Arianna is 2 Years old!

Arianna turned 2 years old today. She is my sweet, crazy, funny, outgoing, fearless Wild Chicken! We are so grateful to have her as a part of our family and I can't imagine life without her. We had her 2 year old check up today and she is healthy and thriving. She weighs 27.2 pounds- that pits her just over the 50th percentile for weight. Her height is 34 3/4 inches- 75th percentile. She is 3 pounds heavier than Emma was at this age!!
She was born so quickly that we almost didn't make it to the hospital. She came out like a rocket and has been full-speed ahead ever since! Here are a few pictures to celebrate her little life!
Arianna was only 5 pounds 14 ounces when she was born- so tiny!
Emma peeking in at her new little sister
2 weeks old- taken by a very talented friend in Liverpool.
She didn't stay tiny for long! She chunked right up!
Such a happy baby!

She always has enjoyed a lovely Summer afternoon!
Arianna loves to play with her sister!
Baby's first Christmas!
Happy First Birthday!
She sure did enjoy that cake!
She always has enjoyed mealtimes.
Little Blue Eyes
Sisters
Fourth of July with Dad
First pig tails
Smiley girl
Silly lady
Always wants to walk- no stroller for her (if she had her way all the time that is!)
On her 2nd Birthday (yesterday) I cut her bangs earlier this week. her hair was constantly in her face!
Opening her present from Mom and Dad. She loved it!
Arianna, we love you so much! You are growing up so fast and are such a smart, beautiful little girl!

A Saturday in Our Nation's Capital

Last Saturday we spent the day downtown D.C. We had a great time with the kids, even though it was a little bit like herding cats at times! The girls always get so excited to ride the Metro. We walked to the front of the White House and then went to the National Museum of American History. We were quite a sight; we had the double stroller with Grant in his car seat and one of the girls in front and then an umbrella stroller as well. (Emma still can't walk that far without complaining.) (Arianna would want to walk if we let her, but she is all over the place!! We seriously consider getting a leash for that girl!)
The highlights of the Museum were seeing the Star-Spangled Banner (the original one that inspired Frances Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner) It is quite large and in a huge chamber with the words of the song projected above it. Emma asked me what it said. I got all choked up as I read those words to her. I am so thankful to live in this wonderful Country. What a blessing!
We also saw the Lunch Counter from the Woolworths in Greensboro, NC where the Sit-in occurred during the Civil Right's Movement. Wow. I can't even imagine what a different world it was back then.
We saw Kermit the frog, the Ruby Red Slippers from The Wizard of Oz and the First Ladies' dresses from the Inaugural Balls.
There is also a really great area called the Spark Lab where the kids spent a couple of hours and had a wonderful time.
All in all it was a wonderful day. Arianna had a melt down on the way out of the museum. Lovely. I guess that is to be expected when you are almost 2 and didn't have a sufficient nap.

The caravan- waiting to get on the Metro Elevator

The Washington Monument in the background

The White House

Kenneth and Arianna in front of the White House

Emma, Heidi and Arianna

Little Grant Man bundled up in the stroller

A dollhouse at the Museum- the girls loved it!

Arianna loved the Legos!

Daddy playing with Arianna

Climbing on a canoe in the kid's section.

Grant giving Daddy kisses

So cute! I sure love these 2 men in my life!!

More evidence

Found more evidence today to fully convict Emma of being the Mother Hen we always knew she was. Get a load of this. . .

Under each one of those blankets is a doll or animal who is taking a nap. Emma carefully monitors who wakes up and is constantly in and out of their 'bedroom' to check on them or retrieve them, whatever the case may be. Then she proceeds to feed them 'out of her belly' (Her understanding of nursing). Then she changes diapers and dresses and undresses them, or shall I say I end up dressing them as she can't do the buttons and snaps very well. I tell you I spend more time dressing animals and dolls than I do real children (and that, of course, is something, since I have three small children!!).

70 cents well spent!

So, we went to a thrift store the other day and I happened to buy this random bag of pom-poms and some little craft birds and stuff just to have it on hand for various Joy School and other projects. Little did I know these things would turn out to be the toys of choice for the week!! Emma and Arianna had a blast playing with these for hours!

They each had one of the little birds which they would cover up with that little piece of cloth (thanks, Mom!) and use one of the pom-poms for a pillow. Then they would make nests and all sorts of things. What a riot!

Arianna randomly decided to wear this dress-up outfit for a good portion of the day.


