lilly pad time
While talking to Jen, I had turned my back to Laney and the lilly pads. She was standing in line with all the bigger kids "demanding" she was big enough to go on it. I didn't think she could as she couldn't even reach the rope but in true Laney fashion, she proved me wrong. She crawled from slippery thing to slippery thing and smiled the whole time.
Told you so, Mom!
My best friend from high school, Karen, was able to join us with her husband and two boys. They live about 5 minutes down the road from the Lodge but had not been there yet so I was incredibly excited when she said they could come.
Jack wasn't much for the water (ok, he wouldn't even get in) but here he was helping the girls out with there inner tubes.
Time for a towel break: Carly, Laney & Ella
During one of Laney's snits. What was this one for?
Well, she had just finished an inner tube ride with Jason, and we were waiting for Ella and the Powells to come down the family water slide (where up to 5 people can sit in one large inner tube--one of my favorite rides). As they came down the slide, you could see Jack was crying. As he got out of the inner tube, Laney started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said "I don't like Jack anymore. He cried!" Wow, I guess real men don't cry, right Laney? She is feisty!
Troy, Carly and Ella
Betty, Jason, Laney & Stan
Brennan going down the slide. For just turning 2, he was rockin' the slides. He did a great job.
The blogger and JP
Carly looking ever so cute in her life vest.
This is the last picture I got of her top tooth
as she lost it 2 days later.
Love the tongue, Laney :)
Smiles with Nana
Scott, Karen, Brennan, and Hayden Pirk
Thanks for joining us and hopefully the Pirks can join us next year!
She always wanted to make sure that daddy was at the end of the water slide to catch her.
Ella coming down the slide
I love this picture! Jen took the three girls up to the top of the slide but she obviously had to get down. So she took the water slide but when sitting up she didn't get enough speed and actually got stuck. It was hysterical seeing Jen just
run down the water slide.
Although I had to twist their arms (HA!), my mom and dad watched Matthew so we could take just the girls to the water park. Although he woke up once in the middle of the night for a bottle (what's that all about MJ?), all in all he did a great job.
He is into everything, which my mom quickly found out :)
Can't wait until next year.
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