bedtime: 6-6:30/waking once between 3-4/back to sleep until 6:30-7
two to three naps a day
eating lots of new foods
officially made the switch from tasting foods to really incorporating three meals a day into your nursing schedule
lots of goo's, gah's and squeals
grabbing for everything (especially mommy's hair and glasses)
trip to Grammy and G-Diddy's
loving:
being outside
strolling around in your stroller
playing with your sisters
petting Oliver
new food
bath time
seeing your Daddy's face
books
blowing raspberries
Elmo's voice
peek-a-boo
playing on your activity mat and in your exersaucer
throwing your pacifier between the slats and behind the crib over and over again when it's time to sleep! :)
dislikes:
being overtired
missing naps
when Mommy leaves the room
The six month appointment is always hard for me because the baby is old enough to smile and laugh at the nurses, so the shots seem so much harsher. Like, "Hey...I thought we were friends!" followed by so many tears. :(
Look at this happy face. No idea what was coming!
Baby rolls, chubby cheeks, little feet and all those chins are just a few of my favorite things. Six month shots...not so much!
On Good Friday, we continued the tradition and loaded up the car after dinner for a local church's drive thru presentation of Jesus' life. The girls' loved identifying the scenes and finding Jesus in each one. Ella asked so many questions and really engaged with the scenes in a new way this year. Jesus' crucifixion made her visibly sad and when you ask her which scene was her favorite she eagerly shared about the empty tomb and the GOOD NEWS that Jesus is alive!
On Saturday morning, we did Resurrection eggs a few times!
Then, it was off to the Torns' 2nd annual Easter party to celebrate with friends. It was a beautiful spring day and the kids had a blast running around outside with friends and participating in the egg hunt.
Abby and Ella have been praying for their friend (and Ms. Heather's neighbor), Emily, as she fights a hard battle with cancer. They think of her often and pray for her daily. As we drove to Ms. Heather's house that day, Ella asked how Emily was doing and then suggested we all pray for her as we drove. Though Emily lives next door to Heather, I prepared the girls that there was a good chance we wouldn't see Emily because of the large amounts of people and her weakened immune system. I truly believe God gave Ella the sweetest gift that morning when she spotted Emily before the start of the egg hunt. They both ran to each other with huge smiles and didn't leave each others sides the entire time. It was so special and a beautiful reminder to me of how God uses our prayers not just for those we pray for, but to grow our hearts in love and joy as well. It was a sweet connection for Emily and our girls. They have sent pictures back and forth to each other since. We continue to pray for sweet Emily and look forward to being back in the swimming pool with her again when she is feeling better!
Saturday afternoon, we dyed Easter eggs while Juliet napped.
I filled the Easter eggs and put the finishing touches on baskets after the girls went to bed! I love filling and personalizing Easter baskets (and Christmas stockings) for our girls. This year, Abby reminded me to hide her basket somewhere new since I put it in the same place two years in a row!
All dressed up on Easter morning and ready for church. It was Juliet's first morning in the church nursery. After a great morning at church reflecting on Jesus' sacrifice, we headed home to prepare for our family to arrive. But not before we snuck in a mini photo shoot.
This one is my favorite because I was making faces trying to get Juliet to smile and I got Mama as she was laughing at me!
Ella and Daddy dancing to Cinderella
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXytM5QN8s
Snuggles with Grandma
Showing Uncle Cory who's the boss!
The whole gang
These two! :)
We laughed so hard that day. Every time Mama and Joe took a picture, it was blurry! SO, they got fed up with us, insisted their photography skills were perfect and the rest of us were crazy! Then, we all started laughing every time someone took a picture! Maybe you had to be there, but weeks later after we take a picture every one still shouts...."Blurry!" and everyone laughs. :)
Our little beauty always ready with a pose for the camera! :) Time for an egg hunt.
Ella is ready!
This guy was sneaking in a quiet moment in the midst of the crazy! <3 br="">
The girls really wanted alone time with Grandma, so they took her outside to read books on the front steps.
Oliver was excited for some alone time with Papa.
I'm thankful that I get to do it all with this guy by my side!
Nagymama came for her spring visit. Juliet and I drove to Papa's house to pick her up. I snapped this pic on the way home when we stopped for some Starbucks. It was obvious that even though Mama hadn't held Juliet since she was a few weeks old in October, Juliet recognized her from our frequent Facetime calls and responded to Mama's voice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwe4nkkDDs
Abby came into the living room with her creation and declared, "Every queen needs her crown!"
We love having Mama with us, especially as we are enjoying the the simple parts of everyday life.
How cute are these two? Abby had lots of fun at her friend Olivia's hula themed 7th birthday party.
For Abby's birthday, Aunt Cyncy gave her tickets to the Albany Symphony. Joe took Abby and Ella and they invited Mr. Ryan and his girls, Makena and Isabel. It made for a special Sunday afternoon daddy-daughter date. The girls learned about and tried lots of instruments during the instrument petting zoo and got a kick out of the superhero themed concert. Thank you Aunt Cyncy for the special gift and fun memory.
Juliet loves all of the new baby foods we've been trying. She's a pretty easy baby to feed. But, no one can get Juliet to respond to the spoon like her big sister. When Abby comes around the corner, Juliet lights up and opens her mouth wide while giggling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RY1G5VhW6E
I spent a morning in Ella's classroom for her Easter party!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgLSSJ_3KKA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGyMajh0vcg
As Aunt Cyncy prepares to move to her new home, she has shared some of her very meaningful treasures with our girls. The girls were thrilled when they realized this was the same red chair Aunt Cyncy had when she was a little girl.
Abby and Ella took the chair downstairs right away to show their "kids" and have a photo shoot with all of their babies.
When I look at this picture, I can't help but think about legacy. I imagine my grandmother in her early 20's escaping Hungary with my three year old dad on her back and wonder if she ever imagined this full lap. I wonder if she dreamed of these days. All the risk and all the reward. All the loss and all the gain. When I look at this picture, I'm so aware of the hard choices she made that made this life I have possible and I'm thankful for her legacy.
Isabel turned five and we celebrated with her at a Sofia pizza party! I love that these little ones have been friends since they were babies.
A school morning started with friends makes the day extra special. Our house was full of girls by 6 am. We had chocolate chip pancakes, got dressed and even managed a car dance party before school.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NjoNAaPd08
Having lots of fun with their new Sequence board game from Nagymama