Busy and happy!

Down the Hatch!

There are many funny things about my little Arianna, but today I was thinking about her crazy way of eating. We have to watch her like a hawk when she eats because rather than savor and enjoy her food, she practically swallows everything whole!! There have been many times that she crams her mouth so full that she gags herself and we have to come to her rescue- sometimes even having to turn her upside down and whack her on the back a time of two.
Today at lunch I was giving her orange segments and realized she was maybe chewing them once and then swallowing. So, I started cutting each segment into 8 or so small pieces and giving them to her. However that alone is not enough! If you just plop it on her tray she will grab the entire handful and practically not chew at all and . . .down the hatch it goes! My next tactic was to spread said small pieces all over her tray so she HAS to pick them up one by one.
I know she is almost 2 years old and I should know by now to cut everything into small pieces and spread it around to begin with but, I keep thinking she's got to have outgrown this crazyness!! Even as a 6 month old eating rice cereal she would have a spoonful down and be chomping at the bit for more before we could reload ane get the spoon up to her mouth.
After lunch today I let Emma and Arianna have a package of fruit snacks as a treat. (Except that I made each of them give me one- it's a weakness I have-I LOVE fruit snacks!) Arianna was finished with her package before Emma had even eaten half of hers! Down the hatch!!!

New tricks, talents and interests

Grant is such a fun little guy! Here are some of his latest tricks, talents and interests. (He is so cute I'll even forgive him for getting me up 2 times in the night the last few nights!)



Your eyes did not deceive you! The chunk-a-lunka actually rolled over for the first time today! He is 4 1/2 months old. This video is his third successful maneuver.




Here is Grant screeching and talking in the exersaucer.

One of Grant's new interests is being read to. He loves books! He seems fascinated by any book. (Probably it's just any OBJECT he can get his hands on, but there is something special about books that catches his eye.)

Emma reading to a very focused Grant.
Daddy reading to Grant and his sisters at bedtime.





Here is my slightly jazzed up version of Pat-a-Cake which Grant really loves. Glad I could make him so happy! You also get to hear some of his laughs and see is adoring and interested sisters in the background. Half the time they say, "Grant wants you to do it again, mom!" after I finish.

You know you have sisters if. . .

You know you have sisters if you are found looking like this:

Poor guy!

Future Van Gogh

An artist in the making! Emma has just this week started to draw pictures of people. I love them! Probably because she is my child, but I think they are adorable. I just thought I would share- mostly for the Grandmas- probably no one else would get as tickled by them as I do or they would! I love how she got the sizes of us right- so cute!

To sleep or not to sleep Part II

I have no idea how to help these children sleep.
My little boy (4 months) has been sleeping through the night like a charm the last few nights. So, life should be grand right? No!! My three year old is waking up 2 or 3 times a night!! I am so frustrated with her! I thought maybe it was because we were putting her to bed too late (7:45 pm) But last night I put them to bed at 6:30 pm and she still got up twice. She comes into our room wailing. Luckily the other 2 sleep through it. I have no idea what to do to help her stay in her bed.
Grant is also crying to go to sleep at night. I don't know what to do about that either. He used to go right to sleep after we sang to him and put him in his crib.

Help?!

Sisters, Sisters. . .

Sisters, Sisters, never were there such devoted Sisters. . . (From White Christmas- if you don't know it you're missing out!) These two crack us up. One of their favorite pass-times is trying on all the hats and scarves and gloves and running around. These are really good shots showing how DIFFERENT they are- not only personality wise, but looks. We think they are both so beautiful in their own way. We sure love them . It is so cute to see them play together and of course, like sisters do, they have their cat fight moments as well.

Chunk-a-lunka

"Chunk-a-lunka" This is Grant's nickname lovingly given to him by his Aunt. He is quite large, as all my children at this age have been. I really am very grateful that he is healthy and strong, especially considering I have close relatives with small infants who are struggling to gain weight.
Yesterday was Grant's 4 month check-up. He weighs 16 pounds 7.5 ounces and is 26 inches long. That puts him in the 90% for weight and between the 75 and 90% for length. He has more rolls than a bakery!!
He is such a happy little guy and I feel so grateful to be his mother. His sisters adore him- Arianna more and more. (At the beginning she wanted nothing to do with him.) Emma loves to play with him. I have to keep a close watch because she is starting to try to move him around and likes to roll around with him on the floor. Luckily she is pretty careful and Grant seems to love the attention.